Background
The Ft. Lauderdale Main Post Office is in the Florida 3 District of the Southern Area.
Metered mail is any mail class or product with postage that was printed using a Postal Service-approved postage meter or PC Postage product/system. Unused metered indicia are postage amounts (which may include fees) already imprinted onto any mailpiece, shipping label or meter strip (stamp) that was never mailed. Such meter indicia are considered for refund only if complete, legible, and valid. To obtain a refund, the customer must submit the postage meter stamps, impressions, or other evidence requested for refund along with the required Postal Service (PS) Form 3533, Application for Refund of Fees, Products and Withdrawal of Customer Accounts. The refunds are recorded to account identification code (AIC) 526, Refund Spoiled or Unused Customer Meter Stamps, or to AIC 553, Refund Postage and Fees, for refunds to customers of postage and fees paid for special services not received.
OIG data analytics identified that the Ft. Lauderdale Main Post Office had issued $126,196 in refunds for spoiled/unused postage meter stamps and customers postage and fees paid for special services from February 1, 2020, to January 1, 2021. The Ft. Lauderdale Main Post Office was the ninth largest in the nation for refunds in these categories.
The objective of this audit was to determine whether postage, fees, and meter revenue refunds are valid and properly supported and processed at the Ft. Lauderdale Main Post Office.
Findings Summary
Postage, fees, and meter revenue refunds were not always valid, properly processed, or supported at the Ft. Lauderdale Main Post Office. We identified improper refunds issued, refunds that were not timely or properly processed, PS Forms 3533 that were not separated by individual meter numbers, destruction of mailpieces that were not witnessed, and incomplete forms.
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Source: USPS Office of Inspector General