Stacks of mail delivered to wrong homes in Sugar Land

SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) -- Getting an errant piece of mail addressed for a neighbor is not uncommon.

Receiving an entire stack of mail, including private financial information meant for dozens of people you don't know, might be a bit more alarming.

That's what happened to Sugar Land homeowner Joe Parle on Monday.

"I thought it was because of the MLK holiday and the freeze," he said.

He found unusually large stack of mail, bundled with rubber bands, inside his mailbox.

The closer Parle looked, the more concerned he became.

The stack of mail was not even just for people on his street. The addresses were also for streets on either side of his -- neighbors he didn't know.

"They have no idea that their private information is in my mailbox. In the wrong hands, someone could easily steal their identity or do something even worse with that information," he said.

He posted about it on the Greatwood neighborhood Facebook page and discovered he was not alone.

"It didn't make any sense. To get that many pieces of mail, it was about 20 and all different addresses," said homeowner Rene Attaway.

She, similarly, received a stack of mail earlier this month. It was mail meant for others.

"It just kinda seemed like they got tired and stuck it in there. I just don't understand how they could mistake it for that," she said.

Both Attaway and Parle say they routinely will receive an errant piece of mail meant for someone else. That, they agree, is an unfortunate reality. But they both would like to see something done about this larger issue.

Attaway put the mail back in the outgoing slot for further delivery.

Parle reported the discovery to the postal service.

"When I called the post office, I was shocked that they didn't really seem to care. When it's something this important and it is not given the care, then I think there is a priority for us as citizens and individuals to bring attention to it," he said.

Late Thursday afternoon, a representative for the US Postal Service picked up the mail from Parle's home.

A USPS spokesperson says supervisors are investigating.

"The Postal Service makes every effort to identify and eliminate any irregularities which may exist in our system," said USPS Communications Specialist Kanickewa Johnson.

She added that customers with concerns about their mail service should contact their local Post Office or the USPS Customer Care Center at 1-800-ASK-USPS.