A Mesa neighborhood is trying to figure out why a stack of mail was left unattended on a community mailbox.
Thomas Sidener says when he walked out to get his mail today, he found mail for at least nine other people on top of the mailbox; unclaimed an delivered.
Sidener lives in a neighborhood with one of those gray community mail boxes that serves an entire street. Ten times over the past year he and his neighbors have their entire stack of mail just sitting on top of that box rather than delivered and locked up like it should be.
“They don't seem to get the idea that the mail is supposed to be in the box,” said Sidener. “This happens on Thursdays only; when the relief woman is working.”
Sometimes Thom helps out by delivering the mail to his neighbors so it isn’t left out for too long. But he has also delivered a complaint to his local U.S. Post Office in person.
“I went to the main post office to try to talk to the post master of Mesa, and the supervisor wouldn’t let me talk to her - said he would handle it.”
According to the Mesa post office, they’re now taking steps to make sure the same mistake doesn’t happen again.
“This delivery issue is not typical of the excellent service provided to our customers by the majority of the Postal Service’s dedicated employees,” USPS spokesman Peter Hess said. "We appreciate you and the customer bringing this issue to our attention.
Additionally, he outlined a list of safety measures people can take ensure that their personal information is protected.
- Never leave mail outside of the home or apartment overnight.
- Deposit outgoing mail at a Post Office or a blue U.S. Postal Service collection box.
- Hand outgoing mail directly to the letter carrier whenever possible.
- Shred or tear up unwanted documents that contain personal information before discarding them.
- Use letter slots at the Post Office to mail letters.
- Pick up mail promptly after mail delivery.
- Don't send cash through the mail; use a Postal Service Money Order instead.
- Tell the local Postmaster when you will be out of town so your mail can be held at the Post Office until your return.
- Review consumer credit reports annually.
- Never provide personal information over the phone or the Internet unless you have initiated the call.
- Report any mail theft to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service
ABC15 reached out to the U.S. Postal Service which sent the following statement:
"The Mesa post office has been in contact with this customer this afternoon regarding this issue to apologize for the inconvenience. The post office is also taking steps to ensure this will not happen again and that the mail is delivered properly.”
Thorn's response?
“Get your act together.”
Mail complaints can be issued by phone or in person at your local post office or using the USPS online complaint form.
