LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Mounting mail problems across the Richmond area are becoming so pervasive that they are affecting areas as far from the city as Louisa County.
Raymond Pfaff, a resident of the Bumpass area of Louisa, told 8News that, since September of 2023, where his mail goes after he drops it off at his local post office has been a mystery.
“Out here, I’ve had problems with lost…late mail,” Pfaff said. “I receive other people’s mail in my mailbox, and I’ve told the post office ‘If I’m receiving other people’s mail, who’s getting mine?’”
Pfaff said it has mail has taken so long to get to and from his home that he has incurred late fees on electric and phone bills. He said he’s driven more than 40 miles to go to the post office in Richmond several times after a $200 money order he sent to a family member was lost.
“Every year, they go up with their postage and the service goes down,” Pfaff said about the Postal Service. “They’re just irresponsible. It’s inadequate. It’s very frustrating.”
Despite the U.S. Postal Service still refusing to cooperate or talk about the issues taking place, elected officials like U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Collette McEachin say they’ll continue to push for answers.
McEachin plans to host a “Where’s My Mail?” event at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Cabell Library, located at 901 Park Avenue, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Community members are encouraged to attend but are asked to register for the event online.
As for Pfaff, the 88-year-old said he plans to travel to Richmond again to protest outside of a post office — and encourages others to join him.
“Hopefully, someone else will follow suit and maybe they’ll join me out there,” Pfaff said.
