Washington County Residents Discouraged About USPS Delivery Delays And Price Increases
WASHINGTON COUNTY (KDKA) -- Jo Gory lives in Eighty Four.
She said living in a rural part of Washington County already has some challenges when it comes to mail delivery.
"There are so many elderly people in this vicinity where I live in. They depend on the post office," Gory said.
This makes the latest mail delivery changes more discouraging for Gory and her neighbors. Typically, it takes around one to three days for the United States Postal Service to deliver first-class mail, which can be anything from a bill, to tax documents, a card or a letter.
But this change could increase the delivery time to up to five days. The USPS said the change will impact mail that's traveling longer distances.
"A lot of my friends don't know how to use a computer. So if you don't have accessibility to online, you're depending on that bill coming in on time so that you can pay it on time," Gory said.
This is something some other people in Washington County said they can relate to.
"I still don't do any online banking yet and like to do a couple of my utility bills. I like to see them. I like to argue them if I think they're too high," said Bryan Trottier of East Washington.
If you still pay your bill the old-fashioned way and are worried about late fees, a spokesperson with Columbia Gas, which provides services to counties all over western Pennsylvania, offers this suggestion.
"It's best for customers to call into the customer service number if they have any concerns due to delays in mail, and we will work with customers on a case-by-case basis to determine the best way to handle their concerns," Columbia Gas spokesperson Lee Gierczynski said.
The USPS wants to stress to customers that most first-class mail won't be impacted, saying the standard for a single piece of first-class mail traveling within a local area will continue to be two days.
On top of delivery changes, the postal service says people can expect to see package prices go up temporarily for the fall and holiday seasons.
In addition to this, the USPS said it will be relying more on ground transportation to save money. It stresses these changes will boost delivery reliability, consistency and efficiency for everyone.