Home Care In Missouri City, TX

MISSOURI CITY, Texas – Frustrations continued for Americans as they awaited their packages that were expected to be delivered months ago.

Those packages were found to be stuck at a sorting facility in Missouri City. At this time, there is still no timeline for when USPS would fix the delays.

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Customers tell KPRC 2′s Corley Peel they’ve been waiting for their packages since last year, while others believe they managed to work their way around the system.

For Silk Gregorie, he showed up at the post office looking for answers after his package with medication never arrived. He says he’s been waiting for his package for a week.

“I’m not feeling well right now and I need the package for healing,” he said.

Gregorie learned that his package was still stuck at the sorting facility in Missouri City.

USPS told KPRC 2 the delays are because the postal service is in the process of using new technology.

The facility is where customers across the country also have delayed packages.

Corley spoke with Rachel Stevens last week who never received her packages she ordered in November.

“I ordered so many Christmas gifts,” said Stevens.

Corley touched base with Rachel on Thursday. She said the gifts still haven’t arrived.

USPS has another sorting facility in North Houston. Corley spoke with John Dunn on who said his package is stuck there.

“My package was supposed to be here about January 4th or 5th. It’s been sitting at the North Facility since January 9th. So that’s not about nine or 10 days,” said Dunn.

One woman told KPRC 2 she did finally receive her package after contacting the seller who reported the package missing. The package arrived at her door the next day. Other customers who contacted their sellers told KPRC 2 that they still have not received their packages.

KPRC 2 reached out to USPS on Thursday with a list of questions, asking for a timeline for when customers could expect to see their packages. A spokesperson told Corley they are looking into the request, but as of Thursday evening, we have not heard back.

MISSOURI CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston-area residents are looking for answers about major delivery delays at a United States Postal Service facility in Missouri City.

It has become so much of an issue that Congressman Al Green said his office has had almost 90 people reach out to them saying they haven't received packages, including one woman who is missing her wedding dress.

Green covers the city's 9th district, which includes the Missouri City area.

In a statement to ABC13, USPS said the ongoing issues are the result of the postal service's Delivering for America plan, which aims to modernize the postal system.

As part of that plan, the Missouri City facility becomes a local processing center while the North Houston Processing and Distribution Center becomes regional.

"As with any transition, some unintended and temporary disruptions may occur," USPS said in a statement. "We are taking steps to ensure packages are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible and apologize to any customers who may be experiencing issues with delivery of their items."

Green held a press conference Monday morning to address the issue and provide updates on what's being done to solve this.

He stood next to Irene Ramirez, who is the caretaker for her 89-year-old father, a disabled U.S. Marine veteran.

"We requested a refill of one of those medications on Jan. 4, and it arrived in Houston the next day," Ramirez said. "It has been stuck in the postal system in Houston for the last 18 days."

Brenda Wiedrich said she sat at home sick earlier this month, waiting on medication that was supposed to be delivered to her through USPS. She said her package also sat in the processing center in Missouri City.

"Literally, I called six or seven times and after the third time, I started counting to see how many times the phone rings," Wiedrich said. "It rings 10 times, and then it cuts you off. Nobody ever answered the phone."

George and Trudy Maes own the business Stay Fresh with Peanut, which sells fragrance oils and aroma beads. They typically ship 150 packages a day through USPS but recently had to switch to UPS after learning about the issues at the processing facility in Missouri City.

"Last week, Jan. 16, there were 400 orders that were still pending, that had not moved," Trudy Maes said.

Trudy Maes said it appears that the packages have not left their facility, because the tracking information shows "package acceptance pending." She said the orders were picked up as early as Jan. 3.

She said they have tried to be proactive with their customers by keeping them informed, but they fear that people will not want to order from them in the future because of the delays.

"Our business has slowed down because they can just order from another competitor that is not experiencing these delays with the distribution center," Maes said.

Green urged the Postal Service to be more transparent by meeting with the press and having on-site customer service representatives available to assist the public.

To address the issue, Green said he's drafting a letter to send to the committee that oversees the Postal Service and plans to tour USPS facilities alongside U.S. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. The two also plan to meet with the USPS Inspector General.

"The postal service is not a secret society," Green said. "It has to be opened up. There has to be transparency."

