OAK CREEK, Wis. — With just days until Christmas, a postal issue is leaving some worried if their packages will arrive in time.
Since we first reported on the latest package delays at the United States Postal Service's Oak Creek facility, TMJ4 News has heard from dozens of people.
Republican U.S. Representative Bryan Steil sent a letter to the postmaster general on Friday requesting a review and resolution to the issues at the Oak Creek location.
"Originally, a lot of this was excused through COVID. There’s some rational reasons for that. Then they brought online some new equipment. We were hoping that was going to alleviate the problem. We what we’ve seen this Christmas season is at the problems persist and so I’ve asked the postmaster general to come back to me with answers as to how we can solve this," Rep. Steil said.
Chris Arzberger, manager at Elevated Hemp Solutions, said they filled hundreds of orders for their Black Friday sale, but a few days after they shipped, customers who were used to quick deliveries started calling. Arzberger discovered 130 packages were in limbo
"They just kind of stopped in Oak Creek for about 5 to 6 days," Arzberger explained. "In the back of your mind, you start thinking, 'Oh geez what if I have to re-ship or resend 130 packages out?' For a small company that would be pretty painful to do something like that."
Arzberger said he followed up with USPS often and that the Muskego office was responsive, but it was out of his hands. Arzberger said typically their items are delivered fairly quickly.
"I was tracking them every day to see where they ended up. I followed them all the way to the end. Each package I followed all the way to the end and the last one was delivered yesterday in Texas," Arzberger said on Friday.
Dozens of people tell TMJ4 News that tracking data shows their packages have been sitting at the same Oak Creek site for several days, some since late November.
The facility is fairly new and equipped with updated machines aimed at helping avoid major backlogs like those experienced during the pandemic.
The president of the American Postal Workers Union Milwaukee Area Local 3 said workers report there is not enough staff to handle the workload and complications with the new machines.
"We want to look to make sure we have the right staffing levels. Is the equipment operating correctly? Because we have to at the end of the day make sure that he was postal service is delivering packages in a timely manner," Rep. Steil said.
A spokesperson for the USPS TMJ4's request for an interview. They say local leadership is aware of customer concerns and monitoring the situation to ensure timely delivery.
USPS encouraged customers to reach out to their local postal station for any issues. You can also use their website usps.comand click on "Contact us" at the bottom of the homepage.
A spokesperson said, "Every email will be carefully documented, and appropriate action taken to strengthen service."
The official X account, formerly known as Twitter," of the USPS is also a resource. Their handle is @USPSHelp.
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