@Sunshine1970:

Part of the reason I have a surveillance camera system is to catch things like that. The media loves that sort of thing, and negative publicity that they can't easily deny gets results.

I would report this since the carrier expects it, and any documentation of retribution you submit will carry more weight.

When my Netflix videos starting sometimes taking a week to get to them (instead of overnight), I started keeping track of when & where I mailed them. In EVERY case, it was when I put it in the mailbox at our post office. There were no delays when I mailed them from home or several other post offices in my area. Instead of saying anything to them at the post office, I wrote an anonymous letter to the postmaster. And I started taping my Netflix envelopes shut with packing tape -- and not a single disc has taken more than overnight to get to them since then.

You can get the direct number by asking.

Or, file the complaint at the 800 number and wait for the promised response - then complain again when they don't call back. The second time you are likely to get a response.

I had a long chat with the local carrier manager recently about managing employees. She was very interested and I sensed that she was very frustrated with the frequent complaints.

You know, The next time you buy something like a harddrive and the seller puts just not enough packaging in it (they do sometimes) it just might be that postman that breaks it.

If you dont do something about it then they will keep doing it. Get online and go to USPS and complain. You pay good money to mail something not to have them trash it like a football.

Those that said dont complain are weak!

Sorry, I have to join the crowd that says it's futile to complain. Why aggravate yourself and possibly face retribution? For literally decades we had a drunk mailman who would fall down on the job (also literally) - he outlasted 3 local postmasters. All they could do is send him to rehab..he'd get out and continue on. For years we had to do a neighborhood mail exchange, because needless to say, nothing got delivered correctly. Finally he retired...and died.

@kateblack: Well, to add on/emphasize what h3llc4t wrote, you can ship poultry, but shipping domestic birds like parrots is prohibited with all carriers (pet stores have to be approved).

the problem is, of the 3 postmasters i deal with frequently, 2 couldn't find a needle in a needlestack, so expecting them to understand the process for disciplinary action is a lost cause.

i did succeed in filing a complaint against a carrier once - she no longer services my route. it took an all-out shouting match with the postmaster though & a follow-up with the regional postmaster. not fun.

My suggestion to the OP is that just because someone does something he doesn't like doesn't mean he has the right to be a jack-ass.

Mail man rolls your package. It gives you the right to file a complaint. It gives you the right to politely request he not do that in the future. It does NOT give you the right to scream like a prick across the entire neighborhood.

In the end, the OP can stand his ground about how he "had the right" to be a jack ass, win the battle and lose the war.

We're rural, so she doesn't even have to get out of the damn car to deliver the mail. She once left a nastygram (in post-it form) because of an empty tin can sitting by our mailbox (it had apparently dropped out of a torn trashbag on the way to the trashcan by our less-than-caring teenager). I just smile and wave to her, which I'm sure the old crone hates. Kill 'em with kindness, eh?

As to the case at hand, yes, I would certainly lodge a complaint. If talking to the local Post Office doesn't help, or if they decide to take action against you, go above their heads... complain to the Inspector General's office (especially in the latter case). Keep pressing on until the issue is resolved (respectfully, of course).

And... come on... the USPS is a public service agency, holding some independence over its governance, yes, but ultimately a part of the government system, created as a service to all US citizens. If anything, they hold the highest responsibility to ensure our post gets delivered in a safe and dependable manner.

(Yeah, yeah... this is probably cheesy and optimistic, but I'm an optimist.)

I have a USPS problem I can't fix, but it's an institutional policy kind of thing -- carriers who don't want to walk bid on walking routes, use vehicle-route sortation (I think), then when a house changes hands they make the new owner move the mailbox to the street. If they couldn't do step 3, they wouldn't do steps 1 or 2. So the post office hates my neighborhood -- especially since the Endless all live on my block and don't plan on selling their houses -- and there's not much we can do about it.

But actual delivery issues? Those can be resolved, and I've never had to escalate one beyond the local level.

