Don't miss out on these HOT freebies and deals. Subscribe to my RSS feed, Follow me on Twitter, and Become my fan on Facebook.
I wrote this post below almost a year ago for some of my readers that had issues with their mail service. I unfortunately had to refer back to this post today to get the links to file some complaints myself. 
I filed a complaint online and I also filed a complaint on the phone with the USPS Postal Inspections Office. The gentleman I spoke with was very nice and I hope to have these issues cleared up soon. I should have an update back from them in a few days.
I suggest taking these steps below ONLY if you know for a fact that you are missing items or if your mail is damaged or noticeably being tampered with. Also…don’t just assume that it is your direct mail carrier. Your mail does go thru several hands before it even reaches your mail carrier. If you are sure that you have a reason to make a complaint, see the forms below and the appropriate steps to take. I can’t promise you that all of your issues will be solved, but they will certainly be looked in to.
I get questions all the time from readers asking what do you if you think your mail carrier or neighbor is stealing your mail This happens far to often with the USPS and it is a sad thing. However, the USPS does take this very serious. Tampering with someone’s mail is a federal offense! So, what do you do?? There are several areas that you should consider if you think that this is happening to you. The forms and info I am providing below can be used for issues regarding your mail being tampered with, ie: open, torn, package/letter with all or some documents/items missing. If you make a report, an investigation will be opened. Keep all documents and records regarding your complaints.
- Contact your local Post Office and put in a complaint. They will need your info (name, address, etc.), they can’t help you otherwise.
- Contact your Regional Post Master. You might have to get the contact information from your local post office.
- Call 1-800-USPS and file a complaint.
- File a complaint via email at the USPS website
- File a complaint online with the United States Postal Inspection Service
Also, read:
How to protect against thieves
Follow these steps to protect your mail
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been getting samples for like 6 months now…and about a month ago, they stopped! I didn’t stop requesting the samples, but somehow they stopped. I called my local post office and put in a complaint that i thought my postman was not delivering all my mail. I also explained that what i was missing was freebies and that I had ordered them. One week later my mailbox was full again!!!!!
If you notice a decline in your freebies, I suggest calling your local post office.
thanks for posting this.
Ok. Be careful with this. Some people are going to jump the gun and go overboard blaming their mailperson for stealing and possibly causing somebody to be falsely accused, possibly charged federally and of course losing their job because they didn’t get their freebies that the companies ran out off. I have been doing freebies for years and they have ALWAYS come in waves. Might be getting them steadily and then, none for a few weeks and then get a load again. Sometimes the companies run out of samples, sometimes your online request doesn’t go through, or you weren’t one of the first 50,000 who requested.
I agree that you shouldn’t jump the gun and complain after a day or so of not getting anything. However, most people know when they are supposed to be getting things in the mail and when they don’t show up and you have than hunch or gut feeling…then proceed with your complaints. For someone to be federally charged or to lose their job over this…they have to be pretty much caught red handed or have complaints in several areas of the neighborhood etc. the post office will not jump the gun and fire someone over one complaint unless they are caught red handed during the investigation. If you are a mailperson and are not doing anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about. It is necessary to file your complaints properly because sometimes it isn’t even the mailman/lady…it could go as far as being the person who sorts the mail.
I put in a complaint with the USPS after I was getting my “freebie” packages, but nothing inside. Every box would be ripped apart, even magazines would have things ripped out of them. Come to find out, our mail-lady was doing this to several people. She was already being looked into, and that was a final straw. We have an awesome new mail-lady now though!
Its sad that it happens so often. Did you all hear about the mailman a few months back from up north that hid 20,000 pieces of mail in the trunk of his car and his home….just because he didn’t feel like delivering them!
Please don’t be so quick to make assumptions about your hardworking mail carrier. It’s bad enough we have to deal with and work under harsh weather environments, get attacked by someones dog (a large percentage of us have), hear complaints when a customer doesn’t receive the mail item he/she is waiting for (we have no control over that), and deliver in some pretty scary areas of the coutry. And to top that off, the USPS is making major cuts in our hours. We once believed we had a secure job, but now we all feel as if we’re walking on egg shells. WE have it hard too. So please, next time you feel upset over not receiving some silly FREE samples in your mail, please don’t be so quick to assume it’s us. In the 10 yrs I’ve been a mail carrier, I’ve never stolen anything…not even a silly flyer and I also don’t know anyone in my department who’s done such a thing. We very well know this is not acceptaple, UPSP makes sure to remind us quite often. An act or accusation like this could lead to termination. So before you write that complaint letter or call the number, please make sure you have some evidence…many of us (myself) are hardworkind, honest, employees with families. I have a 9 months old and am the sole provider for my family. If I lost my job over some false accusation I’d hate to see where I’d end up. =(
Thanks for posting this! What great information for the readers and I’ve often wondered if this happens. I personallyy haven’t had any issues with this although I do get many samples where the boxes have been tampered with.
