

stock photo from the archives

“Dear PoPville,

I was wondering if we could get some traction on the issue we are having with the USPS deliveries in the NE neighborhood of Eckington. USPS has been less than consistent in the last two years– particularly on a rainy or cold day– but what we are experiencing now might top it all.

Over the last week, all USPS deliveries have been held, including mail & packages. Instead of notifying residents, they simply have not delivered mail and packages are marked as unable to access doorway.

Though I can’t say the break from junk mail isn’t nice, there are many of us who are expecting necessities– such as the downstairs neighbor who is waiting on her baby stroller to be delivered, my neighbor to the left who has been expecting her elderly mother’s mail-order medications, and my neighbor to the right who runs her business out of her condo and relies on consistent mail delivery.

Certainly there are work arounds– if you have a car you can head to the Brentwood post office and pick up your mail, or you can use the Amazon locker on H street if you live close enough.

But what is most frustrating is the lack of communication, the absence of process to remedy the situation, and frankly the total lack of concern by the USPS supervisor. It took a neighbor calling the supervisor to check in on mail delivery to learn that much of our neighborhood will no longer be serviced indefinitely due to the mail carrier being harassed and bit by one of the neighborhood dogs and insists that it is our job to “fix it.” Despite explaining we cannot file reports for incidents we don’t personally see, she did not seem to care. Of course the incident needs to be addressed, but to stop delivery for a large section of a neighborhood? It seems like this can’t be the first time something like this has happened and there must be a system in place??

We have notified our local mayor liaison, the Office of Consumer Advocate USPS, and other USPS customer support departments, but with no avail. Are there any other avenues we have to pursue?”