KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Steve DesBien opened a post office box when he said mail stopped showing up at the offices of his Kansas City-based glasses parts business, Optical Products.
Then, he opened a second post office box at a different location when he still had issues getting his mail.
“These are checks from my customers, so I wasn’t getting money,” DesBien said. “And cash flow is the lifeblood of all business.”
DesBien said he’s navigated through issues with mail service, discovering different locations have better service. The post office box at the Waldo branch, at 119 West Gregory Boulevard, has been his favorite.
“What I would say is it’s not necessarily the postal service, because they do a really good job delivering our stuff, but it can be station to station,” he explained.
In southern Overland Park, Kansas, Chase Arnold is still looking for solutions. He said mail delivery is inconsistent and his family hasn’t received answers from the United States Postal Service.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” he said. “You hear the United States Postal Service, through thick and thin they’re coming out, they’re doing their thing. Through weather and all that stuff. The weather hasn’t been too bad, and they’re not out here.”
Other people who rely on the same post office as Arnold explained postal employees told them short staffing created delays.
Continued issues are getting the attention of U.S. Congress.
Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids signed a letter to President Joe Biden last week. The Democrats said they’ve heard from constituents who’ve had issues with delivery.
They asked Biden to appoint two members to the USPS Board of Governors and stop raising the cost of mail services. A first-class mail forever stamp increased by two cents, to 68 cents, last month.
The USPS released the following statement:
The Postal Service is committed to providing the best possible service to our customers and we apologize for any inconvenience that may have been experienced. Local management and district leadership are aware of delivery issues in the Kansas City Metro Area and taking steps to address the concerns.
A spokesperson encouraged anyone who’s had issues with mail delivery to contact the agency online.
In August 2023, the USPS's Office of Inspector General released findings from an audit on delivery in the Kansas City area at the request of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley.
The report discovered issues and recommended managers reevaluate staffing and develop a plan to keep employees on staff.
Congressmen Sam Graves and Cleaver called for an audit of delivery issues in the Northland.
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