USPS phone number: how to talk to a real person at USPS

The transcript follows the recording. "USPS menu" is the automated voice menu and its recorded messages. "Representative" is the live person. "Caller" is the call4me agent. Names and the ZIP code are silenced in the audio and shown in brackets here. Our caller answered every prompt by voice and pressed no keys.

0:01 USPS menu: Thank you for calling the United States Postal Service Customer Care Center. Para continuar en español, oprima uno. To hear our privacy policy, press two.

0:14 USPS menu: To better serve you, please enter your five digit zip code.

0:22 Caller: Let's see. I don't think we have that.

0:29 USPS menu: Continued impacts from Hurricane Isaias in the Gulf region of the U.S. may delay final delivery of your mail and packages. For detailed information on local impacts, please navigate to the service alerts page on USPS.com. To hear this message again, say repeat.

0:52 USPS menu: Please stay on the line at the end of this call to take a short survey about your phone experience. In a few words, please tell me how I can help you.

1:03 Caller: I have a general question for a rep, and my zip code is [ZIP code removed].

1:10 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. In a few words, please tell me how I can help you.

1:15 Caller: Sure, I have a general question for a representative.

1:23 USPS menu: To track the status of a package, report a package delivery issue, inquire about the status of a package service request or schedule a redelivery, say Package. For daily mail services including delivery, mail pickup, change of address, hold mail, or to inquire about the status of a mail service request, say Mail. For pricing, post office hours and locations, and zip codes, say Tools. To order stamps or check stamps order status, say Stamps. For service alerts, say Alerts. For anything else, say Other.

2:04 Caller: Other.

2:07 USPS menu: For technical support assistance with Click-N-Ship, Informed Delivery, my online account, online claims, change of address or PO Box, say technical support or press 1. For passports, say passport or press 2. For reporting criminal activity or vandalism to USPS property, say fraud or press 3. For GoPost or small business, say business or press 4. To order free shipping supplies, say supplies or press 5. For information about Every Door Direct Mail, say direct mail or press 6.

2:44 Caller: Hmm.

2:46 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. For technical support assistance with Click-N-Ship, Informed Delivery, my... Okay, technical support. Are you calling for how-to information or troubleshooting help?

3:00 Caller: Uh, how-to information, please.

3:05 USPS menu: For information about Click-N-Ship label, say Click-N-Ship. For information about insurance claims, say claims. For information about PO Box setup, payment, refund, say PO Box. For information about Informed Delivery, say Informed Delivery. For refunds on mail inside the United States, say domestic refunds. For refunds on international mail, say international refunds. If you need to hear those choices again, say repeat.

3:39 Caller: Uh, none of those fit. Yeah, let me see what else we can do. Let's see. Representative.

3:51 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. [The same list again, with keypad numbers 1 to 6.] If you need to hear those choices again, say repeat.

4:30 Caller: Okay, still looking for the right path. Let's see.

4:36 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. If you'd like me to text you that Informed Delivery link, say yes or press 1. If not, say no or press 2.

4:48 Caller: Hmm.

4:52 USPS menu: Alright. For help with: where is my package, say package or press 1. Where is my daily mail, say daily mail or press 2. Stopped receiving emails, say email or press 3. Can't complete verification process, say verification or press 4. Account disabled, say account or press 5. How to enroll, say enroll or press 6. Email images, say images or press 7. For anything else, say other or press 8.

5:33 Caller: Hmm. Okay. Let's see.

5:39 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. To continue, we need to collect some information to get you the right help. I can send you a text link where you can see and enter your information on the screen. Should I do that? Yes or no?

5:53 Caller: No, thanks. Could I just speak with a representative, please?

6:00 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. To continue, we need to collect some information to get you the right help. I can send you a text link where you can see and enter your information on the screen. Should I do that? Yes or no?

6:16 Caller: Hmm. No.

6:20 USPS menu: I need to get the zip code first so I can look up the city and state. Please say the five digit zip code now.

6:27 Caller: [ZIP code removed.]

6:32 USPS menu: I got [ZIP code and city removed]. Is that correct?

6:38 Caller: Yep, that's right.

6:42 USPS menu: Please say the street address.

6:44 Caller: I don't have a street address. This is just a general question.

6:52 USPS menu: Sorry, I didn't get that. Please say the street address.

7:00 Caller: Hmm. Representative.

7:06 USPS menu: Do you want to speak with an agent? Is that correct?

7:10 Caller: Yeah, that's right. I'd like to speak with an agent, please.

7:16 USPS menu: We are currently experiencing higher than normal call volume, and wait times to speak to an agent may be longer than normal. We apologize for any inconvenience. For faster service, please use our self-service options here in the automated system, or visit USPS.com. Please stay on the line while I check the availability of our agents.

7:37 Caller: Sure, thanks.

7:38 USPS menu: At the end of your call with a customer service representative, please remain on the line to complete a brief survey to help us improve your customer experience. Your opinion matters. Your estimated wait time is five minutes.

