O.T. Mail delivery----(ya' right)........rant

[Frank (N.Mi.)]

So, got some parts for the tractor (shipped USPS) and stopped after work today to pick up the package. Oh well NOW our Post Office (and I use that term loosely) closes at 4:30 pm.

I do not get delivery to my home so have been renting a box. Can somebody tell me, if no home delivery is available isn't the P.O. box supposed to be provided at no charge? I would ask our Postmistress personally but since I work full-time and this P.O. isn't even open close to business hours this isn't really an option.

Last Saturday I made the mistake of trying to mail a package at 10:45. Heck No! place is only open 9:30 to 10:30 on Saturday! With hours like this why don't they just close it completely--or would that make too much sense....Grrr

Can somebody tell me how or where to talk to some one ('Cause I definitely got something to tell'em)............Frank

 

[John M]

Had similar probelms wit hthe post office here, called the postmaster generals office. The yseem to have gotten better, especially since all the people there have now fired and replaced, or left on their own.

 

[Walt Davies]

Might as well talk to the wall it at least will creak and grown once in while to let you know that it is still there.
had a few fights with them people before to no avail except onetime when the county dug out the ditch in front of my mail box. the lad complained that she couldn't safely get to the mail box. I told that she had to complain the County as I had no way of correcting the big ditch that they dug and I was not allowed to put my mailbox any father out on the road.
I don't know what happened but that was the end of it she almost went in the ditch a couple of times getting to my mailbox.
Walt
Ain't it fun living out in the country.

 

[Doug in Illinois]

Got just the phone number for you:
1 (800) ASK USPS
This will get you in contact with someone at a call center, they should be able to at the least give you the info whether your PO box should be free. I am a rural mail carrier, and DO NOT agree with many of the decisions management makes and shoves down our throats (was thinking about making a different statement as to what they are doing to us, but need to keep it cleaner than that. It is a different body part where they are shoving a lot of their decisions). They keep wanting more work done, in less time, for the same or less money. They have lost touch with the "Service" in United States Postal Service. Heck, they won't let us deliver good service, it's all about how much money "management" can make by making their "goals". They don't give a damn about customers or craft workers. I could keep going for a LONG time on the issue of problems with USPS, but enough for now. I would suggest everyone unhappy with the way management is handling everything the way it is now to start calling the 800-ASK-USPS number. They don't listen to the workers, it will take unhappy customers calling the call center to even possibly change anything. DOUG

 

[Missouri Ford Man]

add a 2h lunch break where the post office closes you will just about have it made lol

 

[CWH]

If you don't have home delivery and do not wish to rent a P.O. box, what you get is General Delivery, where you get to stand in line for 30 or 45 minutes in order to have your mail handed to you by the clerk behind the counter.

 

[Coloken]

If you do do have delivery, you are intitled to a free box. BUT! you would not like it. It is a little bity thing that will only hold letters. The clincher is that many post offices do not evan have this size box installed. Like mine. I asked once.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I've given up on the USPS for packages. FedEx and UPS always seem to get the job done easy and with litle to no pain.

 

[Ray]

I was going to ship some parts through the post off a couple days ago.I used an old post office priorty box we had laying around. My wife covered up all the post office writing on the box.The woman at the post office said she could tell it was an old post office priorty box because of the blue stripe around the box so she would have to charge me $16 the priorty price.She said if i put it in another box it would cost $12.80 to ship.I told her i would ups it and left.It cost $11.45 to ups it.

 

[Heyseed]

We live in a rural county in VA and I can only say good things about our Post Office. They are friendly and helpful. I had an issue with the State upon getting my business license. They would not let me use a PO box for address unless my town had less than 2000 people. Town has about 350 people. State should know that. After 3 or 4 exchanges with Richmond it took the postmistress sending them a certified letter (her suggestion) to get it solved. I had to pay an entire plate of home-baked cookies to get that service.

