Progress in Mail Service Quality, But Some Problems Persist
The severe drop in the quality of mail service over the past year in Westchester County has been mirrored in communities across the nation. In many cases the problem has not been merely a lack of service, but outright criminal activity as mail is stolen from post boxes and some postal service employees have been implicated.
Customers have been advised to use online banking rather than sending written checks through the mail and to bring their outgoing mail directly to the post office rather than dropping it into an outside box.
Just last week, Yonkers was hit with a series of mailbox thefts and Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s (D- Harrison) office released a statement demanding that the United States Postal Service (USPS) explain and remedy the causes of the loss of 20 passport applications in Tappan.
In this instance, a Rockland County resident informed Lowey’s office that the Connecticut Passport Agency in Stamford, told him that his daughter’s passport application was among 20 applications lost in the mail following an April 20 passport event at the Tappan Post Office.
The Connecticut Passport Agency confirmed that it never received the applications and was making emergency appointments for every case.
In September 2017, Lowey met with United States Postal Service Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman to discuss the postal issues in Westchester and Rockland, bringing to his attention dozens of specific cases and demanding action.
Then in May, Lowey was joined by Lower Hudson Valley elected officials and residents at the White Plains postal center to further demand long-term solutions to the systemic issues of mail delivery that seemed to stem from mismanagement and a reduction in the number of postal employees.
Most of the Westchester complaints until last week were focused on mail being delivered to the wrong address and packages not arriving, not outright theft.
Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner also has reached out to the USPS for action. He recently contacted the new Westchester Postal Service Operations Manager, Roxanne Hosein, for her comments.
The Westchester District serves 1.1 million delivery addresses.
“Returning to the Postal Service’s Westchester District is like a professional homecoming for me. My postal management career was launched in Westchester over 20 years ago in positions focusing on customer relations, marketing and postal operations. Living in Westchester, obtaining my MBA at Mercy and now returning to work in Westchester, I have a personal interest and committed in making a positive influence for my neighbors, colleagues and residents of Westchester. It is genuinely gratifying to return to be part of the 5,327 USPS Westchester team who are committed in strengthening and delivering our brand,” Hosein wrote in an email to Feiner.
Over the June 2 weekend many “We’re Listening Weekend” events were held in local post office lobbies where managers talked with customers.
Hosein suggests that unsatisfied customers who were not able to speak directly with managers, call the toll-free Customer Care Center at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or send an email by visiting USPS.com, clicking on “Contact Us” at the bottom of the homepage, and following the prompts.