7:59 USPS recording: Shipping a package right from your home or office is as easy as click, print, ship. Just go to USPS.com and find the link for Click-N-Ship. Print your shipping label with postage and...

8:14 Representative: Thank you for calling. My name is [name removed]. May I have your name, please?

8:17 Caller: Hi, I'm [name removed]'s assistant. I had a few general questions.

8:24 Representative: How can I assist you today, ma'am?

8:27 Caller: Yeah, it's for a consumer guide we're putting together. Could you tell me the delivery time difference between Priority Mail and Ground Advantage?

8:39 Representative: More than happy to provide you with the information regarding the difference between Priority Mail standards and USPS Ground Advantage standards. USPS Ground Advantage typically has a 2 to 5 business day delivery window, and Priority Mail has a 2 to 3 expected delivery window, business days.

9:02 Representative: Both are expected delivery. They both contain $100 in insurance.

9:08 Caller: Okay, thank you. And how would someone file a missing mail search, and how long should they wait before doing that?

9:17 Representative: A missing mail search can be initiated as early as 7 days from the date of mailing and no later than the 365th day from the date of mailing. That can be done online through USPS.com. You want to hover over the Help tab and then select Finding Missing Mail. You'll choose option two, step two, Start Missing Mail Search. From there, it will prompt you to sign into your USPS online account. If you do not have one, you will need to create one at that point. And then once you log in, you'll complete the required fields. You'll be issued a missing mail search ID number, which you can later check the status on by taking the same pathway: USPS.com, hover over the Help tab, Finding Missing Mail, Start Missing Mail Search, log into your account, and then you'll select the submitted search requests and enter your missing mail search ID number or the tracking number, and it will provide you with the status of the search. And if the mail piece can be located based off the description of the search, you'll receive an email confirmation indicating that, and the item will be repackaged and shipped to the address listed on the request.

10:37 Caller: That's really helpful, thanks. How does Hold Mail work, and how far in advance can someone schedule it?

10:50 Representative: One moment.

11:07 Representative: All right, so with the mail hold, you can submit a mail hold either online, through USPS.com, Quick Tools, Hold Mail, or by speaking to an agent like myself, or at the local post office that services the address that you're requesting the mail hold for. You'll need to be a resident of the address. The mail hold, once you place the mail on hold, it'll hold all mail going to the address, not just an individual. Any mail that's picked up during that hold period will automatically cancel the hold and mail will resume delivery. You have the option of scheduling customer pickup, where you can pick up the mail at the end of its hold period or before, or if you can't make it by the end of the hold period, you have 10 days after the hold period to pick up the mail before it's returned to sender, or you can do a carrier redelivery. You can start a mail hold as early as three days from the date of mailing and no later than 30 days from the date of mailing. But unfortunately, mail hold can be submitted, mail hold requests can be submitted online up to 30 days in advance of the start date if requests are submitted before 2 a.m. Central Time. It can begin on the same business day.

12:26 Caller: Okay, thanks. One more. Does USPS ever text about packages with a link? And where should suspicious texts be reported?

12:38 Representative: Now, if you have a tracking number, we do allow customers to opt for text message alerts to provide status of the mail piece as it's being scanned. So as the tracking information is updating online, you receive the same scan events through text message. Or if you have a USPS online account and you have Informed Delivery, you can also sign up for package updates through that. Now, in the event you receive a text message that's asking for personal identifying information, it's asking you to click a link saying that you have a package, the address is not sufficient, you have so much time to correct the information before the item is returned to sender, or if you get anything that's asking for a credit card or for fees for redelivery, those are typically scam messages. The Postal Service, we do not send unsolicited text messages, emails or phone calls to customers regarding packages. We do not charge fees for redeliveries. Any fee that has occurred, if it's a postage due or if it's a collect on delivery, the carrier will make an attempt to retrieve those funds at the time of delivery, or you'll receive a notice in your mailbox prompting you to go to your local post office to pay the fee in order to receive your package. We'll never ask for credit card information over the phone or through email or text.

14:08 Representative: Now, depending on how you receive the scam alert, if you receive it via text message, you can... excuse me. You can forward the smishing text message to the phone number 7726. This will assist you with reporting the scam phone number. You can also send an email to spam at USPIS dot gov. Without clicking on the web link, you'll copy the body of the suspicious text message and paste it into the email. Provide your name in the email. Attach a screenshot of the text message showing the phone number of the sender and the date sent. Include any relevant details in the email: if you clicked the link, if you lost any money, if you provided any personal information. The Postal Inspection Service, which is the law enforcement branch for the Postal Service, will contact you if more information is needed. You can also visit our Postal Inspection Service website, USPIS.gov forward slash news forward slash scam hyphen article forward slash smishing, for additional information. And also information regarding Hold Mail and the difference in the class of services, Priority Mail, Express Mail, USPS Ground Advantage, are also available online through USPS.com.

15:40 Caller: Got it. That's super clear. Thank you so much for your help.

15:44 Representative: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

15:48 Caller: No, that's everything. Thanks again. Bye.

15:52 Representative: All right, no problem. [The call ends.]