Summit County residents shared what solutions and work-arounds they have found to get mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service and UPS after contract changes, including UPS Surepost
Colorado mountain residents are reporting that the end of a contract between the U.S. Postal Service and UPS has led to many packages being returned to sender and continued confusion about how to get packages delivered.
The U.S. Postal Service's contract with UPS SurePost -- the company's economy shipping option -- ended at the beginning of January. Summit County residents soon learned, usually because their packages failed to arrive, that the change meant UPS would no longer deliver to P.O. boxes at U.S. post offices.
This has created a dilemma for many Summit County residents, since the U.S. Postal Service won't deliver packages to most physical addresses. Yet, when shopping online, residents say it's not easy to tell whether a vendor is sending a package via the U.S. Postal Service, UPS or another delivery company.
"We're still trying to figure out what's the best way to get items shipped to us," Frisco resident Patti Plummer (Spell) said. "It's very time consuming. You can be on hold for a while. Because we don't have mailboxes here, USPS cannot deliver here -- but UPS will deliver here, and USPS will only deliver to the P.O. box."
Under the now-expired contract, UPS was previously able to drop off packages at U.S. Post Offices -- like those in Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne and Dillon -- for "last-mile delivery," where residents with P.O. boxes could pick them up.
But since the contract ended, nearly a dozen Summit County residents have reached out to Summit Daily °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ detailing packages that were returned to sender and confusion about how to get parcels delivered in the mountains.
Breckenridge resident Jonathan DeSimone said that he had three different packages that were returned to sender when the contract between the U.S. Postal Service and UPS ended. It was especially frustrating that the change occurred just after the holiday season, when many people were expecting more packages than usual, DeSimone said. He also noted that residents of mountain towns can't always buy the items they need locally, so they sometimes rely on packages being delivered.
"It would've been nice if they communicated how this was going to go down, and, No. 2, this is a different arrangement for a mountain community, a rural community than it is if you're living in Denver or Boulder or Colorado Springs," DeSimone said. "You actually get U.S. (Postal Service) mail delivery to your physical residences in those communities. In mountain towns, you don't, most of the time."
Residents told Summit Daily °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ that they used to be able to list their P.O. box and the physical address of the post office for package delivery, but now they're sometimes left guessing whether to list their P.O. box or physical address when online vendors don't say which service will be doing the delivery.
"I don't know how my stuff is getting sent unless (the online vendor) specifically says, which is about one of 10 times," said Ian Zinner, a resident of unincorporated Summit County. "We pretty much just put our home address and hope that it shows up."
The U.S. Postal Service said in a statement that it has been working to implement a "new strategic approach" with its contracts with package consolidator companies, such as UPS, that use its Parcel Select service for high voluming shipping -- including negotiating new agreements.
"Prior agreements failed to reflect operational and financial realities, the evolving postal network, or the enhancements to our portfolio of product offerings," the U.S. Postal Service said in the statement. "As a result of our new approach, some businesses negotiated new agreements with us, and some have not."
A spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service did not respond to questions from Summit Daily °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ regarding what the end of the contract with UPS SurePost means for those with P.O. boxes or how the changes could impact delivery in rural communities like Summit County.
UPS also did not respond to questions about changes to its SurePost program, how customers with P.O. box would be affected or the best way for customers to ensure that their mail reaches them.
The U.S. Postal Service said in its statement that it has maintained transparency throughout its new strategic approach and will continue to communicate "openly and transparently" moving forward.
"Throughout this process we have been transparent -- both publicly and privately -- with business partners, customers and the shipping industry about our intent to either negotiate new agreements or to let prior disadvantageous agreements expire," the U.S. Postal Service statement said. "Communications to affected businesses began in the Spring of 2024 with multiple, follow-on public announcements made through the end of the year. How these aggregating businesses have communicated about these developments to their stakeholders is beyond the control or responsibility of the Postal Service."
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet said in a statement that he "continues to advocate that (the U.S. Postal Service) prioritize excellent customer service in its operations and is deeply concerned by reports that President (Donald) Trump plans to privatize the (Postal Service) or remove the Board of Governors."
Summit County residents interviewed by Summit Daily said that they have not found an easy solution for ordering packages online unless the retailer lists which service will be doing the delivery, which not every retailer does.
Contacting the retailer to find out which delivery service they use -- so residents know whether to list their physical address or P.O. box -- appears to be the best solution, according to residents, but it isn't always easy to get ahold of the retailer.
"A lot of times the vendor doesn't know, because they've outsourced third-party logistics to somebody so somebody else is fulfilling and being that last mile. So it just requires you to go, "OK, who is the last mile here? Can I have this package sent directly to a P.O. box via U.S. (Postal Service) mail? Can I have this package sent via UPS or some other carrier directly to a physical location that's not a post office?"" DeSimone said. "Listen, it's not putting a man on the moon. It's just a little bit of work to go figure it all out."
Plummer said that when ordering items on Amazon, she has started having them delivered to the Whole Foods Market in Frisco, rather than listing her P.O. box or physical address. She said, however, this hasn't worked with larger items she's tried to order, like a fencing for the stairway in her house. The Whole Food Market is the only Amazon pickup location listed in Summit County.
"The only way I have been able to resolve things is after they have been returned (to sender) is I've had to get online with customer service and sometimes be on hold for 20 to 30 minutes and explain to them about not having mailboxes," Plummer said. "They can be very difficult to reach. From now on, when I order from a big box store or anywhere else, I'm going to call or email before I order anything to figure out what shipping (service) they use."
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