Ask a Mailman (City Letter Carrier) anything

1237 Questions

Last Answer on February 18, 2022

Hello, I just moved into a new house and put "please forward" on a UPS package for the previous owner and dropped it in my mail box. I realized my mistake when the owner called for the package. What will happen to the package?
Thanks!

Asked by lebee about 12 years ago

I am not sure what will happen to the UPS Package. The USPS may forward it if they have the correct forwarding address on file for the the previous owner, but they may not be obligated to. The USPS may also forward the package but have the recipient pay for the item being forwarded. The item may also be returned to UPS or to the sender. I'm sorry I can't be any more specific re: the package you are inquiring about.

851 Votes

If I don't pass the exam the first time, is there a mandatory wait before I can try again? Also, please excuse my spelling on the previous question...thanks.

Asked by Jeremy about 12 years ago

I don't know of any mandatory waiting period after you take the postal exam which you must wait to take it a second or third time. Good luck to you in taking the exam. There may be a mandaory waiting time, but I just am not familiar with it.

851 Votes

my husband insists that if a mail carrier is in a truck, they are not allowed to get out of the truck to deliver mail, so if they cant pull right up to the mailbox, they wont deliver the mail, is that true?

Asked by erica almost 12 years ago

I don't know this answer for sure, but I do know if a carrier can't pull completely up to a mailbox to effect delivery, he can "flag" the box as non-approachable and bring the mail back to the PO and try again the next day. Most of the time if I couldn't completely get up to a mailbox, I would get out and deliver the mail so as to not have to deal with it the next day. If a mailbox was habitually blocked by a customer then I may suspend delivery to let them know that their box shouldn't be blocked. This has rarely happened in my experience. I'm pretty sure we are allowed to get out of the truck to deliver the mail. I've never been told otherwise.

848 Votes

I recently sent a Christmas present in a large envelope. It arrived at the desired address empty. The wrapped present not inside. The package did have tracking, but it obviously reports delivered since the empty envelope made it. what can I do?

Asked by Ella almost 12 years ago

I am sorry that the item arrived empty, but I do understand why it shows as arrived delivered. If that package arrived on my route for delivery I would have scanned it "Visible Damage" as well as "Delivered". This would not result in any settlement or claim being paid, but would validate what you are saying. If the item was not insured, I don't believe there is anything that can be done.

848 Votes

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Are mailmen allowed to ask to use your bathroom?

Asked by ek almost 12 years ago

Yes, mailmen are allowed to ask to use anyone's bathroom. It's just polite if we leave it as clean as we found it which I hope most of my co-workers do. Generally, I would only ask to use a bathroom at a business or Doctor's office but if I really had to go in more of an emergency I would knock on anyone's door and ask to use their bathroom. It is rare, however, that I ask to use one inside a residence.

848 Votes

For the Q above, if it's already been 6 days, do i still have a chance of retrieving it from them tomorrow? Or would they have thrown it away or returned it by now?

Asked by Sally about 12 years ago

I am not sure if they would still have it after 6 days. Generally, they wouldn't have thrown it out if the item was mailed a certain class and a return endorsement like "return service requested" but there is no way to know how it was mailed. Hopefully it will be returned to sender and if there is a way to contact the sender they could tell you when they received it back. It wouldn't hurt to go to the PO to see if it's there. Has there been any update to the tracking information besides "arrived at your local USPS facility"?

846 Votes

Are you required to stop at each residential mailbox to check if there is outgoing mail if you have none to deliver that day?

Asked by Chris over 11 years ago

Chris, that is a very good question. We aren't required to stop at at a residential mailbox if we have no mail to that address and we can't visibly see any outgoing mail or the flag is not up to indicate outgoing mail. In the neighborhood that I deliver mail to most houses get a delivery daily even if it as little as an advertising run that covers the entire route (sometimes known as a 3rd bundle or EDDM).

843 Votes

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Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Hello, I just moved into a new house and put "please forward" on a UPS package for the previous owner and dropped it in my mail box. I realized my mistake when the owner called for the package. What will happen to the package?
Thanks!

If I don't pass the exam the first time, is there a mandatory wait before I can try again? Also, please excuse my spelling on the previous question...thanks.

my husband insists that if a mail carrier is in a truck, they are not allowed to get out of the truck to deliver mail, so if they cant pull right up to the mailbox, they wont deliver the mail, is that true?

I recently sent a Christmas present in a large envelope. It arrived at the desired address empty. The wrapped present not inside. The package did have tracking, but it obviously reports delivered since the empty envelope made it. what can I do?

Also on Jobstr...

Are mailmen allowed to ask to use your bathroom?

For the Q above, if it's already been 6 days, do i still have a chance of retrieving it from them tomorrow? Or would they have thrown it away or returned it by now?

Are you required to stop at each residential mailbox to check if there is outgoing mail if you have none to deliver that day?

Mailman (City Letter Carrier)

Ask me anything!

What do YOU do?

Hello, I just moved into a new house and put "please forward" on a UPS package for the previous owner and dropped it in my mail box. I realized my mistake when the owner called for the package. What will happen to the package?Thanks!

If I don't pass the exam the first time, is there a mandatory wait before I can try again? Also, please excuse my spelling on the previous question...thanks.

my husband insists that if a mail carrier is in a truck, they are not allowed to get out of the truck to deliver mail, so if they cant pull right up to the mailbox, they wont deliver the mail, is that true?

I recently sent a Christmas present in a large envelope. It arrived at the desired address empty. The wrapped present not inside. The package did have tracking, but it obviously reports delivered since the empty envelope made it. what can I do?

Also on Jobstr...

Are mailmen allowed to ask to use your bathroom?

For the Q above, if it's already been 6 days, do i still have a chance of retrieving it from them tomorrow? Or would they have thrown it away or returned it by now?

Are you required to stop at each residential mailbox to check if there is outgoing mail if you have none to deliver that day?

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Hello, I just moved into a new house and put "please forward" on a UPS package for the previous owner and dropped it in my mail box. I realized my mistake when the owner called for the package. What will happen to the package?
Thanks!