Many students complain about having problems with receiving their mail, but who is to blame? People on campus are quick to point fingers at the mailroom, but are they right?
There are many outside problems that can occur in the delivery route of any package or piece of mail. Think of the methods of mailing that one could use- the United States Post Office, UPS, or FedEx. Many small complications can occur with companies so large, including incorrect postage, loss of packages, or just delivery to the wrong addresses.
The mailroom’s own Katelyn Legare said, “FedEx and UPS and the mail van have trouble getting into the loading dock sometimes to bring the mail into the HUB. For us, every minute between nine and noon counts to make sure everyone gets their packages on time. The mail room staff isn’t even that numerous, but we do our job well, and as precise as we can, but we are only human.”
Another issue to take into consideration is that of eBay shopping. Many students blame the mailroom for losing a package or not getting it in time because they got an e-mail saying their package was sent, but how can they be sure?
There have been cases where some packages have just not even been mailed out at all. Matt Morenz, 20, said, “One time I ordered gauges for my ears online and I was supposed to get them in two business days. Two months later I was still fighting with the company I went through on eBay and still have not gotten them or a refund.”
Situations like Morenz’s have also affected other New Hampshire campuses. Jenelle Daniels, a student at the University of New Hampshire, said, “I’ve have many incidents with eBay with not getting packages. I’ve gotten in fights with the kids in our mailroom over it, then realized that it wasn’t their fault. Another time my mom addressed my package wrong and it was sent to someone else’s box and I didn’t get it for a long time.”
Legare, who has worked at the mailroom for a year said, “The campus is really big and a majority of the students get packages every day. Sometimes our bins are filled with a ton of packages that we have to sort through and then we have to e-mail each and every student a notice to come get them. Sometimes names aren’t even put on packages, just a random address. When we get those we have to send the package back to the forwarding address which takes a few extra days, too.”
So what can students do to help their hard-working mailroom employees? First, they can start by making sure that if they are receiving a package that the address is correct. Also, keep on top of eBay, UPS, and FedEx shipping because they do give tracking numbers for their packages.
So give the handy mailroom workers the benefit of the doubt and do some research before tossing an ID in their faces and blaming them for missing packages.