PALMETTO, Ga. — Tuesday marks one month since 11Alive started tracking complaints about missing and delayed mail after reports of a processing bottleneck at a new USPS facility in metro Atlanta.
Since our initial reports, more than 1,000 viewers have reached out, seeking answers and sharing their experiences lately when it comes to the United States Postal Service and the metro's new Regional Processing & Distribution Center (RP&DC) facility in Palmetto.
The RP&DC facility, which opened on February 24, was opened to consolidate some services from four existing centers to Palmetto, marking one of the first facilities of this type to open in the U.S. The move part of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year 'Delivering for America' plan, a $40 billion dollar investment meant to modernize mail operations - and save money.
But instead, customer frustration followed the opening of the facility. Long lines of trucks were spotted along the highway and complaints centered on packages and mail stuck inside, prompting 11Alive and members of Congress to push for answers from USPS.
While USPS has repeatedly declined 11Alive's requests for an interview and a site visit of the facility, our team has spoken with employees who work on-site. Those employees, who 11Alive verified work at the RP&DC but requested to remain anonymous due to their job, shared photos of the interior of the center and provided more insight into the challenges inside.
"There's too much coming in," one employee shared. "There's too much automation. So there's no room to store the mail."
"I think the facility is just overwhelmed, and I don't even blame local management because this plan was made, and they were told to go manage it," the employee continued. "If they were given some input, maybe it would be different. We just don't have space for all of this mail.”
Another employee verified the concerns about mail sitting for too long at the facility and issues of cluttered workspace. 11Alive reached out to USPS for a response to such concern but has not yet received a reply; the postal service has previously maintained that operations are improving at the facility.
Meanwhile, the challenges in Atlanta are not unique. A report released late Monday by the USPS Office of Inspector General marks the first evaluation of the agency's rollout of these new facilities. The report examines operations at Richmond's RP&DC, which was the first in the country to open and began operations last year.
"While the Postal Service had successes when implementing its first RP&DC, it also faced serious challenges," inspectors wrote. Such challenges led to "additional labor and transportation costs, and it is uncertain if expected savings will be achieved,'" the report reads.
The obstacles notably "contributed to a significant decrease in service performance for the Richmond region that continued four months after launch."
USPS management issued a response to the findings, agreeing overall with the audit's recommendations while also writing in part, "We aim to minimize any service disruptions that may occur to the extent possible and to recover as quickly as possible when they do arise."
The Office of Inspector General launched a similar audit in Palmetto on March 11, yet those findings will not be released until August 2024. In the interim, details about what's causing the problems in metro Atlanta are scarce. Some post office locations continue to post signs in an effort to warn customers of delays.
To date, USPS has not responded to 11Alive's questions about when interruptions could be resolved, and while some customers report that some missing packages are starting to land, others confirm they're unable to track their mail in the system. Many are also stuck watching, as parcels bounce between facilities.
11Alive News is hearing from customers who are experiencing issues submitting a ‘missing mail search request.’ We’re aware of these problems and requested more information from USPS on next steps.
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.