Report it, but start using online bill pay and UPS/Fedex for packages.

I'd say yes, if only because you said you were going to. Once you decided (at the spur of the moment) to make an issue out of this, you're committed. You've got to follow through.

Can you tell I have twin four-year-olds at home?

only if your packages contain cute kittens.

@cameronl: Lol. Agreed.

Honestly what good is it going to do. The postman won't get fired. Their union is too strong.

You can report it, but they will do nothing about it.

Just send a letter detailing the same story to the postmaster. I have never received a package that wasn't dinged up.

Nothing will come of it and you'll no longer be able to rely on the postal service, at least while you live at that address.

Bad idea to complain, in my opinion.

Report it. Report the retribution. As crashman2600 notes above, they probably have a strong union, but it doesn't hurt to try. Ask your neighbors to be on the lookout as well.

At this point you pretty much have to report him. You said you would, and he's expecting you to. He may already be planning retribution, if he's so inclined, so avoiding it may already be impossible.

Reporting him will put the USPS "on notice" about his behavior, though, so if you find your mail has been tampered with later, you will have credibility with them, and therefore ammunition, to use in case you need to make another report.

I would report, but I realize probably won't change much.

I don't think it will go anywhere...too subjective. Besides, I would say the package has seen much worse in transit. If the contents are ok, then fine.

@crashman2600: What a pity. I know several hard working people out of work that would jump all over a postal job AND would not throw shit around.

I complained about our mail delivery person because I kept getting my mail weeks late. Once I complained, they stopped delivering my mail completely and I had to go pick it up at the post office. There's a bit more to the story - but the bottom line is DON'T BOTHER. It isn't worth your time.

I think your mailman assumes you have already reported it so whether you do or not will probably not effect his opinion of you ;)

I generally don't care what happens to my mail as long as it's in servicable order by the time I receive it.

That said, I did go off on a UPS guy once who flipped my box of live turtles AS HE HANDED IT TO ME even though there was plenty of signage on the outside indicating the contents. He responded in the same way saying something like if I thought this was bad I should see how they get it on the truck. They're turtles! They will suffocate on their backs! I called and complained but they're union members, no one cares. They did take him off of my route though.

I say call. With all the cuts the post office is doing it may just have an impact.

My girlfriend was once having problems with the mail carrier at her work building; nobody in the building was receiving their mail at all. After weeks of complaints, they were able to set up a meeting with the postmaster of the area (this is in a major US city). Instead of the postmaster showing up to the meeting, his assistant came. The assistant tried to placate the unhappy crowd, but he let slip that they purposefully assigned new mail carriers to that route because it was just too big (hence people not receiving their mail) and if they wanted to contact him personally in the future, they should put a special code in the email subject line -- any other complaints, he said, would be deleted and he wouldn't receive theirs.

Lesson: the post office will not take your complaint seriously, they get so many that they don't care, and nothing will change. Look, the USPS has a tough job and they do it fairly well. But don't rely on them for anything truly important.

@crashman2600: It's that kind of opinion that gets nothing accomplished. It may not do anything, you're right. But it's important to try.

Not only should you NOT report him, but you should apologize for being aggressive with him (which he responded to by being defensive naturally), and basically make friends with him. You will get a lot more for being nice than you will for threatening him.

I would report him. I have been having issues with my postman. He continues to deliver mail that is addressed to the former residents of my rental. I contacted the route supervisor to see what I can do to stop the dozens of mail a week I am getting to these people. She said put a note inside the mailbox stating what names are to be delivered and that all other is refused. I did as I was instructed.

Apparently my postman can't read. He continues to deliver this mail I have marked refused in my note… Now when I receive this mail mark it refused near the postmark and reference the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) 508 code for refusing mail. I happened to be in the front room the other day when he picked up one of these refused letters… He called me a f*cking SOB.

I too debating reporting this for the same reason.. he is my mailman, I don't want him going disgruntled on me. But really, it is your job, there is no reason to treat your paying customers like crap. The post offices wonders why it is losing millions of dollars.

I wouldn't worry too much about the HD you're waiting for those things are pretty tough when not spinning. Most are rated to take all kinds of g's when off.

I actually just called my apartment complex concierge to make sure they were really careful with the package I think I'm receiving today. It's pretty sensitive, and I told them (very politely, they're very nice people) that whoever signing for it should try to not stack anything on top of it, and that it's very, very heavy, but very fragile.

I did this not just because I know that a big heavy box could be a stack of books or a porcelain vase, and no one would be the wiser. But also, if something did happen to break inside the box, I made some kind of effort to tell them about it ahead of time - so I can't be given the "you should have told us" line.

