Snail mail? Slow and delayed deliveries en route
Dec. 1—LIMA — "Your check's in the mail" may or may not be true, but when that check will actually arrive in Lima seems less certain.
Local residents and business owners have expressed concern and dissatisfaction about excessively late — or nonexistent — USPS deliveries.
Dan Ruppert, who lives near Tamarac Golf Course located on North Stevick Road, said Tuesday that he hadn't received one piece of U.S. Mail between Wednesday, Nov. 24, and Monday, Nov. 29.
In turn, he contacted the Lima Post Office, where an employee replied "half of Lima" has been receiving its mail later than usual, partly because unloading trucks was problematic.
"I was told the post office didn't have enough manpower," said Ruppert, who speculated that his regular carrier may have been on vacation during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. As it turns out, he finally received a delivery early Tuesday morning.
Naddia Dhalai, a U.S. Postal Service strategic communications specialist, explained via email that letter carriers sometimes deliver until 9 p.m. during the holiday season due to an increase in mail volume.
"We appreciate our customers' patience, and we assure them all mail is being delivered. They may receive it late in the evening," she stated.
"I can confirm mail delivery is current in Lima."
For local companies that tend to receive their mail after business hours, "current" may be a matter of opinion.
Jessica Trinko, executive director of Lima Convalescent Home, explained via email she "has had issues" getting deliveries before 5 p.m., which is when her nursing home's office on Allentown Road closes.
"In order to have a secure location to leave mail, we are looking at buying a secure box and to provide the carrier a key to access it," said Trinko, wife of The Lima News managing editor David Trinko. She added such a dropbox would cost approximately $500.
Nevertheless, she didn't have a return-to-sender attitude about the late drop-offs.
"The mail carriers have tried to be as accommodating as possible to work with us," she said.
A call to 1-800-ASK-USPS on Tuesday resulted in automated answers and recommendations. A recorded message explained that post offices nationwide have "limited staff," but delivery problems are being monitored daily.
If you haven't received mail after three business days, USPS advises calling again so the problem can be "escalated" and investigated. You may also visit emailus.usps.com, particularly in the case of a package for which there's a tracking number.
Reach James Luksic at 567-242-0399.