Medium version. If you are on a 'rural route' there is NOTHING the post office can do as they will sub-contract it out.

Longer version. Had a problem with mail not arriving on time / not at all. For example my wife should have received two tax returns from her work. One turned up, one didn't. Numerous bills would turn up late. We checked the mail every day but would only receive mail once or twice a week at most.
Most of the wife's family worked for / still works for the USPS, so we asked them about it. We reported it as we should and then suddenly ALL our mail was sent back 'moved, no forwarding address'. We complained again and started getting some of it back (after having to phone a bunch of companies over it). We complained again and was told we should buy a PO Box to avoid this! Yeah that's a good business, screw your customer over and tell them they have to pay more to fix the problem that THEY created.
I think in the end the person they used left, because finally we started getting mail through, but in the mean time we switched everything we could to my wife's work as she can get mail there!
Also we found out we are on a 'rural route' which means the person delivering the mail doesn't actually work for the USPS but for another company that subcontracts the work for the USPS.
Fortunately the mail started arriving in time for all my immigration paperwork to come through, although part of me hoped that it would get 'lost' as then I could get Homeland Security involved in why it was getting lost and then maybe something would have got done.

@crashman2600: Amen to this. Postal uniosn are almost as bad as the auto or teachers unions. I know the assistant postmaster of my area. She's a good friend. Even knowing her doesn't get me better service. I've had registered/overnight mail not get delivered while I'm sitting in the house waiting for it.

The best part though? Remember that whole "through rain, through sleet, through driving snow" slogan? Not anymore. If there is a 1/4 inch of snow on the ground and I don't have time to sweep the walk off before going to work, my mail isn't delivered. I live in Michigan, so we get dustings of snow all the time. I'm not talking even an inch, but barey enough to cover the sidewalk and he won't deliver. They don't have to.

Your carrier is a jerk.

I've been in the same place before. Not receiving bills, not receiving pakages, getting mail from our neighbors, giving our neighbors their mail that was in our box.
When you call they give you an incident tracking number and promise they will call back within 48 hours. You wait and week and call again and give you an incident tracking number and promise they will call back within 48 hours. You wait and week and call again and give you an incident tracking number and promise they will call back within 48 hours. You wait and week and call again and give you an incident tracking number and promise they will call back within 48 hours. You wait and week and call again and give you an incident tracking number and promise they will call back within 48 hours. You wait and week and call again and give ...

I switched everything to paperless. I see all the security and identity theft sites always talking about buying better shredders and shredding all your account statements before throwing them away but they all fail to take into account the account info that gets put into someone elses mailbox, you have to stop it at the source.

@drgstrcowgirl: Except in the rarest of circumstances, if an employee drags it out properly, it can take up to two years to fire a federal employee.

That's really bizarre.

Do not bother to call USPS Customer Service.

Call the US Postal Inspector Service.

These guys are the Internal Affairs of the USPS and *no* one wants contact from them.

Yes please, tell us more!

She's lately been harassed by a mental customer - who wears a huge crucifix around his neck - through official channels for chastising him for trying to take all the change in the take-a-penny receptacle when he didn't need it.

I think this is one of those situations where he shouldn't pick a fight with a bureaucratic organization. Nothing's going to change, and he didn't receive any actual harm. Let it go, man.

I looked that one up after seeing a mail carrier hand off a box of clucking chickens to one of my neighbors.

I've had ATROCIOUS postal service while in Brooklyn, especially for packages. I pay my bills online, and have items shipped via UPS or third party courier whenever possible.

In my experience, retribution for complaints is likely, but since they're going to abuse your property when they *don't* have anything personal against you, you might as well make the report. Follow up farther up the ladder, though.

Suggest the OP look into a PO Box as a way of cutting the problem carrier "out of the loop".

What about videotaping her doing some of these crazy things and sending it to her supervisors? Maybe she'll be given a new route...

