North Four Corners News ♦ October 2024

Mail Service Survey Results

By Sharon Canavan

After receiving neighbors’ complaints about postal delivery service, NFCCA conducted a listserv poll to drill down on problem areas.  One-third of the approximately thirty survey respondents answered that mail delivery is frequently or occasionally skipped by a day.  Half of the survey respondents characterized the quality of service from their mail carrier as good or excellent, although one-third noted that a regular mail carrier was not assigned in their area.

The greatest concern was misdelivered mail.  Over half responded that mail with a different address was delivered 1 to 5 times in the past year, while one-third responded that misdelivered mail happened more than 5 times in the past year.  Several complained that a carrier did not remove misdelivered mail, leaving that task to the recipient.

Respondents also expressed concern about not receiving a letter or package that was expected.  In the past year, 43% reported this problem occurring at least twice, 14% indicated a problem occurred 3 to 5 times, and 43% indicated they did not receive an expected letter at least 5 times.

Survey responses addressing temporary delivery stops were generally favorable. Three-quarters indicated that mail was held and batched mail was delivered on the dates requested.  However, other respondents submitted written emails expressing their concern that when the temporary delivery stop requests were not adhered to, it potentially sends a signal to criminals that the homeowners are away.

NFCCA summarized the survey results in a letter to the U.S. Postal Service and our U.S. Senators and Representatives.   ■