I am going to link back to you – thanks for sharing!
~ Elizabeth
The Thrifty Divas
First of all, I didn’t write this post to accuse anyone. Like I said if the mailpeople aren’t doing anything wrong then they should have anything to worry about. If you think that you missing mail you have every right to follow thru with a complaint! One complaint cannot get you fired. If you have alot of complaints as a mail person an investigation will be held. They won’t fire you for no reason!
Like in any job, all it takes is one false complaint/accusation to get your supervisors suspicious of you. Will you get fired for one complaint? Not very likely. Will your integrity and work ethics as an employee damage your reputation even though you are an honest employee? Most likely. All I’m saying is please have proof before you put in a complaint. How would a SAHM like CPS called on her over an assumption by a neighbor, a retail worker accused of stealing over giving the wrong change back when it was an honest mistake, etc. I’m really not trying to start any trouble here…just trying to make a point is all.
Cindy, don’t get me wrong, I am not on a rampage against Postal workers. I love my mailperson and I feel very fortunate. I wrote this post because I have received many questions about what to do when you think your mail is being taken or tampered with. Like I said before it doesn’t have to be your mail person, it can be the person who sorts your mail…or even a neighbor! I am not trying to start anything. I simply posted this for people that honestly believe they are missing mail or their mail is being tampered with can take the appropriate steps in figuring out why. I appreciate your comments.
That’s terrible! Yes, most mail carriers are probably fine. Mine is a bit nosy but he’s considerate of the kids etc. But like any profession, there are bad apples out there and it’s great to know what recourse one has for this particular circumstance.
My main problem with mail came when I lived in an apartment building where packages were routinely left by UPS in a common mail area. Not only did tenants steal my door mat (and inexplicably return it months later lol) my grill was stolen and so were packages. (I hope you enjoyed the jam, jerkface!)
Thanks for the interesting article!
This is great! one of my friends kept finding her pet samples open, finnaly she stood at her window and watched as the guy across the street opened hermail box, took her mail to his porch opened the pet samples etc and went back over and put her mail back, the next day she hid outside and taped the whole thing, she submitted it to the police and he was charged with tampering with other people’s mail!
I really appreciate your article, I was referred to it my Coupon Dad. I have major issues with my Postal Carrier. And, I forget these avenues we can venture sometimes. I get my neighbors mail, envelopes opened, mail just shoved in my mailbox, my postal carrier will not get out of her car – she leaves my packages right in the middle of my driveway, and there have been many things I have ordered and not received. Thanks again!
I understand that we shouldnt assume that our mail carrier is the one comfiscating our samples. First and foremost, when a sample is delayed, why not contact the company that offered the sample. As stated above, you never know if your request was really received or if the company simply ran out of supplies. But, to Cindy, it’s rude to state “silly” sample. What might be silly to you, may mean more to someone else. I really appreciate every sample that allows me to try a product that I may not have ever bought simply because I wasnt sure how I would react to it. What may be a silly sample or something silly, may turn out to be something big. I often find lately that my mail lady will shove every piece of mail in my box (ripping some of my good magazines in the process) instead of walking the 3 feet to my door and just giving the excess to me. That’s just silly. So, I ask her not to do it. It stops for about a month. Then, it starts again. Do you think I am silly to then form a formal complaint after verbally asking her to stop just because my magazine subscriptions are free?
I agree with what Koni says – it’s important to not accuse mail carriers without proof. However, having had a multitude of trouble with the local USPS when I was working (packages were not delivered, mail was “lost”, etc), I can tell you that it takes a lot to fire a carrier. Despite our complaints and our documentation, it took opening an investigation at the regional level before anything was done.
And, yes, the USPS might be facing financial challenges. But, consumers have to deal with skyrocketing postage rates. Is it “silly” to ask for accountability in return?
