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That tracked postal packages are marked as delivered when they have yet to get to the final destination shouldn't happen. Yet everyone knows it does and the PO knows it too, but they don't fire anyone for doing it. It's only when the package disappears completely that a claim may be filed, if its value is enough to bother with the trouble. At that point the buyer is still the most likely person to eat the loss because they need someone to rule in their favor despite the tracking sign off.

If a USPS package is marked as delivered before it is actually delivered, it is easy to prove. I retired 4 years ago, but USPS management had a program called DMS (Digital Management Systems). This program tracks all packages that are scanned as delivered via GPS tracking. It also follows the carriers all day long by tracking their cookie crumbs (I liked to call them). Every few minutes, the scanner pings it's location. That is tracked at least 20 times every hour. It gives management the ability to see where the scanner/carrier is throughout the day. Every time a carrier scans a package as delivered, attempted, or any other event, it gives management the exact location the carrier made the scan.

If a carrier is scanning packages well before they are delivered, let management know. The office I retired from, carriers were given letters of warning for scanning packages at one location, but delivering them to another. Those carriers then had to defend the LOW and why packages were scanned elsewhere.

Now, if local management does nothing after you complain, then simply move up the chain of command. We had customers who called the local Post Office to complain, and the delivery supervisors basically did nothing.

So, if the delivery supervisor does nothing, call the MCSO (Manager of Customer Service Operations) for the building your mail comes out of. If there is no MSCO, then there should be a Postmaster for that building. If the MSCO or Postmaster does nothing, then call the MPOO (Manager of Post Office Operations for the district. From there, hit the District Manager, if not call the district headquarters.

Another avenue which seems to bring results sometimes is contacting your local representative. It's effective if your representatives office contacts the district rather than the local. That always seems to get things going.

As with any delivery service, thievery does happen and we've seen UPS, Fedex, USPS and Amazon carriers scan the package as delivered, or in Amazon's case, take a picture of the delivery, then simply pick the package back up and take it home. Home security systems have gotten USPS carriers in trouble in the past, as well as the other carrier services.

30 years ago, package thievery was a rare thing. Today, there are gangs that do nothing but steal packages. It's a money maker. If you have a problem in your area, I would suggest a security camera. Can't tell you how many times the customer came in with video evidence and the carrier was fired, and in some cases, went to jail for a federal crime.

Hey Chilly. Thanks for the detailed response. I believe your service experience is correct, but I also see that you are in Virginia and I'm in New York City. When they say "if you can make it here you can make it anywhere", it really means everything is worse in NYC. Well so is the Post Office apparently.

If any pings are following anybody around, they don't say it because there are days when the regular mail is skipped. If a tracked package doesn't make it out of a central distribution hub, no one knows what happened to it. If a package delivery is registered at 10PM, no one says who checked it off. You just hope it turns up in the next day or two. The supervisor will say that they tell the carriers not to scan after hours, but no one seems to be disciplined for it.

Yes, you can make complaints, but it goes nowhere at the PO supervisor level. They say sorry, that's it. To call the Hot Line number you have to waste 90 minutes to hold on and you are not guaranteed any better answers. Back last year when our regular mail wasn't showing up every mail day, I actually made two complaints to my local district councilwoman. I got messages that her office would get back to me. They never did. Guess she wasn't interested.

We've had packages stolen directly from the relay boxes by people with keys. It happened in several zip codes around Queens and made the papers. No one was ever arrested as far as I know. Porch pirates are rampant around the holidays, but slower in the summer when more people are outside. Most of this theft is on camera. They wear hats and face masks and cameras alone do not deter them.

The biggest contributing factor seems to be the constant moving of staff and temporary help. They never have enough people. I haven't had a steady mailman for at least 5 years. It's a big route of residential and commercial properties, and as soon as someone gets some time on the job, they transfer out. I'm not blaming them all, it's the PO system we have here. I would think a reliable mail carrier gets discouraged fast trying to do a good job under these bad circumstances. I do think my location makes it tougher.

