I am disabled and need to move my mailbox to a safer place. The p.o. says "no", What to do?

Question

The postmistress for some strange reason is very defensive and very rude on this subject. My box is actually on the wrong street and needs to be moved. All other local agencies say I am correct, but she says that my corrrect address does not exist. FRUSTRATED!!!

Answer 1

You have the right of complaint, and of appeal, with respect to postal services. There is no point arguing with a postmistress; she is either following rules that she misunderstands, or being obstructive. (I have had that with the post office in Britain when a counter clerk refused to accept the policy as stated on an official Web page that I'd downloaded. I was unfailingly polite, asked him the phone number to call, and went out into the street and rang it with my cell phone. The guy there laughed at the idiocy and promised to fix it. That was Friday. By Monday they'd faxed over an instruction to follow the law and do what I'd asked them to do in the first place.)

Here's the procedure in the USA: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/delivery/us_postal_service.htm (mentioning the Americans with Disabilities Act)

HERE'S THE LAW:

"2.2.2 Accommodating Customer Hardship

"On the customer's written request, the postmaster may approve an exception to the currently authorized method of delivery, if the type of rural delivery authorized imposes an extreme physical hardship."

It would seem to supersede any part of the DOMESTIC MAIL MANUAL (which you can read at http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm ) that your postmistress thinks is otherwise controlling, to wit:

" 2.3.4 Mailbox Location

"Curbside mailboxes meeting the applicable standards in 3.0 must be placed where they protect the mail and can be conveniently served by carriers without leaving their vehicles. These boxes must be on the right side of the road in the direction of travel when required by traffic conditions or when driving to the left to reach the boxes would violate traffic laws by the carrier."

If the official complaint channels are daunting for you, then telephone or e-mail your Congressperson, and they will submit the complaint on your behalf.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Go above her to her supervisor. First though, contact someone with knowledge re. your rights under ADA law, so that you know what you are talking about and how to stand firm.( At worst, contact your local congressman AND your local media to really make it worth her while to adjust her attitude).Your local assessor's office/emergency services system can verify whether the address system is flawed. Sometimes this is the case, and her agency's regulations can get snagged on such technicalities. Once you know the real bottom line, you can address it directly to get the results you need.

Answer 3

It is quite possible that your street is not registered or whatever your locality calls it and that she is correct. Technically, it may not exist.

I know this can happen because it happened to me once.

I lived in a house that had been built on a road where all the houses had been built by this same builder. He built the road too ... without getting the proper city paperwork ... so as far as the city was concerned, our road did not exist.

The post office rightly refused to deliver mail. We all had to get post office boxes.

Answer 4

Get on the phone with the post office and file a complaint. You can probably do it on line. I have seen this done before she Will be reprimanded. What a poop bird. The post office will straighten her out. Go over her head and tell your story. Good luck.

Answer 5

had some problem sometime back i called the police/sheriff office where all the 911 call go to and had them check my phone number and adress listing i was right and raised all kind of hell because i already had ,moved the mailbox check will the NOn emergency num,ber for the police /sheriff have them check it then contact (ADA) and the media

Answer 6

tell her that since your correct address does not exist, that your trying to remedy the situation, by creating a correct address.
what's preventing you from just moving your mailbox to where ever you want it and filling out a change of address card

Answer 7

I do not know the rules of your country, but at my home I would hire another box and let the present one go, or rent to someone else...

Answer 8

your address is
what is listed on the deed of ownership.

call the county where you live and ask them.