CINCINNATI — After months of mail issues for one Hyde Park neighborhood, residents finally have a solution.
Back in February, we spoke with Dot Dervin, who told us she had been dealing with mail delays and missing mail for months.
Dervin's husband lives in a nursing home and it's difficult for her to get around these days, especially with the steep steps that lead up to her front porch. When her mail wasn’t coming, she told us it was making things very difficult.
"It's not easy for me, let's just put it that way," she told us back in February.
The mail issues were more than just small inconveniences. Dervin and her neighbor, Kathy Lieser, said it caused them to miss bill payments because they still pay by check through the mail. Lieser expressed her frustration but acknowledged a mail carrier’s job is not easy.
"I know it's a hard job; I feel for him. I know it's hard for him. He's trying," Lieser said.
"Well, he's trying, but I’m sorry, that doesn't help us," Dervin pointed out.
WATCH: How delayed mail was impacting Hyde Park residents
We took their concerns directly to the postal service to find out what could be done. A representative told me they would take a closer look and re-evaluate the delivery route. Dervin said several people from the postal service reached out to her and assured her they would fix the problem, and they did.
"I was totally surprised with what had happened," Dervin said. "First of all, I had a call from a supervisor, that was one call from her. Then I got a second call from her. I also got a call from the person from the mail department where our mail comes from, he said, 'Call any time you want to.' I haven’t needed to call."
Shortly after speaking with us, the residents said they started receiving mail regularly.
"I get my mail every day. It comes earlier in the day — it's not 9 at night anymore," Dervin said. "It's very nice to not be worried about my mail. In fact, I really have diverted my interests into other things."
WATCH: How Hyde Park's mail issues were resolved
Dervin said it has been a night and day difference, and she hasn't missed a payment since.
"I think that they have responded very well," Dervin said. "I've been able to keep up with my bills, cause my husband has a lot of medical bills and that's necessary to keep up with that all the time. So it's much more comforting to go out and get my mail and know it's going to be here."
She said her neighbors have also expressed gratitude for the improvement of the situation.
"That’s really exciting because you don’t get solutions very often, but that’s exciting, we all feel good about it," Dervin said. "Just keep that mail comin’, I’m happy."
After the original story aired, we had more viewers reach out to us from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana saying they were also experiencing mail delays or missing mail. Here are some ways you can get in contact with the postal service to report any mail issues in your neighborhood.
Contact USPS to report mail issues
- Call to report by phone: Call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) for general questions or complaints.
- Submit your issues online: Visit the USPS website and click on the Contact Us tab to submit a complaint about your mail.
- Customers can also request assistance through the official X account of the United States Postal Service which is @USPSHelp.
- Customers can send a direct message to USPS via Facebook.
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