 

[Ken 46]

In our town we DO NOT have home delivery - rules says if you live within a half a mile of the PO and DO NOT get home delivery - you get a free box.
You are right sometimes they have strange hours. Our, luckily closes at 11:30AM to 12:30AM. If I remember I can go to the PO at 12:30 and still be on my lunch hour.
Our Postmistress is the one who makes up for most of the shortcomings. If the doors are locked to the counter and she is there and hears you - she will bring out packages or whatever. If there is something from the Pharmacy she makes sure it is available in one of the boxes.
I have some complaints - but can work thru most of them. Most of the complaints I hear are about the bigger city PO.
Our town is 7 blocks by 5 blocks here in Southwestern Kansas.

 

[Frank (N.Mi.)]

Thanks for the # Doug. Think I'll put it to use...

 

[Anonymous-0]

That's a good one, here in our town, the mail box specification ( details about height and location) are in conflict with the towns regulations on their right of way from center of road, it's against their regulations to have the post within the right of way, kind of an illegal encroachment to them, I don't think it's enforced, but if the snowplow whacks your mail box post they could tell you that you are s.o.l., it's in their right of way.

I'm thinking, just to actually comply with their rules and still meet the usps specification, I'd have to drive an H pile on my property and then cantilever a beam out to the edge of the road to support a mail box, it's still an encroachment, but the post is not on their right of way so I think it would be legal unless they have language in their regulations about air space / air rights, like in NYC.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Nearly everyone in the USA is can get mail service by USPS city delivery,rural free delivery, or a highway contract route. Have you been denied delivery to your home? I am a rural mail carrier in Minnesota. The deliveries you and others have mentioned on this thread I do every day-no fuss,no complications. We are some distance from major shopping areas,so mail order deliveries,including machinery parts and car tires,are routine. If you e-mail me a phone # I would be happy to try to help you. This should not be a complicated matter. Joe

 

[Anonymous-0]

We have a one woman post office. Her office hours are 0800 - 1630 weekdays only. Lunch sign reads "1200ish-1230ish KNOCK IF IMPORTANT". P.O. box lobby is open 24-7-365.

If you get a package too large for your po box, she puts it in one the large lockers in the lobby and puts the key in your po box. If the package is too large, she'll put a pick up note in your po box. If it's still there after a couple days she phones or sends it out with the regular mail delivery to drop off at you home if you're there or if you have a delivery note on file, the mailman leaves it on your porch or a place you have designed.

I live 5+ miles from town, really in the sticks even for this area, have both a po box and a residential mail box. Not unusual to get mail with just my name & town name in either.

She's been here 5 years, took over from 2 worthless sweathogs that didn't do 1/10 what she does alone. She is 40ish, has tatoos on both upper arms and jokes that she has to keep a long shirt in back in case a postal inspector shows up.

I was buying a book of stamps a couple of years ago. She showed me a stamp chart on the wall with about six different stamp designs and said which one do you want. I said none of them, give me the ones with the neckkid wimmims onnit. She said those ones are all sold out, I'll reorder and have the mailman drop them off at your house in a plain brown envelope.

Super person, always ready to joke and sharp as a tack.

Joe

 

[Anonymous-0]

Our hometown now closes 12:00-2:00. Two folks work the counter, but take off the noon hrs at the same time, rather than alternate times. We have to pick up our mail in post office. Some of us pay box rent $35.00 some do not in a town of 700. Some folks get it delivered in town at the curb. That is only a few, no reason or explanation.

A friend has to pay for a box rent in the post office because she lives on a route,and could get curb side delivery, therefore if she wants a PO box in the post office she must pay for it. But she can Not have a curb mail box on curb because she lives on main HWY, so she has to have a PO box at the post ofice. She has argued every year, but gets no where other than the privalage of filling out a form.

We have to almost set up appointments to get our mail if you have a job. The employees make big dollars, big benifits, and all are my good friends. The rules come from up the ladder by the smarter than average.

