Residents Throughout SoCal Report Increase In Package Delays From USPS
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Residents throughout Southern California have reported an increase in delays from the U.S. Postal Service.
"It is very frustrating. I don't like getting calls from customers saying, 'Where's my merchandise,' " said Armano Perales who explained that he has received a lot of recent calls referencing delays in packages.
Perales is a manager for Classic Lamp Parts in Long Beach, a wholesale distributor to the lighting industry across the U.S.
Like so many other businesses and people, they're experiencing problems with the USPS.
"A customer notified us on Thursday that they got their package a week after they were shipped. It was supposed to be there in two days. Another customer says it's been two weeks and still not delivered," he said. "It's affecting business."
Mail service has been disrupted across the country because of a number of reasons. The USPS had already been suffering financially for years. Then, it got another blow from the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, the USPS is having to adjust to cost-cutting measures put in place by its new Postmaster General, along with a recent controversy over mail-in ballots.
"We are quite concerned regarding the congestion, the stock piling of mail. We have mail piled into trailers," said Omar Gonzalez, who is the Western Regional Coordinator for the American Postal Workers Union.
He says the cost-cutting measures and operational changes aren't working. Gonzalez also says the removal of high-speed sorting machines is making matters worse.
"It's hectic. It is disrupting work life, it's disrupting home life, and our community," he said.
Back at Classic Lamps in Long Beach, they are using other services to ship their packages.
Perales says, unfortunately, their customers now have to pay a lot more for shipping and have to wait longer for delivery.
"We can't really rely on the Postal Service right now, and it's unfortunate because of speed and how economical it is," said Perales.
The USPS said in a statement that it is using all of its available resources to match the workload created by the pandemic. It also said that it appreciates the patience of its customers and the efforts of its employees as conditions change.