Raven, sorry to hear that you live in a problem area. Many of the Boroughs are wrought with crime. You also live in an area with high turnover among craft employees.

USPS back in the 80's when I started was a "dream" job. A career that employees stuck with for the federal benefits. They still exist today, but today's job seekers come in thinking the job is easy and find out differently and either quit, or end up getting terminated through a long process. So I'm not surprised you're seeing different carriers all the time. It could also be the route you are on is an overburdened route that once a carrier gets a chance to bid on another route, they do. You could also be on a route that is considered to be too small (auxiliary route). Those routes are not assigned a regular carrier since there is not 8 hours worth of work on it. Whatever the issue, today's employees don't have the same work ethic as we did back when I started.

If there is no delivery of mail that happens frequently, it's because your delivery office is short staffed with carriers. Another issue with today's workforce not wanting to do physical labor. What happens, or what should happen, is if an office has more routes than carriers, routes should be rotated for delivery. Meaning, today, routes 1-5 get delivered today, routes 6-10 tomorrow, then back to 1-5 the next day and so on. At the same time though, regular carriers cannot be pulled off their route to work on another route, unless they agree. But they can take 2 hours off another route once their route is done. Contactually, unless a LMOU (Local Memorandum of Understanding) is agreed too, regular carriers only work on their route for the first 8 hours. There are so many scenarios as to why mail is not delivered everyday for a certain area. But your right, Queens is not an ideal location to carry mail.

I have a 3 year old list of district managers for your area. Not sure which one is yours, but perhaps you could contact one of them and get more answers? Sorry your representative wasn't much help.

Lorraine Castellano
District Manager
Long Island
PO Box 7800
Islandia, NY 11760-9998
(631) 582-7410
(631) 582-7413 (FAX)

William Schinaars
District Manager
New York
421 8th Ave., Rm 3018
New York, NY 10199-9998
(212) 330-3600
(212) 330-3934 (FAX)

Steven Hernandez
District Manager
Northern NJ District Office
21 Kilmer Rd.
Edison, NJ 08899-998
(973) 468-7111
(973) 468-7215 (FAX)
(Updated 6/6/2016)

Frank Calabrese
District Manager
Triboro
1050 Forbell St., Rm 2011
Brooklyn, NY 11256-9996
(718) 348-3991
(718) 348-3992 (FAX)

Elizabeth A. Doell
District Manager
Westchester
PO Box 9800
White Plains, NY 10610
(914) 697-7104
(914) 697-7128 (FAX)

Thanks for the phone numbers Chilly, I will keep them for my next mail crisis. At least 2 might work.

Yes, you are correct. My mail route is very big and takes a long time to complete. I have heard that for years, but we did have fairly steady assigned carriers until around 5 years ago when the last guy retired. Since then, no one wants to keep the route once they have the choice to go elsewhere.

It's not an especially bad area itself, just too much work for one person and they frequently patch it in with new or temporary employees, some in training. You can imagine how many mistakes get made even in just the hand sorting when they don't know the route. We always find mail from each other's houses in the neighborhood in our boxes. Occasionally they have no one to deliver regular mail that day and they only try to finish the packages.

This has become the norm. There is no sense in complaining about delays, only unless you really lose something important or expensive. I actually try not to order anything by USPS that I can't afford to lose. UPS or FedEx cost more but are reliable. Amazon is terrific. You just have to watch out for guys passing on bikes following the trucks and don't leave packages laying around. Again, thanks for your response, appreciate it.

I'm signed up for "Informed Delivery". I get an email each morning with scans of the letters, etc. I'm supposed to get delivered each day. Things routinely show up days later, or not at all.

The missing promo card mentioned above, mailed from the UK on June 15, came today, 6 weeks later. All of the others came in 1 or 2 weeks tops.

I got an email the other day from Ebay saying my package could come anytime from the day before the email was sent to a week after that. I haven't received it yet.