There are good and bad aplles—- I had a mailman who was the BEST in all the world. He knew I would enter sweepstakes so if he found any in the newspaper or in the stores he would leave them in my mailbox. He also knew the lady I used to watch my child lived 3 blocks away , and one day my child wrote a letter to her and put pennies and pretty rocks in it and put it in the mailbox and just put Mamaw on the envelope …. Would you know he delivered it to her. No stamp no address no nothing… I Think that is a super person. Hes retired but I still see him around town and always say hi and such.
I ordered a free sample of Rachael Ray’s new dog food becuase my dog has sensitive skin and I wanted to make sure it would not irritate him or his allergies. The box was delivered to my home, with a picture of what it contained. Thinking it felt rather light, I noticed the thin piece of tape that was holding the box closed had been ripped and the dog food was stolen. Is this worthy of being reported? It was free, but I am still very upset that someone was so dishonest.
Emily…You have two options. For one you can contact the people at Rachael Ray’s Nutrish and let them know what happened. Even though they are not responsible for replacing it they will most likely send you another one. If the same thing happens again (or you might do it anyway) call your local post office and make a complaint or go online and fill out the complaint form. Where some people might think that free samples are “silly”, you are entitled to what is yours. Tampering with someones mail is a federal offense and for someone to completely take a sample is theft and it should be reported. It is sad that people do the things that they do. I am sorry that this happened to you.
It is so lazy on people’s part to blame the mail man or woman for everything they do not receive when that sample first of all gets sent from a dock from the company to the mail processing plant in that area and if it is 3rd or 4th class mail can sit in a semi truck trailer up to 4-6 weeks because the processing plant does not have time to process it then could go on to the city it is supposed to be delivering it to and sit there another few weeks. There has been several mail people laid mail processing plants are closed moving people and mail to other parts of the country. The post office is laying off over 50,000 people out of 250,000 total approximately however they are not laying off their lazy micro managers but clerks 1/2 in our city laid off, 7 post offices closing which will slow down the mail not even counting November and December Christmas crunch. We do not want or need to steal your stuff and the postal inspectors watch the postal workers like a hawk and it could be a mail clerk in the back of the post office who does not get supervised very well that could take samples do not be so quick to point fingers at the mail carrier who walks 7-12 miles a day carrying 20-50 pounds on their back…that is just another reason why your mail man or lady don’t smile they are in pain plus people falsely accusing them for suspensions of someone lazy not researching the problem with the company. I heard so many businesses saying they sent something out and come to find out still sitting on the dock or desk at the original shipper company but it is just easy to say the postman did it! ****
so here are the facts,
delivering the mail is someones job, they chose that job and knew what it entailed when they took the job.
fact, some people are dishonest whether they deliver mail or not.
if someone has a legitimate concern about the delivery of their mail they have every right to have it looked into without fear of retailition or humiliation by those who provide the service. we don’t think twice about returning a piece of clothing that rips on us after one use. if you don’t have anything to hide then so be it. maybe postal people who are concerned about their reputation should make a note of packages their are delivering that look tapered with before they give it to people so that if there is a question raised they you have nothing to worry about.
otherwise it is unfair to make people feel bad for reporting mail concerns.
How do I add this to my RSS reader? Sorry I’m a newbie
I’m a mailman. I make $65,000 a year. I have no REASON to steal your stinkin’ samples. Since I work in this industry I know there are simple explanations for a lot of these ridiculous complaints. You people have too much time on your hands. Get a job. If you don’t want to get a job, VOLUNTEER somewhere. This country has been damn good to you. Give something back.
Dan- Congratulation on your success as a Mailman. We aren’t just talking free samples here coming up missing….we rely on the USPS to bring us our mail….we have no other choice. If a person has right to believe their mail is being tampered with (free samples, magazines…ANYTHING in our mail)…they have every right to make a complaint…after all it is a FEDERAL OFFENSE. If you read my post again you’ll see where I say, it could be a mail sorter, it could be a neighbor…it could be anything. BUT if you aren’t receiving something you know you should be….you have every right to know what the proper steps are to take.
ALSO- I’ll have you know that alot of my readers DONATE alot of their things, as do I, that we get “free”. I appreciate your comment, however I do not appreciate the rudeness behind it. I promote POSITIVE comments here on my blog.
Thank you for understanding.
Thanks to do this post. It it that useful for me.
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR SITE!!
