Metro Detroit man turns to Call for Action after receiving unopened mail for months

DETROIT (WXYZ) - One Metro Detroit man kept finding letters and bills in his mail box that had been sliced or ripped open.  When he didn't get any answers from the postal service, he turned to the Call for Action team.

"I didn't think much of it at first. I'm like, oh, alright. Open evelopes. But the problem just kept continuing and continuing,” lamented Al Klinebriel.

The metro Detroit resident asked us not to reveal where he lives because of the mail ordeal.

He said the problem lasted about six weeks.  His locked mail box was among a bank of mail boxes, and he said a few of his neighbors complained about the same problem.

"When we received [the opened envelopes], they were open on this end right here,” he explained pointing at the narrow end of the envelope.  “Sometimes they were sliced with a knife."

“We had a few of the manilla envelopes that a bill would come in. They have a fold over where it's glued on this side, and a knife was stuck underneath the fold.  They unfolded it, and they got into it that way,” he said.

But not all of the invasions were neat or tidy.

"A few of the envelopes were just actually ripped like that," he described tearing open the end of an envelope in three pulls.

Most of the envelopes targeted were the size of business envelopes or special occasion cards.

"[They were] envelopes that a check would come in like greeting cards," he explained.

He called his local post office twice to report the problem.  He also contacted the Detroit post office twice.

"They said there's nothing we can do for you," he recalled.

Finally he decided to reach out to the Call for Action team at WXYZ.

"Well, I always watch Channel 7, and you folks always seem to get to the bottom of things.  So, it was kind of a no brainer,” he said.

The "Call for Action" team started communicating with the postal service, and the problem eventually stopped.

Klinebriel is relieved.

“Yes, yes I am,” he nodded.  “As long as I don’t receive any more opened mail.”

The Call for Action team takes calls about consumer problems three days a week -- Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays -- from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

The number to call is (248)827-3362.

 You can also go to our website wxyz.com to submit a complaint form online.