USPS - Who works for them and might know what I need to do??

[terryd270]

I'm having a problem with my USPS because it seems they are sending back important mail saying no such street..  Well I left complaints and they told me that they would talk to the carrier to be sure they delivered my mail..  The problem is that some of the houses out here are rual and therefore our mail box is not where we live but in one of those lock type boxes..  It took a year to get some money that was owed to me by Oracle and they kept sending it certified mail and it would come back to them and finally they sent it Fed Ex and I got it after a year.. Now I renewed my drivers license and my tags for my car by email, I got the tags but not my drivers license same place but they keep getting the sent drivers license back saying no such street.. Now I'm driving around with an expired license and the USPS just says they will talk to my carrier but everytime I see one, its a different carrier..  Important papers such as driver license won't allow you to use a P.O. Box but if I use my address I don't know if I will get it or not.. I wonder how many jury duties I have missed because of this and if I have any legal suit's looking for me..  I guess it could be good but not really.. I need my mail..  I told the Florida Department of Transportion to send me my drivers license by Fed Ex or UPS but not the USPS..  I also told them if they want just send me my money back and I will just make an appointment at the driver license place and do it from there, I just wanted to avoid that..

[terryd270]

This is the 4th or 5th time that I have written them about this..

This was just a copy of the email I sent to Florida Transportion for my drivers license..  I just copied their problem report number to the subject area so they can see that I still having the same problem..


Thank you for contacting the United States Postal Service.  We have
received your inquiry and will be sending a detailed response to you
within 1-2 business days.


Discussion Thread
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Customer (XXXX) - 10/07/2006 04:25 PM
Hi!  I give up on the USPS they really don't care and I just want to
pickup my driver license and wanting to be within the rules, I used my
home address.. I know that for your drivers license you have to used your home address and not a PO Box but I will worry about that later..  The address is a good one, its just the USPS don't have anyone that really knows their job and I really don't know whatelse to do at this point in time except write to my congressman or senator and have them look into why important mail is being sent back..  If you have copies of the
envelope that you sent that would help in showing my problem to whoever gets involved..  So how do I get my money back or can I just go down to the driver license and they will have a record of this transaction and they will issueme a new license or the one that you keep trying to send to me..  Will I have to pay anymore since now its a new month and they will think I have been late and yet I was early a month but  because of the above now I'm late..  So what do I do about getting my license and if I have to pay again how to I get back the money I sent  for my license that I didn't get?  I know that if you send it by UPS or FedEx I get anything mail through them, its use the USPS that I don't get my mail.. So if you want and if you can, can you resend it through one of those carriers, they work...
   
   
Terry

[LouiseVargas]

Terry,

I hope you can get this cleared up.

I live in the city, as opposed to a rural area. I had some issues a while back with not getting my Rolling Stone magazine. I went to the Hollywood post office and asked to speak to the supervisor. As if by magic, the magazine began arriving regularly.

I always try to talk to the highest authority I can to resolve problems. I don't know how it works where you live. How about writing to the "motor vehicle" entity and clearly explaining your problem. Send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Document everything.

How did you pay for your tags and license? By check or money order or credit card? If you used any of those, there is a record. Even emails are considered a record.

Good luck, let us know what happens.

[Carnut]

Are any of your neighbors getting mail?

If so just use their address and ask them to hold it for you.

[Mere]

terry.....is your street sign there marking your street....is your house marked with your number.....

i am considered rural and when i had trouble, i did what louise did....i went to the boss....things are better.

i also have a p.o.box for bills, magazines, etc...love the way that works...

and, as soon as the teenagers take one of the street signs, all of us call the department of streets/roads and get it replaced pronto....

[terryd270]

The house is built on land that used to be a horse ranch and it was divided up into 2 - 5 acre lots and we all share a common box for our mail, kinda like what an apartment building would have..  Anyway I do have a public street but I'm the only house on that street and my mail address is kinda wierd because I used the name of the community of about 25 homes and then my street address..  I think the problem is that everytime I see a mail person out here, its a different one..  I get some mail but I know its a hit and miss type thing..    I got another reply from the USPS last night, so I guess they do work 24/7 and that they would be calling me but they have called me before and told me that they would talk to the carrier and it happens again.. Well now that the area built up so, I wonder why we still have rual mail boxes, I need to find that out.. Its just frustrating...  

Here is the email I received last night from the USPS..

Response (Jessica R.) - 10/07/2006 05:36 PM
Dear XXXX,

Thank you for contacting us again regarding your issue with
confirmation number CO28949624. I regret to hear that your concerns regarding non receipt of mail and returned mail have not been resolved.

I have resubmitted your concern to the person who can best respond to
it. You should receive a callback by the end of the next business day.
Your new confirmation number is CO29038270. If you need to contact us
again about this issue, please include the new confirmation number.

If I can be of assistance to you in the future, please don't hesitate
to contact me.
Thank you for choosing the United States Postal Service.

Regards,

Jessica R.

[LouiseVargas]

Now I'm getting angry over your problem. This email crap is not accomplishing anything.

At this point, I would send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the USPS section of the Federal Government in DC. I don't know how to find the address but maybe you can Google it. I would enclose all email correspondence from you to them, and from them to you, etc. What about the receipts you have for payment? Do you have those, Terry? Make copies and include them. Also ask this question: "Well, now that the area built up so, why we still have rural mail boxes?"