In the meantime, Green has said that people can continue to reach out to him for help, in addition to contacting USPS. His office can be reached at 713-383-9234.

MISSOURI CITY, Texas - Houstonians are fuming as their mail is stuck at the United States Postal Services Processing Center in Missouri City. Now, Congressman Al Green is jumping in to tackle the USPS delays.

It’s more than just online orders. The United States Postal Service delays at their Missouri City processing center are causing a domino effect. They’re delaying important packages and affecting small businesses.

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"It’s so frustrating because you feel powerless," said Irene Ramirez.

Irene Ramirez has been the caregiver of her disabled veteran father for 15 years. His medication is stuck in the mail backlog, causing concern for his health.

"He takes two medications for the heart condition. He was running low," said Ramirez.

On January 4, Ramirez ordered a refill for her father, but the prescription never arrived.

"It’s been 18 days in total. We don’t know where it’s at. We’ve still not received it. My main concern is that this is the only thing keeping my dad out of the emergency room," said Ramirez.

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Ramirez’s family are not the only ones affected by the USPS mailing issues. Trudy and George Maes sell fragrance oils through their small business in Houston.

"Last week, we had 400 orders that were still showing no movement," said Trudy Maes, a co-owner of Stay Fresh with Peanut.

The delays are impacting their business and causing customers to wonder what the hold-up is.

"But as of last week, that’s when the emails started rolling in. ‘Where’s my package? Why hasn’t it moved? I came here because you referred to your awesome service and this is a huge disappointment," said Maes.

USPS blames the delays on the transitioning distribution centers and a new computer system. They said in part "As with any transition, some unintended and temporary disruptions may occur. We are taking steps to ensure packages are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible and apologize to any customers who may be experiencing issues with delivery of their items."

Now, Congressman Al Green has stepped in to take action on the mailing mayhem. He said 90 people have reached out to his office about the delays.

"I’m concerned about how this can impact an election. So I beg the postal service, let’s make sure that we get this right before we enter into the election season," said Green.

Congressman Al Green said he’s planning to tour the facility along with Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.

Establish a system such just you have

One small business owner says the delays cost him $10,000

Over the past few weeks, USPS told KPRC 2 the reason for package delays at the Missouri City sorting facility is because the postal service is in the process of modernizing its mail system.

Viewers tell KPRC 2′s Corley Peel, that their packages are also stuck at the North Houston facility.

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Delays, processing issues affect Houston-area USPS facilities, impacting local businesses with packages stuck inside

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Delays, processing issues affect Houston-area USPS facilities, impacting local businesses with packages stuck inside

Sources say package delays affecting Missouri City sorting facility now affecting North Houston Distribution Center

Small business owner Axel Ryker said he has hundreds of packages stuck inside that facility.

Sources say package delays affecting Missouri City sorting facility now affecting North Houston Distribution Center

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RELATED: Woman says her dad hasn’t received his heart medication as USPS mail issues at Missouri City processing center continue

“We have confirmed at least 600-800 packages there right now. They have been sitting for the last two weeks,” said Ryker.

Ryker said he stops by the facility almost every day, hoping the packages he ships out will make it to customers. He said inside the facility is a mess.

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“When you pull into the loading dock where all the carriers drop off the mail it’s just an insane amount of packages piling over, envelopes falling on the ground, it’s stacked up over six feet and it’s very very hard to walk around to maneuver,” said Ryker.

Sources tell KPRC 2 that USPS brought trucks filled with mail from the Missouri City facility to the North Houston Facility to help with the backup. The move appears to have only made things worse for the North Houston facility.

Ryker said the delays have cost his business more than $10,000. If his packages don’t ship soon, Ryker said his business may have to shut down online orders.

READ MORE: Packages remain stuck, delays continue at Missouri City USPS sorting facility

KPRC 2 has reached out to USPS several times over the past few weeks, asking when the issue will be resolved. They have not said how long it could take.

USPS said they are working on the issues and they encourage anyone with delayed packages to reach out. They sent the following statement:

As part of its 10-year Delivering for America plan, the Postal Service is working to modernize our mail and package processing network. For decades, our outmoded network has created significant financial losses, increased deferred maintenance costs, deteriorated workplace conditions for our employees, and failed to efficiently integrate mail and package processing and delivery. The transformation of our network is necessary and fundamental to our continuation as an organization and a service to the American people and our business customers.

