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Pushing the Envelope Blog

Delayed Mail: Maybe, Maybe Not

Date: 05/03/21 | Category: Mail Processing & Transportation

The U.S. Postal Service considers mail to be delayed when it’s not processed in time to meet the established delivery day. Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? But determining whether mail is actually delayed — even when it’s reported as delayed — isn’t always a straightforward proposition.

Take, for instance, what happened when we analyzed delayed mail volume at mail processing facilities nationwide from January 1 to December 31, 2020. We found the North Houston Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) in Texas reported the most delayed mail in the nation. Not so surprising, given the facility processed the most mail in the country last year. But as we note in our recent audit report — one in a series we are doing on processing plant performance — it turns out not all 3.6 billion pieces the facility reported as delayed for the year were truly delayed. 

Our initial objective was to identify the causes of delays at the North Houston P&DC, and we found they were occurring due to late-arriving mail and decreased employee availability, the latter a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in package volume also contributed.

During our site observations, though, we discovered the North Houston P&DC management wasn’t processing mail on the normal sort plan. Instead, the sort plan being used bypassed certain operations, which in turn caused mail to be reported as delayed. So, while 3.6 billion is the official reported tally, the actual number of delayed mailpieces at North Houston for 2020 was undoubtedly less. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to determine the precise number.

Still, we made a recommendation on how to reduce late-arriving mail, and USPS management accepted it. That — and more employees eventually returning to work — should help decrease the amount of delayed mail at North Houston P&DC, whatever the true amount is.

Leave a Comment

Your Name
Charles K
Mar 21, 2022
Your Comment
I'm trying to find out why, the mail i sent on 3/4/2022 still says in transit. i went to the Post Office have got no answers thus far. The state agency i sent it to will only accept mail, not faxed or emailed items. (Strange??) I find it strange that the item was on a reasonable delivery schedule, then it gets stuck in transit right before it delivered... At this point my dead line for my mail is running out. I resent the letter, because the counter representative suggested that i do so. I just checked and the tracking page @ usps says it is in transit..... I don't know who to contact or why the state agency wont accept any thing but a mailed letter.
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Nancy Hunter
Mar 16, 2022
Your Comment
Three undelivered birthday cards to grandsons (includes cheques) Mailed 3 weeks to a month early and still remains undelivered. The cards are mailed from Florida, to be delivered to Ontario Canada. Please inform me how to check what is happening with these cards.
Signed: Upset Grannie!
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T Pich
Mar 15, 2022
Your Comment
Shipped out a package overseas to SE Asia 1/31/22. Since then package had left USA to Europe and back to USA multiple times to LA, Chicago, Carson, Miami and then to Europe back and forth. Now it’s in USA again. WHEN will my package get there??!! It was suppose to be “6-10 business days”, and as of right now it’s been a total 45 days counting weekends and still not delivered! Awful!
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Lisa Colburn
Feb 9, 2022
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In this age of real time technology, it seems to me that if a particular hub or local postal service is experiencing delays, the sending post office should have an alert show up when they type in the receiving address and WARN the sender of (specifically for Express delivery) that the huge amount of money they are spending to overnight the parcel doesn’t actual mean it will be received in a timely manner.
Feb 1, 2022
Your Comment
I needed a package to get overseas relatively quickly so I purchased the quickest postage that could be justified. I ended up buying the "international express" which indicated a "3-5" shipping time.

It has spent close to a month just in the states going back and forth between distribution centers (cleared customs within a day, then spent 20 days floating around california). Finally, this morning it departed the US.

In attempts to file an online claim, I am required to provide proof of the value which this particular item does not have. So, I will be forced to call their horrid "customer care" and hope I can decipher their code to get to speak to a real person.

No wonder USPS reports exponential losses every.

