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1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

I just checked my mailbox n received a authorization to hold mail form. I did not request this n is signed by an unknown person. what does this mean & how do I fix it?

Asked by Jay over 11 years ago

I am not sure why the authorization to hold mail form would show up in your mailbox unless it was put there by error. Normally we wouldn't deliver a signed form like that until it is time to resume delivery of mail after the hold period which was authorized has expired. Postal Customers use that form (or can complete it at www.usps.gov) to have their mail held at the post office if they will be away for a period of time between 3 and 30 days. At the end of the authorized time period, a letter carrier will either deliver all of the mail that was held at the PO or the postal customer can pick up the mail at the Post Office. If the form you recevied has been completed (or even if not), you may put a post-it note or attach a note to it and leave it in your mailbox explaining to the letter carrier that you don't want your mail held at all and that you didn't authorize it. Another option is to take the card to your local post office that delivers the mail and tell them you don't want your mail held. My guess is that somebody has made an error in delivering the form to you OR something shady is going on, but I think it is more likely the former. Thank you for your inquiry.

760 Votes

If I give a letter to the mail man will he accept it, and will the letter go the next day or I have to Waite days? I need a letter to go to Scranton Pa from Cleveland Oh

Asked by Vanessa over 10 years ago

Generally we will accept any letter as long as there is proper postage affixed to it. That letter would be dispatched to a regional mail processing center on the same day we accept it. A letter from Scranton, PA to Cleveland, OH would probably take 2-3 days to reach its destination. Earlier this year I think that our first-class mail delivery standards was slowed down by one day. A letter that would usually be delivered overnight now would take 2 days for delivery and so on. Thank you for your question.

758 Votes

When delivering the mail, if theres a mailbox thats empty. when you put the new mail in, do you leave the box open or close it?

Asked by aj about 11 years ago

I would close any mailbox after putting mail in it as long as the mailbox could be shut. I don't believe it is appropriate to leave a mailbox open with mail in it. Any letter carrier that leaves a box open which has mail in it and doesn't have a valid excuse for not closing the box isn't performing their job properly. Thanks for writing.

758 Votes

I got a ring on ebay the mail carrier delivered it to the wrong address i call my post office and thay will not do any thing about it. i cant get my money back. so i am out the ring and 172.00

Asked by Debbie about 11 years ago

Debbie, I m sorry to hear that the ring you ordered on eBay was misdelivered. I'm pretty sure there is nothing we can do regarding reimbursing customers for misdelivered unless there is some insurance purchased by the sender. Your story doesn't surprise me, however, since misdeliveries are made all the time. It's also unfortunate that whoever received the misdelivered package didn't return it to the PO since it didn't belong to them. That would have been the right thing to do. I am also guessing that in the situation you described, the sender won't reimburse your $$ because their records show that the ring was delivered.

758 Votes

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Hi there,

I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?

Asked by AmandaB about 11 years ago

Amanda, I can't say for sure what will happen with your rent check that was misaddressed. If the letter carrier delivers both of those addresses on Box St. and is familiar with the names on their route, they may deliver the letter to where it is intended (meaning it will get to your landlord). It's also possible that different letter carriers deliver to those 2 addresses and the letter carrier at 362 Box St. will just deliver it to 362 Box St. or return the check to the sender (you) as "Attempted, Not Known". I would recommend not canceling the check and waiting several days to see if the landlord received the check. Is there a way to contact the landlord and tell them what you did and it's possible they will ask you to resend the check or wait a few days to see if they receive it? I say this also to maybe save you money because putting a stop payment on a check often has a fee associated with it.

757 Votes

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

Asked by Dalgety about 11 years ago

Another good question on this message board that I dont know the answer to. We rarely ever look at or are directed to a USPS employee handbook. I am sure it exists but don't know where it is at my PO. I am pretty sure my supervisor would have it at their desk or know where to find it. As far as writing a personal note directly on a letter, I would suggest that it not be done, but I can't say that it is against the rules. In general I don't think we should be making any comments or judgments about the mail that somebody receives. I'm not saying we don't talk about it internally but I wouldn't comment (in person or in writing) to the mail recipient or anybody else in public. That would be completely inappropriate. Please notice I don't use the word "illegal" here as I am not versed in the legality or disciplinary actions that are in play here, if any. The only time I would write directly on the mail is if I'm not familiar with the name of the recipient on a piece of mail that differs from the current residents that I know live at a particular address. In this case, I put a "?" next to the addressees name and deliver the letter. By doing this, the current residents can accept the letter or realize I wasn't sure if it was delivered correctly and leave it out for me the next day to return to the sender as "Attempted, Not Known." Thanks for writing.

756 Votes

Just wondering how much a holiday actually delays mail; say Labor Day on a Monday. I work in medical records (requesting) and wanted to know if I should allow more than really just one day for the mail to arrive at the intended location.

Asked by Penny about 11 years ago

Penny, I don't think that a holiday delays the transport of mail through our network by much at all, but I don't really have much insight into this subject. I know our local post offices don't process any mail on holidays, however the processing and distribution centers might still be operating. I would always suggest allowing more than one day for mail to arrive at the intended location even if there was no holiday. This is just to make time for mis-delivered, mis-sorted, or delayed mail. The day after a holiday, we are often hammered with mail to deliver. It is the trade off for having a paid day off (which I'm not complaining about).

756 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

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I just checked my mailbox n received a authorization to hold mail form. I did not request this n is signed by an unknown person. what does this mean & how do I fix it?

If I give a letter to the mail man will he accept it, and will the letter go the next day or I have to Waite days? I need a letter to go to Scranton Pa from Cleveland Oh

When delivering the mail, if theres a mailbox thats empty. when you put the new mail in, do you leave the box open or close it?

I got a ring on ebay the mail carrier delivered it to the wrong address i call my post office and thay will not do any thing about it. i cant get my money back. so i am out the ring and 172.00

Also on Jobstr...

Hi there,

I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

Just wondering how much a holiday actually delays mail; say Labor Day on a Monday. I work in medical records (requesting) and wanted to know if I should allow more than really just one day for the mail to arrive at the intended location.

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

I just checked my mailbox n received a authorization to hold mail form. I did not request this n is signed by an unknown person. what does this mean & how do I fix it?

If I give a letter to the mail man will he accept it, and will the letter go the next day or I have to Waite days? I need a letter to go to Scranton Pa from Cleveland Oh

When delivering the mail, if theres a mailbox thats empty. when you put the new mail in, do you leave the box open or close it?

I got a ring on ebay the mail carrier delivered it to the wrong address i call my post office and thay will not do any thing about it. i cant get my money back. so i am out the ring and 172.00

Also on Jobstr...

Hi there, I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?

I received a very important & personal letter. Our mail carrier, whom we have not yet met, left a congratulatory note. That was kind, but she wrote it in red ink directly on the envelope! I was surprised. Does the USPS employee handbook allow that?

Just wondering how much a holiday actually delays mail; say Labor Day on a Monday. I work in medical records (requesting) and wanted to know if I should allow more than really just one day for the mail to arrive at the intended location.

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Hi there,

I just sent out my rent check to my landlord and realized everything was correct except I wrote 362 Box Street rather than 462 Box Street. Will it still be delivered? Or should I cancel the check and resend?