Mail woes.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

Although I have lived in the same place for nearly a year, and my name is most definitely on the mailbox, some of my mail is being returned to the sender as "attempted not known." I know it's not an addressing error, as this was a card sent by a family member, and something else sent by my office's hr department. Has anyone else run into the same problem? I live on Highland Ave, if that makes any kind of difference. I called the USPS and filed a complaint, but I have precious little faith that they will actually return my call. I'm really weirded out, because I am still getting mail (just not all of it.)

Comments

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

It may help to tip/bribe your letter carrier.

[lindalee.livejournal.com]

I have in the past had problems, and have (after a great deal of effort) succeeded in contacting the guy who manages all the carriers, and he promised to Make Things Right. He did, and I now have a pretty excellent carrier.

I'd say you should keep at it until you get through to the carrier manager.

Good luck.

[ron_newman]

When you get one of these redelivered, march into the Union Square post office with it and demand to see a supervisor.

[nomirena.livejournal.com]

I've noticed some screwy things with my mail lately, actually. I don't think I'm getting all of it, that's for sure, but I did just move. Also, I was away for a few days last month and my mailcarrier apparently took all my mail because my box was full and then I never got it. It "disappeared" I guess, since the woman in charge at the PO said she didn't see it anywhere and she'd be the person who'd know.

It's probably hard to reach the right person, but the Union Square office is the right place to go. Good luck!

Me too!

[nora-rocket.livejournal.com]

I am having the same suspicions you describe here. I have just moved (onto Endicott outside Teele) and I feel that not everything is making it to me... These troubles may be confounded by my neighbours putting a "these people live in unit 2R!" note beneath my mailbox, though I am unit 3. Got their mail twice this week, and nothing for me. The Netflix made it about 5 days ago, and the power/gas bill, but not the cellular bill.

Oh, the mysterious intricacies of the USPS. It's the same all over.

Re: Me too!

[nomirena.livejournal.com]

I too got my netflix and my Nstar bill, but little else... Although that must be infuriating (I know, as we've established we're in the same boat), I'm comforted to know it's not just me.

[frickster.livejournal.com]

When I first moved in last summer, I wasn't getting any mail, even though I knew things had been sent to the correct address and my name was on the box (and they'd been sent weeks ago and had no reason not to be there by then). I called and got no help, so I went to the post office in Union Square to complain, and after talking to about a million people there, none of whom could tell me where my mail was or why it wasn't coming, I went home frustrated. A few days later, it started magically appearing again. So, I would echo the above sentiments and just go complain at the actual building.

[koloratur.livejournal.com]

It's odd that it is happening out of the blue...I mean, I moved to Somerville in the middle of August last summer, and my mail has been fine up until now. But I just talked to a very nice supervisor at Union Square named Steve, who said that he would speak to my letter carrier personally. I'll keep my fingers crossed for everyone's missing mail :)

[derekp.livejournal.com]

I'm sure the USPS will track me down and stop all of my mail, but in my 5 years here I've found the service they ofter in Somerville to be nothing short of atrocious. I've had many items not delivered, mail stops not honored, mail forwarding not honored, etc.

It's hard to complain about the post office because they do hold a LOT of power. You gotta kill them with kindness, I think.

[heliograph.livejournal.com]

I agree with all the folks who say you should either 1) catch your mailperson and ask them about it or 2) go to Union Square and ask to talk to somebody there. That solved my delivery problems (except when I have a substitute carrier).

[ron_newman]

Could you be having the opposite problem from this person? Your mail is being intermittently delivered to the right address in the wrong city, and then returned because you don't live there?

[joylewis.livejournal.com]

I also live in Highland and had a LOT of mail go missing (including a letter notifying me I'd been accepted to a graduate school program. I almost lost my slot because I didn't respond within the time frame they noted.) None of that mail ever showed up, but I talked repeatedly to the postmaster at the Union Sq. office (Patricia is the station manager) and more recently finally seems to be arriving. One piece had been sent registered mail and they didn't deliver it for three weeks. They had no explanation--it had just been sitting in their office. All of this happened throughout May and June.

[tut21.livejournal.com]

I wonder if temporary summer help (if such a thing exists in the Post Office) is mistaking Highland Ave. for Highland Rd.?

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

I second this. Somerville postal delivery is the worst of anywhere I've ever lived (and I lived in Montréal, where the postmen take public transportation). It's incredible. Apparently, "on the porch in one bundle" is good enough - the three tenants can sort the mail, right? Of course, they leave mail all over the porch without regard to weather.

Unless they decide that they must shove every piece of mail into your box to the point you need to rip things to get them out, that's how badly they jammed it all in there.

And that's assuming they get the right mail into the right box. I've gotten letters addressed to the same number, but a completely different street. Or vice-versa. And then when they're on a "put all the mail into the boxes" kick, they don't seem to grasp the concept that the apartment number on the box should match the apartment number on the envelope. I get mail for the other apartments all the time. Once, I got the first floor couples' Visa bill. It sat in my box for at least two weeks before I noticed it. Can you imagine? You would think that with identity theft running rampant they'd at least look at the address before randomly shoving it into a mailbox.

Because, you see, while I've lived in Somerville for 7 years, I've only been getting my mail delivered here for about a year and a half. I complained. Oh, how I complained. I was calling on a daily basis at one point, no exaggeration. It was always, "oh, there's a new driver," "oh, there's a substitute," "you know, I told the guy personally, I'm sure he's delivering it right," and my favourite, "well, we left a note for him, that's about all we can do."

Then I finally gave in and got a PO Box downtown at Fort Point Station (behind South Station), which I've had since mid-2001. And since then, I've never had a problem getting my mail. They're open 24-7, my mail is safe when I'm on vacation, and my mail actually ends up in my box. Not only that, but it's protected from wind, rain, snow...

For $52 a year, it's totally worth it to have my mail safe, dry and unwrinkled. Not to mention the benefits to my blood pressure.

[elements.livejournal.com]

Or it could be going to Highland Rd. instead of Highland Ave.

Ah the joys of Somerville post. I have long given up on actually getting all my mail on time.