“A new audit digs into the Postal Service’s system for handling undeliverable packages”

Key points

• Audit examines how the Mail Recovery Center handles dead mail and reunification attempts.
• Postal management claimed 39% return rate; audit found less than 1%.
• Volume estimates were four times too low due to data and counting errors.
• Data quality issues included double counting and apples-to-oranges package counting.
• Recommendations include better data metrics and pursuing automation alongside human review.