U.S. Post Office – Bee Caves Rd

Unbelievable.
I work for a local business so, naturally, we have bills to pay. I’ve had issues with our postal service for quite some time, but never have I had any just cause to get on Unilocal to post negatively about the Postal service. I mean, come on… it’s the postal service.
That said, I was paying our aforementioned bills this week, and placed about 15 envelopes, stuffed with checks and invoices into our mailbox on Tuesday (after the mail carrier had already come), and raised the flag to indicate there was outgoing mail, ready for pick-​up. Pretty basic stuff here.
Wednesday goes by, and no mail delivered, nor picked up.
Thursday goes by… nothing.
This morning, Friday January 23, 2015, I decided to call the post office to see if I could get an answer as to why our box has been unvisited for two straight days. The line is busy. I try several times over the course of 10 minutes, or so. Busy. So I call the 1 – 800 Customer (no) Service line, where after 16 minutes on hold (my phone has a timer), I get to speak with Denise. The conversation starts off well enough, she is sympathetic to my situation, and assures me that she is sending a message stating my situation and concerns to my local post master, or supervisor. I ask her for the name of the local post master or supervisor, and she says she doesn’t have that information. I doubt that, but okay. I ask her, «So what’s my recourse if today rolls on by and my mail is again left behind?» She says, «Well you should be hearing from someone in the next couple of days.» Seriously? Did I mention that I have checks waiting to go out for our many bills? Oh, I did? Well, I failed to mention that it’s been RAINING for the past three days, and all of the post that’s been awaiting pick-​up since Tuesday is soaking wet!
By the way, I have been calm and collected during my entire conversation with Denise, though audibly agitated. And guess what. SHE starts losing her patience with ME! She didn’t raise her voice or anything, but her tone changed, perceptively.
SO, not wanting to wait «a couple of days» to see if I do indeed hear from «someone» or to see if anyone bothers to come get my mail, I decide to try the local post office again… and it rings this time. A man named Andres picks up the phone, and I ask to speak with the Post Master, or a supervisor, and Andres informs me that he is a supervisor. I lay out all of the details of my plight with him, and, at first, he is noticeably concerned. He tells me, in an eager tone, that he needs to try to catch our particular mail carrier before he/​she leaves for the day, which was about to happen. I asked if he would please contact me, once he gets the low down, and he agrees.
He called me back within 5 minutes, stating that he did, indeed, talk with our mail carrier, and he/​she said simply that there had not been any mail to deliver, so he/​she didn’t even bother checking our box for any outgoing mail. In fact, Andres stated that this was standard practice. I said, «Well that’s unacceptable. My mail has been sitting in that box, and it’s now soaking wet.» He said, «Well, that’s our policy, okay?» I said, «NO! That is not okay, our mail needs to be checked EVERY DAY, regardless of whether we have any post coming to us, or not.» Meekly, he replied, «Ok, we will check it every day.»
Un-​stinkin-​believable.

This is hands down the worst post office I’ve ever been to. I’ve walked in before and there is no one behind the counter OR they «go to the back» to check on something and I seriously think they are back there on a lunch break. Most of the time the machine in the lobby area doesn’t work so you have to go get in line.
I will drive 20 minutes out of my way to go to another one. Terrible; don’t know why it’s still there.

Quite possibly the worst post office in the Austin area. The people that work here are awful and would rather adjust their hair and music than do work in a pleasant manner.
On the other hand, Oak Hill (old Fredricksburg Rd) is excellent.

I’m currently working in the Westlake area. The company asked me to ship out some international packages that had been sent back to them due to not having the customs paperwork filled out. They’d already paid to ship them, they just needed the documents filled out. The woman at the counter was happy to hand me the forms and tell me to move to the side. I went back to the office and properly filled everything out and returned.
There were two employees working when I brought them back. The line actually moved quickly enough, so I don’t have any issue with a wait time. What I do take issue with is that the employees proceeded to talk about and berate customers right in front their faces as if they weren’t present. Apparently it was an issue that my company had held on to the packages for a little while before re-​shipping them so as to save their own time. And this made ME a complete idiot and waste of United States Post Office’s time (why it was an issue in the first place, I’ll never know). Of course, I got to be the idiot in between the several personal phone calls that were attended to while I stood there waiting.
I’m familiar with the whole «angry postal worker» reputation, but seriously? WHY? That is a sweet, well paying gig with AWESOME benefits that a lot of people would kill to have. Every job has its ups and downs, but this is one where I DEFINITELY 100% will not EVER understand rude behavior from employees. Moreover why it’s apparently allowed.
This is hands down the worst post office I’ve ever been to and if I ever have to go back, it will be too soon.

«Post Office Closed 12:30 — 1:00 today 6÷14÷12» I arrived at 1:15 and it was STILL closed with no sign of life. Also, the automated machine was out of service. Argggh.

Good location, service is slow like most post offices. I’d recommend and go during the non– busy times, before lunch.

I’ve tried calling 17 times today. Beginning at 9am — and ending at 3:49 pm… Does anyone actually work here??? How about you answer the phone and do business like a real post office.
Rediculous!!!

