EDGEWOOD, Pa. — 11 Investigates is getting results for a local business owner. Maureen States has owned Neighborhood Realty Services along South Braddock Avenue in Edgewood for over two decades, and she has been in the business for more than 40 years.
She reached out to 11 Investigates’ Amy Hudak after nearly 100 business mailers she paid the post office to deliver were instead found dumped in the lobby of a local apartment building.
States says she spends tens of thousands of dollars each year in bulk postage to mail marketing fliers for her business. She says those mailers help keep the name of her business top of mind for past and potentially future customers. So, when she got a call that a chunk of her mail wasn’t delivered, she said she felt like her money was stolen.
“When I got the phone call, I thought you’ve got me to kidding me,” States tells 11 Investigates. “We spent a lot of money doing these mailings to produce business. If we don’t get business, we can’t stay in business.”
States says she had just spent $13,000 on a bulk mailing to send out 45,000 postcards all around Pittsburgh.
“I question what else wasn’t delivered, what garbage can they’re in, what other buildings that they’re in,” States said. “Last year, just in postage, I spent $60,000, and out of that, I don’t know what was delivered or what was not. I just took a bunch of money and potentially threw a chunk of it away.”
States said when she called USPS to file a complaint, the customer service was anything but. She says two men she talked to were combative and told her she didn’t know what she was talking about.
11 Investigates reached out to USPS. They tell us they have launched an internal investigation into the undelivered mailers, adding, “we are very concerned about mail issues and ask that our customers report all incidents,” and that “we are working to determine appropriate reimbursement.”
States says she just wants other local business owners who rely on bulk mailers for marketing and business to be aware, since it’s their bread and butter.
USPS says it has since refunded States for the postcards that weren’t delivered. They apologized for the inconvenience this caused, adding that they failed to provide their usual level of service.
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