Post office internet issues send Queens customers on quest for stamps

Customers wait outside the Kew Gardens Hill post office, which has been plagued by tech problems for several weeks. Eagle photo by Rachel Vick

By David Brand and Rachel Vick

Phyllis Blitz-Hochberg just wanted to mail a package and pick up some stamps, but a weeks-long internet outage at the post office near her home in Kew Gardens Hills turned the simple errand into an annoying quest. 

“I inquired when they expected the service to be restored and I received a shrug of the shoulders,” Blitz-Hochberg said.

She’s not the only irritated Central Queens customer. Technology issues at the Main Street post office have complicated life for residents since mid-August. 

“I can't possibly be the only person annoyed with the fact that our local 11367 post office (7523 Main St.) has been in limbo without internet (and therefore limited services and transaction ability) for at least two weeks already,” wrote resident Ephraim Shapiro in a local Facebook group. “IMHO this is totally unacceptable.” 

A handwritten sign taped to the front door since at least late-August warn customers that they cannot use credit cards to purchase stamps or mail items. For a few weeks, they couldn’t use cash either. Another sign recommends that customers visit the Fresh Meadows, Utopia or Pomonok post office branches instead. Blitz-Hochberg said she had a good experience at a post office in Forest Hills.

Signs on the door encourage customers to visit nearby post offices. Photo via Facebook

The problems have coincided with unprecedented scrutiny of United State Postal Service operations ahead of the November presidential election, where tens of millions of Americans are expected to vote by mail. 

Those concerns have played out on social media, where Kew Gardens Hills customers make clear they aren’t exactly confident in the USPS.

“Ridiculous it’s been f Ed up all week. I think it’s a democratic action to f up trump,” wrote one Kew Gardens Hills resident on Sept. 1.

“And we are meant to trust these people with mail in ballots? Please!,” added another on Sept. 11.

Other residents have called on local elected officials to help remedy the problem.

Rep. Grace Meng told the Eagle she has reached out to the USPS.

“The lack of internet access at the Kew Gardens Hills Post Office is affecting my constituents’ ability to send mail in a timely manner,” Meng told the Eagle. “The internet service must be restored immediately.”

U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Amy Gibbs acknowledged the internet outage but said it has not had an impact on delivery. 

“The lobby could be limited to cash transactions but otherwise, operations would continue as normal,” she said. 

Despite the tech bugs, customers continued to pour into the small post office Monday morning.

“It’s not a problem for me,” said a Kew Gardens resident named Shelly K. “A lot of [transactions] right now are prepaid anyway, so it's just a matter of driving to drop it off.”

Another resident said she returned to the branch expecting things to be back to normal. She said she last tried to make a transaction there three weeks ago. 

She declined to identify herself but grumbled as she returned to her car.

“It’s still not working,” she said, before she drove away.