USPS responds to customer woes

Lines at the U.S. Postal Service in Chalan Kanoa can reach up to about 40 people or more during regular workdays, according to one customer. The waiting time, he said, can sometimes last an hour. The same customer, who requested anonymity, told Saipan Tribune that packages his family members sent from the U.S. mainland on one occasion was supposed to be delivered within two weeks but came a month and a half later.

“The service has been like this for a very long time. I ordered clothes for my little girl once, also for the new school year, and it took forever to get here,” he added. 

Another customer said he paid for his item to be shipped under priority mail but the item arrived in his mailbox five week later.

According to the USPS website, international priority mail service is “reliable and affordable” and takes up to six to 10 business days to deliver packages up to 70 lbs to over 180 countries. 

The frustration of the customers was shared by many others interviewed by this reporter. Another customer claimed that she paid for items purchased from Macy’s online under “Free Shipping” but was charged for it at the post office counter. 

Saipan Tribune sought comments from local Postmaster James Constable. The local USPS manager said he is not authorized to give any comments to the media.

USPS corporate communications specialist Duke Gonzales, in an email, said he is “not aware of cases involving Priority Mail pieces being delivered noticeably late.”

He added that customers that have parcels shipped by FedEx or UPS are tendered to USPS under what they describe to be “priority service.” The expectation for FedEx and UPS mail delivery is four to six weeks after being received in California and later shipped to Saipan, according to Gonzales.

In a response to a complaint from a customer claiming that mail from Guam takes two weeks to get here, Gonzales explained that it should not typically take that amount to time for packages from the southern island to reach Saipan. 

“But our mail transportation system is a complex international network of planes, ships, and delivery vehicles that encompasses many contractors. The more steps that a mail piece must take, the greater the likelihood that one of those contractors has issues,” he said. “We actively manage our transportation network to ensure the best possible service to our customers, but occasionally there are breakdowns in the system. We apologize for the inconveniences caused by such breakdowns and pledge our best effort to minimize them in the future.”

Gonzales also said the office is aware of the long lines at the Post Office and has responded to them by fully staffing the service counters at all times.

He told Saipan Tribune that one of the challenges at the Saipan Post Office is serving business customers who ship large volume of parcels and require special services such as Certified Mail, Registered Mail, and customs declaration forms for international pieces. In such cases, he said, the transaction can take up to 20 minutes for each individual customer. 

“That’s the reality of serving an isolated, multinational community,” he said. “And, it certainly contributes to the lengthy wait times for our customers.”

As for customers paying for items purchased online and are promised “free shipping”, Gonzales said that customers must pay postage on short-paid mail pieces as it is standard policy and “an essential business practice in our current financial state.”

One employee at the Chalan Kanoa Post Office said that they’ve charged customers for items purchased online that are under “free shipping” because the business they are buying it from did not weigh the product correctly.

“Every U.S. Post Office makes an effort to identify postage due pieces and ensure proper payment before making delivery,” Gonzales said. He noted that each short-paid package represents lost revenue for the organization.

He advises Saipan residents making such payments for online products to notify the senders of the mail to ensure that they will not be put in the same position in the future. 

Gonzales said he has reached out to Macy’s to inform them about the postage discrepancies and are working with them to prevent recurrences of the issue. 

He said that situation at the Saipan Post office will continue to be closely monitored, especially during the holiday rush.

“We will consider making adjustments to better serve our customers in the future,” he said.