Letter to the editor: Chelan Post Office in need of dependable workers

I have lived in the Lake Chelan Valley for 41 years, and by-and-large I have been satisfied with our local USPS service (junk mail notwithstanding), until November 2022.  As I have done numerous times in past years, on October 31 I dutifully filled out and turned in a yellow “Hold Mail” card for the period of November 2 – 14, checking the option of visiting the Chelan Post Office on November 15 to pick up my held mail upon my return from vacation.
Just prior to picking up my held mail on November 15, I received a phone call from the City of Chelan, asking if I had moved because their monthly billing envelope had been returned to them as “Not Deliverable”.  No, I had not moved.  I went straight to the City of Chelan office, picked up the returned envelope, and marched across the street to ask the post office why the envelope had been stamped “Not Deliverable”.  The postal clerk, apparently having received similar complaints recently, apologized and asked what I could do to help her find new postal recruits who would be honest, competent, and dependable.  Hence, the purpose of this letter to the editor.
When I next picked up my “held” mail, it was no more than 25% of the usual volume of mail that I had expected.  Nor did it include held copies of the Lake Chelan Mirror and TIME Magazine.  What other mail was missing, I wondered?
Well, on November 23 I received an email from my insurance agent in Wenatchee, asking why the billing for my next six months of automobile insurance had been returned to the insurance company stamped “Not Deliverable”.  I immediately mailed in a check to cover the auto insurance premium, hoping it would arrive in Seattle by the deadline.  Then on November 25 I revisited the post office to show them this second “Not Deliverable” envelope.  No one in the office could, or would, explain what happened.
My guess is that the mail carrier to my street address was not made aware of my “Hold Mail” request, and continued delivering mail beginning November 2 until he/she noticed that I wasn’t picking up the mail, then he/she began to retrieve the mail from my street box to bring it back to the post office and have them stamped “Not Deliverable”.
Postal customers, please be aware that this can also happen to you.  So do your best to help the postmaster find competent people to hire.  Good luck.

Thanks,
Stephen Easley
Chelan