MailmanDave
17 Years Experience
Long Island, NY
Male, 43
I am a City Letter Carrier for the US Postal Service in NY. I've been a city letter carrier for over 17 years and it is the best job I've ever had. I mostly work 5 days per week (sometimes includes a Saturday) and often have the opportunity for overtime, which is usually voluntary. The route I deliver has about 350 homes and I walk to each of their doors to deliver the mail. Please keep in mind that I don't have authority to speak for the USPS, so all opinions are solely mine, not my employer.
My pleasure to answer yours and others questions, Dee! It's easy to respond quickly as I don't get an overwhelming number of questions. I also don't like to have a backlog of emails either. Anyhow, to answer your question the correct thing to do is to not deliver the mail and have it returned to the sender with the endorsement "No Mail Receptacle". I don't come across this situation very often. I sometimes fill in on another route and there is one house with no mailbox. I just rubber band the mail and leave it on their bench by a front door. I think if it was on my postal route I'd request the customer install a mailbox to have mail delivery service.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Thank%20you%20so%20much%20for%20a%20speedy%20answer.%20Thank%20you%20for%20answering%20all%20these%20questions%21%20One%20other%20question%20I%20would%20have%20is%2C%20what%20do%20you%20do%20when%20a%20house%20does%20not%20have%20a%20mailbox%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17363)
Your typo of putting Churchhill instead of Churchill on the eBay order shouldn't cause any delivery issues. Items mailed often have spelling errors and typos. As long as the postal service personnel can figure out what was meant by the mailer or be able to decipher unclear handwriting, the item will usually be delivered properly. The delay in the delivery is probably for another reason, but I don't know what that is. I presume the item wasn't sent with any tracking number or that would be able to provide you with some more guidance as to where the item is.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20ordered%20an%20item%20on%20Ebay%20which%20was%20to%20be%20sent%20from%20China%20to%20Canada.%20After%20being%20over%20due%20I%20checked%20my%20Ebay%20invoice%20and%20discovered%20I%20spelled%20Churchill%20%20as%20Churchhill.%20Everything%20else%20being%20correct%20is%20that%20typo%20enough%20to%20cause%20delivery%20problems.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15618)
I can't quote the statute that says it is illegal for the letter carrier to discuss with others the fact that your sister was in jail, however it is entirely inappropriate and probably against postal regulations re: sanctity and confidentiality of the mail. I see mail going to/from prison while delivering the mail but never say a word to anybody about it. I'm not sure if you want to discuss it with your letter carrier to tell him how wrong it was to say anything to anybody. I also don't know it it would go anywhere if you complained to the USPS about his behavior. Legally, you may also need proof or witnesses if in fact it is illegal what the letter carrier divulged to others. I know I'd be very upset if I found out my letter carrier was talking about things they should be confidential about, but not sure what avenue I would take to resolve it.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=My%20sister%20was%20recently%20in%20jail.%20Our%20mail%20carrier%20saw%20letters%20from%20us%20going%20to%20her%20at%20the%20jail%20and%20has%20been%20telling%20a%20lot%20of%20people%20about%20her%20being%20in%20jail.%20Is%20this%20legal%20for%20him%20to%20do%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16156)
I must first start with my disclaimer that we are poorly trained in what the regulations or SOP are when it comes to certain situations that come up. I can't say what is legal or not regarding your question. I do think it is inappropriate for the postal worker to ask you anything about returning mail.
You don't need to explain to any USPS employee why you are returning the mail. It is none of our business. As long as it is an unopened, first-class letter, you should be able to just write "refused" on it and have it returned. Personally I would just discard any unwanted mail. I've received debt collection letters in the past and have just ignored them and not returned them. There are certain classes of mail where we won't return to the sender because the sender has paid a pre-sorted standard rate (which is lower than the first-class rate). In that case, we just recycle any unwanted mail.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20return%20harrassing%20mail%20and%20postal%20worker%20sends%20it%20back%20to%20me%20asking.%20%20Is%20this%20legal%3F%20%20My%20mail%20is%20mine%20and%20can%20return%20any%20mail%20i%20believe%20is%20hsrrasment%20from%20some%20esp%20if%20i%20hae%20already%20dealt%20withnthat%20company.%20%20Do%20o%20have%20to%20explain%20this%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/15255)
Starbucks Barista
If a homeless person wants to use your bathroom, are you supposed to stop him?
Navy Officer (Former)
Why do so many people miss the military after they get out?
Border Patrol Agent
How easy is it to forge a US passport?
To be honest with you, I don't know that there is any way to get the letter carrier removed from your neighborhood for the reason given. Has this affected the delivery of mail to your house? If so, I would recommend talking to a delivery supervisor or manager at your local post office. As long as your dogs are secure and the screen won't break and your mailbox isn't too close to the door, the letter carrier should deliver your mail as they would anyone else. I am not sure who has the ultimate authority whether or not it's "safe enough" to make the delivery. The USPS management does take a very proactive stance to stop letter carrier from being bitten by dogs, but we should be delivering the mail unless it is unsafe to do so. I should clarify that the decision might be up to the individual letter carrier whether or not they feel it is safe or not. I am quite afraid of dogs myself but have never not delivered mail due to a dog on the property. They have always been behind a screen or storm door or on a leash where they can't get to me. I know my answer to you is a bit vague, but carrier safety is the number one priority. Having said that there is sometimes a varying opinion on what is safe and what isn't and I'm not sure who gets to make the ultimate decision.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=Is%20there%20anyway%20to%20get%20a%20letter%20carrier%20removed%20from%20my%20neighborhood.%20She%27s%20afraid%20of%20dogs%20and%20why%20she%20took%20the%20job%20in%20the%20first%20place%20is%20beyond%20me.%20My%20screen%20is%20secure.%20Have%20had%203%20dogs%20over%20the%20years%20and%20not%20once%20did%20they%20ever%20get%20out.&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17575)
I generally don't wear winter boots but I wear rubber overshoes if there is snow on the ground. These are the same thing I'd wear if it were raining outside. The brand I use is Tingley and they come in at least 3 dfferent height overshoes. They aren't really warm so I wear thermal socks in the winter so my feet and toes don't freeze.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=What%20brand%20of%20winter%20boots%20do%20you%20wear%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/17599)
I've never heard of your pay getting docked for not delivering mail on time. I think only Express Mail (aka Priority Mail Express) does have a delivery time guarantee and the sender can request a refund if that commitment isn't met. We can get disciplined at our office (letter of warning/suspension/termination) if we fail to deliver a time guarantee mail item, but I've rarely ever heard of anyone getting anything beyond a warning for this. This type of mail is a premium service so we must give it our utmost attention and care. Good luck in orientation. Here is just a life lesson in general: Don't believe everything you hear. I'm a big skeptic in so much I hear at work unless a reliable source. I actually might annoy people because I believe so little at times.
Share Answer: &caption=Jobstr.com&description=I%20am%20in%20carrier%20orientation.%20I%20was%20told%20if%20I%20don%27t%20deliver%20mail%20on%20time%20that%20has%20a%20time%20guarantee%20my%20pay%20will%20be%20docked.%20Is%20this%20true%3F&redirect_uri=http://jobstr.com/threads/show/4154-mailman-city-letter-carrier-/question/16346)
-OR-
Login with Facebook (max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
Register with Facebook(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
Browse Jobs
Host a Q&A
Search
Submit Your Question
Host a Q&A
Last 7