@edesignway: Eh, I've been getting mail from former tenants in my units for four years. I just throw it away, I don't think it's possible for the mailman to remember the name of every unit's current tenants.

If you'd like your mail to show up on time and undamaged, perhaps your best move would be to acknowledge that he was right - packages are handled roughly, apologize for ripping him a new one in front of the entire neighborhood, and politely request (one human to another) that he not roll or slide your packages, because you'll feel better about it.

I know I wouldn't react well to someone that has "lost his cool" standing on their porch, screaming across two yards, ripping me a new one in front of the whole neighborhood.

I try not to upset my 'server' until after I have received my food, think if you had the same food server every morning after you complained to the manager for their shoddy service, makes it very uncomfortable.
If the package happens again, now that there has been a warning, then it is safe to report it.

@Daniel Beahn: This is not to say the mailman shouldn't have apologized.

@outlulz: I put "return to sender" or I hand it off to management. Not that they know what to do with it, either, but they probably have more sway than I do when it comes to the post office. But it effectively takes the problem off my hands.

We have a mail carrier who likes to crumble our mail into a tiny ball before placing in our apartment mailbox. I have emailed USPS several times, even taking photos of the ridiculous way he/she crams the mail into our mailbox.

Each time I get back a form email requesting information that I already included in the original email.

Once someone from our branch of the post office left me a message asking that I call them back; conveniently they left no phone number, and the only way to call the post office is through the 1-800 number, and no direct number to the branch is available.

I say resistance is futile. They just don't care.

@outlulz: Are you throwing away First Class mail or junk mail? Junk mail never really gets fixed, but just throwing away bills and letters is cold and maybe even illegal.

If I were him, I would have preemptively struck already. "Hey boss! There's this crazy guy living on S. Baker St who's a complete nut job. I scared one of his 30 cats and he ran out in his bathrobe with a plunger and threatened to choke a piece of broccoli. I wouldn't be surrised if you heard a complaint from him for something crazy."

The couple times I've visited the local UPS distribution center (one time to find out why someone in the delivery chain stole one of my two identical packages - Home Depot left them in original boxes and they both showed some progress on UPS's tracking, but thats another story), I visited the office inside where the trucks load and unload. I was able to watch, for at least 20 minutes as the packages came in. They were unloaded onto a conveyor that loaded onto a smaller conveyor. Bottleneck! Anyway, I watched as as many as 30 or 40 packages of all shapes and sizes fell off the first conveyor down 5 feet to the platform, and most of them another 3 feet down to the floor.

I'm sure USPS treats their packages similarly.

@outlulz: mail tampering is a federal crime. what you're doing is illegal, you know.

Send yourself a rollable package. Take video of the guy rolling the package and you confronting him about it. Post it to YouTube. Then report back. Consumerists will bring the view count up to a gazillion, and the postmaster will be forced to "take it very seriously."

@edesignway: Same thing here, although it has been happening less since I mouthed off to the new postmaster. In my situation I'd bought a house 10 months ago and keep getting the previous owner's mail. I got one of those forms too and listed my husband and myself, along with our parents and siblings and a few friends in case we ever have anyone staying with us for awhile. Its bad because the previous owner has accused us of stealing his mail on more than one occasion recently. Anything of his I get write "return to sender, not at address" on and shove it back in the box. According to the neighbors, this dude has a history of violence against his wife and really makes me nervous so the post office is causing big problems for me.

At least my carrier doesn't throw packages though :) She drops them on the porch and rings the doorbell.

dont report it, and next time you see him be nice to him and tell him your thoughts...

Really the packages see 10 times worse during transit... hell even the priority mail drop boxes that you would use to mail a package treats it just as bad when you drop it in....

I think that any revenge the mailman will take has already been plotted. After you threatened to report him, you pretty much set yourself up for revenge, whether or not you actually do so.

So yeah, not to blame the OP, but if you hadn't mentioned reporting the guy I'd say just leave it alone and hope he forgets about the whole thing. Since you did, you may as well follow though, as I don't see any downside here.

Oh, and yeah, I wouldn't worry about him getting in trouble. He's a (quasi-) govt employee (I know the USPS isn't an official govt agency, but it's run like one), very unionized, etc etc. I doubt he'll even get a slap on the wrist, honestly.

@pecan 3.14159265: I understand the pessimism. I have complained about aggressive, nasty PO employees before and their supervisor told me he is powerless to fire them. They totally know it too, if you complain to them about their behavior they just send you right over to their supervisor. Sad.

@bagumpity:

Already been done, at least the video part...

