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Pushing the Envelope Blog

Tracking Delivery Failures

Date: 01/16/23 | Category: Delivery & Collection

When you run a large operation or business, it’s just as important to know what isn’t getting done as well as what is. This very much applies to the U.S. Postal Service regarding its more than 233,000 delivery routes across the country.

The Postal Service is charged with delivering mail to every address on those routes six days a week. In fiscal year 2022, total volume of delivered mail was more than 127 billion individual pieces — letters, packages, periodicals, and more.

Sometimes, however, a route goes undelivered or partially delivered. On an undelivered route, no homes or businesses receive their regular daily delivery; on a partially delivered route, only some customers experience no delivery. Various reasons can be the cause — severe weather, for instance, or unavailability of carriers.

We recently looked at the Postal Service’s management of undelivered and partially delivered routes and found the agency has tools that identify delayed mail on routes, but the tools don’t identify the number of undelivered and partially delivered routes nationally. As we note in our recent audit report, one tool estimates potential route and delivery point failures but can’t identify undelivered routes.

We did, however, find opportunities for USPS to leverage existing tools and technologies to identify the actual number of undelivered and partially delivered routes. For example, the Postal Service could integrate delivery operations data with Informed Delivery. Also, data on delayed mail and undelivered and partially delivered routes could be used to notify customers of delays and service outages in near real-time. Notification of service interruptions is important to provide world-class, universal mail service.

Are there other areas where the Postal Service needs more management tools? Let us know in the comments below.

Leave a Comment

Your Name
Danielle Duncan
Jan 18, 2023
Your Comment
I believe that it is a inside job on many occasions I monitor my mail. Along with the time I receive the mail any my gaming box has been bocken multiple times had keys duplicated. They say if you not going to do something about don't complain. So right now I feel like that there need to be more background check on employees and new technology improvement to monetary system. Its crazy how U S mail is being compromise on many accounts. Mail been sent out and you don't receive it to two to three weeks late you can miss deadline. However Im over it its been for so long and if you complain you harassed by employees inside the department so do it even mater why even mention its all a monopoly if you ask me
Your Name
David Wright
Jan 18, 2023
Your Comment
The idea of using informed delivery as a tool to notify customers of service issues is a great idea. Customer accountability is paramount to good service. If mail cannot be delivered it is of critical importance the USPS is transparent and honest with customers as to WHY their mail was not delivered. This means accurate scans reflecting why a package wasn't delivered as it should have been. As an example I had a package scanned as out for delivery and I got it several days later. Reason given: weather delay - on a 50 degree day with no snow on the ground or any adverse weather conditions. The reason given was an outright lie. There needs to be accountability for undelivered mail and direct HONEST accountability to customer inquiry when these situations are questioned. Further there should be some sort of a review process when mail that should be delivered is not. Postal employees at all levels have accountability to ensure mail is delivered promptly and should be held accountable when appropriate. Aundrie Cross was murdered over a "no access" scan when a package suspected of containing illegal drugs was not delivered as expected. I guess his customers held him accountable whether he was guilty or not.
Your Name
Anu Nair
Jan 18, 2023
Your Comment
So frustrated with the mail tampering and corrupt mail carrier in our area. Mail is deliberately delivered to the wrong addresses. Been the case for years. Driver’s license, credicards atm cards and sensitive documents. Only time any sort of investigation was done was when debit card was used! Everything else is shrugged off. The neighbors involved with the mailman in this venture challenges us - go to the police - good luck with that! My time sensitive pre- paid mail is the main issue! My insurance information was delivered 10 days late causing my insurance to lapse! The time sensitive mail pre- paid mail is stolen and then mailed at a later date! There is no way of determining when it was posted or processed! I wish there was. Please please come down hard on these thieves! I am worried about identity theft and physical safety!
  
Your Name
OIG Webmaster
Jan 19, 2023
Your Comment
Thanks for your message. The best thing to do would be to file an online complaint with our Hotline. You can access the online complaint form by visiting our Website, clicking the "Contact Us" tab on the top and selecting "Hotline." This will allow us to look into the matter for you.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Christopher Grillone
Jan 17, 2023
Your Comment
we have not received our mail in Southlake Tahoe, California for two weeks. This is not weather related. When we went to the post office and waited in line for three hours, we were told that they would not give us our mail.
  