I have a lengthy problem with the USPS. 1st of all, when I was a teenager in Meadows of Dan Va, the carrier there was awesome! I moved to a more city like area and noticed alot of problems. I live past a state maintained road. There has been alot of vandalism in my neighborhood. I called and asked the Post Master if I could set a mailbox up at my driveway so I could keep tabs on my mail, he told me that the only way he would even think of sending a mail truck to my home would be if I paved the gravel road that leads to my home. My driveway is less than 100 feet from the state road, it is smooth and I put gravel down quite often. I checked on how much it would be to get it paved, $8,000 dollars! I dont have that kind of money. I noticed that the mailman delivers to two neighbors’ houses up the road, they are past of state maintaince, BUT they live in houses, I live in a mobile home. Im on a private lot, not a park. I feel as tho I am being discriminated against because of the house I live in. The next thing, I order from ebay, I bought a item that was supposed to go thru UPS, instead the seller did a bait and switch, and sent it thru USPS. This carrier has a habit of leaving my parcels on the ground or using the lid of my box as a table with the item laying there in the open for it to be rained/snowed on or stolen. I wrote a note, and I was nice, I simply asked him to please leave a notice for me to pick up my parcels at the post office so that they wont get stolen, what does he do? When my item came, he hammered it in my box using the mailbox lid and breaking the lid off the hinges! What should I do about that? His supervisior, the Post Master I mentioned before, hates me. Another thing, I bought 3 magazines in December, I have only received 3 magazines so far and it is March. I got one in December, one in January, and one in Feb. My subscription is good until December of 2010. I dont get any samples, forget that, altho I have signed up for hundreds of them. Please someone tell me what to do about this! Also, I have a Post Office Box for my really personal mail. Most of my mail is ripped or opened, I am missing a subscription there too. The staff are not friendly at all. Who does these people answer to?
I always get all my freebies on Monday and I am wondering if there is a reason for this?
I’m having serious problems with my post office and don’t know if it’s my mail carrier or someone else at the post office. I wish it was free samples not showing up and “disappearing” into thin air, but unfortunatly it’s my unemployment checks. That’s right checkS-plural. This is the 2nd time I have had the same exact problem. I have been on unemployment for about a year and it always comes on the same day. The 2 times it didn’t come on Tuesday, it just never showed up period. The first time my check didn’t show up, I had a personal problem with my mail man. (He just so happens to be dating a family member and when I went to their house, he said something that offended me and I stopped talking to the both of them for a while).It was kind of weird that my check didn’t show up right after I had this problem and then after my check didn’t show up, my mail man (once again, who dates a member of my family)switched his routes. Now I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions so I di contact unemployment first and found out there was no problems there and there are even ways to track your check to see what the status is and it had been sent as normal. Turns out when unemployment investigated this matter they found out it was never cashed but couldn’t figure out why it was not delivered to me because it was “definatly sent out”.It took a month for them to send me a new one. Now months later, my unemployment check has not showed up once again.It just so happens that anoter incident has occured with the same man. (There was a fight between my family member and this man and it involved me). This incident occured about one week before my check was a no show. I checked with unemployment and once again, there is no problems on their end and I checked the status and it has been sent out on time. Tomm is Friday and if my check does not show (I assume it will not bc it never comes late unless it’s a holliday)I plan on making a trip to the post office. Now this man who I have problems with is a mail man but he is not mine anymore. I assume that it is possible for him to have contact with my mail. It is also possible that my mail man misplaced it and someone else got my mail and didn’t return it. But how does this happen twice to my checks??? It never happens with any of my other mail?? How should I go about this?? Am I crazy for thinking this ma I have problems with, may be taking my check out of spite??I have a 3yr old chil to support and this just so happens to be the week my rent and bills are all due and the Holliday weekend is coming up and I now have no money to spend to go out for he holliday!! This is sad if it’s someone who knows I have a child doing this intentionally and if it is him doing this he SHOULD be held responsibe for his actions!!!
It sounds very fishy. If you have contacted your unemployment office and the checks are being sent when they are supposed to be, I suggest filling out the complaint forms listed in the post to see where exactly the problem is. Even if the problem ISNT the mailman, they should be able to open an investigation to see where the problem lies. I don’t know if this is possible BUT, until this is figured out I might suggest seeing if you can get that check directly deposited into your bank account. =) I hope this insight helps.
my problem isnt losing freebies, its money!!…….and gift cards and money orders…….and its been happening for almost a year…….as much money as ive lost i dont feel i should have to pay more for a p.o. box just cuase someone else is a thief……i was told i should ask him about it first but i think then he would only see he was caught, then he would stop and get away with all hes done…..i dont know what to do. hes such a nice guy.
