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In most of Summit County, postal workers don’t deliver in rain, sleet or snow. In fact, they don’t even deliver in sunshine.
Very few places in the county receive postal service. Many years ago, the postal service developed routes within Summit Cove, Keystone and places north of Silverthorne. If you live in these areas, you can check with your local post office to see if you’re on the route. If so, you’re one of the select few who can apply for home delivery. The rest of us have to venture out in the rain, sleet, snow and sunshine and pick up and send our mail at the post office.
But there is a silver lining: Every American is entitled to free delivery, said Dillon postal worker Rick Sprague. And that means free post office boxes for all who aren’t in the mail-delivery club.
All you have to do is bring your lease or a piece of mail, such as a bill, that shows your name and physical address to prove, indeed, you are one of the unlucky people who need a P.O. box. And you’ll need two forms of identification— one with your best, or worse, mug on it.
The good part about having a box is you don’t have to worry about mail piling up outside your house when you go on one of those well-deserved vacations after a hard season’s worth of work.
But are you ready for the worst part of being a P.O. boxer? OK. Here goes: Rampant confusion.
That’s right. The rest of the world can’t even fathom us mountain residents who live without mail delivery. So, credit card companies will demand you give a physical address to them. If they’re competent, they’ll flag — in bright yellow arrows or something — that your card must go to your P.O. box, not your physical address. If they’re incompetent, get ready for a series of calls, inquiring what happened to the credit card that never showed up in your box. Same goes with any other shipment.
Bottom line: Be as clear as you can, and follow up if you haven’t received a requested item in a reasonable amount of time.
Oh, and don’t assume you’ll actually get that $15 rebate on rechargeable batteries or whatever item marketers lured you to buy in promise of a rebate. Most rebates say “no P.O. boxes,” and companies don’t seem to care that you live in the mountains with no mail delivery.
So what’s a rebate fanatic to do?
Well, one of our residents went so far as to take a picture of himself in front of his house, with mountain peaks in the background. He sent the picture to the company giving rebates, explaining his plight. They sent him the rebate.
But we suggest a simpler solution: Find friends or family members who receive mail at a physical address and who won’t take your rebate and run. Use their address on the rebate form. It’s just easier.
<b>For a free box:</b>
• Bring a lease or another bill with your name and physical address to prove you live there, and
• two forms of identification; one must be a photo ID.
Very few places in the county receive postal service. Many years ago, the postal service developed routes within Summit Cove, Keystone and places north of Silverthorne. If you live in these areas, you can check with your local post office to see if you’re on the route. If so, you’re one of the select few who can apply for home delivery. The rest of us have to venture out in the rain, sleet, snow and sunshine and pick up and send our mail at the post office.
But there is a silver lining: Every American is entitled to free delivery, said Dillon postal worker Rick Sprague. And that means free post office boxes for all who aren’t in the mail-delivery club.
All you have to do is bring your lease or a piece of mail, such as a bill, that shows your name and physical address to prove, indeed, you are one of the unlucky people who need a P.O. box. And you’ll need two forms of identification— one with your best, or worse, mug on it.
The good part about having a box is you don’t have to worry about mail piling up outside your house when you go on one of those well-deserved vacations after a hard season’s worth of work.
But are you ready for the worst part of being a P.O. boxer? OK. Here goes: Rampant confusion.
That’s right. The rest of the world can’t even fathom us mountain residents who live without mail delivery. So, credit card companies will demand you give a physical address to them. If they’re competent, they’ll flag — in bright yellow arrows or something — that your card must go to your P.O. box, not your physical address. If they’re incompetent, get ready for a series of calls, inquiring what happened to the credit card that never showed up in your box. Same goes with any other shipment.
Bottom line: Be as clear as you can, and follow up if you haven’t received a requested item in a reasonable amount of time.
Oh, and don’t assume you’ll actually get that $15 rebate on rechargeable batteries or whatever item marketers lured you to buy in promise of a rebate. Most rebates say “no P.O. boxes,” and companies don’t seem to care that you live in the mountains with no mail delivery.
So what’s a rebate fanatic to do?
Well, one of our residents went so far as to take a picture of himself in front of his house, with mountain peaks in the background. He sent the picture to the company giving rebates, explaining his plight. They sent him the rebate.
But we suggest a simpler solution: Find friends or family members who receive mail at a physical address and who won’t take your rebate and run. Use their address on the rebate form. It’s just easier.
<b>For a free box:</b>
• Bring a lease or another bill with your name and physical address to prove you live there, and
• two forms of identification; one must be a photo ID.
