HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia – Gary Zuch has been waiting for the package to be delivered for almost a month now and is worried it could end up in the wrong hands at the US Postal Service (USPS).
“You know, I didn’t ship it on a slow boat from China,” Zuch said. “I just sent her just 70 miles away.”
The man from Newport News said that he and his wife sent gifts to a poorly served family in Richmond, in the hope that they would cheer their spirits before Christmas.
“It was supposed to be delivered by Friday, December 5.” Zuch said.
Zuch said the tracking records showed the package in the Henrico area at one point before returning to the Richmond Postal Service Distribution Center in Sandston.
“It hasn’t moved in the last twelve days, according to the system, so it has to be stuck behind a plant,” Zuch said.
Zuch is among dozens of people who have contacted CBS 6 Problems Solvers about delayed packets and correspondence. A spokesman for the US Postal Service told CBS 6 in a statement that the delays and delivery problems were due to the overwhelming and historic volume of correspondence this holiday season, along with the lack of employees due to the covid-19 pandemic.
“The U.S. Postal Service, similar to the broader shipping industry, continues to face short-term pressures on service performance in all categories as it manages through a historic record of holiday volume this season,” the carrier said. of the word. “This negative impact is exacerbated by the temporary shortage of employees due to the increase in COVID-19, as well as the continuing capacity challenges with air and road transport to move this historic volume of mail,” according to the US Postal Service.
“I’m sure I’m doing everything I can with limited resources, I think they need to be more systematic in their approach to getting things out,” Zuch said. “You can’t stack things in one corner and I think all things will disappear.”
The US Postal Service said it was also facing capacity issues with air and ground transportation, in addition to delays.
As Zuch understands, he worries about whether his package will reach the right destination.
“I’m afraid he’s been taken or he’ll end up in the wrong person’s hands,” Zuch said. “No heavy feelings, just a little more disappointment than anything.”
The spokesman said the USPS continues to work to address the issues and remain focused on delivering e-mails and packages for the holiday season.
“Against the background of historic volume, the postal service continues to flex its network, including ensuring that the right equipment is available to sort, process and deliver a historic volume of mail and parcels this holiday season,” the spokesman continued. “Our entire operations team, from collections to processing to delivery, has been working all this past weekend and continues to work 24 hours a day to address the historical volume. We accept all the volume that is presented to us and that adds to our challenges. “
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