In the Houston area, network adjustments are ongoing. We have initiated the complex transition of the North Houston Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) to a Regional Processing & Distribution Center (RPDC). Under our 10-year plan, we are combining and centralizing mail processing operations in approximately 60 new RPDCs nationwide over the coming years, which will handle originating mail and all package processing. Many of the RPDCs, such as North Houston, will be developed from existing postal facilities. The entire USPS geography is being assessed to determine the most appropriate mix of facilities within each regional ecosystem.

These new RPDCs will allow USPS to better use resources — including space, staffing, processing equipment and transportation — to take advantage of state-of-the-art technologies that process mail and packages more efficiently, while also creating brighter, cleaner, and more modern workplaces for postal employees.

As part of our network transition, we are also establishing Local Processing Centers (LPC) throughout the nation. The Missouri City, TX facility is designated as the South Houston LPC. Nearly all LPCs will be developed from existing postal facilities. It’s anticipated that up to 180 stand-alone LPCs will be opened in the next few years. The LDCs will process destination mail and transfer mail and packages to delivery. The LPCs will be modernized with standard designs in workflow and refined operations, with benefits similar to the RPDCs, including repositioning of machines to improve mail flow, removing obstructions from the workroom floor, improving overall visibility (i.e., lighting), and improving employee common areas.

This process, as with any such transition, takes time. The Postal Service will adhere to all legal, statutory, contractual, and regulatory requirements as network modernization continues in the coming years.

As with any transition, some unintended and temporary disruptions may occur. We are taking steps to ensure packages are processed as quickly and efficiently as possible and apologize to any customers who may be experiencing issues with delivery of their items. We strongly encourage customers who have concerns to contact us either online or via our toll-free number. When customers reach out, they can provide vital details to our customer service staff. A number will be assigned to each case, which allows the Postal Service to fully research the situation and provide a suitable resolution for our customers. Customers may call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777), or visit our website at www.usps.com/help.

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MISSOURI CITY, Texas — We have an update to a story about mail delays that KHOU 11 has been reporting on for weeks. On Saturday, KHOU 11's Steven Goin received a letter from Congressman Al Green's office.

The letter asks that USPS South Houston Distribution Center set up a customer service team to address questions from the public about the delays that were first reported on by KHOU 11 in December. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia also signed the letter.

"We have been made aware of concerning lapses in delivery that are far more troubling for the citizens whose items have not been received through no fault of their own, including an instance in which a delivery of medication was delayed for over 10 days," the letter reads.

The representatives go on to say customers have been unable to get in touch with anyone at the center to ask questions about their packages.

Additionally, the letter served as a notice to the facility that the representatives intend to tour the center.

Read the full letter below:

'We write regarding two matters pertaining to ongoing difficulties with mail delivery originating from the new South Houston Distribution Center of the United States Postal Service. First, we are in the process of confirming our tour of the facility. In scheduling this tour via the enclosed correspondence, the USPS government liaison made us aware that USPS ethics rules preclude members of the media from joining government officials on facility tours. We would like to know when and under what circumstances exceptions to this rule have been permitted, because we expect to be accompanied by a journalist. As this situation is of great concern to the citizens of the area, we trust that his attendance during our tour will be allowed. Alternatively, if he cannot join due to ethics rules, please inform us as to when he could tour the facility separately on his own.

'Second, we must strongly urge that a customer service team be placed at the South Houston Distribution Center to provide immediate information about delayed or missing items upon request. We have been made aware of concerning lapses in delivery that are far more troubling for the citizens whose items have not been received through no fault of their own, including an instance in which a delivery of medication was delayed for over 10 days. Moreover, these persons have been unable to contact anyone at the South Houston Distribution Center to learn about the status of their delayed deliveries. Therefore, while the underlying issues with the facility are in the process of being addressed, a customer service team seated at the location and available for in person or telephonic inquiries is imperative. We and the aforementioned journalist look forward to touring the South Houston Distribution Center in the very near future. Also, we anticipate a response regarding the establishment of a customer service team at your earliest convenience.'

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