Is it criminal behavior by postal employee , other tenant preventing mail to my address

B

bitethepillow

New Member
Jurisdiction
Illinois
I've addressed this to my local post office several times. Along with a few calls to the main Chicago mail center CS Dept. Still important mail like my health insurance keeps getting returned. And I have been at same address for going on three years. It must be either incompetency or the postal employees or another tenant is getting my mail and returning to USPS. My health insurance is getting mail returned to them.

My landlord has also had received tenants mail by employees handing it to him. And the landlord thinks the post office employees suck as well.

I've even went as far as emailing the postal inspector general in hopes that might fix things. Still same behavior is ongoing.

I don't know what else to do.
 
bitethepillow said:
I've addressed this to my local post office several times. Along with a few calls to the main Chicago mail center CS Dept. Still important mail like my health insurance keeps getting returned. And I have been at same address for going on three years. It must be either incompetency or the postal employees or another tenant is getting my mail and returning to USPS. My health insurance is getting mail returned to them.

My landlord has also had received tenants mail by employees handing it to him. And the landlord thinks the post office employees suck as well.

I've even went as far as emailing the postal inspector general in hopes that might fix things. Still same behavior is ongoing.

I don't know what else to do.
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Have you ever actually talked to the carriers that handle your route about the problem? It seems to me you are talking to everyone but the people actually delivering the mail and who are responsible for which apartment box the mail goes in. For example, in my building I often get the mail of the doctor living a few apartments down because the automated label printing of many magazines, etc., suck, with small fuzzy numbers that make it hard to tell the difference between a 6 and an 8. One solution the carrier suggested, which the landlord and tenants embraced, is putting name and unit numbers inside the boxes where the carriers can see them when the big wall door that has the mail doors the tenants use (and that can't be seen when the carrier has it open for sorthing) is open. Once we did that, the mail sorting problems went way down because even if they couldn't clearly read the unit number they could match the names in the box. Your carriers might be able to provide an explanation along those same lines for what's going on that nobody else has yet identified and that could be corrected. As Zigner indicated, a PO Box or a private mail box service are other possible options, too.

I've opted for all my health insurance, doctor bills, and hospital bills to go to their online patient portals and for them to send me text messages when there are new bills to be paid. I also have something similar done with nearly all my other bills, too, so that today if I get a paper bill in the mail that's really unusual. Twenty years ago I wrote checks for most of my bills. I haven't written a check in over two years. Even my taxes are paid electronically. Those electronic transmission records provide proof if there is a problem later and using secure websites to pay my bills is a lot more secure against identity thef than using mail back and forth. That also solves lost/misdelivered mail issues, solves the sometimes weird mail delays I've experienced, and cuts down a lot on paper. Less paper for me to handle, less trees and cotton used up to make paper. There are a variety of options you and those with whom you do business can explore for convenient ways to get the information you need that don't rely on your postal carrier.
 
Thanks for suggestions. The PO Box sounds the best option. As for health insurance not so much bills but general mailings. But I have made all my banking etc online, and unless a doctor writes me a letter for something will mail me something.

I've never really had this problem till I moved here.

The other issue is the main mail carrier seems to look always pissed off. And another postal employee said the main postal carrier broke a lock that opens mine and other tenants mail boxes.
 
bitethepillow said:
As for health insurance not so much bills but general mailings.
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Depending on the mailing, it may be possible to have these sent by email as well. However, there are some notifications that are required by the Feds that must be sent as a hard copy - at least the rules for how to send them electronically are so complex that even the major research university I work for has decided not to bother and just to use the US mail.

The good news is that those tend to be of the informational variety that don't require any action on your part. They can sit in your PO box and you don't need to worry about them until you pick them up. The ones that need attention can often be sent by email.
 
Hello @bitethepillow

What is General Delivery?

General Delivery is a mail service for those without a permanent address, often used as a temporary mailing address.
You can easily have select/certain mail addressed as follows:

General Delivery is a mail service for those without a permanent address, often used as a temporary mailing address. General Delivery is intended to be used for:
  • Post Office™ locations without city carrier delivery service.
  • Non-city delivery offices for those who prefer not to use Post Office Box service and for whom use of Post Office box, Caller Service, or delivery by letter carrier, would be an unreasonable inconvenience.
  • A participating Post Office to serve transients (people who travel extensively) and those without a permanent address.
  • Anyone who wants Post Office box service when Post Office boxes are unavailable.

