Dear Neighbor,
I am still hearing from folks across Georgia’s 10th Congressional District concerning slow mail delivery that is negatively affecting people’s businesses, health, and finances.
“The mail is causing us untold issues,” reported a Superior Court judge. “Last week, the District Attorney called for a reconvened grand jury. . . The Clerk sent the summons out at least four weeks in advance, yet no one appeared because they did not get their summons. . . The mail situation could seriously impact our ability to ensure that justice is dispensed in a timely manner.”
“This Palmetto fiasco and the cutoff of home mail service to new and existing subscribers is causing subscription cancellations area wide,” reported one local newspaper struggling to stay afloat. “If USPS wanted to design some strategies for shutting down local papers, they would be hard pressed to come up with better under-the-radar plans.”
With so many problems flooding my office, I knew it was time to act. Dissatisfied with the response we received from a letter sent to the United States Postal Service (USPS) in December, I decided to visit the troubled mail processing facility in Palmetto to conduct much-needed oversight. Click here to view TV coverage of my visit and hear USPS’s response.
Here’s what we learned: USPS is undergoing a significant transformation to modernize its delivery, processing, and transportation network. While the Postal Service is critically important to the American people, it has been trapped in an unsustainable operating model. A change had to happen.
That’s because Atlanta-area facilities were poorly designed and poorly maintained. Additionally, USPS’s previous strategies failed to anticipate the growth in packages. In recent years, rapidly declining mail volumes (a 50% reduction) and shifting customer demand due to the growth in e-commerce have dramatically changed the postal marketplace.
Regrettably, the rollout of these changes has been disastrous, and USPS acknowledges that its service performance during this transition was unacceptable. On-time, two-day delivery is the standard measure for the USPS, but it sank as low as 16% out of the Palmetto facility in March.
However, USPS says improvements in service and efficiency are coming as the new operating plans and network begin to function as designed. To check the service performance in your area, click here, enter your zip code, and select first-class mail.
For answers to common questions or to register complaints, visit https://www.usps.com/help/contact-us.htm. If you lack internet access or prefer an off-line conduit, you may call the Customer Care Call Center at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).
Rest assured, I will continue pressuring USPS to fix these issues and provide the customer service you pay for and deserve. If you need assistance with a federal agency or have comments or concerns to share with me, please do not hesitate to call my office in Monroe or Washington, D.C.
