Mail Delivery Delays Spark Complaints In Ocean County Towns

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ — Patty Massa said she first realized there was a problem when she got a call from Optimum Cable telling her that her payment was late.

"We were getting our mail maybe twice a week," said Massa, who moved to Seaside Heights with her daughter in March, just before the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the state.

"At first we thought it was just a fluke," she said. But more recently, the mail service has practically stopped, she said; Massa hasn't received her mail for several days.

She's not alone. A number of northern Ocean County residents have posted on Patch, sent emails or posted in social media forums about not receiving their mail, a problem that appeared to intensify late last week.

The reports have come from all over Ocean County, including the Herbertsville and Adamston sections of Brick, parts of Toms River, and the barrier island from Mantoloking to Seaside Heights.

"I haven't got mine in two days," one reader wrote on Patch. That reader said the carrier was delivering to part of the neighborhood, however: "He goes up the one side of the block and never comes back."

"I have not received mail all week although I've been getting emails stating mail was coming," a Toms River resident said in an email, referring to the U.S. Postal Service's Informed Delivery, where you can receive daily emails showing scans of the mail that's on its way to your home.

According to the U.S. Postal Service, the coronavirus impact has been significant. The virus has sickened mail carriers across the country; as many as 12,000 postal workers have fallen ill, with at least 64 deaths, the Associated Press reported.

In recent days, however, that has been exacerbated by new policies put in place by Louis DeJoy, who became U.S. postmaster general in May, to eliminate overtime, according to reports by the Washington Post and Federal News Network. Delays have been reported all over the country; in Chicago, people report not receiving mail for weeks at a time.

"We are flexing our available resources to match the workload created by the impacts of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and some other staffing issues," said Ray V. Daiutolo, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service's South Jersey and Philadelphia districts.

He said he has been told the delivery problems in Ocean County have been isolated issues.

He did not confirm a memo that was published by Federal News Network that said mail carriers have been ordered to leave their facilities on time, whether they have all of the mail they're supposed to deliver or not, and return to their facilities on time, whether or not all of their mail has been delivered, a move that aims to eliminate overtime.

"The Postal Service is developing a business plan to ensure that we will be financially stable and able to continue to provide reliable, affordable, safe and secure delivery of mail, packages and other communications to all Americans as a vital part of the nation's critical infrastructure," Daiutolo said.

"While the overall plan is not yet finalized, it will certainly include new and creative ways for us to fulfill our mission, and we will focus immediately on efficiency and items that we can control, including adherence to the effective operating plans that we have developed," Daiutolo said.

"We appreciate the patience of our customers and the efforts of employees as conditions change on a day-to-day basis," he said.

The delays in mail delivery have caused concern among residents in light of recent scam warnings. In late June, Toms River police warned about fraudulent mail holds put in place as part of identity theft scams.

For some, it has resulted in delays in medications being delivered, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim said Tuesday.

Kim, whose district includes Toms River and Brick, is requesting answers from DeJoy about the issues.

"Many of my constituents have rightly contacted my office to express frustration and concern about ongoing mail delivery delays, some of whom have not received their medications and first-class mail for more than three days," Kim said in a letter to DeJoy. "As I am sure you understand, I find these reports deeply concerning and worry that they are a direct result of your new directives."

The directives, Kim's office said, also appear to include vacations not being covered and late deliveries being halted.

The Postal Service has been struggling financially for years, and DeJoy's memo says an overdue "operational pivot" is needed to ensure the agency's health and stability, according to reports.

Postal Service officials have warned they will run out of money by the end of September without help from Congress, but funding to help has been stalled. Congress has approved a $10 billion line of credit for the Postal Service, but it remains unused amid restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, the Associated Press reported.

Daiutolo, the South Jersey U.S. Postal Service representative said, "USPS continues to hire based on local need while also being committed to our expanded employee leave policy to help employees affected by the pandemic. We are proud of our workforce for the essential role they are playing for the customers they serve."

For Massa, receiving her mail is critical, as is knowing that her bill payments are going out.

"I depend on the mail," she said. "The mail, cable and Grubhub are my lifelines." She doesn't leave her home much because a bad accident that broke her leg in three places left her unable to walk long distances.

Though medications haven't been an issue for her, for others "it's life or death."

"I ordered something from Etsy that was shipped July 3rd," Massa said. "It's coming from the Carolinas. I've gotten rugs faster."

"It's not just delays," Massa said. "This is just not showing up."

Daiutolo said residents having mail delivery issues can connect with the Postal Service customer service representatives through an online email form or by calling 1-800-275-8777. You can sign up for Informed Delivery to see what mail should be coming on the Postal Service website.

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