HOUSTON – People who live in a northwest Harris County neighborhood say they haven’t had mail delivered to them in nearly a month. They also say their HOA refuses to repair cluster mailboxes that were destroyed when a car crashed into them.
Residents told KPRC 2 reporter Deven Clarke that it seems like everyone is passing the buck, and nothing is getting done.
“I heard what sounded like a small explosion, like something had hit this vehicle,” Celeste Watern said.
She was right. Something had, in fact, crashed into her and her husband’s black Cadillac Escalade, but she never imagined it would be one of the cluster mailboxes that usually sit outside her house in the Willowbridge subdivision.
READ: ‘Not surprised but greatly disappointed’: Congressional reps address Houston’s ongoing mail delays
“I ran out here and saw a little red car,” she said. “I guess he came around the corner a little too quick and hit the mailboxes.”
All three components of the cluster mailboxes went flying.
Saturday will mark a month since the crash, and the United States Postal Service stopped delivering mail to the boxes because they’re unsecured.
“So, we’ve really been having to go to the post office basically every week since then,” Celeste said.
The post office is nearly a seven-mile drive from the Waterns’ home.
Celeste said she tried multiple times to get the boxes repaired through Graham Management, the company the Waterns say manages their subdivision’s homeowners’ association.
“They said it is our understanding that this is the postal annex’s responsibility to repair and replace the mailbox cluster,” she said.
The United States Postal Service responded to us, saying in part:
“Postal regulations specify that the purchase, installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of mail receptacles are the responsibility of the customer, in this case, the HOA. Local management is aware of the issue and will follow up with the HOA to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.”
In the meantime, people in that community, and anyone else who receives mail through the United States Postal Service, can sign up for what’s called Informed Delivery by USPS. It allows you to see photos of your mail before it arrives, for free, and you can track and manage your packages.
RELATED: Tired of checking mail everyday? USPS lets you see photos of mail before it arrives
The Waterns say it’s something they’ll look into, but they still want the boxes fixed.
“I think, at the end of the day, the HOA needs to step up,” Celeste says.