Knoxville woman cannot access mailbox, believes ‘bad’ key is the issue

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Have you ever had trouble with a key when it just wouldn’t fit into the lock? The frustration is real for a Knoxville woman who says she can’t open her mailbox with the key. The mail is delivered to cluster boxes at her apartment complex and it seems no one can help.

She’s lived in the apartment for six years and she’s never had any trouble before — when talking with neighbors, no one else seems to be having trouble. Marie Vesser is facing this unusual, aggravating situation and for two weeks, she’s been unable to open her mailbox, but the key isn’t bent, and the lock isn’t obstructed.

“I’m pretty upset about it. And no one can help. I have bills to pay. I have important letters from the state coming. It’s open enrollment for insurance, I’ve been waiting on that. I can’t get anyone to help me,” she said.

She lives at Pine Ridge Apartments, and when the postal carrier delivers the mail, she’s usually at work. So, she called the office and maintenance department. “They came out tried WD-40 and said there is really nothing we can do, you need to take it up with the post office.”

She went to the closest post office in the Norwood community. It’s on Clinton Highway where she talked with a clerk. “Well, she got on the phone to her supervisor and said, we’ll look into it and said maybe we can have the mail carrier figure out what is wrong. Well, that was a week ago.”

There’s some remodeling underway at her apartment complex and Vesser says the cluster mailboxes were moved recently. She showed us where the mailboxes were originally located. A new sidewalk is under construction there and the cluster boxes will go back to the site. However, she said the mail slot didn’t open even before the boxes were moved. She showed us a copy of a written letter sent to the post office recently requesting help, she even called them.

“Talked to a lady, I told her I made four phone calls, nobody is helping me. She gave me another phone number to call. I let that ring for three minutes, I timed it. It ended up hanging up on me.”

So, WATE 6 On Your Side called the US Postal Service. They said repairs to Vesser’s mail slot will be made as soon as possible. She said, “I just want my mail. And somebody to listen to, maybe be approachable on the phone.”

Soon she will be getting her mail. On Monday, a supervisor at Knoxville’s main post office called her and said the mailbox needs a new lock. A work order has been placed and the mail slow will be repaired soon, and once it’s fixed, she will be given a new key. In the meantime, she’s been given information as to where she can go to pick up her mail.