@mazzic1083: I don't think my request was unreasonable. It's fragile. They handle packages every day. They know me by name now. It's not as if I've been a diva about it in the past.

@outlulz: I'm a landlord and I find if I just return the FCM to sender, I don't get nearly as many missent items (lots of businesses fix the address when they get a bounced bill). Catalogs and 3rd Class Mail go in the trash, because they can't be forwarded. (Learned from my time as a Postal Officer in the Army back in the Dark Ages).

@Rectilinear Propagation: Neither. It's what you do with the mail that's not addressed to you (but delivered to your address) that constitutes mail tampering. If you destroy / throw those mailpieces in the trash, that would be mail tampering.

@Rectilinear Propagation:

When it comes to government work (even though the PO is barely a government agency anymore), people are nearly impossible to fire. I had a coworker at my last gov't job tell another person to go home and kill herself, and she still wasn't fired (granted, my old boss was kind of a puss, but still).

If there's anything worse than working with someone who's incompetent and lazy, it's someone who's incompetent, lazy, and thinks/knows they're bulletproof.

@elysse: I've actually had that happen The previous owner ran a lot of mail and other scams. And I've had the po-po (and Humane Society) show up looking for him. I even get the occasional phone call because the collectors guess that the phone belongs to him.

Any bad First Class Mail I get, I line out the bar code and write "EVICTED IN 2001" and drop back in the nearest mail box.

Eventually, they find another old address to scam off of.

I make it a point to not have anything shipped to my home if I can help it. The postal carrier we have is a real idiot. She disregards the DO NOT BEND and has bent several envelopes with irreplaceable pictures that my great aunt has sent me over the past couple of years since my dad passed away. I finally convinced her to send it to me at my work so they wouldn't get destroyed.

I make it a point to not have anything shipped to my home if I can help it. The postal carrier we have is a real idiot. She disregards the DO NOT BEND

@DrMorison: Generally you don't get anything at all no matter how you act. Not from them at least. They have no motivation to change, and will in fact stop delivering mail to you altogether because they have that sort of power. So you can be cool about it, or you can be a jerk about it, but chances are good that you're fucked either way.

@EdnaLegume: Not to mention that the very act of bringing up the matter at all may bear poor results, depending on the disposition of the delivery person. You could be downright civil about it, but if they feel like they're being judged, they may just treat your stuff like shit anyway.

It's a gamble. That said, I'd be inclined to treat them kindly just because that's the way that I'd like to be treated.

To say we have problems with our postal service would be an understatement. We don't stop complaining, though. One bad carrier was actually fired, but then again she was caught fighting a disgruntled postal customer in the street during her route. Saw it myself!

@Manchego: FYI, if you don't have a curb-side mailbox, they're not actually obligated to pick up your outbound mail until they have something to deliver.

I can't be sure that's the case here, but your wording suggests that you don't have a curb-side mailbox, so maybe that's why they're not picking your stuff up. I dunno.

@iwantansi: I don't know why folks think that's any justification for manhandling the package once it's off the truck for delivery. It's not. The OP even addressed that.

Long story short had a mail carrier once that would deliver to a business I worked at. After he delivered the mail those of us in the complex would have to deliver the mail all over again. After the 3rd $30,000+ check ended up at the dentist's office 3 doors down we took it up with the postmaster general. Nothing happened besides more junk mail in our slot and more letters, bills, payments getting lost in the mail.

The previous owners of my house do this, and have been doing it, for the last 6 years. You know what's a great first impression on a neighborhood? Having a State Trooper and/or Sheriff show up at your door asking for those people on an annual basis. Sadly, all it took was a little google-fu on my end and I was able to track them down to 30 miles out of town, and get their phone number last year. 5 years of dealing with their collections issues, and the least they could have done was call me back to tell me where the water inlet for the fridge was in the basement. :-(

So what if he's right? The one thing has nothing to do with the other. That it happens in the shipping phase doesn't give these folks license to continue manhandling packages during delivery. They could at least pretend that they give half a squirt of piss about the job instead of grasping for tenuous explanations to justify why they don't have to.

