MORRISON, Colo. — Loraine Bone's Tuesday afternoon was better than expected when she opened up her mailbox to find mail inside. She said a few hours earlier, however, it was a different story.
“When my mail was on the driveway this morning, and my mother said, 'Call Channel 7.' I called Channel 7, and here we are looking for some help. We're all just looking for some help,” said Bone.
Bone lives on Hillview Road in Morrison. She said she's been dealing with inconsistent mail delivery ever since the mail carrier left his job a few months ago.
“My husband has medications coming from out of the country. My neighbors have brought that to him. We're still waiting on another one we're really concerned about getting. We run a business out of our home. We're not getting our checks, our invoices,” said Bone. “Who can run a company like that? Who can live? We can't pay our bills.”
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Just a few doors down, Deb Denny said she's dealing with similar issues.
“We were waiting on a bill for a helicopter transport for an accident, and they started calling and threatening us saying, 'Why are you not filling out the packet?' And we're like, 'What packet? We never received a packet,'” said Denny.
Both Denny and Bone said they've reached out to the U.S. Postal Service with no luck.
"I've called them. I’ve emailed them. I’ve left messages with about 10 people and the postmaster general who's now over in Golden and have not had a single reply,” said Denny.
“I’ve gone down, I’ve complained,” said Bone. “I should not have to drive from my house to Golden to find out what's going on with my mail.”
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Contact Denver7 reached out to USPS for an answer. In a statement, the agency said the mail issues are due to recently changed routes.
“This particular delivery concern is isolated to a single highway contract route. The route has recently changed providers and we will be working with the new contractors to stabilize the delivery and provide consistent, reliable and accurate delivery. We know how important mail is and we deeply apologize to the customers impacted. Morrison customers should report to the Morrison Post Office for any items left with notification to pick-up at the local post office. The date of the pick-up should be printed on the slip left in the customer’s mailbox. Our team will be personally communicating with the customer to gather more information and help resolve their concerns.”
USPS said it expects a new contract for the route at at the beginning of September.
"We do take this matter seriously and we are increasing our communications with our drivers to ensure we are providing the service our customers depend on and deserve," the agency said.
USPS stressed the mail for Morrison, Evergreen and Golden has not merged and mail is processed separately for their respective offices, though all carriers start their day at the Golden Post Office. Retail and mail pick-up services for Morrison, Evergreen and Golden customers are still available at the respective post office, USPS said.
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Bone said she just wants to get her mail on time — plain and simple.
“We just want it dealt with. We just want our mail straightened out. No more excuses,” said Bone.
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