HOUSTON — People are fed up with damaged mailboxes in a southeast Houston neighborhood and Grace White got an email requesting help.
“You can get into all of them without opening each door individually," Jaime Blancas said while pointing to the mailboxes on Prairie Brook Court. “These are thieves. They are stealing stuff.”
Another neighbor sent pictures of the two damaged mailboxes, and when we went out to the Clear Lake subdivision of Bay Knoll, they were on the ground.
“A couple of months ago, they had broken into this one and then slowly they’ve been breaking into the ones over there," Blancas said.
KHOU reached out to the postal service. A spokeswoman said the HOA is who’s responsible for fixing what’s called a “cluster box unit.” She released this statement:
"The Postal Service remains committed to providing world-class postal services to the American public. Safeguarding the security and sanctity of the mail is of paramount importance. This includes ensuring mail receptacles are secured, safe, and in good condition at all times. Appropriate mail receptacles must be provided for the receipt of mail, including in locations with approved centralized delivery, which utilize Cluster Box Units (CBU). Postal Service guidelines specify that the purchase, installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of mail receptacles are the responsibility of either the customer or HOA, if one exists.
"The Postal Service will only provide mail delivery services to postal-approved receptacles for the approved, established mode of delivery, including to existing CBU equipment. In this instance, local postal officials are aware and are working with the HOA. We will continue working with them, providing contact information for approved vendors available to assist with their purchase and installation of new CBU equipment. In the interim, customers may continue to temporarily pick up their mail at the Albert Thomas Post Office located at 14917 El Camino Real, Houston, TX, 77062, Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., closed Saturday and Sundays.
"We appreciate the opportunity to continue working with our customers and providing prompt, efficient mail delivery services. Customers are reminded that, if they need assistance with mailing or shipping concerns, there are a variety of options for contacting the Postal Service, including their local Post Office by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) or visiting our website at www.usps.com/help. In addition, if anyone sees something suspicious near a mailbox or sees someone stealing mail, they should call the police immediately and then report it to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455. Anyone who has any knowledge of the possible perpetrator of this particular incident should also call our 877 number to report it."
KHOU also reached out to the Pineloch Community Association, but they declined to comment. While residents like Blancas wait for the boxes to be fixed, they wonder what their neighbors might be missing.
“People depend on medicine and all that kind of stuff, it’s bad," he said while telling KHOU, he hopes the mailboxes are fixed soon.
If a customer believes their mail has been stolen, they should file a report with local police and the USPIS by calling our hotline at (877) 876-2455 or visiting our website at www.uspis.gov/report.
If you have a problem, call Grace Can Help at 713-521-HELP or email GraceCanHelp@KHOU.com.