Eh, mark of the beast?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

For 14 tears we had very good mail service at our home. Then the person who had our delivery route all those years retired/was let go. For more than a year since, we have had somewhat poor service, causing problems and causing neighbors to play musical chairs delivering mail from one house to another and one block to another to get it to its intended recipient.

We've complained at the post office and finally, they are telling us to come pick up pink stickers to put on our mail boxes as a signal to tell the letter carrier to double check all mail they are putting in that box. I told another neighbor and he pointed to his mailbox: He was already pink stickered.

Holy smokes, isn't putting a stupid pink sticker on the box a way of telling the incompetent letter carrier that this is the home of some of those people that are complaining about you, turning you in to your superiors? Should I expect mail revenge if I do this? Besides ---checking the mail going into my box is not going to help me get the mail that has been put in someone else's box or the mail that has been returned to the sender. And some manager thinks that we will be assuaged or placated by these oh-so-powerful pink stickers?

What do you think?

[gamecock43]

I'm with you, I dont see the point of the pink. I'm sure you dont mind getting other peoples mail, its all the bills and checks that your neighbors get that have you concerned. Pink does nothing for that.

[moneybags]

You must live in my neighborhood. Our carrier also retired and was replaced by a not so competent person. I've called and complained, I'm sure she knew it was me (based on the situation), and now I swear she is out to get me by messing with my mail.

[JanH]

Oh, wow. If you've caught a couple of my blog entries where we've had mail problems, then you know we feel your pain. Our regular mail guy is a gem. The poor subs....I don't know what happens with some of them on occasion. I do know that some mail is considered "automatic" and is delivered even if you have a stop mail order. That, apparently, includes some of my bills not just junk mail. They told me it was magazines or whatever. Not really. Even the regular guy delivers sometimes when we have a stop order. And, we've had the mail swap meets with the neighborhood, too. We've finally got a PO Box, and we are trying to get the most important stuff delivered there. It is more mind soothing to take the time to pick it up at the post office than to find out that things are roaming the neighborhood. I haven't heard of the pink sticker idea yet. I'll have to tell Hubby that one. After Rita, for some reason, they delivered the accumulated mail in one clump. We were lucky in that Hubby had just returned to town. Otherwise, all our mail would have been falling out of our box til we returned. Seemed risky to me. I would have thought that they would have waited til you went down and confirmed that you were home and wanted delivery restarted. That's another reason why we got a PO Box.

[M-squared]

We have a really crappy mail carrier too. It really gets my goat when he leaves a note in the mail box saying that there was too much snow to deliver the mail. He can deliver the note, but not the mail.

[SnoopyCool]

If you have a regular guy/gal, bake them cookies or buy them gatorade or something nice. I bet s/he'll remember you then.

[rob62521]

A friend of my husband's is a mail carrier and has been for years and years. He said that many of the "youngsters" don't want to work and none of them will accept overtime. He said the USPS won't hire many new carriers due to the cost so many of the current carriers are working double and triple routes. This may be why some of the problems are occuring. I know our regular carrier is great, but the subs are not. I had to put some of our bills on automatic pay on our credit card because we weren't receiving them at all.

Last week when dh and I were taking a walk, I saw a letter in the street. It looked like the stimulus check. I picked it up and put it in the proper mailbox. Scary!

[SusanP]

We have a really crappy mail carrier too. It really gets my goat when he leaves a note in the mail box saying that there was too much snow to deliver the mail. He can deliver the note, but not the mail.

My carrier did this too! I don't get it either.

My uncle has been a mailcarrier for probably 30 years and he's now talking about retiring. I feel bad for the folks on his route that will have to deal with a newbie carrier next year.

[noppenbd]

I have to say our carrier is great. We live in a big city and yet I think he knows a lot of the people on his route. He is always courteous and helpful as well. Just wanted to throw that out there to show that not all carriers are negligent.

[JanH]

I have to say our carrier is great. We live in a big city and yet I think he knows a lot of the people on his route. He is always courteous and helpful as well. Just wanted to throw that out there to show that not all carriers are negligent.

Oh, our regular guy is amazing. But, even he got thwarted by the automated stuff at least once. I talked to him and we worked out a system between us that makes things easier for both of us. At least one of the gal subs I've seen is pretty good, too. I hope that she stays around because we need her. The people at the counter in the office itself are very helpful and efficient. It's just the system breaks down on the street and new people get our convoluted neighborhoods confused. I have to admit it, I sometimes get lost in our roundabout streets with confusing signs. So, I must now see that a newbie post worker could have some extreme problems figuring out just what is going on sometimes.

[Gailete]

I once was sitting on my couch and saw the sub mailman deliver the mail. I immediately got up and went to get it. In with the mail was a 'sorry we missed you' card and that I needed to pick up the item at the PO! Delivery hadn't even been attempted! But for the most part my rural carrier seems to be doing good. And since he knows that the neighbors are also the in-laws, if he can't deliver in one box for whatever reason the other gets both of our mail deliveries.

I think you folks with the really bad problem need to make written complaints to the postmaster of the PO and if that doesn't work send them up the line to the postmaster general.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

The lovely round pink sticker is what we get in response to a written complaint.

[PrincessPerky]

try asking when we will have independent options for mail...seems a bit un American that we have only one option for letters.....

And if you are really bothered and ready for change, write your local govt officials (all of them) and send copies to the local libertarian chapter.

It will if nothing else give a headache to the local govt.