U.S. Mail hold... worthless?
 

Have been gone the month of August and before leaving we placed a 1 month hold on our mail so as to not cause an issue with putting a vast amount of junk mail, etc. into the small mail box at our postal station.

Came back a week before the mail hold was up and checked out our mail box. It was crammed full of mail to the point I could barely wedge the mail out. Included with the explosion of mail was a print out stating our requested mail hold (which had yet to expire). So, I take it putting a hold on your mail here in the Villages is just pointless?

Yes, it is pointless because Government employees or contractors are never held accountable for anything they do or don't do.

While we have had pretty good luck with mail holds, finding the people sorting the mail when we get back is hit or miss. They don’t seem to keep regular hours.

What did you expect the hold mail to do?

How did you think your hold mail would work:
1. Keep the mail in Lady Lake then put it into your secured box on the day your hold ends?
2. Keep the mail in a box on the floor of the postal station then put it into your secured box on the day your hold ends?
3. Put your mail in a box on the floor if it doesn't fit into your secured box?

Had you not come back early you would not have known which of the three had been used. And what difference does it make? Your mail wasn't blowing around your yard, it was safely secured while you were away, and it was available when you returned. What is the problem?

The hold mail service *might* stop some junk mail (or might not, that's why the word "might"). What it accomplishes is letting the mail station people know why you haven't emptied your box. Rather than thinking you simply haven't picked it up, they know that you are away.

Have used the Hold service many, many times.

Works perfectly every time.

Couple of time, the box was packed.............but NO damage to any mail.
Most of the time, my mail is placed in a bin.

Remember, they have limited space and limited bins in their space.
They fill the box, until it overflows.

Sounds like most of your mail was junk mail........so nothing hurt.

Did you do it online, directly with the post office? We do this every time we go away and when we get back it is in a box for us.

We used to put a note in the mailbox, put it on hold online, and talk to the lady at the postal station and still got a mailbox crammed with mail. Now we just give the postal box key to a neighbor and they get it for us.

I use mail hold/forward all the time. Usually no problems at all.

I think it would be a little daunting to be the person working in the little room, staring at 200 holes.
To make life easier for them, I also fold an index card in half so it stands up. I write on it, “please hold mail until…..”
It seems to work well for both of us.

Since the U.S. Postal Service offers this service, I didn't think I needed to determine how they go about implementing it. Simply figured they'd bin it until the date THEY offered to deliver it and place it one of the key lockers if it didn't easily fit in the mail box itself. Instead, to my surprise, it was hammer into the mail box a week BEFORE the provided delivery date and was nearly impossible to remove from the box without destroying portions of the mail. Since I am unfamiliar with the process HERE (have used it without issue in other locations) I posted this thread.

The online version of mail hold has worked for me. Don’t use the card

Mail hold and forwarding, neither have worked for me

I have not used it here but up north many times booking online with success. Here, I am not sure I care to put it on hold since it’s in a secure box already and not a regular mailbox to blow out or for someone to look inside and say geez they are not at home. I have all my stuff online so the majority would be junk or stuff I was not expecting like cards, etc.

The USPS is an amazing organization!

When you consider how many billions of pieces of mail are handled each and every day, no other organization does as good a job as the Post Office!

We have all heard the stories about "the check is in the mail" right? Well, I can tell you that when the check is in the mail, it invariably gets through. Very very very few pieces of mail do not get to where they were addressed.

We all like to find fault with the Post Office. But, I for one, think it is one of the greatest institutions we have. Besides, where else can you put a flimsy piece of paper in the mail shoot for less than a buck and have it delivered thousands of miles away in just a few days.

Stop complaining and celebrating this institution which has been around longer than our country has existed!

I noticed that you said nothing about the cost and how many billions of dollars they lose every year that the taxpayers need to pay for. Read the IG reports and other audit reports, including the Postal service's own reports. Amazon does a much better job and they make a profit. I will not stop complaining until the U.S. Postal Service is abolished as it should be.

Amazon charges a lot more (as do FedEx and UPS) and may not guarantee delivery to every home every day.

It's been too long since I read up on financing of the Post Office but if I remember correctly, delivery of mail is paying for itself (or close to it) but demands for pre-funding of retirement benefits put them in the red.

You want good service to every home in the country at a low price while email is cutting into your income PLUS put billions into a retirement plan - something has to give.