UWS Post Office Employees Drive Customers to Tears

Background image: the post office on 68th and Columbus Ave (Google Maps). Inset: a stock image of a person crying.

A Nextdoor user recently logged onto the neighborhood platform to vent about the not-too-sunny dispositions of some of the people who work at the post office on 68th and Columbus.

On one occasion, she "was trying to get a new passport, and brought in all of the correct documents. The post office worker insisted I needed more papers, and was very insulting about it (even insulting me to other postal workers while I was standing there). I insisted they send in my paperwork anyway. The worker's response was ‘fine, you’re just wasting both our time though.'"

While she was eventually mailed her passport, it wasn't until after the floodgates had opened.

"I’m from California, so maybe I need to toughen up against the rudeness of New Yorkers," the user added at the end of her post, almost losing the sympathy she’d spent at least several minutes working towards.

But support was substantial. "It's not just you," replied a person who's also not a fan of this post office. "There is one guy there that yells at me every time I’m there, even once when I wasn't even at his counter and someone else was helping me. I told him to shut up and nobody was even talking to him. He just likes yelling at me lol."

And it's not just her who's been reduced to a quivering wreck after a visit. "OMG!!! They made me cry there as well!!!!" said someone who cried there.

But there seems to be a consensus that they’re not all bad.

"About two months ago, I went to pick up a package at the same post office. The woman who helped me was really great and kind," said the original poster.

Several commenters vouched for the characters of some of the 68th Street staffers, while others said the 83rd and 104th Street locations are far worse.

"The post office has its nice and not so nice employees. I’ve noticed they frown on the following: 1- Untaped packages (bring your own tape). 2) Customers who get to the counter and have no idea what they want (while waiting on line decide what size box you may need or when you want your item to arrive at its destination). 3) Customers whose letter or package requires a slip/form and expect them to fill it out for you. (Complete your own forms). I’m certain there are much more. What I’m trying to say is try to be positive and prepared. Sorry you were treated so poorly. It's true that one has to be tough to live in NYC but this city has many nice people and employees."

Have you ever cried at the post office?

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Mike is a native Upper West Sider. He's lived in the Lincoln Center area, Morningside Heights, and pretty much everywhere in between. You can frequently find him eating through the many great restaurants of the Upper West Side or awkwardly taking photos with his iPhone. Following his success of turning iLovetheUpperWestSide.com into a household name, he decided to expand his digital empire by launching EastSideFeed.com.

I am a 90 year old UWS resident who has lived in the same building for almost 66 years. On Tuesday, I went to the west 104th street post office to mail merchandise which I had not packaged. The clerk was extremely helpful by selling me the proper sized carton, properly sealing the package and getting it to its destination. I regret not getting her name so that I could properly commend her.

I have had very good experiences at the 104th St Post Office. The female employees are very accommodating. The man, Israel, is just the most helpful and knowledgeable man. He always remembers me and I always thank him for his gracious help.

I had to wake up Israel from his nap to help me. He then said that he couldn't find my package. Another employee looked for it and then promptly found it. Israel is a bum.

What a dweeb for crying at the post office.

What a DWEEB for calling her a DWEEB.

Agree! No reason for cruelty

Dweeb? Shouldn't you be in school?

Going to the post office on 83rd and 95th is terrifying. I always come prepared with everything needed and labels filled out etc, but they always make me feel like I’m the worst person in the world and I have now stopped sending any holiday gifts or birthday gifts back to my home country. The only time I go now is for passports.

How many passports do you own?

I have literally filed complaints with the USPS about one of their workers, she was so rude. They said her union rep spoke to her. Yeah right. That location is the worst.

little tip about the post office. the best time to go is just before closing because they all want to leave on time. you have never seen government employees work faster in your life!

If you are dropping off a box and it has prior shipping labels on it they will give you a hard time! Peel the label off or Sharpie it.

I have had very good experiences every single time that I’ve gone to the 68th and Columbus Post Office. I will admit that this has not been the case at 104th and I avoid it at all costs.

I lived in the neighborhood near the 68th street post office; when I subsequently moved to the neighborhood near the 83rd street post office, the difference in the attitude of the workers was a definite improvement from 68th street.

I moved back to the UWS a year ago, and around that time I went to that particular branch for the first time. A very polite, elderly woman was yelled at by one of the clerks for addressing her as Ma’am, and directed one of the loudest, inappropriate fits at her that I have ever witnessed. That said, the Patchin Place branch is on the same par. Those clerks act as though they are running a reform school. I do not understand where these entitled, bad behaviors come from.

