Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

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.

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Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Best Rated

I live in a condo building of 100 unit owners. Each unit owner has an assigned mailbox in the lobby where we have a doorman. Upon request of a unit owner, can the US Postman give the mail to the doorman and not deposit in the unit owner's mailbox?

Asked by Res about 11 years ago

I am not sure of the correct answer to that question. I would think that the postman technically would have to put each piece of mail in the box that corresponded to the particular unit, and not have the discretion to just hand the mail to the doorman at the request of the resident.

I recently mailed my passport for renewal via priority mail and the postal clerk entered the wrong zip code and now it has been stuck at the processing center for a week now, so what happens next?

Asked by pruqui about 11 years ago

I am not sure what happens next. Eventually, the Priority Mail envelope (which contains your passport) should either have its ZIP code manually corrected and sent to the proper Passport Renewal Office, or be returned to you "Undeliverable As Addressed". I don't know the time frame that this will all take, but with Priority Mail, the item shouldn't be sitting in a processing center for a week. You can call 1-800-ASK-USPS for possible assistance.

mailman insists on putting catalogs in my mail not in my name (but previous resident) because it says current resident. Is this a law??

Asked by Renee over 11 years ago

In the example you have cited, the mailer has put "current resident" on the catalog because they would like the item delivered whether or not the named recipient still lives there. As far as I know, we are required to deliver all of those catalogs. I would never risk my job by discarding a catalog that a resident doesn't want to receive. I hope this satisfactorily answers your question.

Hypothetically speaking of course.... Suppose we sent a care package to someone famous at their home address. The package says that it's out for delivery, but the status hasn't been updated for 3 days now. Any guesses?

Asked by mtmom over 10 years ago

There is no need for you to be hypothetical in your question. I'm sure care packages are mailed to famous people all the time. Sometimes they give out their address of their personal representative or agent to maintain privacy of where they actually reside. It does seem strange or incorrect for a package to be out for delivery and no status update for three days. I'd normally say that if a package is out for delivery there should be some follow up status the same day (i.e. Delivered or Attempted). While I can't say for sure what happened to your package, hopefully it was delivered but the letter carrier forgot to scan it accordingly. This would be a mistake on our part. Thank you for your inquiry.

If I don't pass the exam the first time, is there a mandatory wait before I can try again? Also, please excuse my spelling on the previous question...thanks.

Asked by Jeremy over 11 years ago

I don't know of any mandatory waiting period after you take the postal exam which you must wait to take it a second or third time. Good luck to you in taking the exam. There may be a mandaory waiting time, but I just am not familiar with it.

How many times does a post man have to deliver a registerd letter to a person's address before he is to send it bck?

Asked by corinna over 10 years ago

For a registered letter that needs a signature, the letter is usually brought out one time to try and get somebody to sign for having received it. If no authorized recipient is available, a notice is left (PS Form 3849) advising the addressee that the letter needs to be picked up at the PO, or they may sign the 3849 to authorize redelivery. If the letter isn't picked up in a few days, a reminder 3849 2nd notice is delivered with a date written on it telling the addressee that the item will be returned to the sender if it isn't picked up. The date is usually 15 days from the First Notice being left, but I'm not sure.  I hope this helps and I have deleted your previous question as I believe it is a duplicate. Thanks for writing. 

Hello, I just moved into a new house and put "please forward" on a UPS package for the previous owner and dropped it in my mail box. I realized my mistake when the owner called for the package. What will happen to the package?
Thanks!

Asked by lebee over 11 years ago

I am not sure what will happen to the UPS Package. The USPS may forward it if they have the correct forwarding address on file for the the previous owner, but they may not be obligated to. The USPS may also forward the package but have the recipient pay for the item being forwarded. The item may also be returned to UPS or to the sender. I'm sorry I can't be any more specific re: the package you are inquiring about.