By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer
A 35-year resident of Lake Arrowhead is having problems at the post office and others she met at the post office, and those she’s discussed it with on Facebook, say she is not the only one.
Janel Rudd moved to Lake Arrowhead 35 years ago and, like any fulltime resident, was given a free post office box and number. That post office box number is how people and businesses have contacted her for 34 years, making it a part of her identity. She says her renewal month has always been February, which is when you prove your physical address and show your ID for the free box.
On Wednesday, Jan. 24, she went to the post office and got her mail just fine. She had previously filled out the slip and put her mail on hold, as she had been down the hill because of the winter weather. She had done that so her mailbox, where she receives her bills and other mail, would not be overfull while she was off the mountain. There was no notice to renew her box among the mail.
When she came to the post office two days later on Friday, Jan. 26, she discovered her key, the one her husband had always used to get the mail before he died, didn’t work. She’s been using his key for the four years since he passed and it reminds her of him every day when she uses it. She didn’t know why it wouldn’t work and stood in line to find out what was wrong.
When Rudd reached the counter, she was told her box was locked. She was quite surprised as this was the first time she’d ever been locked out. She had her gas bill in her purse with her physical address and she could prove she was a full-time resident, who was qualified for a free postal box.
It already was not a good day for her as no one had been able to contact her daughter, who lives in Cedar Glen, for several days, so it appeared she was missing, contributing to her stress levels. She had been on her way over there and had planned just a short stop at the post office on the way. She talked with neighbors and friends at the post office while in line to hear others were also having a similar problem and were locked out of their boxes and were unsure why.
Rudd asked to speak with the postmaster and was told it would be about 30 minutes, so she anxiously waited. She spoke with another man who was also concerned and was facing a similar problem and had been told he’d need to pay over $40 dollars to get his free box reopened, since they had already changed the lock and that was the cost for the new keys.
Finally, the Lake Arrowhead Postmaster Elizabeth Ivey came to the split door to speak with Rudd after 30 minutes. Rudd had her gas bill in hand to prove she was a local resident, saying, “I’ve had that box for over 34 years, why is it locked?” Ivey told her, “You haven’t picked up your mail in two years,” to which Janel said, “That’s not true.” Ivey began to close the door. “Why won’t you talk to me?” Rudd asked loudly as she tried to hold the door open. The postmaster reportedly yelled, “Call the sheriff,” and demanded that Rudd leave, which she did.
When Rudd returned on Saturday, she spoke with a female clerk whom she knows, who said she had been directed to call the sheriff if Rudd should return to the post office. How else am I supposed to get my mail, she thought, and gave them the form to hold her mail and left the post office.
Rudd later spoke with Deputy Tim Boylin from the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station with her complaint. She called the post office in San Bernardino to ask what to do and they directed her to contact the district postal supervisor in San Diego. Regina, the postal supervisor, explained if the locks had indeed been changed it would be $45 to get back her post box and number that she has been using for these three decades: $10 for each of the two keys and $25 for the lock change.
Rudd decided that, although it was unfair, she would pay the $45. She went back to the Lake Arrowhead post office on Feb. 15, to get her held mail and pay for the postal box.
However, she was now told it would be $216 and that much for every year hereafter as, apparently, her box had always been a Number 2 size box. It was the size and number they had assigned her all those decades ago, so now to get it back it would be a yearly charge of $216, which she believes is unfair. When she asked why after all these years, she was told, “that was my problem not theirs.”
“I didn’t choose a size when I got the postal box back then and they have remodeled the post office since then, too. I just took the box they assigned to me, so why now are they causing me so much stress and refusing to let me use my post office box?”
Ivey took Rudd’s phone number and has not called back. When asked why not, Ivey said she had written down the wrong phone number, but still has not called, despite since being given the correct number.
“My annual renewal date has always been in February, but I was locked out in January,” said Rudd, adding, “My neighbor also had a February renewal date and was locked out in January without notice. This is unreasonable, I am trying to be reasonable. I’ve had this box for almost 35 years and this is not right.”
On Facebook, Rudd has received much support, getting over 150 comments. Others have shared horror stories of conflicts when getting locked out of their boxes. Some said they have never been required to prove identity, although they’ve lived here for decades, and can’t understand why Rudd is being picked upon.
Gina Jensen posted, “This just happened to me. I was told they are short staffed and do not have enough people to send out the warnings or renewals notices. I filed a formal complaint. I have had my post office box for 25 years and have been up here for 43. This has gotten out of hand. They had already changed the lock so I had to pay $10 for new keys. They are not supposed to charge you for your post office box because they do not deliver to houses up here.”
Another said they had been required to prove twice, in a six-month period, they lived up here, and another who was also locked out said it was before their renewal date and had to pay the re-key fee; both of these events shared were at the Lake Arrowhead post office.
Jeanne Ramos posted a comment relating her experience last September: “Our renewal at the Lake Arrowhead post office is not due until January of every year since we got ours in 2003. They locked us out of our box in September and forced us to pay $45 for new keys. THEN, they told us we will have to pay $210 a year for our mailbox because it is not a free one! The post office gave us this box when we moved here in 1/03. We are not paying extra for that box and told them so. All of a sudden, she said it came up that we don’t owe anything.”
Lake Arrowhead’s previous postmaster was on sick leave for a long time before he retired, and substitute postmasters filled in for him for over a year, possibly setting back some of the regular activities of the post office, and the office may be trying to catch up. But is that a reason to be rude to the regular customers, ask those on Facebook. Those who live on the mountain have no other choices than the post office to receive mail and depend on it to get their bills and correspondence. A shut-off of service without warning seems unreasonable to the Facebook commenters.
Randy Pattison also posted: “Mine was locked as well as three others while I was there. All of us have had our boxes for over 30 years so we know the process. Charged us $10 for keys and said our boxes would be available the next day.”
Rudd has since called Ivey and Regina, again, but has not heard back as of press time. Down the hill the rental of postal boxes makes money for the post offices but, on the mountain, where door-to-door mail delivery is not offered, each address is offered a post box without charge as this saves the post office money, to not do delivery, although those businesses who need larger boxes do get charged a small yearly fee.
The mountain post offices serve between hundreds to several thousands of post boxes in each office, which is more than most other Southern California post offices do, even in large cities, plus window service and parcel pick up. The mountain post offices are busy and most are understaffed. Down the hill, each post office may serve between several hundred to 1,500 boxes per office and have fewer window encounters. The mountain post offices postal boxes are comparatively much busier per population than those down the hill offices.
Jim Stone reported that “this just happened to us. I asked why I didn’t get a notice in my box as they did before. They told me there is only a 50/50 chance for getting a notice. Seems it would take a lot less time and effort to put a notice in your box than replacing the lock.”
Rudd is hopeful this situation can be resolved quickly as the weather is impacting the timeline on this confusion and she just wants her post office box and number back in a reasonable time period. She has agreed, and told Supervisor Regina in San Diego, that although she thinks it is not correct, she is willing to pay the relock/re-key fee for her free box.
Rudd is still waiting for their response.
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