Thursday, August 25, 2011

Why aren't we getting our mail?

For weeks, our block in Mt. Pleasant has had almost no mail delivery. Last week, we only got mail one day. The week before, we got mail two days. The week before that, we got a stack of letters, some of which had been mailed weeks before.

I thought Canada Post must have followed through on a plan to cut mail delivery to two or three times a week. However, on Tuesday at Trout Lake Park posties from Victoria were practicing driving mail trucks, and I asked one if deliveries had been cut. He said that Canada Post still does five day a week delivery.

Today, I had a chance to talk with a postal insider, who gave me more information. He says our postal depot is called Mountain View, that the Mountain View depot has reduced its workforce by about nine carrier positions, that the mail delivery for those positions is being laid on the shoulders of the remaining carriers, that the carriers tell management they don't have time to finish their whole route in the workday, and the management says to leave it for tomorrow. But when tomorrow comes, the amount of mail that couldn't be delivered doubles.

Among the items due weeks ago that have never been delivered was my credit card statement. This resulted in my owing late fees and interest charges.

I phoned in a complaint to Canada Post at 1-800-267-1177. The fellow who answered said he didn't believe that these carrier cuts had happened, or that mail was piling up, and asserted that Canada Post does everything they can to insure prompt delivery of the mail. However, he said an inquiry would be sent to the depot.

If you live in Mt. Pleasant and are not getting regular mail service, please voice your complaint now. If this is a common problem in our neighbourhood, more squeaky wheels might help us get this situation improved.