I've been a big fan of the US Postal service for years and I actually really like the staff in Monterey. I'm very disappointed at the moment with USPS and particularly the Monterey Postmaster for not doing right by me. Back in early December I needed to ship a flash drive overseas so that some folks I know could do a quick video edit and get it back to me before Christmas. I filled out the mountains of paperwork to send it First Class Registered. Normally it takes about 10 days and costs me $23. Well a month passed and my peeps didn't receive my package, so I opened a USPS inquiry and after verbally re-submitting all of the information I had already filled out in at least 8 places weeks before, they took my info. Then they didn't call me back. So I waited a few more weeks and was informed that my parcel had been shipped to the wrong country. It was a country that started with the same letter, but wrong continent. Another week or so passed and I got an email from my recipient that they had finally received my flash drive. Well of course this was way after Christmas and in the meantime I had taken care of the project myself to make the deadline. I got a letter a week later telling me essentially that the package had arrived and that USPS was pleased to have been of assistance. Really? Gee thanks. So I called USPS to ask for a refund and they said they couldn't do anything for me over the phone and I'd have to go into the office from which I had sent the package. I did so yesterday and after explaining everything to a supervisor who was then supposedly speaking to the Postmaster in the back room (which I'm guessing was much like that Seinfeld car reservation episode where the agent goes in the back room and pretends to talk her supervisor) he came back and told me that there was nothing they could do for me. I should have purchased Express Delivery. So basically what I learned is that you can pay for USPS First Class International Registered delivery and you should thank them for sending your package to the wrong country, then opening an inquiry, before it arrives 6 weeks later to its intended destination which should have taken 10 days. Don't expect any of your money back and be sure to let them know that you are pleased that they were able to assist you in determining the disposition of your missing article. read more

to be honest, i have no idea what this place is like during the week. i've gone on many a saturday mornings (they're open until 2pm, which means that i can sleep in well past noon!) to mail packages and things. i haven't had bad service there (yet). there's usually two rather helpful and polite people working the windows (which is a rarity at other post offices, especially on saturdays), and they usually move fast enough such that i don't have time to start bitching to the person in front of me about the line. read more

Absolutely rude. I had a package to send out already has paid receipt & needed a 1 piece of tape I asked the half front gold tooth guy he told me I had to buy a role???!!! I said...what? He said we are not making any money off of you we have to make it some how and laughed. He told me ( after i waited 20 minutes in line & now they are closed) that i could go get tape & come back and laughed again i really think he enjoyed being an ass. He charged me 3.49 for a role of tape....ridiculous place & rude. Some thing is wrong with this person & he should not dealing with the public. read more

Rude, unhelpful staff. Liz takes more time looking at her nails than being helpful to customers. I'll never go back, go to seaside they are way nicer and actually helpful! read more

There was a bit of a line when I arrived this afternoon, but one of the employees was going out of his way to expedite things and move along people who were just buying stamps or dropping things off. Hence, the line moved quickly, and when I was assisted by Stephen, the service was exemplary. He went out of his way to make sure I got value for my money and was both helpful and informative. We need more people like Stephen. read more

I'm wondering how most people on here make it through their daily lives with all that negativity. I happen to see this place as an excellent place to do my shipping/mailing, etc. They usually have a line that's manageable and even when there is a longer line it moves along reasonably. Liz is a sweetheart and Manny is a great guy who always asks me how things are going for me on a more personal level. I can't remember the others' name's however they've been helpful. I will also note that at other post offices I'm usually given the most expensive option first as their suggestion to ship but here they try to help me choose the right shipping for my needs and give me a list of all options. I think it really comes down to the way you approach them from the onset that will determine your experience with them, such as in any situation in life dealing with people. Cheers guys, Nick Mac read more

Worst service ever the manager locked the door at 4:59 while my girlfriend was in line and would not allow me back in to join her in line. Wow, this is why they are struggling to stay in business. It's called customer service. read more

What a terrible post office. The clerks are friendly enough, but all in all the whole thing is a total ripoff. They nickel and dime you for everything, and make you pay exorbitant amounts for even the smallest errors, like using the wrong kind of tape. read more

This was the easiest US Post Office trip I've had in ages! Parking was super convenient, the line flew by quickly and everyone was friendly and helpful. Wish every location was this lovely-thanks Monterey! read more

This is a nice little post office. The staff has always been friendly and speedy for the most part. I wouldn't suggest going between 3 or 4 pm on a weekday...street parking is scarce. read more

While the clerks at the physical post office on Hartnell are polite and friendly, don't expect to reach the post office about missing mail by phone. They rarely pick up, and if you finally, by some miracle, get through to someone, they put you on hold for ten-fifteen minutes on average, sometimes far longer. Utterly ridiculous. I have a huge problem with mail being delivered to the wrong address, and trying to reach the post office to report this and have the missing items found and delivered is an exercise in futility. Calling the 800 number isn't any better. After going through a lengthy voice tree, I ended up with an automated message stating the wait time to speak with a service rep was over an hour. No wonder the post office is losing business hand over fist. But word to the wise: I was told by a USPS customer service rep that when a package is scanned by the carrier prior to delivery that scan posts a GPS location so they can determine where the missing parcel was actually delivered. Now, whether that person is willing to hand over the parcel that doesn't belong to them is another matter. read more

