ATLANTA — From worries over medication to concerns with absentee ballots, metro Atlanta residents continue to be impacted by missing and delayed mail.
Some business owners and brides also shared the impact of recent delays on wedding season.
“It breaks my heart,” Alex Hefley said. “I know it's stressful as a bride.”
Hefley is among those who reached out to 11Alive, alerting us about the impact on brides who depend on the mail for communications around their weddings.
Hefley, a custom invitation designer, routinely uses the United States Postal Service to mail invitations and save-the-dates for families. But in February, she noticed the spotty delays with the postal service seemed to be a bigger issue.
“I had a full invitation order that went out and was never delivered,” Hefley shared. “I had to remake a bride's whole invitation order.”
Hefley said she not only felt horrible for her bride, she also had to turn around the new order – all out of pocket.
“It was just honestly the most gut-wrenching feeling for a business owner,” she described.
Brides and their families have been reaching out to 11Alive over the past week, emailing about money lost that was spent on invitations and other items that have not show up as planned.
The delays are believed to be linked to the launch of the Postal Service’s new regional processing and distribution center in Palmetto, which opened Feb. 24. The new facility consolidated multiple other processing centers across north Georgia to just one.
Full coverage: Postal problems
“I know USPS has said they are working on it,” Madison Keller, an Atlanta bride, shared. “But what exactly is happening? Have people had eyes on what is actually going on that facility?”
On Thursday, a spokesperson for USPS responded to 11Alive’s questions about the delay with a revised statement. Specific questions were not answered, and the Postal Service declined requests for an interview or a site visit of the facility.
“Operations are improving as we continue to make significant investments in the Atlanta area, including new sorting machines, upgraded facilities and more efficient transportation, that will help ensure our organization can provide reliable delivery services for years to come,” the new portion of the statement reads.
Madison and her fiancé Anthony, meanwhile, are among those speaking up and asking for further answers and accountability from the agency – and not just for those planning a wedding.
“This affects people that rely on the United States Postal Service for medication or other things that are really important,” Anthony said.
Full statement sent by USPS on 3/21/24:
The Postal Service plays an important role in the community, and we are committed to providing the best service possible. While a significant portion of mail and packages in the Atlanta area is being delivered in a timely manner, management is aware of the concerns of some local customers regarding their mail and package delivery and are working quickly to resolve any issues.
Operations are improving as we continue to make significant investments in the Atlanta area, including new sorting machines, upgraded facilities and more efficient transportation, that will help ensure our organization can provide reliable delivery services for years to come.
We sincerely express our apologies to our customers who may have experienced a deviation from our normal dependable service and appreciate their patience. Customers are reminded that, if they need assistance with mailing or shipping concerns, they have a variety of options for reaching us, including contacting a manager or supervisor at their local Post Office, calling 1-800-ASK-USPS(1-800-275-8777), or visiting our website at www.usps.com.
Those experiencing delays or who have not received mail can contact the newsroom with your concerns as we continue to cover this story. Fill out our online form below, and someone from our news team will follow up with you.