I Don't Think Lost Mail is Common, However...

[Remy]

I did a poll in our neighborhood (through NextDoor). I asked if they received someone else's mail.
Over 60% said 'yes', they did receive others mail.
After the work day its normal to see neighbors walking around the neighborhood bring people their mail.
Yep, happens alot, around here anyway.

Happened to me last fall with two orders in one day. One from Amazon and one from Chewy. Chewy has to come to the physical address but I put everything from Amazon back to my PO Box. Which I will cancel if I ever find a place to buy.

 

[OldFeller]

Considering the volume of mail I believe lost mail is a small percentage. It seems to be a kind of Murphys Law scenario though, when you are expecting something important or sending out something time sensitive that's the mail that gets lost.

Locally there has been a rash of thefts from outdoor mail bins, even the ones in the pist office parking lot. For the last couple of years I take my mail inside the post office, I figure that's safer and one step closer to actually being delivered.

This is true where I live.
I had a check fraud where someone broke into a mail box that must've had my electric bill in it.

Whoever it was, they white washed the original ink and made out the check to themselves for $250 00.

When I saw the cleared check in my bank account, I immediately contacted the bank.

I had to file a police report. Then go to my bank branch and spend an hour signing an affidavit concerning the fraud.

Since that occurred, I stopped paying anything through the U.S. Mail.

I do all transactions electronically now.

 

[Knight]

IThat plus there's a hard push toward "auto pay", which we vehemently resist.

I set up the electric, gas, & water bills to be auto deducted. That is for planning purposes to make sure the utilities are always paid.

She gets a notice in her email that 15 days from the email an automatic deduction will occur. Since there is a 15 day lead time anything that looks as though it's wrong she can contact the utility to have it verified before the deduction. Since this was set up there has never been a reason to have verification.

For auto pay that concept was the most difficult for my wife to wrap her head around. Once I explained that it is the same as writing a check & now were waiting for it to show paid. The day she gets the email she enters the date to be paid & the amount in the payment & receivable ledger.

Trying to make sure everything she will need to know & do is in place.

 

[Remy]

This is true where I live.
I had a check fraud where someone broke into a mail box that must've had my electric bill in it.

Whoever it was, they white washed the original ink and made out the check to themselves for $250 00.

When I saw the cleared check in my bank account, I immediately contacted the bank.

I had to file a police report. Then go to my bank branch and spend an hour signing an affidavit concerning the fraud.

Since that occurred, I stopped paying anything through the U.S. Mail.

I do all transactions electronically now.

Wow, I hope that doesn't happen to me. But if it does, I'll know what to do. I could call the bank I guess.

 

[Nathan]

I set up the electric, gas, & water bills to be auto deducted. That is for planning purposes to make sure the utilities are always paid.

Auto pay for utilities makes sense.

 

[Remy]

Called the bank customer service. Check cleared on 8/1. For only the ten dollars. I'm not sure what's going on. She said she couldn't tell who endorsed it. I'll call the Dr. office.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

Remy, there's a big red flag in your post- the payment was to an MD. I'd check to see if the check was cashed. Doctors get office help wherever they can-usually the "temp of the month". I just got through paying a $30 copay, supposedly that I didn't pay in Jan 2023. When I checked my credit card, I did pay it. I had to get a refund. This is not the first time this happened with this doctor, but three of my docs. And if your doctors are anything like mine, you had to pay the copay before you can see them. It's hard to miss a payment.
The US Post Office is lousy delivering packages, but they have perfected letter delivery.

 

[Remy]

Remy, there's a big red flag in your post- the payment was to an MD. I'd check to see if the check was cashed. Doctors get office help wherever they can-usually the "temp of the month". I just got through paying a $30 copay, supposedly that I didn't pay in Jan 2023. When I checked my credit card, I did pay it. I had to get a refund. This is not the first time this happened with this doctor, but three of my docs. And if your doctors are anything like mine, you had to pay the copay before you can see them. It's hard to miss a payment.
The US Post Office is lousy delivering packages, but they have perfected letter delivery.

That's a lousy experience. I'm glad you got refunded. I do pay a co-pay right up front but there were two additional 5 dollar co-pays for lab tests.

I just called the MD office (it's a medical group) They got the payment on 8/1 as my bank stated and I have "zero balance" so I don't know why the overdue letter. Next time, I'm going in to pay. That would have been less hassle.

I didn't know there were more problems with doctor offices. I know the dental office I go to has very stable staff. When I had the carpel tunnel surgery, I paid what I owed in addition on their patient portal or whatever. But if you keep doing those, you'll end up with 20 portals.

As mentioned, I do like paying my car insurance online. That way never a worry that it's paid and I'm covered.