Your Name
OIG Webmaster
Jan 19, 2023
Your Comment
Thank you for your comments. The OIG is an independent agency of the Postal Service and many of these issues fall outside of our jurisdiction. However, we do read all blog comments and pass on relevant information to our auditors and investigators. If you have not already done so, please try contacting your local Post Office. If you have already done that, try contacting USPS Customer Service, 1 (800) 275-8777, or to file an online complaint with Customer Service (and for frequently asked questions), go to the USPS Website and enter "Customer Service Help" in the search function.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Gary Raymond
Jan 17, 2023
Your Comment
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your question regarding delivery management tools.
Those of us who rely exclusively upon Post Office Boxes for deliveries are at a disadvantage regarding parcels.
Many businesses, most of them small, choose to utilize the less expensive SmartPost and SurePost services.
Their online ordering systems will not accept PO Box addresses. When our local stations receive parcels for addresses having no roadside mail receptacle, they are returned to the sender. By fully utilizing today's relational database management systems, this problem can be resolved.
.
Your Name
Dale Griffin
Jan 17, 2023
Your Comment
Very good mail service , here in Warren Me . Only time that I don’t receive a package is when it comes from China, bought a heater and never received it . Did receive three throw away masks. Contact sender and they said it was delivered , what was delivered was those face masks. Contact my bank and they said the time was passed, could not get a refund. . Also this Christmas order a package after 8 weeks no package from china . Did receive my money back . So i order everything from a United state vendor from now on . I believe most of things from U S are ship and deliver. The postal service here is the best .
Your Name
Cindy
Jan 17, 2023
Your Comment
Post offices can stop holding carriers at the post office and not let them go to the street until 2pm or after. We’ve had that happen at Lady Lake Postoffice twice in less than a week. We often don’t get released until well after noon. Is CDS suppliers are not allowed to leave at our contract time. We are being treated like employees, which a lot of us are going to contact attorneys and see what can be done about it. Our PM doesn’t care about customer service at all. Our customers are not happy that we are not getting to start the rte on the street until after 2:30pm. We have been advising them to contact the local newspapers with complaints. We have an awful pm and is just a miserable person and treats us like garbage that needs to be taken to the street. She treats contractors worse, but really treats everyone bad that she doesn’t fraternize with. Including vacations with carriers.
Your Name
lafe cummings
Jan 17, 2023
Your Comment
ya hide facts again / say somebody else / all wa, gov. and all his reps. look other way on postal fraud for 7 + years 30 rt. 1 way 50 famlies and still collect funds on a service not followed never following own code do drop. us. and yes collect federal funds false. will seek for this to be news this season and give kettle falls back a horse
Your Name
MARSHA EDWARDS
Jan 17, 2023
Your Comment
I HAVE CONSISTENTLY HAD PROPERLY STAMPED AND ADDRESSED LETTERS AND CARDS RETURNED UNDELIVERED.
Your Name
Perkins
Jan 27, 2023
Your Comment
Why can't the USPS get with the times. First, let us admit that crime is a major problem in the world, or at least in our country. With this in mind, i pay extra to have a post office box at my local post office. Actually I have two, one at home, and the other at my business. Herein lies the problem. I'm told there is some sort of regulation that prohibits the US Postal Service from tying a PO Box to a physical address. I'm not sure what the purpose of this regulation is, but there should be some sort of clause that allows a PO Box owner to allow the combining of the two.
Why? Because there are a lot of services today that will not ship or mail to a PO Box, and the local carriers are constantly changing positions and routes, which means if you train your local carrier what to do with your mail and they leave you have to start over again, if you even see the local carrier.
I've been told to just put the street address in with a second line that says Unit # (your PO Box # here). Sometimes this works, but again, if the new worker at the local office doesn't know what it means and hasn't been properly trained you don't get your mail.
In the past year, I've had several items returned because the carrier marked the mail with no mailbox and sent it back, or it was put in one of my neighbor's boxes and I never got it, but it wasn't returned either, or I get "I don't know, it was a new driver, or some other answer that doesn't help one iota.
With technology being what it is today, why can the USPS not tie a physical address to a PO Box, instead of forcing people to put up mailboxes that are completely insecure and take even further risk.
For instance just today, I received 3 parts of a 4 part order that originated in Ontario Canada via DHL. DHL does not deliver to the state of TN, so they take it to Greensboro, NC and hand it off to USPS, which is where the problem lies. DHL won't ship to a PO Box, so the street address has to be used, then the shipment is handed off to USPS who is incapable of delivering a package addressed to the street address if the receiver chooses the more costly and secure method of a PO Box.
Cannot someone in the federal government get this straight?