Still No Mail? Delivery Delays Continue in Plymouth-Canton

This article was written by Aysha Jamali and Nicole Krawcke

U.S. Postal Service letter carriers have been heading out every day despite the severe cold and negative wind-chills.

However, some Plymouth and Canton residents are saying their mail is not getting delivered. Plymouth-Canton Patch readers spoke up about the delays on Plymouth-Canton Patch's Facebook page. 

Heide Leskun said her mail has been sporadic the last few days.

"I have had packages and two out of three days mail," she wrote. "I don't blame them, if they can't get down the street there isn't much they can do."

Melissa Mietzel wrote, "We got our mail yesterday - first time since Saturday. We live near Canton Center and Saltz. Given how bad the roads still are in Canton, I'm impressed we got our mail that quickly."

Brooke King commented that only the people who cleared their snow in her neighborhood received their mail.

Ed Moore, U.S. Postal Service spokesperson for metro Detroit, said that is the problem. He said letter carriers have not stopped their deliveries but uncleared or icy paths to mailboxes are inhibiting them. 

"They're carrying an extra 50 pound bag on their shoulders and trying to balance that while holding mail in their hands," he said. 

Moore said carriers don't want to bring the mail back because that adds to their deliveries for the next day. However, if there is no improvement to the conditions, delivery delays will continue. Curbside delivery is also getting delayed. Carriers doing curbside delivery are not supposed to step out of their vehicle to deliver the mail, he said. If windrows are blocking access to the mailbox, carriers will take the mail back to the post office.

"The safety of the letter carrier is the most important thing," he said. "They are not to risk injury."

It can only get better if people shovel their snow 

The solution to the delivery delays? Grab a shovel, Moore said.

"I would even encourage our customers to be neighborly," he said. "If you have an elderly neighbor or know someone who is disabled, shovel a path to their mail."

It's a community effort, he said, because sometimes a homeowner will properly clear a path but mail will still be delayed if the rest of the street is impassable. 

"We recognize that customers want their mail and need their mail and we want to provide that service to them," he said. 

For those expecting an important delivery in the mail, they'll have to be patient. Moore said there is no system for people to come to the post office in search of their mail unless they have a post-office box. 

What is the mail situation like near you? Post a comment below.