MailmanDave
17 Years Experience
Long Island, NY
Male, 43
I am a City Letter Carrier for the US Postal Service in NY. I've been a city letter carrier for over 17 years and it is the best job I've ever had. I mostly work 5 days per week (sometimes includes a Saturday) and often have the opportunity for overtime, which is usually voluntary. The route I deliver has about 350 homes and I walk to each of their doors to deliver the mail. Please keep in mind that I don't have authority to speak for the USPS, so all opinions are solely mine, not my employer.
I don't know why the mailman would take away the mail for the week that had been sitting in your mailbox as well as an "attempted" notice for another package. Did the other package perhaps need a signature? It is common for some people not to check their mailbox for days and it rarely fills up to the point that I can't put any more mail in the mailbox. I hope that the mail reappears or is it possible you received none (not likely) or that someone else in your household (if you don't live alone) took the mail in to your residence?
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Hello%20just%20curious%20my%20mailman%20delivered%20a%20package%20to%20my%20door%20yesterday%20then%20when%20I%20went%20to%20check%20mail%20there%20was%20an%20%22attempt%20to%20deliver%22%20notice%20for%20another%20package%20and%20my%20mail%20for%20the%20week%20was%20gone%20..%20Why%20would%20this%20happen&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16150)
Phil, it sounds like you were using our EDDM Retail service which allows mailers to target an area of the town with a simplified (unaddressed) mailing which would go to each address on a route or group of routes. EDDM stands for Every Door Direct Mail. It has been very popular since it was introduced by the USPS several years ago. It is very bad that a postal carrier would deliver it to just one address though I have heard this complaint before. I don't know what your rights are re: a refund of the mailing costs. I'd contact your local postmaster or escalate to our consumer affairs department (which I think we have) to try and make sure it doesn't happen again. I don't believe you are eligible for any damage beyond the cost of the postage, but I could be wrong about this. Hearing a complaint like this doesn't surprise me as I get the impression that these mailings (EDDM) aren't treated as well as addressed mail but absolutely should be. We are paid to deliver the mail accordingly. I'm sorry that you had this bad experience with the USPS and hope you would give us another chance.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Postal%20Carrier%20delivered%20over%20150%20postcards%20to%20ONE%20hotel%20that%20I%20paid%20to%20deliver%20to%20every%20home%20and%20business.%20What%20are%20my%20rights%20for%20damage%20caused%20to%20my%2015%20businesses%20I%20represent%20that%20depend%20on%20revenue%20from%20it%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15446)
I don't know the procedures for determining whether a not a building is "officially" considered multi-unit for mail deliver purposes. I once had a person who was leasing part of a house of I could put his mail into a separate mailbox on the side of a house and I said no. The house is considered one address and all of the mail goes in a single box. The landlord can separate the mail. I would think if it's a 2-family house and the boxes are clearly marked as "apt 1" and "apt 2" or something similarly distinctive and the mail is addressed accordingly it may be okay. I truly don't know what constitutes multi-unit or not as far as mail delivery goes. I also don't know if the stairs have any effect to the answer. It's not uncommon to walk up stairs to deliver mail so I can't outright say no due to the stairs separating the mailboxes of the 2 units.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=are%20mail%20carriers%20required%20to%20deliver%20to%20separate%20boxes%20at%20a%202-family%20house%2C%20assuming%20the%20boxes%20specify%20%27apt.%201%27%20and%20%27apt.%202%27%20%28particularly%20if%20the%20boxes%20are%20on%20different%20levels%20separated%20by%20stairs%29%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15992)
The USPS uses a lot of automation to sort the mail and I think it's looking for the address in the middle of the envelope as to where to send the item. In your example, I would recommended using a new envelope. Write your address (which will be considered the return address) in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. Put the recipients address in the center of the envelope and the sufficient postage in the upper right hand corner.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20accidentally%20put%20the%20recipients%20address%20first%20then%20my%20address%20will%20the%20recipient%20still%20get%20the%20letter%20or%20will%20I%20have%20to%20do%20another%20envelope&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15287)
Call Center Employee (Retail)
What's the craziest unprofessional-phone-rep story you've ever heard?
Police Officer
Can I become a cop if I have misdemeanors on my record?
Football Official
Do you think it's ok for NFL refs to play fantasy football?
Your postal carrier shouldn't be misdelivering the mail at all. We all make mistakes but it shouldn't be a regular occurrence as you imply happens with your neighbor's mail coming to you. I think it's nice of you to bring it to your neighbor but you certainly don't have to. It is not rude whatsoever to leave the mail in your mailbox so the carrier can see it and hopefully deliver it correctly. I know you may not feel comfortable leaving a note in your mailbox with the incorrectly delivered mail stating that this is a regular occurrence and please be more careful with your delivery, but this type of note would be entirely appropriate. I care so much about delivering properly that I appreciate it when a customer tells me about an errant delivery or leaves the letter in their mailbox to be re-delivered. I wish all of my co-workers felt the same way. Some do and some don't. Thanks for your question.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20mail%20carrier%20frequently%20delivers%20mail%20to%20my%20house%20for%20my%20neighbor.%20I%20have%20been%20walking%20it%20over%2C%20but%20it%20is%20happening%20almost%20daily%20now.%20How%20can%20I%20solve%20the%20situation%3F%20Is%20it%20rude%20to%20leave%20it%20to%20be%20re-delivered%20when%20the%20%20address%20is%20so%20close%20to%20me%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14608)
Saturday is Nov. 29 and Priority Mail in the continental 48 states is usually 3 days maximum for delivery. The packages are usually in transit 7 days a week so I would say there is an excellent chance your package will arrive by Saturday. USPS Priority Mail is a superb service in my opinion. I often look at the mailing dates when I deliver a Priority Mail item and it has rarely taken more than 3 calendar days from origin to destination.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20package%20is%20being%20shipped%20to%20GA.%20Currently%20it%20says%20November%2025%2C%202014%20%2C%208%3A24%20pm%20-%0AArrived%20at%20USPS%20Facility%0ACITY%20OF%20INDUSTRY%2C%20CA%2091715.%20It%20was%20shipped%20via%20Priority%20mail.%20Do%20packages%20still%22travel%22during%20thanksgiving%3F%20Will%20I%20get%20it%20by%20Saturday%3F%20Thanks%21&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/13961)
Those days aren't fun whatsoever and I don't know that I have a good answer for you as I'm more concerned with the cold. I have heard of seal skin gloves which may work well to keep your hands dry but still be able to finger the mail. I'm sorry I don't have a more concrete answer for you. It's good that you have rain gear for the rest of your body. Don't wear any cloth gloves because they will get wet quickly and soak through to your skin. To find help on this and other questions, I would recommend the Facebook user group titled: USPS postal Maniacs. There are over 9000 USPS employees who are members and are pretty good about voicing their opinions on postal questions (often very negative, but they have a helpful side as well).
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Lets%20say%20its%20a%20chilly%20day%20probably%20in%20the%2030%27s-40%27s%20range%20and%20raining.%20I%20have%20rain%20gear%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20my%20body%20but%20nothing%20for%20my%20hands.%20How%20do%20you%20keep%20your%20hands%20dry%3F%20Warmth%20is%20not%20a%20major%20concern%20atm%2C%20just%20keeping%20them%20dry.%20What%20do%20you%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/14228)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