Oh wait, that's right. They really don't have to, do they? After all, they control whether or not we get our mail, right? There's no reason to pretend you care when you can just be a vindictive prick about it and stop delivering a person's mail altogether if they should dare complain about the lackadaisical manner in which you do your job. And if we want them to do that job at all, even unreliably, then we need to realize that we're beholden to them and learn to just suck it up and internalize our disappointment when they manage to screw us over. Is that right? That sure seems to be what your suggestion to the OP is implying.

Maybe I'm misreading you. Maybe your post is a commentary on the sad state of the US Postal Service. Maybe your suggestion to the OP is an acknowledgement of how they can essentially bully us into complacency, and you're giving the OP a heads up so that he can minimize the damage of threatening to lodge a valid complaint against our malevolent overlords at the US Postal Service. Maybe it doesn't matter, being that regardless of what motivated your post, it's completely contrary to this site's purpose.

The OP doesn't need to apologize. Maybe he technically does if he doesn't want to weather the wrath of the US Postal Service. However, he has no obligation to do, and would only be doing it to appease a bully. He did nothing wrong at all. Really. Had the USPS delivery person taken exception with being chewed out, then maybe he shouldn't have done something that I would imagine he knew might actively piss people off. There's a thought…

@pecan 3.14159265: Here's hoping they don't spit on your box or shake it like a salt shaker

@h3llc4t: Well that is interesting.. I would freak out if I got a box of snakes.. (You know, mis-delivered or something.)

The only live thing I've ever gotten in the mail was ants for my ant farm as a kid..

I still get mail from people who must have lived in my apartment at some point. Nothing that looked too important though.

(Snake breeder and certified FedEx shipper...I had to hit the books to find out how to ship our babies.)

@puddinhead: I always suspect that sort of line ("I can't do anything because of union/affirmative action/etc.") is at least partially BS and that they really could do something but don't want to put forth the effort.

First, he won't pick up mail from my address, but that I don't mind since there is a post office up the block and a mailbox where I work.

But more importantly, he refuses to deliver mail to me or my housemates unless we have our full names written on/taped to the mailbox. Of course he didn't tell us this until about a month after we moved in and received none of our mail (when we happened to be home when he arrived, and asked him about it). No note, or anything. Yet he has no problem delivering mail that is addressed to people who haven't lived at our address (and haven't had their names on the mailbox) for years. And we get a LOT of mail- especially debt collectors- addressed to previous residents.

@pecan 3.14159265: Ah, you're right. For a minute there I was blinded by my own cynicism. But I agree that someone throwing out an old tenant's junk mail isn't high on their list of priorities.

@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: If it doesn't have your name on it, it definitely isn't your mail. The odds are pretty good that the former tenant had the same bank, so all I think you can do is call your bank and see if anything has been sent to you.

@zombies.like.lattés.too: I think the US Postal Inspection Service investigates mail crime, not USPS. As their primary task as a law enforcement agency is crime investigation and prevention, I think they probably spend a good amount of time on things like this. Maybe not so much if Joe Schmoe throws out some mail in his box (since it's impossible to detect everywhere), but probably bigger stuff.

I have been pondering this same question for a while now. My mailman smokes cigarettes and every time he get to my box he tosses his butt .I'd like to report him, but I fear retribution in the form of missing packages. I would confront him personally, except he looks like Yosemite Sam and has an NRA sticker on his Jeep. I have thought of attaching an ash tray to the mailbox.

I'd also be the crazy lady wiring up a hidden camera. THAT'S the footage for the news station.

figuring that would get me nowhere... I'd likely pass the footage on to the local news station. they love crap like that.

