USPS? Mail Carrier Goes Above and Beyond

[MineralMan]

There are lots of complaints about the post office. Some of them are valid, but many are too general and don't reflect the reality of the service the USPS provides. Here's an example:

Yesterday, the mail carrier who delivers mail to the two mail pods in our townhome development showed up at our door yesterday, driving his own car. Why? Because he wanted to warn us of a hazard.

Apparently, someone had backed their car into one of the mail pods, breaking its base on one side. It was still standing, but was in danger of toppling over. So, after completing his route, the carrier drove back to the development and knocked on the doors of residents whose mail was delivered to that box. He wanted to warn people about the risk. An afterthought, I guess, after completing his route.

I phoned the property manager for the development and emailed him as well. Those pods are the responsibility of the HOA, not the USPS. I described the damage and pointed out that if that mail pod fell on someone, it could cause serious injury or worse. I'd guess that those pods weigh between 200-300 pounds. I mentioned the HOA's liability if such a thing happened. Then, I printed out a warning sign and taped it to the pod, to give a heads up to people who weren't home when the carrier knocked on doors.

Within an hour, someone came and unbolted the pod from its base and laid it on the ground. I imagine it will be repaired or replaced sometime today.

My point is that the USPS carrier did not have to come back after his route was finished to tell people about the risk. He did that on his own. Extra cookies for him this Christmas! The USPS is not some faceless organization. The people who work for it are the key. Many of them don't get the recognition they deserve for the services they provide.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Nearly all USPS folks are exemplary. It's the org itself (and whatsisJoy) that bites.

[MineralMan]

2. Yes. Often, we don't interact with our mail carriers.

We're not at home when they deliver. But, mail carriers are people who often notice problems on their routes and act accordingly. Mail carriers have saved lives by noticing something out of place or wrong and reporting it. They know things about the people on their routes, and often check on elderly folks who don't pick up their mail one day.