How do I address a mailpiece sent to General Delivery?

YOUR NAME
C/O: GENERAL DELIVERY
SOME LITTLE VILLAGE, MI 49203

What are the restrictions on the use of the General Delivery service?

General delivery is normally available at only one facility under the administration of a Post Office with multiple facilities. A postmaster may authorize more than one facility to offer general delivery service in accordance with customer and operational needs. A customer may use only one such location.

Postmasters may restrict the use of General Delivery if a customer:

  • Cannot present suitable identification
  • Has mail volume or service level (e.g., mail accumulation) that cannot be reasonably accommodated.
If you wish to pick your mail up before regular delivery occurs, we suggest that you purchase a Post Office Box for a nominal fee (so that your mail is available for pickup every morning).

Additional information regarding General Delivery:

  • No application is required for General Delivery. Persons interested in General Delivery should speak with the postmaster.
  • Limitations on the amount of time you are able to use General Delivery, if any, are determined by the postmaster.
  • Each piece of General Delivery mail is held for no more than 30 days, unless the sender requests a shorter period. General Delivery mail may be held for longer periods if requested by sender or addressee and approved by postmaster. Mail without a specific address or instructions from the sender is held for:
    • 10 days if for General Delivery at an office with letter-carrier service.
    • 15 days if for General Delivery at an office without letter-carrier service.
Please Note: General Delivery mail is not delivered on Sunday or Holidays.




WARNING, as with prices for EVERYTHING, PO BOX prices are called outrageous.

Read this and you might agree.

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What does my mailing address look like?

Your mailing address will be the address of The UPS Store location, with either PMB (private mailbox) or the pound symbol (#) designating your individual box. Instead of "The UPS Store," your name appears first.

Example:
Joe Smith
PMB XXX or # XXX
12345 Somewhere Street
Some City, Some State Some ZIP

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The UPS Store offers various mailboxes sizes. Contact your neighborhood location today to find out what's available..

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Contact your neighborhood location to discuss the steps to opening a mailbox. You will need to provide two valid forms of identification, one of which must include a photograph.

What is a mailbox service agreement?

The mailbox service agreement is an agreement between The UPS Store location and the primary box holder for the duration you receive mail at that location. Contact your neighborhood location for more information on getting started.

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Because all our locations are individually owned and operated, prices may vary. Contact your neighborhood location for pricing.

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bitethepillow said:
The other issue is the main mail carrier seems to look always pissed off. And another postal employee said the main postal carrier broke a lock that opens mine and other tenants mail boxes.
Click to expand...

Then hopefully that carrier will be hitting retirement age soon. It sounds like he/she no longer enjoys the job (if he or she ever did) and will probably bolt the job the minute he or she hits retirement eligibility. Until then, keep documenting the mail problems and encourage neighbors to do the same, and send reports of it to the postmaster of the post office the carrier works from. Given enough complaints the postmaster will find some way to deal with it. The union contract might prevent the carrier from being terminated for it, but the carrier may be able to be reassigned another route or othe duties where stuffing community post office boxes isn't part of the job.
 
I also asked my US Senator to get involved. Although his office can only put an alert on my mail not being sent or being prevented mailed. They will write the post office. I'm sure the carriers or local office won't care much. But the main Chicago office will be made aware now.

I think it's the location where I live. I've heard people complain about the local post office while standing in line during the holidays. I am unable to move right now. But maybe in a few months I will get to greener pastures
 
bitethepillow said:
I also asked my US Senator to get involved. Although his office can only put an alert on my mail not being sent or being prevented mailed. They will write the post office. I'm sure the carriers or local office won't care much. But the main Chicago office will be made aware now.

I think it's the location where I live. I've heard people complain about the local post office while standing in line during the holidays. I am unable to move right now. But maybe in a few months I will get to greener pastures
Click to expand...
Another resident told me other day their not getting mail either.

Thanks Tax Counsel, others for your valuable input.

The prices are high on the usps mailboxes. But hopefully things get better mailing wise.
 

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