It could be happening before it even gets to your mailman. There are many people that handle the mail before your actual delivery man get is. It could be someone in the mail sorting room, etc. If you are positive that you are missing items, I highly suggest reporting it to your local post office.
My freebies always come on the same two days every month and one day I went outside and realized it is a different maillady on those days this has been going on for nine months and I have reported it once and it did not help .I am almost afraid to report again for fear of retaliation .They want too much documentation to get a PO box and besides I can not afford five bucks a month just for some missing freebies .
This is very interesting…I’ve never had any problem with my items, but this is good to know…Thank you for Re-posting this
I moved to a small village where everyone knows everyone else and we have a very small post office. My mail was damaged and opened so frequently I commented to my husband that I had never seen so much damaged mail as I have been getting since moving here. I asked the lady at the post office about it and she brushed it off as the machines messing up. I once received just the cover of a magazine in the mail, the magazine itself was missing! It has only happened a couple of times since I asked about it. It has caused me to cut back on ordering free samples. I am in the process of moving so I hope this changes.
Odd you posted this again. Lately I’ve noticed a drastic decline in the freebies in my mail. I also send my mom and grandma freebies and they have gotten a lot of the freebies that seem to be MIA from my mailbox. Plus here as of lately A LOT of my mail has been severely damaged. It’s upsetting to think that things like this do happen, but unless I know for a fact that something fishy is going on I won’t report anything. It really stinks when you’re looking forward to getting something in the mail and it never shows. I figure if it was free in the first place and some how didn’t make it to me I’ll play the waiting game to see if it shows up. Plus I have a funky address and was blaming it on that for a while, but if my bills can make it to me fine and on time lol why can’t my freebies seem to make it to me?
I request and receive lots of samples, if they are too big for my mailbox my mail carrier leaves them by my apartment door. Thankfully I haven’t had any problems with theft, but recently I received a damaged box for a Special K protien bar sample with a rubberband around it, when I removed the rubber band and opened the box there was no sample! I assume the package was damaged and the bar fell out before it arrived at my door. I wrote an e-mail to the company to let them know about the problem I experienced and they sent a replacement sample by first class mail. If you have an occasional issue with a damaged or missing sample why not contact the company who sent it and let them know? They will likely send another sample.
I come from a family of Postal Carriers and a Post Master…seriously people get a freaking grip! Mail travels from all over the place right to your door. There will be problems with the delivery just like with anything else in life period. Heck, they just hire off of the street at extremely low pay in today’s world…the higher paying carrier jobs are almost a thing of the past. You have no clue what kind of pressure our letter carriers are constantly under at all. They are always having big brother looking right over their shoulder. Bite your tongues when you have not one ounce of a clue of how hard they work. I am sure without a shadow of a doubt there are crooked letter carrier just like cops, priests, teachers, lawyers, governors, presidents…you name it. However to put all letter carriers in one group is tasteless and completely ignorant!
Karen, I have not put mail carriers in one group! I agree…they have a hard job, I certainly couldn’t want to do it. I’m not out to be against the USPS at all! I’m not saying it’s my mail carrier specifically. Mail goes thru A LOT of different hands before it even gets to my post office. BUT, I (along with YOU and every one else) have every right to file a complaint when my mail is being damaged and tampered with on a regular basis. A good Postal worker would tell you the same thing!
I also did not write this post to cause any drama!!! I am letting my readers now what they can do if they have problems with their mail delivery. I also promote positive comments on my site and I would appreciate you voicing your opinion in a friendlier manner.
Renee, you can absolutely do that and I recommend it. =)
My problem isn’t just random mail every now and then showing up damaged though. Something is going on with it and it started a few months ago. It’s happening on a regular basis now. I filed a complaint and I hope they can help me stop the problem. I’m not blaming my mail carrier necessarily, I care for her a great deal, she’s a very sweet lady. The problem goes beyond her.
Brandie, I got your point. I believe I get most of my samples and mail. I did not take this post as “everyone get your mail carrier fired.” If the negative commenters would read all of it they would know. It is just some helpful info. Info you can walk into the post office and get yourself. My only problem is the people that used to live here haven’t forwarded their mail and even though we have told him not to deliver it, he still does. Oh well. I will continue sending it back to the sender!