June 1, 2006 – A group of about 50 frustrated customers told U. S. Postal Service and U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers how they feel about their postal service Wednesday night at a town hall meeting at the Holiday Inn Windward Passage. The meeting was called by Delegate Donna Christensen.
Many of the complaints concerned the inability to send prescription medication to the states. The drugs are confiscated by customs officers in San Juan. Mirabel Juarbe, a Food and Drug Administration investigator, explained that it's "against the law to send prescription drugs." She said because the territory is designated a "foreign source" to U. S. Customs, no drugs can be shipped, unless by the manufacturer.
The foreign status is a holdover from Danish rule, when in 1914 a tariff was imposed for the territory's exports and imports, Juarbe said. The FDA operates under the umbrella of U. S. Customs.
Residents who had tried to send their prescriptions to relatives visiting in the states expressed their frustration. One woman, who had sent high blood pressure medicine to her mother, said she went through no end of phone hassles before finally getting Juarbe in San Juan who explained the situation.
Christensen said, "It's not easy to get prescriptions filled in the states." She said she would work on trying to get an exemption for the territory because of "the uniqueness of our situation." Juarbe said the FDA sends a letter to the sender, to which they must respond within 20 days, or the medications will be destroyed.
Warding off an issue he knew would be discussed, early on in the evening St. Thomas Postmaster Robert Allen addressed a chronic problem at the Veterans Drive post office, the Arturo Watlington station. "The holes will be fixed," he said. "We have gotten a contractor."
Allen referred to the two potholes in the parking lot, one about the size of a Jacuzzi, and the other a small bathtub. Some residents were incensed that the post office was painted before the holes were repaired. In response, Allen said you have to have a "nice living room" first.
That Watlington station took most of the evening's criticism – for the holes and the long lines. The Sugar Estate Post Office, however, was lauded for improvement in the lines and speedier service.
Allen came in for heavy criticism from customers for not returning phone calls or responding to letters.
Casheem Peets, Plantation Manor Condominium board president, said he has been waiting to utilize the 91 postal boxes he had installed in August last year at a cost of $4,800. Peets said the condominium had authorization from the postal service for the boxes, and the tenants are complaining; but there has been no action.
Allen responded that "There have been myriad changes in postal personnel." He said these changes have interfered with acting on the problem, but he said he would take care of it "within the month."
Ellen Maher, Plantation Manor property manager, was not placated. She later addressed Allen: "I have written you two letters, and I have called several times. You have not responded to the letters or the calls." The letters were written in March she said, holding out copies of them.
Allen reassured her that action would be taken in the coming month. However, Maher said later, "Yeah, we've heard that before."
Many residents complained about the delivery of periodicals – which they said arrive weeks and sometimes months late – and the length of time it takes to receive packages or priority and express mail from the states.
The group cited delays of up to four months to receive packages. Patricia Jones said she has been waiting 12 days for a car part shipped priority mail from North Carolina. Allen said priority mail should take three to five days and suggested she put in a written tracking order. Jones said she hadn't wanted to "harass" the postal personnel. Allen suggested she do that.
Sue Herzog, who said she had waited four months for a package, said she finally got some relief when a relative suggested she contact Allen directly, for which she thanked Allen. However, she said, package delivery is often confused, with people getting the wrong package notifications.
"When I was off island for three weeks," Herzog said, "I came back to find seven notifications in my box, none of which were mine."
Lou Demeo, USPS operations manager in San Juan, said something is in the works to try to speed up periodical and package delivery.
"The periodicals and packages are shipped from Jacksonville, Fla., to San Juan on a barge," he said. "This can take weeks to get to San Juan and sort and forward to the Virgin Islands."
He said he was setting up a meeting with Jacksonville district officers to discuss the possibility of shipping the magazines and packages directly to the territory.
"They would be then sorted here manually," Demeo said. "In San Juan, all the sorting is automated, which is why they go there first." He said the question would remain whether or not the territory could handle the volume of manual sorting required.
He said he hoped to meet with Jacksonville officials within the month. "If we can eliminate Puerto Rico," he said, "it would speed delivery by more than a week."
Residents also complained of the problem of getting mail or packages between St. Thomas and St. Croix. Demeo said after 9/11, all inter-island mail goes to San Juan to an automated "bio-hazard" system, before it can be delivered to the islands.
In response to priority mail complaints, Allen said not to rely on priority mail for letters: "There is no guaranty on priority mail; you may just as well use a 39-cent stamp."
Though the meeting was scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the vociferous residents continued until almost 9 p.m. with their concerns.
The meeting was the second in a series of three town meetings called by Christensen. St. John residents voiced their concerns Tuesday night (See "Residents Sound Off on Proposed Post Office/Parking Facility").
The meeting on St. Croix will be at 6 p.m. Thursday evening at the Curriculum Center.
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