Remember, Terry, the SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE.

[snoopy]

Terry

I was a USPS clerk for 10 years.  Daddy was a rural mail carrier for 19 years.  There is no reason for this crap.  We have the same problem with our mail.

Go to your post office , and speak directly to the PostMaster.  Tell him/her that if these problems are not corrected immediately you will report his/her office to the Postal Inspectors.  This is mis-handling of mail.  

Years ago they started trying to do away with carreer employees, and replace them with part-time flex employees.  The union use to be strong, but from what I have seen lately, they are losing the battle.  

It has been 15 years since I have been gone from the Post Office.  We use to take great pride in our jobs and do whatever it took to get the mail out not only on time, but to the right person.  Many of the USPS career employees still care, but management keeps bringing in what looks like to me just about anyone.  Some of the people I see arou nd town delivering mail makes me cringe.  No uniform.  Not properly groomed.  The pride is gone.  Not from all......but many.

Don't be nice either.  This is rediculous.  Take the emails with you.  Saying "Postal Inspector" should scare the crap out of them.  

[terryd270]

I think your right, its that no one takes pride in what they do.. You know I wouldn't care if it took two week vs two days to get to me.. I think we lost the care of doing our job to the best of our ability and feel good about it.. I got an email this morning from the Department of Transportation and they told me that they haven't received this last mail back but if I wanted I could go down to the driver license office and they would issue me another one at no cost since I never received this one..  But I still need to find out why important mail is not getting to me and the ones I know about have gotten the letter back saying that the street number does not exist..  I think its worse here in Florida then other places, after the hurricanes you would have people take your money and start jobs and never show up again..  Its a strange world we live in..

[Carnut]

I suspicion there might be some formal notice of the existance of your street/address than hasn't been completed somewhere.

I have built on property in the past and there are some hoops that have to be jumped thru to get the world to agree that your address exists.

[GreatOwl]

I can identify with the problem.  I built a rural home 15 years ago and had problems because of postal fights over what the address should be.  I had five different addresses in 6 months.

Someone mentioned driving directly to the post office and meeting with the postmaster.  This is how I managed to get through to them.  One suggestion would be to call ahead and make an appointment so you are not pushed off to some secretary who has no authority to resolve the issue.

There are several places to complain to:  here is one

Write to: The Consumer Advocate, U.S. Postal Service, Washington, D.C. 20260-6320. Or phone: 1-202-268-2284.

depending upon the area you are in you may wish to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.  I am not sure they have jurisdiction, but would know who does.

[terryd270]

The address I used is the one that the 911 operators use and it took sometime to realized that I had to add the community in my address and not just the street number and name to get service..  Mapquest and other services have no problem only the USPS..  The funny thing is I want to move and when I get this all worked out, thats when I will sell my house and move and start all over..

[Frijole]

Terry,

I hope that you take Owl's and Snoopy's advice... this is absolutely ridiculous.  I'd say "fire" the carrier but that's probably the problem... they can't find one with a brain and it's a new one every week.

You would be amazed at what each individual carrier contributes to the success or failure or getting mail.  Years ago when the USPS went to the 9 digit zip codes to automate processes they contracted the firm where I work to create and build the database of all deliverable addresses in the US.  I can't remember now how many changes there are a week but you would be surprised. ha.

Anyway,  what I learned is that it is really the carrier that makes or breaks service.  I bet with emails service has gone down huh?  ha.  Good luck and yes, you will start over when you move but I bet you get an awesome carrier.  There are more good than bad.  And yours has got to be the WORST!

[terryd270]

I guess all my letters most of worked because someone got to the bottom of the problem and gave me a good enough explantion that I accept..  I sometimes work out of state and about a year ago I had my mail forward to my work address and when I left the project I asked for my mail to go back to my home address.. Well I guess that part never got to the system and therefore for over a year my mail has been sent back to sender.  She just told me that if the mail was local then most likely I got my mail since the carrier knew the address but mail coming from out of state just got returned to sender.. It sounds lame but I will accept it for now.. I just don't buy it 100% but at least someone called me and gave me something..

[terryd270]

I wonder if it was my letter to the Postal Inspector reporting that my Post Office was acting like they were Postal workers and deliverying mail and that this was an act of fraud..  Umm the person that called me seemed to have a sense of humor and told me that they weren't all idiots as I mentioned in my letter..  Thanks for your thoughts on who to contact and I guess it worked..  


Terry

I actually got a phone number and a person to call for anymore problems...

[Frijole]

I wonder if it was my letter to the Postal Inspector reporting that my Post Office was acting like they were Postal workers and deliverying mail and that this was an act of fraud..  Umm the person that called me seemed to have a sense of humor and told me that they weren't all idiots as I mentioned in my letter..  Thanks for your thoughts on who to contact and I guess it worked..  


Terry

I actually got a phone number and a person to call for anymore problems...

Way to go!   Good thing you didn't have to go Postal on them!  Would they have noticed?      

[LouiseVargas]

Dear Terry,

CONGRATULATIONS!  Writng all those letters and complaining worked! The squeaky wheel, ya know. Your letter sounds humorous and so does the guy who called you back.

Not only did your problem get resolved (hopefully - and let us know that you are getting your mail ok now) but now you have a valuable phone number of someone who doesn't want you to be unhappy with the Postal Service.

Good job.