You are garbage USPS

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Andrew
Dec 15, 2021
Your Comment
I have sent several letters via USPS Certified Mail in the past 6 months only to find they have either gone unsigned for or the signature is forged. Some of the signatures I have gotten back are “C19” and “C. Covid.” What a scam! I requested refunds to no avail. What’s the point of paying extra for this service if you’re not going to get the recipient to sign? You would do better with basic tracking. Waste of money.
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Amanda
Dec 4, 2021
Your Comment
As of this year 3 packages are still missing. Once they arrived in the States they went missing another package from the States here is not arriving. MIA
And package are being held up at the Brockton Distribution center.
How about the person in charge does his bloody job OR start paying all of us back for all the mail missing in actionp
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Gary Carey
Nov 29, 2021
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Tracking # 9500110694871324412971 mailed Nov. 20. Still undelivered on Nov.29. Went to Bushnell, Fl post office, no help. Said they have no complaint forms when I requested one. Paid $5.46 how do I get refund.
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HJC
Nov 8, 2021
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I AM HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. Priority Mail Express 1-Day ON SENT ON OCT 19TH WITH A CASHIERS CHECK OF 3,000.00 IN IT GOING TO ST PAUL, MN HAS YET TO GET THERE. WEBSITE STUCK SAYING IN TRANSIT AFTER IT LEFT THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN OKLAHOMA CITY. THE BANK WONT PUT A STOP ON THE CHECK UNTIL AFTER 90 DAYS AND I CANNOT REPLACE THE MONEY AND RESEND IT ITS COVID AND NOBY HAS FUNDS FOR THIS KIND OF STUFF. HAD TO BORROW THE MONEY JUST TO PAY OFF A LOAN ON MY 401K IN ORDER TO GET ANOTHER ONE NOW I OWE THEM STILL AND CANT WITHDRAW FROM IT AND OWE 5 OTHER PEOPLE FOR LENDING IT TO ME. I CANT GET ANSWERS FROM ANYONE. WHATS THE POINT OF A TRACKING NUMBER IF IT CANT BE TRACKED. WHATS THE POINT IN HAVING WORKERS WHEN ALL THEY SUPPOSEDLY SEE IS WHAT WE SEE ONLINE. IVE GONE THROUGH EVERY AVENUE EXCEPT GO FIND IT MYSELF. I AM BEYOND PISSED. I HAVE FILED A CLAIM TO AT LEAST SEE IF THEY WILL REFUND THE MONEY LOST IT IS FAR FROM MY FAULT THEY CANT FIND IT AND THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE. WOW THEY REFUNDED MY 27.10 TO SEND IT AND I HAD TO DO THAT ONLINE DUE TO ALL THE POST OFFICES SAYING THEY CANT UNTIL THERE IS A SCAN SAYING IT MADE IT TO ST PAUL MN. IS ANYONE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OKLAHOMA OR MINNESOTA ???
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Thomas Marvin
Nov 8, 2021
Your Comment
This is the absolute worst this has ever been and has caused lost time and money due to such ambivalence and a useless system of customer care. The care is from the top. Not the right person for this at all. Absolutely criminal.
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Kaylee Kramer
Nov 2, 2021
Your Comment
I've had a mail delayed in customs in LA for months. Im beginning to think im never going to recieve it, it was an expensive anniversary gift for my husband and im still looking forward to giving it to him, no matter how late. But im not seeing much about delays anymore. So why is mine still backed up?
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Marie Johnson
Nov 2, 2021
Your Comment
Why did you even put this article up? You just admitted that a facility was NOT following procedure and you can't actually tell how much of the mail was being delayed? Thank you for letting us know about your incompetence. I don't think anyone coming to this site hoping for answers would ever doubt for a moment your inability to handle your job.
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Ruth Milas
Oct 22, 2021
Your Comment
I'm from Minnesota and I sent a birthday card a week early to my son in California hoping it wouldn't be late. It has been eleven days and not received. Should I be patient or worried? If stay patient, then when should I get worried?
Your Name
Robert Jeffery
Oct 16, 2021
Your Comment
I mailed my payment of a Capital One Visa bill on October 4, 2021which was due on October 14, 2021. The check has still not posted to Capital One and now I have been charged a late fee. Sending a first class envelope from Minneapolis, MN to Carol Stream, Il should not take 10 days. What is going on? I am also sending my complaint to Senator Tina Smith who is looking into the sorry state of our US postal system.
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Rory schallhorn
Oct 12, 2021
Your Comment
Payment for bills went thru without late notice even when covid was being blamed for late mail delivery. We now send out payment the day a bill gets to us .However it has become a repeated problem with the same companies not receiving payment on time. Weeks go by without the banks clearing the bill. We are then charged late fees upon late fees. I am even charged a fee to talk to a representative. We post our mail at the post office. What can be the problem and what is the solution? I pay my bills and want to secure my high ratings. It seem like fraud to me to think companies are making a profit on late fees.
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Iuliana Bilenko
Oct 6, 2021
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My parcel received status processed through ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS) on August 30th and has not been tracked since. How can I find my package ???
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J brown
Sep 29, 2021
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I am wondering if the postal inspector general ever reads or response to these posts. It seem like it is just a place to vent with no reply from usps. Thoughts?
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Kasey Gable
Sep 26, 2021
Your Comment
I'm curious what happens after the mail is scanned for the informed delivery. I should be receiving 4 to 7 pieces of mail almost every day. Since August 1, 2021 I have received maybe 1 piece a week. According to informed delivery it should be way more. My husband had a seizure at work. The railroad won't let him go back until they figure out a cause & put him on medication. For him to get paid his medical disability the railroad MAILS the disability claim forms & we have to mail them back. (No they won't email them. I've begged) So my husband hasn't been getting paid. We have bills that are overdue. My salary isn't enough. I have family to feed and support. I went to my local PO lady said she didn't see it back there. Said she was coming in early the next day. Said she would look & call me. Never heard from her. I've called & called. Nobody will answer. Well since I went up there I'm not even getting my 1 piece a week. This is a joke. Please. Someone has to please help me get my mail. We are going to end up homeless if this doesn't get fixed. Please reach out to me.
  