Both 112th street and 104th street are the absolute worst. Bitter, angry and stupid clerks who would rather gab about baby mama drama in they hood than than do their jobs. What do you expect when you give 8th grade dropouts iron-clad union jobs? I avoid any window/counter interactions at all costs.

BITTER MUCH! You are being very disrespectful. SMH.

Truth hurts doesn't it?

High School drop out, no college, and yet, $74,000 a year for counter service.

I doubt it. But, why are you so upset about someone else earning a living wage? Do you personally benefit from low wage workers in crappy jobs or does it hurt your bloated sense of privilege?

It could be your privileged, racist attitude that is the problem.

The Ansonia Station is my post office.

Basically never had any trouble from staff there. Lived here 30 years, renewed passports, shipped stuff, sent registered mail, etc.

The clerks at the post office have to deal with some pretty wacky people. I can imagine that builds their frustration over time. Though I’ve always had pretty good experiences with everyone at the 68th & Columbus.

68th street is the worst. They make huge mistakes (as in losing weeks worth of mail) and don't own up to it and cop an attitude when you ask for your lost mail. Reporting it does nothing, the supervisors lie. Claim "who me?" To their huge mistakes. I had mail held and they lost it all, I had my usps confirmation and the supervisor with tude had the gal to say "hey if they don't send me the hold, what am I supposed to do about it?" No apologies for losing all my mail, not even faking an attempt to fix it. She said she’d call me back and didn't. When I went to the person who handles usps twitter help feed, they talked to her and she flat out lied to them. And so they report the lie back to me as fact. (My mail was never found, none of it). Then when I had my mail transferred to a new P.O. Box, they didn't put my name in the box so they returned all of my mail to wherever it came from. This all happened within a period of 4 weeks. I don't blame customers for getting annoyed with them! They’re terrible at their jobs.

I am sad to say that I dread going to the 68th Street Post Office. No matter how prepared I am, I generally have a terrible customer experience. I have not been driven to tears, but it is never a good customer experience.

There is one clerk at w 104th who I’ve had negative experiences with. She will bang on the window to get your attention if she thinks you aren't answering her question quickly enough. She did this to me once when I was using her credit card machine while she was asking me something. And she did it to my octogenarian mother once when I wasn't there. I went back to lodge a complaint because my mom was so shaken up

I thought u was the only one having these feelings. I had multiple occasions but at a different location on 181 and wadsworth ave usps. When I tell you every single employee is rude, there is a black lady who got mad at me bc I didn't pick out the right form to send overseas and I asked her which one would apply bc I didn't want to make a mistake when she started telling me "let me ask you what u we’re doing in line this whole time" meanwhile I had three of my girls who were all 7 years old and below. As if I had a great time with three young ones?!?!? Waiting o line for 25 mins. I got so mad I told her I don't like doing this in front of my girls but who the hell do you think you are, asking me that idiotic question, your job is to assist me and I don't want to be here a minute longer then what is required. I was so pissed off that I waited to see a manager and no one came out. Then I had people who watched what happened and told me their experiences with her and the other tellers I did not stay quick I filed a complaint and reached someone on the phone to express what happen and told them check out the cameras. Please don't stay quite, complain and let them hear an earful.

Who wrote this??

I’ve found the staff at the 68th Street Post Office really nice–helpful and positive. I’ve never had a negative experience there.

George,

I agree, and I’ve been using it as my post office for 30 years.

Yes! And I’m Always Prepared. I learned that lesson a long time ago. I’ve been brutally assaulted verbally by a woman at 104th street. I was having a good day, being polite, and walked home sobbing. (And I’m relatively tough skinned). While she was launching her verbal assault on me as a person, the other staff just stood by and watched. This shouldn't be okay.

Sally Dorst I’e been using the Ansonia post office for 50 years–first when it was on Broadway and now on Columbus. I have never had a bad experience and I typically mail things at least once a week if not more frequently. I don't think I can chalk my experiences up to luck. I have never been in that post office when I observed a postal employee acting rudely. I have had unpleasant postal experiences at the one on 60th or 61st–near Columbus Circle. I’ve had more unpleasant experiences at assorted Chase Bank locations than the post office.

There is no excuse for insulting people. I was a public employee for 25 years. You don't have to be cheery, but you have to be respectful. That employee warrants a severe dressing-down from his boss.

Yea but the problem is his boss is probably an even bigger prick who used to have that employees job and got promoted several times BECAUSE he's such a prick. The prick cycle continues.

I used the West 83rd Street branch during the 40+ years I lived on W. 82nd Street. Nightmare every time I did any kind of business at that branch. The rudeness and unkindness was the worst I’d ever experienced in NYC. And apparently, it continues. Complaints don't work. It truly is a disgrace and a nightmare for anyone who needs to use the post office.

