Nearly a dozen neighbors living in a Gladstone neighborhood met with 41 Action News Friday to describe how severely poor their mail service has been in recent months.
According to many living at Stonebrooke Estates, for the last several months mail hasn’t been delivered, or when it has been delivered it’s been far too often at the wrong house or very late at night.
"We have a mail system not working,” said John Pace. "Everybody goes up there and complains and it's to no avail."
"Well I get my mail in the morning when I get the paper. So it's kinda scary thinking that mail is sitting there all night,” said neighbor Frank Newkirk.
Neighbor Paul Barnett added, "I moved in a year and a half ago, and I met a lot of these people when they started bringing mail to my house."
Many also claim that out-going mail has been erratic.
"We'll put mail in our box, put the flag up, and they don't pick it up,” said Art Hammen, who is concerned his work-from-home business may be suffering. "We've complained nicely, they say they're gonna take care of it, but it hasn't happened."
The Hodge Park Post Office is in charge of delivering the neighborhood’s mail. 41 Action News’ request for an interview was denied. Instead, the statement below was sent via email.
We take every customer concern very seriously and have checked into this matter after you brought it to our attention. We certainly apologize for any inconvenience that customers in that area may have experienced.
We always want to hear directly from our customers immediately when they have a delivery concern, and urge them to call the U.S. Postal Service's Customer Care line at 1-800-ASK-USPS or contact their local Post Office as soon as possible so that the issue can be looked into and addressed promptly. – USPS spokesman
41 Action News asked again if there were any possible reasons for interrupted service at Stonebrooke Estates after looking into the matter. USPS replied, “We have investigated the situation and it is our mission to provide our valued customers with the type of service they expect from the Postal Service.”
Meanwhile, those concerned about losing business because of the current mail service aren’t taking any chances.
"I told them, 'Cut the check. I'll pick it up.' I don't need the mail service,” said Pace, referring to what he told a client.
The entire neighborhood hopes a solution is coming soon, especially around the holidays.
"I thought about sending a written complaint, but I was afraid they wouldn't get it,” joked Hammen.
------
Josh Helmuth can be reached at josh.helmuth@kshb.com
