When our mailbox vanished

June 27, 2017

CANADA POST CUSTOMER SERVICE

PO BOX 90022
2701
RIVERSIDE DRIVE

OTTAWA ON K1V 1J8

Dear Sirs,

A few weeks ago, when I went as usual to pick up our mail from our (relatively) new community mailbox, the box had vanished. Only a rather mangled concrete base remained. One of my neighbours subsequently told me that someone had backed out of his driveway early that morning rather too briskly, demolishing it.

We speculated that perhaps our mail would be delivered to the door while we waited for a new box.

But that didn’t happen, so after a few days, and after considerable searching of your website, I found a phone number to call.

The person who answered could not have been more helpful. He took my particulars, and assured me someone who had answers would get back to me.

Which is exactly what happened: A couple of hours later I learned why our box had vanished, when we could expect a new one, and how we could access our mail in the meantime. So no complaint there.

We have no problem with the community mailbox; in fact, we appreciate that we can get parcels there. But here’s the thing: while people like us get almost all of our bills and the bulk of our other mail online, we still have neighbours who are not comfortable on the internet, and do not. I know for a fact that some of them did not know where to get their mail until that information started being passed around informally in the neighbourhood. I expect some of them never did find out.

I get that re-instituting door-to-door for the two weeks we were without delivery was probably impractical, but you will understand that I find the fact that Canada Post did not do anything to explain the situation and give pickup instructions extremely unimpressive. (We’re only talking a maximum of 32 households!)

It certainly does nothing positive for Canada Post’s reputation.

Sincerely,