[consumerist.com]

@JGBrock: Yep. I have reported my PACKAGE-THROWING, MAIL-HATING mailwomen repeatedly. She FLUNG the 7th Harry Potter book at EVERYONE'S front door the day it was delivered, WHILE WE WERE HAVING A NEIGHBORHOOD GARAGE SALE AND EVERYONE WAS OUTSIDE WATCHING HER.

She knows I work from home most days and will throw things at my OPEN front door (hitting the screen). Once I actually HEARD the thing in the box break. She routinely delivers mail to the wrong addresses, and drops mail in the bushes, and really just apparently hates her job.

Once -- this is absolutely true -- she got run over by a truck. We had a different mail carrier for six weeks. It was awesome.

And the problem is -- even when I order Fed Ex or UPS, they do "last mile" with the post office for a lot of deliveries. I've never had this kind of problem with the USPS before, but this woman is a nightmare.

She also occasionally attaches snarky post-its to my mail? So I think she may be unbalanced.

Absolutely report it, and if he continues to be an issue continue to report it. They have a job to do in a specific manner if they aren't performing it then you have a right to complain. If they arent capapble of doing that job in the manner described there are millions of qualified individuals looking for a job now.

We have had our share of trouble too. Our daughter when she was in pre-school was a member of Dolly Parton's free book club and used to get a hardcover book every month, occasionally they wouldn't fit in the box. Instead of driving across the street, braving our barking chihuahua, and dropping the package on the front porch, or pulling into our drive way and honking his horn incessantly (which was another favorite tactic) what did they do, they BENT the hardcover book nearly in half!

Part of the reason the postal service is dying is not just email and not just cheap competition, some of it is the crappy attitude some carriers have about the service they are providing. Ultimately, much like Circuit City found, the USPS will find that treating your customers as if they are trouble for you rather than an asset to you will be the death knell for your business.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):She was run over by a truck?

Well, I have one idea that would solve your problem. You may want to invest in a grill guard for your vehicle beforehand, though.

@zombies.like.lattés.too:Mail tampering? If it's delivered to your box and you throw it away because the addressee doesn't actually live there any longer, then how is that mail tampering?

Sure writing "Return to Sender" on it and throwing it in the outgoing box might be more appropriate, but is it a crime if you don't do that? How could it be?

I'm genuinely interested in knowing. Don't let my incredulity be taken as sarcasm. It just seems really implausible that what he's doing could be considered mail tampering, but if you know different, then by all means please share.

I once filed a complaint online because the postman at my last address would (always) shove my mail into my mailbox, wrinkling all of my mail.

Three days later a printed version of the complaint ended up in my mailbox (!) with a handwritten note from my postman denying any such activity.

The behavior continued until I moved.

@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Do you think she will... go postal?

Heheheh.

Report Him!
I just called up my post office and talked to the delivery manager to express my dissatisfaction with a delivery person. My regular mail lady does a fantastic job(and I let him know), however this mail man that fills in for her sometimes on days off or vacation stinks! This past weekend was the last straw, I left a post card out to be mailed and he did not take it! The same thing has happened on other occasions with letters and other mail pieces and I noticed he did not take my neighbors either.
The manager said he would talk with the courier and from his tone I think he took my complaint seriously and will speak with him.

@TinkishDelight: I didn't realize that you could mail something like live turtles.. Is that common?

@Cyberxion101: From the United States Code (Section 1708 Title 18):

"Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains, or attempts so to obtain, from or out of any mail, post office, or station thereof, letter box, mail receptacle, or any mail route or other authorized depository for mail matter, or from a letter or mail carrier, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or abstracts or removes from any such letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein, or secretes, embezzles, or destroys any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein; or

"Whoever steals, takes, or abstracts, or by fraud or deception obtains any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein which has been left for collection upon or adjacent to a collection box or other authorized depository of mail matter; or

"Whoever buys, receives, or conceals, or unlawfully has in possession, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein, which has been so stolen, taken, embezzled,
or abstracted, as herein described, knowing the same to have been stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted --

"Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

I've never gotten anywhere when complaining to the USPS. They just tell me sorry to hear that but nothing we can do now.

My parents had a friend who retired and started timing the postal workers each day so he could know when his mail came. He documented each day's delivery time because he felt that he should have gotten his mail before 5 pm each day. He called the post office daily and sent them his charts and graphs that he made up for this task he gave himself to make the post office more efficient. The post office has now reassigned at least three different employees to his route. I'm not sure if the management or the delivery workers have requested the reassignment (there may be more since I haven't heard about the post office from him for over a year or so, he's moved on to complaining about other things now) but if you want to know if anything can be done, you could just document the heck out of this guy's behavior and see what happens.