Remember when you could count on getting your mail? Do you still have that same level of comfort today?
Are you receiving other people’s mail? Are other people receiving your mail? Are some of your utility bills, cable bills, tax bills, bank statements, LIRR commuter tickets and other important or personal correspondence being received late or not at all?
I was recently forced to stop payment on a check sent to pay a bill as it never reached the intended destination. Has this happened to you?
A short personal story, at my wife’s request, our mail was held from the 24 of Oct. to the 18 of Nov. while we were out of town. When my mail resumed and the plastic bin was delivered, I discovered between 20 to 25 pieces of mail mistakenly sent to my home. That is an average of four to five pieces per week of other people’s mail coming to us. I wondered, if I received their’s, were other people receiving mine? I immediately took the misdirected mail to the Port post office and complained, telling a supervisor that this was a constant problem.
Several days later, my wife received a time-sensitive correspondence from our healthcare provider. It was dated Oct. 20 and we received it on Dec. 10, eight weeks later. I took this envelope to the post office and complained to a supervisor again. I was told that if I continued to receive other people’s mail I should report it and “the mail carrier would be disciplined,” whatever that means. Well, two days later, I was back with another piece of misdirected mail.
Enough about me. If you are having similar problems, make your voices heard because we deserve better. Take a few minutes and call the USPS at 800-275-8777, share your issues with them, make sure to get a case number or complaint number. It will then be forwarded to the Consumer Affairs Office for the Triboro District and you will receive a response.
We can bring pressure to bear on the local Postmaster Angela LaBianca and receive what we deserve, the ability to count on our mail service once again. Remember: squeaky wheels get the grease.
—Tom Cavallaro
