NewsWest 9
GARDEN CITY - Nothing has shown up in John McMaster's Garden City mailbox since last month.
He has been waiting for credit card bills, medical records and Christmas packages to be delivered to their home on Ranch Road 33, near Angle Road, where United States Postal Service mail carriers have dropped off letters since his grandfather built the family ranch in 1900.
NewsWest 9 contacted the Garden City Postmaster and regional USPS representatives.
They had no comment, and could not confirm if delivery to other residences on Ranch Road 33 had also been halted.
"Only thing I can figure is [our mail carrier] doesn't want to get his car dirty or he wants to cut a few miles off and get off [work] early," said McMaster, who now drives about 18 miles to the Garden City Post Office to pick up his mail.
According to a voice message left on McMaster's answering machine Monday by the USPS mail carrier assigned to deliver his mail, "road construction" was interfering with Garden City delivery routes.
"I don't know if you're aware or not, but we're holding your mail up here [at the post office]," the Garden City mail carrier said in the voice-mail. "They started last week. They got that construction right out there in the middle of everything."
However, there are no road closures restricting access to McMaster's mailbox or home.
"I checked with [the Department of Transportation] this afternoon and then double-checked," said McMaster. "[The man I spoke with] said they had not told [the mail carrier] not to deliver mail or not to pull over [on Ranch Road 33]. I'd like to know who the heck made the decision to stop my mail."
He and his family are hoping they get answers - and their mail - in time for the holidays.
"My wife's from North Carolina and she's got a lot of family there," said McMaster. "Packages and of course Christmas cards [they're sending her]... She's not getting them."
USPS employees also neglected to pick up outgoing letters and packages from his mailbox for weeks, according to McMaster.
"It's so bad, this letter I've got that's going to the Postmaster General tomorrow in Washington... I'm FedExing it."
People with similar complaints about undelivered mail can contact the postmaster at their local post office.
Incidents involving mail theft or mail fraud can be reported online to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service: https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactus/filecomplaint.aspx
