CINCINNATI — Many postal customers nationwide are getting a surprise this month: Brand new mailboxes popping up.
It's the Postal Service's response to the growing problem of mail theft, with thieves stealing checks out of blue mailboxes.
The good news: The service is now starting to upgrade to more secure mailboxes to prevent theft.
The bad news: Many customers are confused and frustrated by them.
At the Symmes Branch Post Office on Fields Ertel Road in Cincinnati, residents trying to drop off mail encountered the new box.
"Oh you just put it in?" one frustrated man said, trying to get a letter in the new slot. "Gee whiz!"
Jeanette Blust said the brand new mailboxes just installed no longer have drop-off slots for drivers, like old ones that had a long arm reaching almost to a car window.
She said everyone she's talked to is not happy.
"I called up and complained, and they said they had quite a number of complaints that day," she said.
Can no longer drop mail from car window
So what's the issue?
"Just about everyone has to open their door and get out of their car," Blust said. "Most people can't reach, no."
Even more confusing: there is no more handle to open the box, just a tiny slot.
"People keep pulling on it," she said. "But no, there's nothing, there's nothing."
So we decided to test it, pulling up with a letter to mail.
But from our news car, there was no way to reach the mail slot. The only way to mail the letter was to open the door and step out, or lean way out.
We contacted the US Postal Service, where a spokesperson told us this is part of a multi-million dollar crackdown on theft.
"12,000 high security blue collection boxes are being installed nationwide," said the spokesperson. "The postal service is hardening collection boxes, making access to their contents more difficult for criminals." (See full statement here)
Some of the new boxes in high crime areas are getting electronic locks that are especially tough to break into.
But Blust said it's not convenient, especially for her older neighbors.
"I find it disturbing that people who are disabled can't just pull up and drop off the mail," she said.
Unfortunately, the days of wide open mail slots for dropping letters may soon be gone for good. As always don't waste your money.
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