@pecan 3.14159265: At my last place of residence I probably reported my postman about once a month, as did all of my neighbors. Stuff wasn't delivered, or it was delivered to the wrong address, or left in piles on sidewalks. No one cared, nothing ever changed.

@edesignway: I've wondered about this as well.. When we moved into our current apartment the post office guy told me specifically that I had to write the last name in the mail box so that only our mail would get delivered, and he said if we didn't put a name at all they wouldn't deliver anything.

They deliver everything regardless.. so I don't get it. The other day I got something from my bank to my address but the name was different. (Not just mispelled, but a completely different name.) I have it on my coffee table so I can deside what to do with it. I'm torn because it doesn't look like junk but it says on it "Important Privacy information and choice inside" it doesn't seem to have any private information though, because you can see through the envelope.

@Cyberxion101: of course, knowing the USPS, they'd put the same time and effort into investigating mail tampering as they do delivering mail. :-P

I've never gotten anywhere when complaining to the USPS. They just tell me sorry to hear that but nothing we can do now.

@Cyberxion101: From the United States Code (Section 1708 Title 18):

"Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains, or attempts so to obtain, from or out of any mail, post office, or station thereof, letter box, mail receptacle, or any mail route or other authorized depository for mail matter, or from a letter or mail carrier, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or abstracts or removes from any such letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein, or secretes, embezzles, or destroys any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein; or

"Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein which has been left for collection upon or adjacent to a collection box or other authorized depository of mail matter; or

"Whoever buys, receives, or conceals, or unlawfully has in possession, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein, which has been so stolen, taken, embezzled,
or abstracted, as herein described, knowing the same to have been stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted --

"Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

@TinkishDelight: I didn't realize that you could mail something like live turtles.. Is that common?

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Do you think she will... go postal?

Heheheh.

Three days later a printed version of the complaint ended up in my mailbox (!) with a handwritten note from my postman denying any such activity.

The behavior continued until I moved.

@zombies.like.lattés.too:Mail tampering? If it's delivered to your box and you throw it away because the addressee doesn't actually live there any longer, then how is that mail tampering?

Sure writing "Return to Sender" on it and throwing it in the outgoing box might be more appropriate, but is it a crime if you don't do that? How could it be?

I'm genuinely interested in knowing. Don't let my incredulity be taken as sarcasm. It just seems really implausible that what he's doing could be considered mail tampering, but if you know different, then by all means please share.

Well, I have one idea that would solve your problem. You may want to invest in a grill guard for your vehicle beforehand, though.

We have had our share of trouble too. Our daughter when she was in pre-school was a member of Dolly Parton's free book club and used to get a hardcover book every month, occasionally they wouldn't fit in the box. Instead of driving across the street, braving our barking chihuahua, and dropping the package on the front porch, or pulling into our drive way and honking his horn incessantly (which was another favorite tactic) what did they do, they BENT the hardcover book nearly in half!

Part of the reason the postal service is dying is not just email and not just cheap competition, some of it is the crappy attitude some carriers have about the service they are providing. Ultimately, much like Circuit City found, the USPS will find that treating your customers as if they are trouble for you rather than an asset to you will be the death knell for your business.

She knows I work from home most days and will throw things at my OPEN front door (hitting the screen). Once I actually HEARD the thing in the box break. She routinely delivers mail to the wrong addresses, and drops mail in the bushes, and really just apparently hates her job.

Once -- this is absolutely true -- she got run over by a truck. We had a different mail carrier for six weeks. It was awesome.

And the problem is -- even when I order Fed Ex or UPS, they do "last mile" with the post office for a lot of deliveries. I've never had this kind of problem with the USPS before, but this woman is a nightmare.

She also occasionally attaches snarky post-its to my mail? So I think she may be unbalanced.

@bagumpity:

Already been done, at least the video part...

[consumerist.com]

So yeah, not to blame the OP, but if you hadn't mentioned reporting the guy I'd say just leave it alone and hope he forgets about the whole thing. Since you did, you may as well follow though, as I don't see any downside here.

