COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tenants at a St. Andrews apartment complex say they can't get their mail on property. One resident who is disabled and doesn't own a car says he's spending money he doesn't have to travel to the Post Office.
The apartment complex affected is The Grove at St. Andrews. Residents tell News 19 this is happening because someone tampered with their mailboxes.
Under condition of anonymity, one resident explained how this problem started since at least the beginning of June.
"I've been here two years since we had the tragic incident at Allen Benedict Court. I'm one of the Allen Benedict Court residents," he explained. "Dealing with certain issues about this mailbox situation has really taken a toll on me."
The tenant reached out to News 19 after he says apartment management wouldn't share how they're resolving the problem in a timely manner.
"The post carrier...said he noticed the mailboxes were tampered with and he didn't want to put anyone's important mail in there if something happened," the tenant explained.
In pictures sent to us by residents, a notice can be seen taped to one side of the mailboxes.
It says those residents can get their mail at the Post Office instead on Briargate Circle.
For the resident who notified News 19 about the problem, he says the 5-minute drive is a costly inconvenience.
"I don't have transportation. I'm disabled, so I don't have nobody to come by and to rely on," he said. "I was catching a taxi almost every other day. That would cost me $15 to $16 dollars a trip."
Housing vouchers, medical and benefits papers are among the important letters he gets. He'll also take the DART bus, but says he can't afford to keep traveling to get mail, especially while on a fixed income.
"Now I need household supplies and I need to figure out how I'm gonna do that," he explained. "I still need to pay my bills. Then the little money I have left over, I have to dip into that to go try to get my mail."
Friday afternoon, apartment management told News 19 they met with the Postmaster last week. After examining the mailboxes, management says it was recommended they buy a new mailbox instead of changing the locks and handing out new keys.
Right now, management says they're working on selecting the new mailbox. Before they install it, they say they'll need approval from corporate.
News 19 also reached out to USPS to see how they're helping resolve the situation.
In a statement, Rick Badie, a Strategic Communications Specialist for USPS said, “Rest assured, we take customer concerns seriously, remain committed to delivering mail in a timely manner, and appreciate customers’ patience. We are working with apartment management to address this issue and will make necessary adjustments in order to enhance our service performance. Our goal is to quickly address service issues that are brought to our attention.”