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Anonymous
Oct 10, 2021
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IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE: Complaints about the Postal Service – including lost, stolen, or mishandled mail – that are unrelated to the content on this page will not be posted. Please visit the Contact Us page for information on where to file formal complaints with our agency or the Postal Service.
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Shawn Hendricks
Sep 25, 2021
Your Comment
I and my family recently moved , we moved 8 miles from our previous address . Now first off my 87 yr old mother lives with us now she gets all of her other income direct deposited but she received an annuity because my father was a federal employee and she always gets it the first of the month, so during our move which after living in the same place for sixteen years and having six kids and 3 adults it takes awhile so we had the Post office holding our mail , but each time we would pick it up the same clerk would be rude and unpleasant we did put in a change of address for the family to be submitted for the third of the month so my mom would get her check because dealing with the OPM is a nightmare. So the day we knew her check would be there the 1st because it was shown on informed delivery on the 30th we went to post office and found out the same clerk submitted our COA on the 17th eighteen days before it should have been because he never read the paperwork , so now he has us sign a paper and then resubmits it which starts the whole process over , needless to say she never got her check in fact we have got no forwarded mail including two other fairly large checks and no one seems to know where my mail is , I've called customer service 6 times and will continue to call , also have 2 mail search request that have yet to be updated at all and no one seems to care . Oh but I do recieve junk mail and guess from where you got it USPS.
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CALLIE SMITH
Sep 24, 2021
Your Comment
I put in a change of address back in March 2021 had to fly out of state the beginning of April due to my mother becoming terminally ill and my mail was still messed up. I wasn't getting my mail, I was getting my ex husband mail (even though I did individual change of address). I came back after 8 weeks and my mail was still being sent to the old address, some of my mail they had at the Post Office in Lewisville and some I never even received. I have done 3 changes of address, spoken with the Post Master at least 2-3 times and here it is September I am not receiving half of my mail that is suppose to be coming to me. I have updated my address with the companies I do business with but there are some things that need and should be forwarded to me and this isn't happening. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE and I've tried my hardest to be so patient but it's not getting me anywhere due to since March I've received maybe 10 pieces of mail. I would GREATLY appreciate it if someone would fix this once and for all.
Your Name
Elizabeth Kielczynski
Sep 20, 2021
Your Comment
09/20/21
Hello,
Is there a system or sorting problem at USPS today? Several package's tracking info from various states, NY, TX and HI indicate "Processing or other delay". Any comment or update?
Thanks,
Lisa K.
Your Name
Cheri Moeller
Sep 16, 2021
Your Comment
My mail carrier has told me himself that unless it has my last name on it, he won’t deliver it. Well I do have mail that still comes in my maiden name. Also I find it funny (not) that I have missing offers in the mail for CCs and I’m experiencing fraud in my name.
Your Name
Donna
Sep 10, 2021
Your Comment
I had a Priority Mail envelope which I mailed from the Henrico, NC post office on August 30, 2021 going to Ellicott City, MD. It arrived at at the Raleigh distribution center on August 31 and finally departed Raleigh on September 4 and that is where all tracking has stopped. I just keep getting messages that "my package will arrive later than expected", and "in transit, arriving late". No one knows where my mail is and I can't get any answers. I am absolutely disgusted with the incompetence of the postal service. I spent $7.95 to be able to track my mail and it has disappeared.
Your Name
Missing Package Guy
Sep 7, 2021
Your Comment
Same boat as most everyone else here. Sent package to Japan on August 20th guaranteed delivery for August 28th. Scanned at Chicago ISC on August 21st and then nothing. Calling only gets you "call back in 24 hours as representatives don't have any more information than is online for tracking". Incredible that you can have a Priority Mail Express International Package that gets scanned and then doesn't move for weeks. So much for spending hundreds of dollars to have it shipped. What in the world is wrong with the USPS that this can happen?