I realize that this is a post office and your likelihood of having to wait is going to be high, but this place is understaffed like nobody’s business. The staff they do have is slow. Maybe they need some young blood behind the counter, I don’t know, but something needs to change.
The downtown Post Office on Guadalupe is a prime example of a smooth running post office. They have tons of people behind the counter that know what they are doing because all the people conducting business downtown are not willing to put up with waiting in lines that move like molasses in the winter.
Plus, if I wanted to stand behind a bunch of rich people who think their business is more important than mine, I’ll go to the Domain.

this is a government run business folks, they dont give a shit

It’s the Post Office, not a race track. Folks in Westlake do a lot of business at the post office, so your chances of getting behind someone with a 15 minute transaction are very high.
I was grateful they added the kiosk in the lobby, although it’s not always operating.
This location has one thing really going for it though — it’s location. The only other locations in the area are Oak Hill (Old Fredricksburg Rd), Lakeway (620), or Guadalupe between 5^th and 6^th. The employees are typically friendly and if you have 30 minutes, it’s a taste of what it used to be like to go somewhere and have to hang out for a bit, maybe run into someone you know, maybe strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know.
And you get to giggle at all the impatient people about to peel their skin off in frustration that they have had to wait longer than 15 seconds.

This has to be the single worst USPS office. I usually receive mail for houses two streets away that usually do have the same street number but still it’s on a completely different street. On the flip side I feel lucky if I actually receive my own mail. I’ve reported four Netflix movies lost in the last six months alone, not to mention the number of bills that have never arrived.
Walking into the actual office is even worse. As previous reviewers have stated you are lucky if there are any supplies or people working the counter. For that matter you should consider yourself lucky if the postage machine is actually working.

This place is pretty horrible. The postal service is notorious for customer service that just doesn’t give a shit but this place really, truly does. not. give. a. shit. I went to pick up a package for work because we got a notice saying there was something waiting for us at the post office. I walk in and ring the bell for the dutch door service area because that’s what most post offices do to try and get people in and out.
I wait and pray that someone will come to the door soon because the line for the counter is out the door and only two people are working the registers. A lady rolls a cart by me and opens the dutch door to go in the back, casually mentioning to me that no one works the dutch door anymore. So I have to stand in line with everyone else? Yes, she flippantly replied and no, it was not possible for her to work the dutch door and get my package.
So they didn’t feel like providing a service anymore so they just quit? That’s like going to McDonalds and finding out that the workers have decided it’s too much trouble to put the burgers in buns so now everyone has to settle for meat patties.
So I stood in line for half an hour, for a package that it took the postal worker 30 seconds to retrieve. Fucking absurd.

The two stars I have for this location are for the MACHINE!
Thank God someone (be it inanimate or not) here is efficient. I could give a rat’s ass about friendly and congenial if you could just move things along and keep more than two people at the counter when there are 40+ customers crammed uncomfortably in your midst. I’ve been known to leave, get in my car, drive 10 miles to the next location, stand in line, pay and be home before you’ve even realized I’m gone. (We tested this theory one time just to be sure.)
Also, be sure to get your supplies elsewhere because this one is always out of everything.
***TIP: Don’t waste your time at Christmas. Instead, head across the street to Kinko’s where if you have at least 3 – 4 days to get it there, the ground shipping is cheaper and is GUARANTEED DELIVERY!:)

Horrible service, long waits. Seems like all the employees at the counter are always «taking a break». Parking is also a problem. One of the dirtiest post offices in Austin. If I can avoid going here, I do.

DISCLAIMER:
I understand that the USPS is a flawed and problematic system. I understand that post offices often have long lines and poor service. This review was made with that in mind as a standard, not an exception.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO:
After reading some not-​so-​nice reviews on this post office I thought I would put in my two cents … so here it is.
I had 6 weeks to renew my passport before I left the U. S for a year-​long trip. I called the Bee Caves station and got an appointment for the next week. The woman I spoke to on the phone told me exactly what I needed to bring and what forms I needed to fill out before the appointment. It turns out most passport forms can be printed out from a government website.
Anyways, when I got to the appointment the woman I met with was polite and courteous. I had to wait about 15 minutes to see her, but I didn’t have to deal with any horrible waits or return trips. My passport was really really expensive … so minus a star. But I did get it on time, and considering I wrote ‘Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, Syria, Israel’ under ‘destinations’ I’m pleased that I now have a valid passport in my possession.
Bottom line? The passport lady at the Bee Caves Post Office knows what she is doing. If you ask the right questions when you talk to her on the phone, you shouldn’t have too many issues.

I’m not a Westlaker, so I can make fun of the indignant Westlake folk calling the postal service to crankily complain about the wait at this location. (OK, I admit it was only once, but it still made me smile to hear).
I also laud the good spirits of the staff, but question how there can be a room full of people on a 90 minute wait, with only 2 people manning the desk. I get government bureaucracy, but can we invade/​destroy/​rebuild one less country this year and maybe hire some postal employees? (Hint, if we skip the «destroy» step, we don’t have to do the «rebuild» step, a.k.a the Pottery Barn Policy: «you break it, you buy it»)
I used to try to sneak away from work to mail packages from here, but the wait made that impractical. I discovered that the Buda and Manchaca post offices, either of which can be negotiated on my drive in from Buda, are almost always empty.

I love this post-​office, and here’s why: the 24 machine that allows you to do it all. I avoid the crowds and sneak over after the kids are bed and doing my mailing with the machine. It handles most packages and stamps. It is polite, fast and accurate. Perfect!

What’s interesting here is that the Bee Caves post office is probably a quarter of the size of our downtown locale, but services nearly as many people. Located in an always-​crowded shopping center in the very busy Rollingwood district, this little guy always bites off more than it can chew. Be prepared to take a number… the wait can be anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple hours (and good luck parking). But despite the masses of impatient holiday package-​senders and soon-​to-​be tourists racing against their passport deadline, the staff is incredibly patient, helpful and friendly. It always surprises me — how people who must stand on their feet all day dealing with curt consumers can still manage to cut a joke or give a smile when number 493 steps up to the counter. For this, I give them four stars.
Buy stamps here.