Hazel Park residents say they have not received their water bills. Here's what to know.
Many residents in Hazel Park claim they have yet to receive their water bills in the mail this month.
The water department says it's the result of a delivery issue involving a local post office.
"When it didn't come, I thought, 'Uh oh. Something's going on,'" said resident Sandra David.
At the start of every month, David says her water bill shows up, but this month was different.
"We just didn't get one in the mail, and we normally do. I got a little nervous and thought,'Uh oh, I better get over there because I don't want to get a late charge,'" David said.
On Thursday, David went to Hazel Park City Hall, paid her bill and escaped any late fees. However, the issue is something others are also dealing with, and it's a problem the water department is working to solve.
According to the city, many people have called or shown up claiming their water bill never came in the mail. The city points to a U.S. Postal Service facility in Pontiac that sorts and brings bills to the Hazel Park Postal Service, which then delivers water bills to residents.
The city claims the Pontiac facility misplaced or improperly sent some water bills elsewhere. It is unclear which homes are affected.
CBS News Detroit reached out to USPS, which declined an interview but sent the following statement:
We appreciate you bringing these matters to our attention. We ask for our customers with service issues, to reach out to us directly, so we can expedite a resolution. We take steps to quickly resolve customer concerns and we encourage customers to reach us directly on our website usps.com. Click on "Contact us" at the bottom of our homepage, or utilize this direct web address: https://usps.force.com/emailus/s/.
Our goal is to always deliver mail and packages in the best condition possible and we take steps to meet that goal. If delays occur or if they receive items in poor or damaged condition, we ask they contact us directly at www.usps.com/help. Click on "Contact us" at the bottom of our homepage, or utilize this direct web address: https://usps.force.com/emailus/s/.
In addition, the official X account of the United States Postal Service, managed by the Social Media staff at USPS HQ, can provide help. For customer service use @USPSHelp. Customers can also private message us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/USPS.
The Postal Service will diligently continue to investigate customer's concerns and correct deficiencies to improve service to our communities.
Meanwhile, David tells CBS News Detroit that she's glad she noticed something was off and hopes this issue doesn't happen again next month.
"If it does, I'll just scoot back over here and pay it. I'm not paying that late charge," David stated.
The city says residents who have not received their water bill this month should go online to check their bill, call 248-546-4076, email hpwater@hazelpark.org or stop at the water department inside city hall.