Clear the damn box...

[Aethian]

Your driveway is clear, your walkways are clear, why then do you insist on making a tiny little path to your mailbox? Exactly how do you think I'm going to put the mail in the box when even leaning half out of the truck, unbuckled I might add, I can't reach the damn box?

Oh you want me to get out...going to call me fucking lazy are you? Listen sweetheart you are one of over six hundred stops. Your not the only one to not clear your box. You want me to get out for all of them too? Fine...I'll see you at 8pm, frozen, in a pissed off mood, and exhausted. I hope your going to provide dinner.

Besides...rules state if it's a mounted box I'm not to leave the truck in any form unless there is a reason of parcel or signature. My whole being unbuckled and leaning half out the window? Yea I could be fired for that already.

[gremcint]

so what do the rules say you're supposed to do in this situation?

[Captain Trips]

I would say that the rules are "don't deliver the mail." Just as if you can't get to the mailbox due to a loose dog. (Although when I was a carrier, the supervisor I had would chew me out for not delivering the mail - yet would have also chewed me out for trying to deliver in those conditions. He was the kind of supervisor who would let you know that every thing you were doing is wrong, even if you did it his way.)

[Jetfire]

yeah, in my experience, if the mail can't be put in the box for any reason, the postman will take it back to the post office and it'll stay there until the box is accessible.

My parents have a box on the side of the road, and they're pretty good at making sure to clear around the box enough for the mailman to pull up to the box and to pull away. (Lately our cross the road neighbour tends to do it with his snowblower after he does his driveway).

Usually every year or two, the snowplow gives it a solid thunk. If they're lucky, it boots the box away. Sometimes it just mangled the box. In either case, the box isn't accessible, so they had to pick up their mail until it was fixed.

[EricKei]

Trips -- it's simple. If you did it successfully while breaking the rules through no choice of your own and didn't get caught, he's doing his job, because RESULTS! If you don't, and get hurt, why, you were in violation of the rules and his direct orders, therefore it's not his fault. He covered his own ass and to Hell with anyone else.

[roxtar]

It probably varies by locality, but I'm required to keep the sidwalk in front of my property clear. and that's it. any other snow clearing I do is at my own discretion. The boxes at the end of the row (town houses) are the responsibility of the town. Similarly, the walkway and road in front of that box are the responsibility of the town.

[Heksubah]

so what do the rules say you're supposed to do in this situation?

If I recall right from my brief stint answering calls for 1-800-ASK-USPS, the rules state that if the carrier can't deliver they return the mail to the post office to either re-attempt, or to hold a few days for the person to pick up personally.

[greensinestro]

I'm waiting for a follow up, like maybe someone will complain.

[Aethian]

I'm waiting for a follow up, like maybe someone will complain.

Complain where? From me? I've already complained...or from the guy who called me fucking lazy?

[greensinestro]

I'm thinking the SC who didn't see you walk down their new path.

[Amonet]

Don't get me started on postal customers... I can't count how many don't bother to pick their mail up regularly and then complain when they have to come in to the post office. And the ones who complain he loudest about the state of their parcels are the ones incapable of wielding a roll of tape.

Nice to have a place to vent about them.

[Aethian]

I'm thinking the SC who didn't see you walk down their new path.

New path? What?

[FenigDurak]

Not meaning to threadiack, but I've been wondering something. What are the circumstances under which a carrier will mark a house as vacant and cease delivery?
I ask because this happened a few times after I moved in with my boyfriend (husband now) despite his continued residence at the house for well over a decade.

[Aethian]

What are the circumstances under which a carrier will mark a house as vacant and cease delivery?

Mail isn't being picked up, no activity at the house IE tall grass or no marks in snow, items needing signatures never being picked up.

If it's mail not being picked up the carrier will hold at the case for 10 days. If after 10 days the mail still hasn't been picked up the address is marked vacant and all mail goes back. Some carriers start this after 1 week and some will wait till the box is full.

Had one lady who her box didn't get full till after three months and two days after the 10 days...called complaining that we should have left it. Our big reason for removing it were the paper wasps using all that nice decaying paper in there as a building material.

[CrappyToHelp]

I don't quite follow why you need a truck to deliver post. It might be me being very British (or quite possibly stupid), but can someone explain what OP means? We have letter boxes on our doors as standard here and it doesn't seem to make sense to me.