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Vinings apartment residents forced to travel to pick up mail due to broken mailboxes

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Published  October 22, 2024 10:42pm EDT
Vinings
FOX 5 Atlanta

Some Vinings residents have to drive 3 miles for mail

Some residents in Vinings say they haven’t been able to pick up their letters and packages at their apartment complex for almost a year. Someone broke their mailboxes late last year. They’ve had to go to a post office just to get routine deliveries ever since

The Brief

    • Residents of the Residences at Vinings apartment complex have been unable to receive mail at their homes for nearly a year due to broken mailboxes.
    • Despite repeated requests from residents for mailbox repairs, Greystar, the management company, says they have not replaced the mailboxes yet. They allegedly told residents to pick up their mail from a nearby post office with limited hours instead.
    • Greystar claims the delay is due to the complexities of complying with postal regulations, permits, inspections, and paperwork, but assures that new mailboxes have been ordered and will be installed as soon as possible.

VININGS, Ga. - Some residents in Vinings say they haven’t been able to pick up their letters and packages at their apartment complex for almost a year. Someone broke their mailboxes late last year. They’ve had to go to a post office just to get routine deliveries ever since.

"At this point, we cannot get mail," resident Neil Sheard told FOX 5 Atlanta.

Sheard says he asked management over at Residences at Vinings several times to fix the problem.

He says each of those times they replied they’re working on it.

"I started putting in a maintenance request as soon as I saw it," Sheard said. When asked if management fixed the problem, Sheard responded, ‘They have not."

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Residences at Vinings

Management told residents they’d have to pick up their mail at this post office on Terrell Mill Road in Marietta, more than three-and-a-half miles away. That was nearly a year ago.

"I can’t see how you have people traveling that distance for such a long time to get stuff that is important to them," Sheard said.

Residents have a narrow window to collect their deliveries.

"The times are from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays," Sheard explained.

Jasmine Young says she can’t make it to the post office in time.

"The hours that I work, I can’t get to the post office in time. I just forward all my mail to my mom’s house," Young said.

FOX 5 Atlanta called Greystar, the management company, to ask why it’s taking so long to resolve the issue.

A spokesperson sent the following email: 

"Since being notified by the USPS that we would need to upgrade our mailboxes, we have prioritized the installation of new mailboxes with a U.S. Postal Service-approved vendor. This isn't as simple as ordering mailboxes from an online vendor; the process requires following strict postal regulations, submitting permits, U.S. Postal Service site inspections and paperwork, which unfortunately takes time to be fully processed. While we understand that the current situation is not ideal and is an inconvenience, we want to assure our residents that new mailboxes have been ordered and will be delivered as soon as possible. Demolition work has been completed and we are working diligently to complete the project.  We appreciate patience and understanding as we continue to make improvements for the long-term benefit of the community."

Sheard says he hasn’t received critical mail involving his dad’s estate.

"I missed court dates in regard to it, or stuff had to be filed in regard to his estate," Sheard said. "I would like for the construction to start ASAP."