I agree with your assessment of the 83rd St. office. I avoid this one at all costs — the rudeness in response to a simple question is astonishing. Just waiting on line there brings me back to my early years in the Catholic Church, waiting to go to the confessional booth : I felt guilty of great sins before I even met the priest. There's a culture there that breeds bullying and contempt for the customers. And I apologize to any worker at that branch who is the exception to the rule.

Respect in customer service should be mutual. I have had negative customer service experiences and voiced my opinion immediately after they occurred. Now an adult crying at the post office because someone was rude sounds more of a personal conflict. ?

Just as bad here in Philadelphia.

104th Street post office is always a negative experience, the workers r Vy rude and act as if they’re doing you a favor by doing their job

I have the same experience with the man work there , I went to pick up packages and he insulted me so bad , was 8:00 the package was there and he did not want to look for it, really don't want to do any business there .

The 68th Street post office is horrible. The manager canceled my passport appointment 45 minutes before my time and then was beyond rude to me and said he sent an email…10 minutes before my allotted time. That is not okay. I handed one of their customer service representatives my change of address form only to find out FOUR MONTHS later it was never processed. My old post office was 83rd Street. I will happily go there any time I need anything. Shawna (sp?) was super helpful with my passport application, and she is the person who told me my change of address wasn't processed. I have never had any issue with 83rd Street. Kudos to them for being easy to work with.

There are days when it's a blissful experience: Entre, leave with no drama. But there are also days where I think there's gotta be something better than THIS. If I’m not being berated (104 location) by someone-I hear it from behind the plastic going medieval on someone else. This is a service business. We need help. I don't need the attitude or the rudeness for a stamp. This is a huge reason why I will go with an online service because I don't need the stress. I’m sorry for anyone who's the target of this nastiness. It doesn't have to be this way.

Le sigh. I wish I had something constructive to add. I’m sorry this happened.

I had a really similar experience at the 93 & Columbus branch in January. During the process, I asked the clerk to stamp my package fragile, she said she did but I knew she didn't. Package arrived damaged and contents were destroyed. No fragile stamp. I thought it would be no big deal since I had purchased express overnight, which has insurance, They denied my claim even though I sent in the photos. They said I hadn't sent in. The whole system is sketchy.

Y’all think you’ve been to war? Y’all think you’ve been in the trenches????! Try going to the post office on 165th & Audobon in Washington Heights, then you’ll truly know what it's like to be in battle.

Some people may remember a time when postal workers – overworked, underpaid and often abused – shot and killed colleagues. It actually became a "thing" called "going postal." (I kid you not.) If what this woman describes is a regular occurrence, we may see customers "going postal" on postal employees. (Though obviously, I hope not.)

That said, other than often being ridiculously understaffed, the staff at the post office on 83rd street tends to be quite helpful, efficient, and even friendly most of the time.

I’ve never had negative experiences at Ansonia PO, I’m just lucky but I always found the staff there to be helpful and usually friendly – even patient when I ask them to show me all the stamps they have so I can select interesting stamps! (Yes I am that person!) I don't have experiences at any of the other UWS locations, but I’m disturbed to hear about others’ bad reports. In the past I did have negative experiences with one employee at the mini PO near my old office – not outright rude, but sullen and the absolute slowest person in the world, thus a long line waiting, which didn't seem to bother her! All that said, I know that I could never do a public facing job like they do. So maybe I just cut them more slack than other customers do.

Vee,

No, you’re not simply lucky. In 30 years of using Ansonia Station as my post office, I’ve basically never had a problem with workers there.

And in 58 years of dealing with the 83rd Street post office, I have had very, very few issues with them (other than sometimes annoyingly long wait times).

I think it must be either poor training, or if the training is adequate the supervisors/managers/trainers are not following up to see if the training is actually being practiced correctly. We see this in retail stores all of the time, no one is correcting the poor behavior.

83rd St is the worst–I will go out of my way to avoid it. Until recently, I had never felt any attitude from the people at 94th and Columbus, but it seems some of them have also succumbed.

Wow. And I thought that my local P.O, was the worst! The horror stories here sound like one very evil clerk in particular at 94th/Columbus. And there is no accountability, no way to lodge a complaint. No oversight so something other than cream rises to the top, it seems.

I checked out the other forum mentioned in the article. It's really surprising how common it is that UWS residents are crying at the hands of the Post Office, multiple people! Some of ya really need to grow up. It's not that serious.

Same here, 90% are very rude and not helpful. Not all, but the majority appear to wish they were somewhere else, especially the guy who patrols the lobby.

The only good part about going to the 68th street post office is that I can buy some nice fruits and vegetables from the seller outside.

Bingo!

Be careful, or they might go POSTAL on you!

