US Postmaster General releases audit on mountain towns

December 6, 2023 Shannon Lukens

The Office of the Inspector General for the United States Postal Service has released an Audit Report on “Delivery and Customer Service in Colorado Mountain Towns.”

The report confirms that customers in Colorado mountain towns have experienced lower on-time service for packages and mail, and the main reason is that it is hard to hire and retain personnel. It also sites inadequate management and lack of communication, “that resulted in significant delays, incorrect package returns, and misinformation for customers.”

LINK TO AUDIT REPORT

Here is what the report says:

Background

The U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation. Mail delivery is especially critical to the residents and businesses of more remote locations, such as Colorado’s mountain towns, who have fewer options to receive medications, financial documents, and packages. The Postal Service has service standards that specify timeliness targets for delivering mail after receiving it from a customer. These standards are one of the primary operational goals against which the Postal Service measures its performance. Colorado community members and local organizations within these remote locations contacted political leaders and the Postal Service to express concerns about significant delivery delays and poor customer service. Improving service performance and customer service in these mountain towns could increase customer satisfaction and prevent potential future revenue loss.

What We Did

This audit focused on determining the root causes of poor service performance and customer service issues in Colorado mountain towns. The audit team visited 13 delivery units and one processing and distribution center throughout the mountain towns; conducted observations of processing, delivery, and retail operations; interviewed personnel on challenges faced; and conducted data analysis on service performance.

What We Found

Customers in Colorado mountain towns experienced lower on-time service performance, especially for packages, compared to the rest of the state and nation overall. On-time mail delivery was up to five percentage points lower, and packages were up to percentage points lower than the nationwide average. The biggest challenge was the facilities’ ability to hire and retain personnel. We also found deficiencies with handling of mail and packages, transportation schedules, and facility constraints. These issues were due, in-part, to inadequate management oversight and a lack of communication that resulted in significant delays, incorrect package returns, and misinformation for customers.

Recommendations

We made eight recommendations to address the overarching causes of poor service performance and customer service and two recommendations related to staffing and retention in Colorado mountain towns.

The offices of U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, and U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse and Brittany Petterson have released the following statement about the Audit Report.

Please note that it says “members of the media,” also helped to call attention to the serious deficiencies. Steamboat Radio News has been reporting on this all year and we appreciate the recognition.

Bennet, Hickenlooper, Neguse, Pettersen Statement on USPS Inspector General’s Report on Mail Service in Colorado Mountain Towns

Lawmakers Urge USPS To Implement Report’s Recommendations Immediately

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Colorado U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse and Brittany Pettersen released the following statement on the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General’s report on mail service in Colorado’s mountain towns.

The USPS Office of Inspector General initiated the audit after Colorado lawmakers, customers, local leaders, and members of the media called attention to serious deficiencies in mail service, package delivery, facility conditions, customer service, and related issues in Colorado mountain towns.

“This report confirms what we already knew to be true – that the unreliable and inadequate mail service in our mountain towns has resulted in unacceptable delays and gaps in service for rural communities.

“Over the past two years, we have repeatedly raised the serious concerns of Coloradans to the U.S. Postal Service. We are pleased to see the USPS Office of Inspector General heed our call to address the root causes of the poor mail service in our mountain towns. We urge USPS to swiftly implement the report’s recommendations and will work with them to ensure they do so.”

In February, Bennet and Hickenlooper invited Postmaster Louis DeJoy to tour a USPS facility in Colorado to see firsthand the ongoing service and delivery challenges that Coloradans experienced. In March, Bennet and Hickenlooper met with DeJoy. During the meeting, DeJoy committed to improving service quality in Colorado.

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Here is a list of news coverage in Steamboat Springs, regarding the local post office.