I hate to say it, but if the prices are reasonable by comparison with the USPS, use FedEx or UPS to send us stuff. The post office here is just too much of a hassle.

1. It was around Christmas time, and we were expecting a couple of parcels—Christmas Cards and business cards. They never showed; we never received a parcel box key or a notice to pick up something at the counter. We ended up ordering duplicates of these two orders; thankfully, because they were lost (supposedly), we were not charged anything for the duplicate orders. About a month later (as I recall), we receive a "final notice" in our PO Box informing us to pick up our parcels, or they would be sent back to the sender. It turns out they were holding our first orders. Now, I recall receiving a parcel box key about a month earlier that went to an empty parcel box. The way I figure it, they put our packages in one parcel box, but gave us the wrong key. Okay, so they made a mistake; one can be overlooked.
2. Last month, it took forever for a certified letter to be delivered. After tracking down the letter, it was recorded that it had been delivered, we simply never received a notice to sign and pick up our mail. A couple of days after signing for the letter, the notice appeared in our PO Box. My guess is that they placed the notice is one of the boxes on either side of ours (our box is at the top of the column of boxes). If that is the case, it's an easy mistake to make, but also one that can easily be avoided if the worker is actually paying attention to what they're doing.
3. This month, another certified letter we were expecting took nine days to be delivered, according to the excuse this postmaster gave. However, one method of tracking indicated that the letter was delivered much earlier than they said. The cancellation and bar code stamps were on the wrong sides of this letter, so something went wrong there, but that there was another foul up with another certified letter in as many months says something about the efficiency of our post office, if not the entire USPS.

In something that might be related, an issue of a magazine I subscribe to was never delivered; I had to order a replacement copy. I wasn't at the end of my subscription period, but in the middle, so it wasn't that my subscription somehow lapsed a month between ending and being renewed. I simply didn't receive an issue I was supposed to. It wouldn't surprise me if they had placed that issue in someone else's box (and they either haven't checked it yet, it's an unused box, or it was checked and kept by the other renters).

Now, I can't help but wonder if other pieces of mail sent to us have been misdelivered or lost. I can't help but wonder if this kind of thing is going on with other box renters. I am seriously considering having all bills we receive be delivered electronically (those that aren't already), just so they don't get lost or misdelivered, and sparing us the hassle of having identities stolen.

I will be contacting the postmaster general's office with my displeasure in this regard. Something needs to be done. However, I expect nothing will be done.

BREAKING NEWS: Genevieve just got off the phone with our post office to retrieve some information on a parcel we refused. No surprise, it took them a little while to find it because it had been misplaced. Our post office is a comedy of errors.