Our neighborhood uses the centralized mailboxes; we don't have mailboxes at each property.

Serious question: these days, is it difficult or unreasonably slow to put mail in the correct mailbox? What makes it unreasonably slow and/or difficult to do so?

I repeatedly have my mail and/or small packages left in my neighbor's slot. Now, oddly enough, I don't get neighbor's mail in my slot. Only my mail seems to get misplaced.

I get that mistakes happen. I'm understanding of that. But this is what I consider bordering on unacceptable and ridiculous. I'm guessing that about 40-50% of my small packages get misplaced into my neighbor's box.

To be fair, for packages larger than those that will fit into the mailbox, the postman will deliver to the house (this is rare since those packages will usually ship via a different carrier).

I just don't understand how hard this could be. And whether or not complaining at the post office is useful. I've complained before but this still happens.

Not sure what to do. There should be a fine every time the postman misdelivers. And after X occurrences, the fine should come out of his paycheck. Put some skin into the game. There is no accountability or repercussions of doing a shit job. There should be.

Once, thrice a year, okay. But 50% of my packages? Fuck.

If it is any consolation, it does not happen only with centralized mailboxes.
I live in a single family detached home, the address including street name is on a large sign on the house, and the mailbox is large, lockable, and next to the street.

A few months ago a package of bank checks disappeared, with no idea where they went.
One year I found two letters, including a CC statement, after the snow melted in the spring.
I just got notice from one credit union that a check from 2023 had never been cashed—obviously because I never received it.

I don’t know what we would do without the Postal Service* but it can be frustrating.

* No, private companies like FedEx and UPS would not be guaranteed to be any better. In fact those companies have misdelivered far more items than the USPS.

Thanks. I guess it's not really consolation but good to know that I'm not being singled out.

If it's just non-critical mail or even something ordered online (that can be ordered again) that would be one thing. But it's also .gov mail and medications. Stuff I don't want others to have.

These companies need metrics and repercussions delivering mail incorrectly. It's not just about sleet and snow and delivery (somewhere). It's about CORRECT delivery to the intended recipient.

No metric and no accountability for correct delivery. Doing the job and doing the job right.

I wonder how bad this type of problem is in other first world countries. EU, Japan, Australia. I've never had or heard of problems like this in Japan (perhaps just lucky)....

i used a label maker and used a large font with my last name and house number and plastered it inside the box

Happens monthly in my P.O. Box

quote:

centralized mailboxes

They probably aren't labeled where the person who's delivering can see what goes where. And/or it's probably a person who never took the postal test, or did anything beyond having a pulse to get the job. And/or they have headphones on, those stupid earbud things.
Management for the last 10+ years only cares about when you'll get done. Hurry up.

This is why "privatizing" the post office has been an utter disaster.

Having said that, I've done some trailer parks, I'm not joking when I say some of the houses have their house number written in magic marker on the siding of the house, which helps, even though there aren't any street signs that you can read.

Decimation is the answer.

It happens here. It never used to, not with the regularity of today. I would say at least 3 times/ month I get someone else’s mail these days.
It used to be a big deal, now I just put it back in the mailbox. If it’s a package, it’s usually within a few blocks and I drop it off with a note.
Last year it was a large rolled rug! I spent a few minutes thinking about what crazy thing I’d done in the last week doing middle of night shopping before I realized the delivery address was two blocks down!
That one I should’ve asked for a tip when I dropped it off.
Call the post office and let them know (if I were you).

We have mailboxes down one side of the street, usually in pairs for houses across from each other.
I, on occasion, get my cross street neighbor's mail. I just open their box & leave it for them. Rare to get anything for other addresses on our street. Still get a ton for the 2 prior owners of the house.

When we had the big communal mailbox, I'd just put the neighbor's mail in the outbound slot & hope it would get to them. Except our immediate neighbor, I'd just walk those over to her.

I have had it happen many times, plus lost mail.

Haha! Look at my house. Look at its house number. Look at its location on the block, and its orientation on the lot.
Now go south one block and look again. Look familiar? Yep, sure does! Every bit of it, aside from a difference in the slope of the yard.

I've swapped mail with my block-away neighbor several times. Just a few weeks ago I took a few envelopes over there, and we talked for a bit. He said, "yeah, I get your mail a lot... I just go over and put it in your box."

It's a weird arrangement in this neighborhood, but it's nice to have good neighbors.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
but it's nice to have good neighbors.

Can't stress this one enough.

Happens here, I get stuff for neighbors occasionally, we just take it over to there mailbox and put it right in....

Physical package delivery is pretty good be it USPS or one of the services.

Good neighbors is important..

If the package was misdelivered to neighbor, nobody has stepped up yet. Either the neighbor is away or he’s an asshole. Hopefully the former but the latter won’t be surprising. Fucking usps. Now I have to order again and wait another week for shipping.

Since I’m retired now, perhaps from now on, if I’m expecting a package via usps, I’m going to sit at the mailbox during delivery time.

This is the second package in about 6 weeks. USPS is 1 for 3.

For the 2nd time in my life, I live in a neighborhood where the same house number repeats on parallel streets. Every few months, I'm either receiving hand delivered packages or hand delivering to one of the homes with same number. It's the neighborly thing to do.

It's a tangent, but the real problem with same number repeats on parallel streets came in my California days. Long story short - 3 thugs tried to break down my door at 3 AM, my neighbor's door was 6' from mine and the ruckus awakened my neighbor who scared them off with a gun. I can't think of a single reason someone would try to break down my door at 3 AM (don't drive flashy vehicle, don't wear flashy jewelry/watches, don't carry a wad of cash, don't own/run a cash business, don't date married/engaged women, don't owe anyone money, not engaged in illegal activities, etc) so best guess they were on wrong street but saw the identical house number. It's the reason I joined Sigforum and became a gun owner.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,

I do the same. I printed a Brother label with our address (just the numeric portion) and placed it just inside the box door. It’s seems to work well.

Have the items sent by non usps means.

Have vital items sent to nearby friends.

For over a year, my next door neighbor and I had the same last name. Eventually all both our mail ended up in my box, and I'd sort it and put theirs in their box. Eventually they moved.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
For over a year, my next door neighbor and I had the same last name.

Your last name was Wojciehowicz? You changed it after a year?