There is no reason not to be rude to customers if people feel like doing it in the moment. This is the sad state of government work. Maybe if we bring back public shaming – think the rack and pelted tomatoes – things will improve.

I live out of the country but when I was back in NY recently I was forced to go to the 68th/Columbus PO and was absolutely appalled. It was on a Friday at noon and there two counters open but one of these was only working on passport applications. There was one other employ who was shuffling around, in theory "helping" people use the self-service machines. When I finally got to my turn, I asked the PO worker why there were so few PO workers. She shrugged and said several people had called in sick, which she said was a regular occurrence on Mondays and Fridays. As bad as the service was the fact that the facility was just plain dirty (as is the PO on 104th St). Don't bother writing letters… they will do no good. Two negative forces at work here; the Postal Office Union and Louis DeJoy, the Postmaster General. He destroyed many sorting machines in his effort to drive the postal service to privatize (he would be a winner in this). I’m a supporter of unions but the Postal Workers Union is an example of one that has run amok – no accountability. Gee, sounds like the Teacher's Union. If you are older and can't stand for too long, bring a portable seat.

Now the flip side. I am now retired from the Post office now for 2 yrs. I spent 25 of my 27 yrs waiting on customers. There are nice customers and rude one. I had one customer talking to me like I was a slave to him. I was trying so hard to help him. Finally I said please stop talking to me that way or I will leave the counter and no one will help you. As a Govt. Employee people always think it's there tax dollars that fund us wrong. They also think as a govt. Employee we are spoiled and have it way better than them. Let me say walk a day as a postal clerk and I guarantee after a day your body will be worn out. All people see are carriers and clerks in retail the glitz and glamour. We also as a clerk have more than one job like just waiting on customers. The days are long and you get very little appreciation from management. Heck I’m a veteran and on Veterans day they would give out certificates of appreciation. One office I worked in for 5 yrs forgot to give me my certificate all of the 5 yrs So next time you see a postal carrier thank then they may save your life. They come thru your neighborhood everyday. They will notice if you need help.

P.S. Don't let one or two bad experiences speak for the rest of the employees.

I completely understand your point of view. In any cusstomer service role, one will find customers who are real jerks. Some are just having a bad day and others are like that all the time. While I’m sure that you were dedicated to your role, it has been my experience that in NYC Post offices, it is rare to find an employee who understands customer service. That seems to be the consensus of other people leaving comments. It shouldn't be a rare occasion to find a helpful staff member. Rather, it should be a rare occasion to encounter a rude one.

As a former Postal employee. I must say that internal chatter at the Post Office after the shooting at the Royal Oak My. post office was oh "Oh things are gonna change with management we will get rid of the then called good old boys network. Sad to say it never changed they still have very angry employees. The work ethic starts from the top and I mean the Postmaster General. For my 27 yrs we were short staffed. If management cared more about the employees than the politics more would be accomplished. Bottom line most employees are treated wrong by management. The sign of a good employees at the Post Office is having good attendance. All you have to do is show up because when you do it keeps the supervisor of a bad list. It goes on and on. So please be kind to your Postal employee there still under super stress buy being overworked.

That post office, the Ansonia post office, is an excellent one. The postal employees do their job, it's a nice space for the customers who have to wait in line which they do. I don't know what the background story is of the woman who is crying but that is the opposite of my experience and many others too.

I have been mailing packages at the Ansonia PO since it moved to the location, at least 1000 times. I’ve seen very rude customers ( I’m omitting the obviously insane,), I’ve seen customers get offended for no good reason, I’ve seen customers get offended because they don't understand speech patterns of other class groups. Most of the employees are cool and I’ll stay calm with those are not – and yeah, several are serial jerks. But, I just want to get my stuff out and to the depot, and I try not to care about anything else. Bearing that in mind, note I had a registered mail restricted delivery parcel simply dropped in the lobby (with my signature forged on the device) at the correct street number building but at the WRONG Avenue and in a DIFFERENT adjacent zip code. That's a firing offense at USSPS, first time, no second chances., or supposed to be. So, my doorman clued me in to where it probably was, and I went to fetch it, and that doorman gave me a bucket of mis-delivered mail to bring back to my building. So, I spoke to the carrier supervisor. G ess what- 2 weeks later happened again w Express Mail. This time a retired D.A. now an insurance investigator, I know called in the Postal Police because that type of behavior – having lots of packages go missing- is often a cover for planned theft. Guess what? That incompetent supervisor is still at Ansonia (though I don't about the lazy (or thieving) delivery driver, she should have been canned. Moral of the story- you can't change anything at all there, just go with the flow if you can. UPS is even worse the USPS if things go missing, BTW.

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