Call Kurtis: Why Can't I Move My Mailbox?
Physical disabilities kept a West Sacramento woman from getting her own mail. She says she couldn't safely get to her mailbox at the edge of her property. When the postmaster didn't seem willing to help, it was time to call Kurtis.
We first met Rose Webb in November. Her request was a simple one: to move her mailbox from her front fence to her porch.
"It's really nice to be able to step outside and get the mail," Rose says.
Now having her mail just outside her front door is a small luxury that makes a big difference for her.
"I have to use the walker and I'm not getting around too good."
When we met her last year she told us getting the mail was treacherous, even dangerous. She once fell on her way to the mailbox, which was down a series of concrete steps and attached to her fence.
"I couldn't get up. I tried to help myself up by the fence, only I broke these two fingers," she recalls.
The Post Office made Rose move the box from her house to her front fence in 2006, after her dog, Sampson bit the mailman. Sampson has been dead for a few years. And with Rose suffering from back, hip and ankle issues, she asked to move her mailbox back.
"That's all I want is to just have my mail brought up, like most all the other houses do," says Rose.
But she says the Post Office denied her request. Then we contacted the USPS. Within days we were told all Rose had to do was get a note from her doctor, proving her disabilities, and she was free to move her box back.
"My grandson moved the mailbox and I believe the next day they were delivering the mail up to the mailbox," says Rose, "I really appreciate having the mailbox back up here."
We never heard why Rose was denied the first time she asked to move her mailbox back to her house.
Other people who have a hard time getting to their mailbox can send a letter to their postmaster, along with a statement from their doctor stating the hardship, and the USPS will determine whether they can move the mailbox.
