HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — People in a Bonaire neighborhood say they have been complaining about their mail service for almost a year and haven't seen any changes.
Joshua Fellers and neighbors like Alan Hickey say the mail mix-ups happen in their Riverbend neighborhood four to five times a month.
"We've had packages just dropped off in bulk at one address. You know, they'll drop off 10 packages with 10 different addresses at one place," says Fellers.
Hickey agrees.
"We've actually gone out in our front yard and discovered piles of packages behind our bushes."
Fellers also says there are a lot of incorrect deliveries and the post office sometimes claims packages were delivered when they weren't and then they show up two days later.
Some of those late packages include vital medicine.
"We have medicine for our daughter sent overnight as it must remain cold and is critical to her quality of life," says Fellers.
Hickey says he shares that concern. He doesn't want his prescription medicine ending up at the wrong place.
Hickey and Fellers say the problems escalated over the holidays.
"Christmas was really bad and we kind of gave them the benefit of the doubt," says Fellers, but it didn't get any better.
Hickey says he gets tired of having to take pictures of all the mail on his porch and post it to their Facebook group, which is full of similar complaints.
"I went back to August and started counting up. I quit counting at 400, which I think is beyond the point of just a few mistakes."
Neighbors have gone up the post office ladder.
"We've made formal complaints to our representative, we've made formal complaints to USPS corporate and also the Postmaster with no results," says Hickey.
Fellers says everyone they've spoken to has been apologetic, but still, they've seen no changes.
They say don't know what the problem is or how to help the post office.
"The post office, to give them their due, we don't know the root cause. We don't know if it's an individual, we don't know if it's the management, we don't know. My guess is it's probably funding-related," says Fellers. "If it’s a funding issue, they probably need more manpower or they need more equipment. I mean, who knows?"
Hickey says something needs to be done.
"I’d like all of the packages and letters not scanned into the system until just before they are delivered and I hope they’re delivered to the address that is clearly marked on the package," says Hickey.
Over 17,000 people live in Bonaire, and both men say they don't think this problem is isolated to their neighborhood.
Carol Hunt, spokesperson for USPS, told 13WMAZ in a statement:
"The Postal Service appreciates its customers and always strives to provide the best possible service. We apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced by Riverbend residents. Local postal management is aware of these specific concerns shared by the Riverbend residents and is working to resolve them as soon as possible."
She goes on to say, "We always want to hear from customers who have concerns regarding the quality of their mail service. Customers are reminded that they can reach us in a variety of ways, including by contacting their local Post Office, calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visiting us on our website at www.usps.com/help for assistance."
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