USPS service not up to par




I subscribe to two weekly magazines, Business Week and The Economist. Their scheduled delivery date, via USPS, is either Fridays or Saturdays and for years they have arrived like clockwork on those days.

About 10 weeks ago they began arriving late, on Mondays, Tuesdays and even occasionally on Wednesdays.

I have asked two or three carriers what is up, and they all tell the same story. About 10 weeks ago the post office began a new sorting procedure, using some type of machine. The machine almost never works and they get way behind on delivery as a result.

The saddest part of the carriers’ stories is that one told me that at the beginning of May the sorting process got so far behind that the post office reverted to the old, manual way of sorting and guess what—during that time my magazines arrived on time.

After a couple of weeks of on time delivery the post office reverted to its new methods and the magazines resumed arriving late.

I’ve discussed with several neighbors and all are experiencing the same thing with their Times, Newsweeks and Peoples.

The carriers say that the new process is some sort of cost reduction program which the post office has implemented without apparent regard to its impact on service levels. This feels like USPS is abusing the effective monopoly it was granted when it was privatized by congress.

I called the USPS national 800-customer service number twice. The first time nothing happened. The second time I got a voice mail from “Susan” who apparently works at the T.O. post office. Her voice mail said to call the magazines themselves—like on-time delivery is someone else’s responsibility. She left me a call back number that is never answered and doesn’t have a voice mail—not especially useful. Nothing in her message acknowledged that there is even a problem or a timetable for fixing it.

I’d like to hear from more fellow citizens to see how many of us are having the same problem, and maybe even from a representative of USPS to see when they will step up and fix the problems they have created.

Pete Scifres
Westlake Village



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