My USPS Certified Mail Experience Explained

Here is what happens when you defund the USPS.

I had an MRI at my local hospital in early November of 2024. I owed the $100 copayment for this procedure. I attempted to pay the amount online. However, the hospital never sent an invoice. I also do not maintain an account at their health portal. As a result, I did not have all the required information and was unable to complete this transaction.

So on 12/19/2024, I decided to mail a check. Because of concerns about traceability and not being able to prove that I mailed it, I paid $9.68 to send the letter Certified Mail with Return Receipt.

It never arrived. As of 1/7/2025, the tracking site still shows the letter stuck somewhere in Boston with no update since 12/27.

I submitted a help request form, the first escalation step that the USPS website listed for me.

In early January I finally did receive a statement with an account number. I called the billing office about my predicament. They said that they cannot cash a check sent to the hospital anyway and advised me to just pay it online. I was now able to do that, and so I did.

Today, I received a call from the post office at the destination town. The person literally said “I hate Certified Mail”, but was unhelpful otherwise. I started to ponder if I should stop payment on the check. I went back and forth about this for some time this morning. My bank’s website showed a pending check payment in this amount. I chose to pay the $25 fee to stop payment on a check and decided to see what happens.

Low and behold, the check was cashed – unendorsed, who knows by whom. Luckily my stop payment order went in first and the amount was credited again by my bank.

Meanwhile, the Certified letter still shows up as In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late. Needless to say, the tracking number for the Return Receipt has not been activated yet, because the letter was never delivered.

There are only two possible explanations:

• either a rogue postal service worked stole the letter and attempted to cash my check
• or the letter was delivered without honoring the Certified nature and the return receipt

I am guessing the latter, but neither option is very flattering for the US Postal Service.