The Phoenix neighborhood that the post office forgot
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Residents of Westwood Village & Estates haven't seen many of these lately. Photo: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images
For months, residents of a central Phoenix neighborhood have felt like they'd fallen into a black hole due to a strange phenomenon: The U.S. Postal Service has been delivering the neighborhood's mail only sporadically, and sometimes not at all.
Why it matters: Several people who live in Westwood Village & Estates tell Axios that the ongoing mail snafu has caused them to miss bills, checks and even wedding invitations.
- They also say USPS has been less than helpful in ironing out the situation, with residents receiving a variety of explanations from the government agency.
The other side: In a statement to Axios, USPS spokesperson John Hyatt said that "local leadership" is aware of the issues "and investigated them."
- He added that "the issue was identified" — though he did not say what it was — "and a new carrier has been assigned to the route."
Zoom in: Axios spoke with people from four households experiencing mail issues. Each lives in a different part of the neighborhood, which stretches from 19th Avenue to Interstate 17 and from Fairmount Avenue to Thomas Road and is serviced by the post office at 2727 W. Camelback Road.
- Katie and Evan Taylor missed mail for about three weeks, while Danny and Linda Smith have received mail only sporadically for the last two months.
- Barbra Spotts first noticed a lack of mail three or four months ago and sometimes has gone more than a week without receiving anything.
- Aside from two short "fits" of mail, Daniel Hammer has received nothing for the last six weeks.
What they're saying: "It's such a silly thing because everyone's just like, 'What? How is this even an issue?'" neighborhood association president Allison Gullick tells Axios.
- "No accountability," Spotts says. "And no 'where is all the mail that didn't get delivered and how did all these things get sent back.'"
The intrigue: All the more frustrating for residents is what's missing and where it ends up.
- A driver's license for Spotts' mother never arrived, while the Smiths have missed several bills as well as their property tax statement. Hammer proactively rerouted an important check to a friend's home to ensure he actually received it.
- Mail intended for several residents has been sent back as undeliverable and even marked as there being no home at those addresses.
- Some resident have filed formal complaints with USPS, and many have signed up for informed delivery, a USPS service that provides a daily email with pictures of expected mail, just to be able to catalog what never arrives.
The bottom line: They say you don't miss something until its gone, and Westwood residents are finding out the hard way what happens when a government agency lets them slip through the cracks.
- "It's just bananas," says Spotts. "You rely on the mail. What was the old commercial? Nothing stops the mailman."