Delayed USPS mail delivery?

Question

My mail arrives much later than it should. I'm not talking about packages, just plain old letters. It has been getting worse the past couple weeks. My husband is at boot camp in Chicago and can only send letters every Sunday (they get sent out first thing Monday morning). The first week he was there, he sent the letters on Sunday as usual and I received them on Wednesday (two days later). Every week since then his letters have either come on the following Saturday, or not until over a week after he sent them! He's not allowed to send mail any other day, and he hasn't forgotten to send any. I've also received things like bills that I need to pay after they were due, checks, and bank statements late which is becoming a problem! I live in an apartment building, and the building manager says there are 4 different postal workers who deliver mail to my building.

What could be the cause of my mail being delivered unusually late and what can I do about it??

Answer 1

There is a chance your regular mail carrier has either moved to another route or retired. Having 4 different carriers handling mail duties to your building tells me the route is now vacant and associate-less (routes are supposed to have a regular carrier and an "assistant", to cover the days the regular is out) and you have nothing but substitutes working the route. Those carriers don't necessarily know anything about the route so they're much slower and not always accurate. Mail backs up quickly in those situations and as so, the delays get worse.

However, I'm concerned because if your husband is sending them first class, they're supposed to be prioritized and are REQUIRED to be delivered the day we receive them at our station. Like, people get fired for not delivering this stuff on time. So, if the actual clerks and carriers are doing their job, it's an issue with the big mail plant. That is out of your carrier's hands; it doesn't matter how many people are working the route if they don't get the mail in the first place.

I would suggest contacting your local post office and just tell them what is up. They can direct you to either your delivery station manager or supervisor. If it's a problem with staffing, they will try to do what they can, but with so many different people working your route, it might not get to everyone.

If it turns out your route is vacant, keep your fingers crossed that you get a regular soon, because that's pretty much the only real effective solution. Having just one person working your route they will learn faster and are more invested in doing the job right instead of "well I'm just here to cover for today" viewpoint that some nastier subs tend to have.

If you see a mail carrier at your apartment complex, go ahead and talk to them. It may be your new regular and even if it isn't, it's one more person who might remember you and keep an eye out for you. Speaking for myself, I tend to remember people who come talk to me, especially at apartment complexes where residents move in and out faster than I can keep up. It might not be a route I work often or know anything about, but it's at least one person who I can try to give better service to when I AM working it.