ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — David Thornhill had asked Canada Post to fix a broken community mailbox since Feb. 21, and said the Crown agency kept promising, but wasn’t delivering.
Friday night after The Telegram asked Canada Post about the long delay, the west Empire Avenue box was finallly fixed.
Prior to that, Thornhill refused to continue going to the main post office on Kenmount Road to get his mail, a process he said took days, as he had to call the 1-800 number, which then instructed Kenmount Road post office staff to bundle his mail for him to pick up. (He had picked up his mail there on one occasion earlier this month.)
“It’s not my job,” said Thornhill, insisting if Canada Post wasn't going to fix a box, it should deliver to the homes affected.
The box had a large dent in the side.
The mailbox has several units in it, affecting a number of homes.
When Thornhill first saw that the mailboxes were open Feb. 21, he thought someone had broken into it, and he tried to report it to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. He said the police told him that he couldn’t file a report because it wasn't his property — even though the mail would be his.
He was relieved when a postal worker told him it wasn’t a break-in, but the box was jammed and she couldn’t lock it, and it had been reported to her superiors, as mail can’t be put in a box if it can't be locked.
Thornhill called numerous times, but when his neighbours called, they were told it was the first call Canada Post had received about it, he said Friday.
“I feel that the 1-800 number should not exist. You are given a ticket number, they phone the post office and pass on the information, then close out the ticket number,” he said.
“No one is communicating with anyone. I am blown away by it all.”
He said at the very least, Canada Post should have put a notice on the box to let residents know it was broken, not the target of theft, as it’s the time of year for things like tax-time T-4s and potentially other sensitive documents.
He said residents should have received official notices as well.
“It’s frustrating,” Thornhill said Friday.
“They said they would fix it in two or three days. That was three weeks ago."
Canada Post spokeswoman Nicole Lecompte confirmed the community mailbox was damaged accidentally, and was not vandalized.
She also said via email an immediate work order was issued Friday.
Prior to repairs, it was necessary to temporarily interrupt delivery to this community mailbox for the safety of customers, delivery agents and the mail, Lecompte stated.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” Lecompte said.
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