[Waverunner]

We learned something new this week about US mail and The Villages post office service which we thought we should share. We are new to TV, still moving, and in the process of changing our mailing address to The Villages. We started advising parties that send us mail, subscriptions and catalogs of our new address. Shortly after, we arranged on the USPS website to have our mail held, (the same way we have done at our last two addresses).

Three weeks later, we returned to TV and went to pick up the mail. There was almost nothing in the box. We were able to talk to the folks inside the Mail Center to see if they were holding it in another area. They checked all the possible places and confirmed they didn't have anything for us. We then contacted the people who lived in our house before us to ask if they were perhaps getting our mail forwarded. (No.) A couple of days later, we started getting email notifications from our magazines saying they had suspended our subscriptions because our mail was being returned as "Undeliverable".

After contacting the TV Mail Center in writing, and laying out what was happening to us, we learned that they didn't receive the notice from the USPS about our three week mail hold until the day after we first returned and picked up the mail. Because they had no notice of the mail hold, the box filled and overflowed, which they then timed to ten days. and by law had to return the mail stuffed in the box to the senders as "Undeliverable". We put our contact phone number in our letter and were happily surprised that we were called promptly with an explanation. The Mail Center person profusely apologized, but said, (in their defense), that they do not get mail hold notices timely from the USPS offices and that if we want to have our mail held in the Villages, it is best to leave a note in our mail box, or better yet, push the note through the back of the box so it lands on their inside floor. and they will take action upon receipt. When you return to TV, she suggested to do the same process to notify them to lift the mail hold.

We don't know if this is the case everywhere in The Villages, but we are in 32163 in the Village of Collier.

The craziness is that once they returned all our mail, the box was now empty and we started to get some mail again. We hope nothing important got missed, but we won't know for a while. In the meantime, we thought we would share this experience as this was something new and different for us, and we all learn so much on this site.

[MikeV]

i have used the USPS Website numerous times to hold mail. always worked perfectly in the Village of Charlotte.

[jblum315]

Nothing like this has happened to me in my 5 years here. They usually put the held mail in one of the big package boxes for me.

[PaPaLarry]

To be sure your mail is being held, fill out "Yellow" Hold Card that USPS provides, and either put it in mail stream, or give to mail carrier at your station. Carriers here in The Villages, are contracted employees, and not regular employees, although they have great facilities (air conditioned receptacle mail stations) to deliver mail too. Most carriers supply their cell phone number (posted on back door etc) for easy access in case of problems, along with name. If not, stop by while they are delivering, and get name and number for future problems. (good to have, while away etc)

[jnieman]

[quoteMikeV;1025731]i have used the USPS Website numerous times to hold mail. always worked perfectly in the Village of Charlotte.[/quote]

I put my hold in on line on USPS.com. It worked perfectly for us in Hadley as well after a 21 day vacation. The mail was there the day we returned from vacation. We just knocked on the door and asked for it.

[echo11]

I live in Collier. Just had mail held, via online USPS website with no problem. Mail was held 2 weeks and delivered to one of the keyed larger package boxes. I was pleased with the service,

[memason]

I have had this same thing happen to me. On several occasions, I have used the online USPS to put a hold on my mail. In all but one case, it worked as you would expect. A couple years ago, I used the same process and returned to an empty mail box. I asked the mail station attendant and he informed me he had all our mail inside, in a box. When I discuss the hold mail with him, I was told they sometimes don't receive the notice from USPS.

Therefore, I was told it would be better [for them], if just put a note in the box with the dates I would be gone and they would hold my mail for my return. I have used this process and it works for me.

Might want to talk to your mail station attendant about it, if you're going on an extended trip.

[yabbadu]

We have only been gone for short periods, but we put the YELLOW card in our box. Postal lady said they just put a small basket under our slot on the inside. If there is enough volume they then put the basket in one of the box slots on our day of return and put a key in our individual mail slot. Works perfect every time.

[DonH57]

Originally Posted by yabbadu

We have only been gone for short periods, but we put the YELLOW card in our box. Postal lady said they just put a small basket under our slot on the inside. If there is enough volume they then put the basket in one of the box slots on our day of return and put a key in our individual mail slot. Works perfect every time.

We do the same. Never a problem.

[USCGretired]

I use the website for mail hold and have not had any issues.