INC NEWS - Notes from Postmaster's Presentation

[Mike Woodard]

At INC's meeting on November 29, Durham Postmaster Chris Tinkham and 
USPS Postal Inspector Earl Holt spoke on a number of issues related 
to postal service.

Movement of mailboxes from houses to curbside:
Postmaster Tinkham said (directly quoting here), "The Postal Service 
cannot force you to move your mailbox." This pertains to homes where 
the mailbox is attached to the dwelling. Earlier this year, an 
interim postmaster authorized distribution of a memo to home owners 
requesting they move their mailboxes to the curb.

If homeowners moved their mailboxes based on this erroneous 
instruction and would like to move the box back to the house, they 
need to contact Tinkham. He will send a supervisor to review the request.

In new homes and subdivisions, delivery will be made only to curbside 
boxes or "cluster" boxes (central-delivery, secure boxes).

If customers are having issues with carriers not delivering to 
curbside boxes because of cars parking, they should contact Tinkham. 
He will have a supervisor look into the issue.

Tinkham's contact information
Email: ctinkham at email.usps.gov
Phone: 321.4530


Identity Protection:
Inspector Holt refers customers to his department's website for 
detailed information about identity theft. He shared these points.

1)     Put outgoing mail directly into streetside mailboxes or mail 
slots at the post office, or hand it directly to your mail carrier.
2)     Don't send cash through the mail. Holt was amazed at how many 
people still do this. Brightly colored envelopes (yellow, pink, light 
blue) are usually giveaways of birthday cards, which often contain cash.
3)     Pick up mail promptly after it is delivered. Don't leave it in 
your mailbox overnight.
4)     Be aware of the type of mail you're receiving and the cycle in 
which you're receiving it, i.e., when credit card bills, bank 
statements, various checks and payments come each month. Something 
may be wrong if you miss some of these types of mail.
5)     Don't use soluble ink when writing checks that you will mail. 
Criminals have chemicals they can use to take off the ink. Use 
ballpoint pens (they leave indentions on the check paper) or felt tip 
markers (their ink bleeds into the check paper).
6)     Tell the Post Office when you will be out of town.

You can request that the Direct Marketing Association remove your 
name from the database of addresses its member companies use to send 
direct mail solicitations. Note that not all direct mail marketers 
are members, but a good number of them are.

Mail Preference Service
Attn: Dept. 7488547
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512-0282

REMEMBER: INC will not hold a delegates' meeting in December. Have a 
joyous holiday season, and we'll see you 2006.

Mike Woodard
INC President