Peyton residents report not receiving mail and packages through the U.S. Postal Service

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. -- Residents of Peyton, a small rural community 25 miles northeast of Colorado Springs, are complaining about a lack of mail delivery by the U.S. Postal Service office there.

One resident posted a photo on Facebook, showing Amazon packages piled high in the post office's parking lot; she said that she was told the office is too busy to deliver the packages, and that she has too many to be delivered.

"It doesn't seem very secure to me," she said.

The woman also explained that she has to make a 40-minute round trip every two days to get her mail.

Another resident said that she has not received mail, including medication, because of the limited staff at the post office.

Kathleen Witt, who lives around ten miles from the post office, told a similar story.

"Today, my husband and I got our first mail in a week," she said. "I didn't get much of a response from the post office when I tried to call them. I couldn't get through. I got a voice message, then a quick busy signal. I considered not calling at first because I know they're busy. But a week without mail and no word? I got concerned. I still don't know how much mail we're still missing. We're waiting for medicine and packages, too."

Peyton resident Cecilia Norvell provided more insight into the matter.

"It really affects people who live outside the town limits and rely on deliveries," she explained. "People like me who live in town just pick up our mail at the post office. With as large of an area our post office has to cover, I can understand how there could be difficulties."

James Boxrud, a USPS spokesman in the agency's Denver office, confirmed the delivery delay and cited three factors: The current cold, snowy weather; a staff shortage at the Peyton post office; and a heavy volume of packages, particularly from Amazon.

"This is not an unusual occurrence as we normally receive larger package volumes during the holiday season," he explained. "We were able to shift employees to the city from nearby post offices to assist in delivery."

Boxrud said that he hopes the Peyton post office will catch up and finish deliveries by the end of Saturday, Christmas Eve.

One Payton resident is upset by the criticism of the town's post office and said that residents should be more patient and understanding.

"Of course it's going to be busier before Christmas, of course the roads are going to be rough after the weather we're having," he said in a phone call to KRDO. "The postal staff is working hard and doing its best. All this criticism does is put more pressure on the staff, and that's not necessary."

He also advised anyone with mail and delivery concerns to avoid calling local post offices directly during the busy holiday season.

"Customers can call us at 1-800-ASK-USPS or go to our website usps.com and click on “Contact us” at the bottom of our homepage," he said. "Every concern will be carefully documented and appropriate action taken to strengthen service. In addition, the official Twitter account of the United States Postal Service, managed by our Social Media staff, can provide help. For customer service, please tweet @USPSHelp."

As for piles of packages in the parking lot, Boxrud said that's necessary for temporary processing because the post office building doesn't have enough room to store all packages during the day.

"We bring them in at night," he said. "No one's package is left unattended when it's outside."

Boxrud also asked that residents keep paths to mailboxes and doors clear of snow and ice, to make it easier for postal carriers to deliver mail and packages.

Finally, he emphasized the need to fill open positions at the Peyton post office, and at others in Colorado.

"We have numerous positions available in Peyton and we encourage all interested applicants to visit USPS.com/careers," he said. "These are great jobs that can quickly lead to career opportunities with full benefits, including paid annual and sick leave, holiday pay, health care, retirement, and other benefits."