Oh, and yeah, I wouldn't worry about him getting in trouble. He's a (quasi-) govt employee (I know the USPS isn't an official govt agency, but it's run like one), very unionized, etc etc. I doubt he'll even get a slap on the wrist, honestly.

Really the packages see 10 times worse during transit... hell even the priority mail drop boxes that you would use to mail a package treats it just as bad when you drop it in....

At least my carrier doesn't throw packages though :) She drops them on the porch and rings the doorbell.

@outlulz: mail tampering is a federal crime. what you're doing is illegal, you know.

I'm sure USPS treats their packages similarly.

@outlulz: Are you throwing away First Class mail or junk mail? Junk mail never really gets fixed, but just throwing away bills and letters is cold and maybe even illegal.

Each time I get back a form email requesting information that I already included in the original email.

Once someone from our branch of the post office left me a message asking that I call them back; conveniently they left no phone number, and the only way to call the post office is through the 1-800 number, and no direct number to the branch is available.

I say resistance is futile. They just don't care.

@outlulz: I put "return to sender" or I hand it off to management. Not that they know what to do with it, either, but they probably have more sway than I do when it comes to the post office. But it effectively takes the problem off my hands.

I know I wouldn't react well to someone that has "lost his cool" standing on their porch, screaming across two yards, ripping me a new one in front of the whole neighborhood.

I actually just called my apartment complex concierge to make sure they were really careful with the package I think I'm receiving today. It's pretty sensitive, and I told them (very politely, they're very nice people) that whoever signing for it should try to not stack anything on top of it, and that it's very, very heavy, but very fragile.

I did this not just because I know that a big heavy box could be a stack of books or a porcelain vase, and no one would be the wiser. But also, if something did happen to break inside the box, I made some kind of effort to tell them about it ahead of time - so I can't be given the "you should have told us" line.

I would report him. I have been having issues with my postman. He continues to deliver mail that is addressed to the former residents of my rental. I contacted the route supervisor to see what I can do to stop the dozens of mail a week I am getting to these people. She said put a note inside the mailbox stating what names are to be delivered and that all other is refused. I did as I was instructed.

Apparently my postman can't read. He continues to deliver this mail I have marked refused in my note… Now when I receive this mail mark it refused near the postmark and reference the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 508 code for refusing mail. I happened to be in the front room the other day when he picked up one of these refused letters… He called me a f*cking SOB.

I too debating reporting this for the same reason.. he is my mailman, I don't want him going disgruntled on me. But really, it is your job, there is no reason to treat your paying customers like crap. The post offices wonders why it is losing millions of dollars.

@crashman2600: It's that kind of opinion that gets nothing accomplished. It may not do anything, you're right. But it's important to try.

Lesson: the post office will not take your complaint seriously, they get so many that they don't care, and nothing will change. Look, the USPS has a tough job and they do it fairly well. But don't rely on them for anything truly important.

I generally don't care what happens to my mail as long as it's in servicable order by the time I receive it.

That said, I did go off on a UPS guy once who flipped my box of live turtles AS HE HANDED IT TO ME even though there was plenty of signage on the outside indicating the contents. He responded in the same way saying something like if I thought this was bad I should see how they get it on the truck. They're turtles! They will suffocate on their backs! I called and complained but they're union members, no one cares. They did take him off of my route though.

I say call. With all the cuts the post office is doing it may just have an impact.

I don't think it will go anywhere...too subjective. Besides, I would say the package has seen much worse in transit. If the contents are ok, then fine.

Reporting him will put the USPS "on notice" about his behavior, though, so if you find your mail has been tampered with later, you will have credibility with them, and therefore ammunition, to use in case you need to make another report.

Bad idea to complain, in my opinion.

You can report it, but they will do nothing about it.

@cameronl: Lol. Agreed.

Can you tell I have twin four-year-olds at home?