Thursday, October 10, 2013

Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Heat, Nor Gloom of Night…

According to their unofficial motto, nothing stops the US Postal Service from delivering the mail.  Up until now, I haven’t had any reason to believe otherwise either.  However, exactly one month ago the neighborhood mailbox I use fell over.

stuff 672 Since, my mail has stopped being delivered.  Instead, my 14 neighbors and I have to pick up our mail at the post office.  That wouldn’t be so terrible except that the mail isn’t being held at the local post office nor at the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th closest post office.  In fact, in order to get to the post office holding my mail hostage I have to drive past two other USPS offices.  So for the past month, rather than getting my mail delivered daily I have to leave work early once or twice a week to get there before they close and drive about 10 miles in the opposite direction to pick up an incomplete stack of mail – funnily enough even though the mail is being held AT the post office, I’m receiving bills and other items later than usual.  On more than one occasion I’ve timed my pick ups with the delivery of a letter, bill, or package and low-and-behold, it hasn’t been sorted into my stack of mail yet. 

To make things even more difficult, at this point there is no end in sight.  The post office says that the neighborhood kids were playing near it and knocked it over so it’s not the USPS’s responsibility.  The Home Owners’ Association, on the other hand, says that the box was badly rusted (which it is) and fell over due to deterioration.  It’s probably a combination of both, but while each party plays the blame game, it's the neighborhood who is being inconvenienced. 

They say it’s the little things that kill you.  This is driving me mad!

7 comments:

  1. That's rust !. Absolutely certain. But you don't get enough water from the sky that would cause that amount of oxidation. We do !, big time. Here if you stood still long enough you'd start to rust yourself :-) .
    As to getting it fixed. The HOA may as well get off it's collective proverbial and just do it. 16 0f you $100 each and presto. Of course the problem will come when idiots begin reaching into your pocket and grandiose 'adding value to the neighbourhood' raises it's ugly head and that $100 out of your purse? wallet, -are you the princess with a pocketbook :-D - becomes $1000 or even more when Mrs X-ingham-McBling wants the fricking Taj Mahal atop a pole.
    Mind you, your letters can't have been all that secure if the thickest bit of iron rusted all the way through. Why isn't there a http://www.azreg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/mailbox.jpg outside each house.

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  2. Growing up, the house we lived in had a slot in the door so the mail was delivered inside the house, onto the floor. Nowadays, with the population being so high and concentrated (with condos and houses almost stacked upon one another) and the USPS being broke there isn't the man power to deliver individually. Most developements built in the last 20-30 years have community boxes. Mine was built in '89 and, from what I've been hearing, it's the original box. I'm sure the grass fitted with sprinklers nearby didn't help any.

    Some of the neighbors have mentioned that the HOA has enough $$ to just have someone come out, hack the ends off and rebolt it to a new plate. They can't just buy a new box without approval from the post office since the mail carrier has to have access with a key to the back panel to deliver the mail all at once.
    What I don't understand is if they can deliver into the mailbox like you linked where anyone can open it, why can't they deliver my mail to my doorstep each day. It's just as safe. The carrier laughed at me when I mentioned the idea....Grrrr!
    One thing I can't stand is not taking responsibility and in this case there are two parties not taking it. I don't have time for the frustration or the inconvenience.

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    1. Oh, and I carry a wallet inside my purse or bag. :) When I lived on the East Coast pocketbook was used for purse, but it's not a term I ever picked up.

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    2. There's probably a height requirement for the box with so many holes. And if they cut the legs the thing will be on the ground near enough. Twas low enough to begin with.
      Here they would insist the second line of pigeonholes be at eye level. sorta five foot or so.
      What happens, is there a big door in the back.

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    3. Yes, there is a big panel on the back that opens so all the slots are in view. Saves him time rather than having to open and close each one individually.
      Yes it would be low and I'm sure there is some code prohibiting that. At this point I'd take low and functional over upside down and useless.

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  3. That is such a pain. Speaking of mail, I barely ever get ours. I have to remind myself once a week to go to the box. We don't get too many important things any more via mail.

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  4. Even though it's just steps away from my door, I don't get the mail every day either. I'm pretty good if I bring the key when walking the dog because I can stop on my way back to the house. It's just the point of the whole thing that is irritating and that when I do want the mail, I can't just walk outside I have to drive 10 miles away to get it.

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