USPS Is “Holding Mail Hostage,” Customers Say in New Complaints

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READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Making Even More Changes to Your Mail .

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The Postal Service just released new delivery performance metrics on Jan. 26. According to the report, the results show “delivery performance improvements,” particularly for First-Class Mail and Periodicals.

From Jan. 1 through Jan. 20, the agency said 91.7 percent of First-Class Mail and 85.3 percent of Periodicals were “delivered on time against the USPS service standard,” which was an increase of .7 percent for both from USPS performance in the last quarter. And 93.9 percent of Marketing Mail was delivered on time, which was consistent from last quarter.

“The average time for the Postal Service to deliver a mailpiece or package across the nation was 2.5 days,” the USPS said. “One of the goals of Delivering for America, the Postal Service’s 10-year plan for achieving financial sustainability and service excellence, is to meet or exceed 95 percent on-time service performance for all mail and shipping products once all elements of the plan are implemented.”

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Reports from customers all across the U.S. tell a different story, however.

In early January, people in Kansas City, Kansas, revealed that they had started to go days without getting their mail , Fox4 reported. “Within the past two or three weeks it’s gotten worse,” resident Rosemary Miller told the news outlet.

Over in Summit County, Colorado, the story is practically the same: Andrea Godfrey , a 71-year-old Silverthorne resident, spoke with the Summit Daily about her recent experience with USPS delays , calling it a “breakdown in service” from the agency. “Being able to get our mail, being able to get it on time—it’s not getting any better,” she said. If anything it’s worse.”

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Mail delays can be mildly frustrating for some. But they can be truly dangerous for others—like those who are dependent on receiving prescriptions through the mail.

“There are people who need their medication,” Twin Lakes resident Kelly Sweeney told Denver7. “We had no notice of what was going on. I am so disappointed that there is no contingency plan to address something like this.”

Customers say they’re struggling to find other ways to get their mail in such critical situations. In Twin Lakes, Alexander said the Postal Service wasn’t allowing people to pick up their delayed mail at the post office. “They cannot hand it across the counter? So, you don’t even have the option of driving 25 miles to the post office to pick up your mail,” he told Denver7.

Meanwhile, residents in Summit County like Monika Mayer say they’re battling restricted PO Box access and unreliable post office hours, with little to no communication from the USPS.

“The hours are only during the day. So for working people it’s impossible to get to the post office on time,” Mayer told the Summit Daily , adding that she went 10 days without access to her daily blood pressure medication. “I survived, but it definitely puts people at risk. It’s affecting a lot of people, and it’s not just an inconvenience. It was very stressful for me.”

“They’re kind of holding our mail hostage,” she added.

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The Postal Service has acknowledged its recent shortcomings across the U.S. “We know we have not met service expectations,” the USPS told Denver7 in a statement.

James Boxrud , a spokesperson for the postal agency, expressed a similar sentiment to the Summit Daily . “We know we have not met service expectations of the community,” he told the newspaper. “And we are working hard to restore the respect of the public.”

For its part, the USPS has put the blame squarely on staffing shortages. “In Buena Vista, we’ve been short as much as half of our carrier staff and our current employees are doing all they can to serve their customers,” the agency told Denver7. To address this challenge, the Postal Service has been hosting job fairs across the country this month, from California to New York.

But for many customers, there is only one way they’ll be satisfied with their service, no matter how it happens: “I’ll be happy when I get my mail every day,” Miller told Fox4.

USPS Just Raised Prices Again—And It’s Already Planning the Next Price Hike

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It seems like we’re having to pay more for everything these days—and that includes our mail. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been struggling financially for years now. To change course, the agency unveiled its Delivering for America (DFA) initiative in 2021 with the goal of reaching financial sustainability again within the next 10 years. And unfortunately for us, part of the plan includes price hikes for customers. The USPS just raised its prices on Jan. 22—and it’s already planning the next price hike. Read on to find out what you should be prepared for.

READ THIS NEXT: USPS Is Getting Rid of This Permanently, as of Jan. 31 .

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Just two months after introducing its DFA plan, the USPS had already announced plans to raise prices. In May 2021, the agency said that it had filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to “raise overall Market Dominant product and service prices by approximately 6.9 percent” later that year. The PRC approved the price hike, and it kicked in officially on Aug. 29, 2021.

Since then, customers have seen mailing costs climb again and again. In July 2022, the Postal Service raised its First-Class Mail prices by approximately 6.5 percent. Then just a few months later, the agency increased prices yet again: On Oct. 2, “a temporary price adjustment for key package products for the 2022 peak holiday season” went into effect. “This temporary rate adjustment is similar to ones in past years that help cover extra handling costs to ensure a successful peak season,” the USPS explained.

Now, however, the agency is back to more permanent price hikes.

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The temporary price hike for the 2022 holiday season expired on Jan. 22, but it coincided with a more permanent change. Back in October, the Postal Service announced that it had filed plans with the PRC for “new prices for 2023.” The commission approved the new rates , which went into effect on Jan. 22 and increased First-Class Mail prices by approximately 4.2 percent.

The USPS also raised prices for P.O. Box rentals and shipping services that same day. “As operating expenses continue to rise, these price adjustments provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan,” the agency said.

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With the newest price increase, customers are now paying three to five cents more for mailing essentials like postcards, letters, and First-Class Forever stamps. And that’s likely not the last time we’ll see price hikes this year. Instead, officials say that customers should expect another increase this summer.

“The Postal Service expects that, in each subsequent year, it will implement price changes for all Market Dominant classes in January and July of such year,” the PRC said, per USA Today .

The USPS confirmed this timeline for price hikes in a Sept. 2021 press release. “Beginning Jan. 2023, Market Dominant price adjustments will occur twice a year, (e.g. Jan. 2023, July 2023, Jan. 2024, July 2024, etc.),” the agency said. “Market Dominant products include First-Class Mail (FCM), USPS Marketing Mail, Periodicals, Package Services, and Special Services.”

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These regular price increases are starting to add up for USPS customers. For example, stamp prices are now about 15 percent more expensive than what they were prior to 2021, and they have nearly doubled from the 33 cents they cost in 2000, Money magazine reported.

But Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has stood by the Postal Service’s soaring prices and made it clear that he has no plans to stop the hikes anytime soon.

“I believe we have been severely damaged by at least 10 years of a defective pricing model —which cannot be satisfied by one or two annual price increases—especially in this inflationary environment,” DeJoy said during a 2022 Postal Service Board of Governors meeting. “From my perspective, the mailing industry needs to be prepared for continued use of our authority to raise prices on market dominant products at an uncomfortable rate until such time as we have accomplished our objective of projecting a trajectory that shows us becoming self-sustaining—as required by law.”