ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: We solve San Francisco neighborhood's missing mail mystery

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Saturday, September 14, 2019
EXCLUSIVE: San Francisco neighborhood's missing mail mystery solved
ABC7 helps solve a mail mystery for a San Francisco neighborhood.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- When a San Francisco neighborhood's delivery dilemma reached a fever pitch, ABC7 News not only got answers straight form the United States Postal Service, but an apology and a call for help.

Never, in Otilia Mirambeaux's life has she been so excited...to see a mail carrier.

"I was overjoyed. It's here! It's parked! It's bringing mail! It's amazing!" She beamed while pointing to a photo of the mail truck on her phone.

Mirambeaux says she and her neighbors have suffered from spotty mail service for years...and in recent weeks, it reached a fever pitch.

"Recently, my neighbors and I didn't receive mail for three weeks!"

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Mirambeaux wasn't alone. Dozens of her neighbors shared the same outrage...fearing the city was undeserving their community.

She read some of her neighbor's comments from an online neighborhood message board.

"I am so down to protest, this is unacceptable!" wrote one neighbor. Another said "I'm terrified at what mail and bills were missing!"

So they banded together, calling on supervisors, the city, anybody to do something.

"It was countless visits to the post office and mailbox wondering what's going on," said Mirambeaux.

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After neighbor's requests fell on deaf ears, when ABC7 news got involved, messaging the USPS mail started showing up, and the postmaster called Mirambeaux personally to let her know service would resume.

Along with the mail, neighbors were also delivered some transparency.

"The challenge is really because of the high cost of living in that area, especially San Francisco," says Augie Ruiz, spokesperson for the Bay Area USPS.

"Thank you very much for reaching out to us so he can look into it," he continued.

With many carriers preparing to retire-the need for longtime career carriers is severe.

"I think the whole city needs at least 200 carriers on the street now...in the Bay Area, we're probably needing right now at least 600 new employees," Ruiz added.

Other neighbors told us they are still waiting for their missing mail...but are happy it's at least coming. Mirambeaux just wants to make sure this isn't a temporary fix.

This is a promise not only from me, but from us and the city postmaster himself. We're going to take care of this and our customers are too important to us," Ruiz added.

Information on a series of new recruiting events in the city can be found here.