If you want a additional PO box in the post office for over run, you must pay extra-----BUT THEY HAVE TO PUT JUNK MAIL IN BOTH BOXES. Even though I have been close friends for fourty plus years with one, and fifty years the other, go out for supper with them once in a while. So both boxes get full if you can't make the loby hrs---I have a job an all.

I use credit card over the phone for all bills, cost a little more, but a lot less hastle than using the US mail. As far as I'm concerened they are shooting themselves in the foot by the managment. Fed EX, UPS are very busy in our small town.

I have a cousin that was a investagator for the postal service, he investagated the postal workers. The lazest guy on this earth, but owns more properties than you can shake a fist at. He retired at a very early age, and vacations 24/7. He will even tell you what a joke his high paying job was.

 

[Nolan]

Here you pay for a PO box. There's no free box just because they will not deliver to you. The hours you describe are typical as well.

Mail service varies tremendously based on the local carrier, and the postmaster.

 

[Jeff63]

Our post office is the same, closes at 12:00 so ALL employees can take lunch instead of staggering breaks and keeping the doors open, and they close for the day at 4:00 pm. Now that the stamp machine has been removed (I'm wondering why?) I have to take off work to buy a friggin stamp! But this is what peed me off about them: The first time I ordered a something off the internet I wrongly assumed that it would be sent ups and gave my company shipping address. This was done so the ups guy wouldnt have to bother going by my house since he stops at work every day. Well the package was sent usps and since my company also has a po box for mail the address didn't jive so it was sent as undeliverable 2000 miles back where it came from. I understand from a big town standpoint but this town has one 4 way stop and they KNOW without a shadow of a doubt where the package should have gone. The exact same thing has happened to other people here.

 

[Nebraska Cowman]

Yeah, I get a rent-free box because I live outside of town but am not on a mail route. Your post office has a phone. You can call anytime during the day and inquire about the box. You will have to make arraignments to have a friend or somebody pick up the package during business hours. For smaller packages my postmaster sometimes puts one in one of the bigger boxes and then leaves a key in my small box.

 

[RickL]

run a mail route here also. Answer me one question why no home delivery? Do it day in day out pkgs pkgs and pkgs. Call the postmaster its called a phone. All post office boxes you rent. don't you have a blue box outside the po.
Also by the way 90% of us on here work full time so thats bunch whoey. phone. You need get your facts in order because we deliver anything under 50lbs period or under certain circumference.. Work fulltime doing that then, when get done with the route we assemble machinery

 

[RWK in WI]

We used to get daily delivery to the mailbox on the main road - 1/2 mile from our driveway 6 days a week. A few years ago they cut back to Mon - Fri. delivery. Then two years ago they combined two routes and we get delivery on alternate days M W F one week and Tu Th the next. If we get any package - even a fat envelope weh have to pick it up at the post office and that is a 28 mile trip one way.
Office hours 10:30 -12:00 and 2:00 - 3:00 M-F only/
Tell me about poor service.

 

[John in Ct]

Cousin was told by the post office that his mailbox was in an unsafe spot on the road and could he move it. He Did exactly what he was told. Then a new mail carrier wanted him to move it back to the old location!!! We sometimes get mail that doesn't have our street number on it. We were here before street numbers. The carrier knew who we are but would rather write "return to sender etc.." than just put it in our mail box.

 

[rrlund]

Bring on the gubmint health care! You can only bleed between 9 and 10 am on saturday!

 

[Frank (N.Mi.)]

Why no home delivery? I don't know, when I moved here the P.O. said "they don't deliver here, you'll have to get a box." No mention was made that the box is supposed to be rent free. I have talked to the postmaster at the next town, whose carriers drive past my house daily, and he has been anything but helpful, keeps saying "I'll take a look at your location and call you." Never has replied back....

 

[Don-Wi]

I've seen along one highway about 1/2 hour form home where just about everyone on it has something like that for their mailbox. In the winter, there's a winch on it that they crank up so the plow can't hit it, and when the snow is done, they just go out and crank it back down.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[1936]

UP"S and FED EX are eating the Post Offices lunch. I perfer Fed Ex less damage.