HOUSTON – The post office problems strike again.
A paralegal in Northern Virginia said she has experienced significant disruptions in her legal work due to the ongoing issues with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
“It’s maddening. It’s so frustrating. I just want to drive down there, fly down there, pick it up myself and deliver it. It seems like that would be less frustrating,” Lori Mansell said.
Lori Mansell spoke to KPRC 2 reporter Re’Chelle Turner, who has been covering the problems since January.
Mansell said she sent a legal pleading via express overnight back in June, and it arrived days late, causing her firm to lose a critical motion in court.
The legal document, which was mailed on June 8, was meant to be delivered by the next day to meet a court filing deadline on June 10. However, the pleading wasn’t delivered until June 11, and by that time, the court had struck the late motion from the record. The delay forced the legal team to explore alternative routes to salvage the case, resulting in additional costs, including the time spent researching and drafting the document, as well as printing, mailing, and other administrative fees.
“I paid around $62 to have that delivered overnight,” Mansell said. “But the actual cost was much higher because of the staff time, the paper, and the ink. Then we had to resend everything through UPS, which cost over $100. We lost the motion, so the real expense went beyond just the postage.”
Mansell said that’s not the only problem she is dealing with. She also mailed 14 additional documents through the service including certified, express, and priority mail.
She says eight have arrived late, one was completely lost, and five are currently “circling Houston,” where they’ve been stuck for over 16 days.
“And it’s interesting because it goes from one processing center to, allegedly, the post office that should hand it to the carrier. But then it never goes to the carrier. It goes back to a processing center. So, it’s going back and forth between North Houston, I believe, the processing facility, and the new one in Missouri City,” she said.
The delays have left Mansell scrambling to make sure their legal filings arrive on time and forced her to use USP and FedEx.
“I had always trusted the post office and never had an issue,” she said. “But after this experience, I’ve had to rethink how I send important documents,” she said.
Mansell says she has reached out to the post office several times and received no response. She also reached out to the Post Masters office.
Back in May, Turner was invited to the South Houston Processing Center in Missouri City. The facility upgraded its sorting equipment and processing technology. Mansell tells me her items keep getting scanned she’s losing hope.
“I’m so frustrated. And I’d like to get the documents back as well, if they aren’t going to deliver them, but I don’t even know if they’re ever going to get anywhere,” she said.
Reporter Re’Chelle Turner reached out to USPS for an explanation. The postal service provided a statement just before 5 p.m.:
“The Postal Service appreciates its customers and strives to provide excellent service. When mail service issues occur, we take steps to quickly resolve customer concerns. We apologize to the customer for any inconvenience they may have experienced. In this specific case, regarding the two Priority Express Mail pieces, local management has been made aware and is researching the matter.
“As information, customers seeking information regarding our claims process may visit File a Claim | USPS. Additionally, if they need assistance with mailing or shipping concerns, they have a variety of options for reaching us, including contacting a supervisor or manager at their local Post Office, calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visiting our website at www.usps.com/help.”
Mansell shared the following tracking numbers with Turner: