JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People living in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill neighborhood are breathing a sigh of relief after learning a letter they got from USPS to move their mailbox to the street or risk not getting mail delivered was sent by mistake.
Some residents got a letter stating their mailbox needs to be moved to the side of the road asap so the carrier can deliver the mail without leaving the vehicle.
It warned that failure to do so could cause delivery services to be suspended until the correction is made.
The letter caused neighbors like Bill Miller to speak up.
“We’re not putting street-side boxes in this not gonna happen…it’s an inconvenience. It’s a big expense,” said Miller. “We are not in a rural area.”
Under USPS Postal policy if a mailbox is blocked by a vehicle or other object and the mail carrier has asked the resident to resolve the problem, the postmaster has the right to stop delivering their mail until the problem is fixed.
“There’s way too much street side parking in the Murray Hill area,” said Miller. “It’s just not gonna work.”
However for some residents, they already bought a rural mailbox and installed it because of the letter. They did not want to speak with us on camera.
USPS sent us this statement about the recent letters. You can read the full statement below:
The Postal Service is committed to providing prompt, reliable, and efficient service. In this instance, Murray Hill customers recently received notices regarding the location of their mailboxes. These notices were issued in error and should simply be disregarded by customers. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and local management has taken steps to avoid any similar incidents in the future. Mail delivery is continuing uninterrupted. Regarding questions about blocked mailboxes, the Postal Service asks our customers to keep the approach to the mailbox clear so carriers can deliver mail safely and efficiently. In many cases, the issue can be resolved through a courteous reminder or written notice. If the obstruction continues after a notice is issued, consistent with postal policy, delivery service may be temporarily withdrawn until the matter is resolved. We appreciate our customers’ cooperation in helping keep mailbox areas clear to avoid missed delivery and to support safe, reliable service for the entire route.
We asked USPS how many homes were sent this letter by mistake. We’re still waiting to hear back.
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