USPS mail delays: Georgia senators seek answers to undelivered parcels

ATLANTA - Georgia’s U.S. senators are demanding answers after reports of missing and delayed mail in metro Atlanta.

Complaints have been pouring in from customers across the region, from as far north as Gilmer County to the southwest Atlanta reporting disruptions to the delivery of crucial items such as paychecks, bills, and even medication.

Sen. Jon Ossoff launched an inquiry with USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on Thursday trying to get to the bottom of things. The senator is trying to figure out the current status of the Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center in Palmetto and what the USPS is doing to communicate with the public about delays.

Postal customers in Georgia are increasingly reporting untraceable or stalled packages to local news outlets, in some cases for up to weeks," Sen. Ossoff wrote in a letter. "The timely delivery of mail across the nation is a vital public service."

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Sen. Ralphael Warnock echoed his colleague, writing: 

"Georgians depend on a reliable postal service to pay bills, do their jobs, and connect with loved ones. While human error and obstacles may arise amid consolidation of distribution centers, these delays have been going on too long and the onus falls on the United States Postal Service to provide transparency on what is happening and what they are going to do to fix it. My office will continue to monitor these developments and help Georgians where we can to hold USPS accountable."

The USPS is undergoing its biggest overhaul in 15 years which will increase efficiency and accountability, but one mail carrier who spoke on the condition of anonymity says the slowdown is a result of the post office implementing a new consolidation plan and closing a processing center in Duluth.

The Post Office previously apologized for the problems and provided a statement, stating, "Local management has been made aware of the concerns of some local customers regarding their mail delivery and are working quickly to resolve any issues." They also shared a contact number for customers experiencing problems: 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).