The US Postal Service earns a “Worst” rating.
I leased a space in a rural location. When filling out a new resident notification with the local Post Office I discovered that there had been a mix up and misuse of the addresses unit designations going back about 25 years. My unit designation had been being used by the neighbor for years, however, I couldn’t just use their designation as it was being used other places already.
I proposed that I just use the next, unused (and thus unassigned) designation. The property manager liked it as they didn’t want to open the can of worms of making the existing tenant change their address and deal with the other aspects of the mess. The local Post Office and carrier liked it as it resolved a long running point of confusion.
So, I was designated as Unit E rather than Unit D. I changed the markings on the mail box. I had a new sign made for the side of the building.
However, when I went to do a change of address with the Post Office online it would not let me enter Unit E because their system deemed it not “official.”
So, I went in to the Post Office a mile from my old residence and did a forwarding order in person, with them reviewing it and my explaining why I couldn’t do it online. They understood, accepted it, and verified my identification.
I though it was finally, after eating up a bunch of my time, taken care of.
Almost a week later I received a letter from the regional USPS office saying that they refused to recognize the forwarding order and that I would have to bring my identification and proof of the location into a Post Office in person.
So, I went back into the Post Office in my new location bringing my identification and a copy of the lease. The lease of course listed my Unit as “D” which they were recognizing as what was actually Unit A. The postmaster understood why it was in their interest to not have two separate, unrelated units with the same unit number. They admitted they had been struggling with and wanting a resolution to the unit designation mess for years and were glad that I was willing to just use a new designation. They also expressed appreciation for the new, clear signage that they had noticed that I had put up.
They said they put it into the system and my mail would be forwarded starting in a week. Why a week? Because the regional office indicated that they would not acknowledge it until then.
So, because the national system and the regional office refused to acknowledge or accept a solution agreed to and recognized by the local Post Office my mail will have not been forwarded for over two weeks. Whether it is being held somewhere or returned the local Post Office could not say.
The last time the Post Office decided to stop delivering mail to my location much of the mail that they returned I ultimately never did receive, including critical mail such as tax statements.
All of this dis-service from a tax supported entity.
Submitted By: Anonymous