DELMARVA - The gift-giving season is behind us, but people on Delmarva are still seeing serious delays with the US Postal Service. The last thing people want is a late fee on a bill they already paid.
USPS said in a statement to WBOC the delays come from COVID-19 policies that were implemented to keep employees and communities safe.
People on Delmarva are frustrated with delays on important documents like bill payments, and for many people, switching from mailed checks to online payments is not as easy as it seems.
Casimer Barcz from Milford always paid his bills through the mail.
He said the delays are getting ridiculous.
"They're not getting to the company that we mail them to in time," he said, "Actually, we sent a bill in on December 28 to our Verizon phone company, and they still have not received the check."
Switching to electronic payments seems like the only option to Barcz.
"We're starting to pay our bills by electronic fund transfer, because I can't have this. We're never late with our bills and according to what's happening now with the postal system, I have no faith in them anymore," he said.
Some utility companies on Delmarva like Tidewater Utilities are working with their customers to waive late fees and keep the water running if payments are delayed.
Jay Kalish from Millsboro is thankful for that.
He said, "Some of the bills have been late, but a lot of the companies understand and they give you grace periods, they know what's been going on."
But when an important package needs to be delivered, Kalish says the cost is adding up.
He said, "I just mailed something from here to Florida, and I said so what's the quickest way to get there, and she says I can only guarantee overnight, everything else I don't know. So a letter that would've cost six dollars was $27"
USPS says they acknowledge the delays are frustrating, but they are confident things will straighten out now that we are through the holidays.
