Are you seeing the message “Held At Post Office, At Customer Request” but you did not request it? You can learn here the reasons which trigger this status message.

Why does the message “Held At Post Office, At Customer Request” appears on the USPS tracking?

The United States Postal Service (also known as the USPS) is an independent body of the United States federal government meant for delivering postal service in the United States.

What does ‘Held At Post Office, At Customer Request’ mean on USPS tracking?

Held At Post Office, At Customer Request

The message is meant to be displayed on the USPS tracking page if the customer asks USPS to hold the package at the post office. But it may also be displayed for other various reasons.

Reasons

You can see all the possible scenarios below which trigger this message on the USPS tracking page. Some of the reasons are most common and others are extremely rare cases.

• Busy day for the diver – The driver may have to deliver a lot of mails on a particular day.
• Your shipment is very large – The driver may not deliver the parcel at your home if it is too large.
• The delivery truck ran out of space – The delivery truck has no space to carry your package.
• Bad carrier – The delivery truck ran into some problem. Flat tire, engine seizure etcetera.
• Extreme weather – Heavy snowfall, cyclone, flood, fog, mist etcetera
• The driver is sick – The driver has got some problem.
• Previous bad experience – The driver might be had past bad experiences in your complex or hallway.
• Obstacles in your building – Dogs, no parcel lockers, too many sets of stairs.

Solution

If you haven’t requested it then you can just wait for a couple of days, the USPS may deliver the package to you. Alternatively, you can get your package by visiting the post office. You must bring a valid ID proof with you when visiting the post office. Your address must match. You should call the USPS customer care before visiting the office.

The USPS will attempt to deliver a parcel for 3 times. After the third attempt, the post office will hold it for pick-up for approximately 3 to 5 days. If you fail to visit the post office within this period then the package will be returned back to the sender.

If this happens regularly then talk to the station master and the delivery driver. They can explain to you the exact problem. They like compromises. Develop a good relationship with them. If this doesn’t solve the problem then get it resolved at your local congress person’s office.