After enduring a persistent issue with the Oak Park Post Office on Lake Street for the past seven years, I have reached my breaking point. The post office has consistently failed to address the problem of forwarding mail to a temporary address.
Despite requesting this service through the USPS online process to start in early May, I have received 10 incorrect deliveries to my home within 18 days, resulting in an error rate exceeding 50%.
I have made seven calls to the post office to report this issue, each time receiving varying excuses ultimately asking them to retrieve and forward my mail. However, this has only been done once after six days of delivery.
My frustration reached its peak last week when I called, presented my case, and was abruptly hung up on. I reported this incident in the morning, only to receive another incorrect delivery that afternoon. I had to request my neighbor retrieve the remaining four days’ worth of mail.
During my career I had a position in Total Quality Management and Process Improvement and I taught process improvement at a local college. One of the key principles I emphasized was that the problem was not the individuals involved but rather the flawed processes in place. However, it was the responsibility of leadership to rectify these processes. In this case, the Oak Park Post Office’s leadership is failing in its duty.
In other industries, short pre-service meetings, daily readiness sessions, and shift change reporting are conducted to ensure staff members are informed of any changes. These measures keep employees updated and enable them to provide effective customer service. It is unclear whether the Oak Park Post Office is employing this method or if it is being implemented ineffectively.
Fortunately, I have security cameras that allow me to monitor these incidents and attempt to rectify them. I am concerned about the number of residents who are unaware of this ongoing issue and are missing critical documents only available through the U.S. Postal Service.
Since formal complaints haven’t worked, maybe the power of the press can contribute to lasting change.
Mark Schlosser
Oak Park