This Post Office is decent, They do have more customer windows than the other locations and are usually staffed well. This location is always busy in the afternoon, which means long lines and very few parking spaces. I don't mind going to this location in the morning when it is less crowded. The reason for only 3 stars is due to the not so friendliness of the staff. read more

Super slow. Half the computers are broken. Don't get sent to the "Supervisor" line, because it takes three announcements over the load speaker and 40+ minutes for her to walk to the counter. After making you wait forever, she's completely unhelpful.Their approach to answering the phone is to put you on hold and never pick up again. I witnessed this myself while waiting in line for two hours, the only phone is just off the front counter. read more

Good post office, well staffed, with lots of windows. Parking in Monterey sucks, so they have lots of 12-minute parking spots on the street--that way you can find a spot, run in and run out. Without the 12-minute spots, folks would be parking there all day. read more

Don't bother calling them. They refuse to pick up the phone, even when they have no customers in line.

Always rude, they get my mail wrong all the time. Parking is terrible. Would not go here if i didn't have to

Good post office. They handle patrons pretty quickly. Everyone is friendly. In a nice building.

I had a great experience. One of the staff (Eric I believe) saved me from so much hassle. I called the office cus my package (which was supper important) was not dropped off since my name was not on the box. He was very helpful and held the package from being returned. He saved me from a 2 week headache. read more

Ugh, I hate having to come here. Parking can be an issue. They have horrible open hours during the week (only 8:30-5pm), and there always seems to be a line. The staff work at a snail's pace, and act like zombies. They used to have one of those automated machines where you could process your own packages, and then they got rid of it - I don't understand why because it was a perfect time-saver for those willing to use it, plus it was available in the lobby before and after the rest of the building was open. read more

Chronic long lines with only 1-2 workers assisting customers. Workers' pace is slow regardless of the number of waiting customers. Rarely is their phone answered; it rings and is eventually auto- disconnected. Avoid this branch at all costs! read more

Friendly staff, easy parking. But.... Here is an example of why USPS will never win the customer service competition. At 2PM, despite the long residual lunch-time line, one of the 3 counters was closed, probably because of lunch break. In private businesses where you expect more crowds from 11-2:30, you schedule breaks around that time, not during it! Both open counters ran out of their MagicUSPS-Stickers at exactly the same time, thus closing both (=all) windows for 3 minutes while they change the reels. How about looking at the reels first thing in the morning and making sure that the short reels are put into use only during expected slow times? read more

This post office is a prime example of why the entire USPS is oozing cash. I went in to mail an international package, and the entire fiasco made me end up leaving after three times being told that something was wrong with the package and paperwork. The first time that a postal worker denied me, the error was mine, and he was good enough to allow me to go straight back to his counter without making me wait in line again. However....when I went back to his counter again, he said that because the package was under four pounds, I had to get out of line--again--and fill out a different customs form. There is no sign indicating which customs form is appropriate under what conditions, and each contain the exact same fields. They are just different sizes. He then put the "closed" sign on his desk and said that he was going on break, leaving only two employees. After destroying the original larger customs form and filling out the smaller one, I waited in line again. While in line, I reinforced the package with the Priority Mail tape, deciding that if I had to pay extra for Priority Mail as a result, I had no issues doing that. When I finally got to the next available employee, though, he said that I would have to get out of line and fill out the other larger form in order to send it Priority Mail. Quite upset at having been denied a third time, I mentioned to him that they should put a sign in place indicating which customs form to use under what circumstances. He didn't even acknowledge having heard my suggestion. I know that no change will result there. The parking situation is wretched, by the way. Bottom line--I'll either pay four times as much to send international packages via UPS or drive as many miles as I have to to use a different post office. They suck! read more

As a military wife, I've spent my fair share of time in Post Offices. Too much time, some might say. I'm no stranger to long lines and cranky government workers, and I'm usually overly forgiving of both the wait and the attitudes. I have only once in my life experienced service worse than what I recently experienced , and that involved a clerk opening my flat rate box and making me re-pack it, with two kids in tow and about 15 holiday mailers behind me. But that was a different office, So, this week I needed to send off a package to my kid in overseas; something I have been doing quarterly for over a year. When i walked in, there was quite a line, but I thought nothing of it. As I am chatting with my two kiddos, a loud discussion breaks my train of thought: the two female clerks, on opposite ends of the counter, start badmouthing the male clerk, who apparently left his register to use the bathroom. They are essentially yelling to each other about this. Loudly. The conversation was unpleasant. I try to continue my conversation. Then, the bathroom-going clerk reappears and an epic pissing contest ensues over his bathroom use. Clearly one of the clerks is in a management position, and proceeds to berate this guy, in full earshot of the now 15 or so customers awkwardly waiting to do their business. He yaps back. The argument gets louder and lasts a good 5 minutes. You could cut the tension. I had to fight my gut feeling to just leave that very moment, but I got a pretty good parking spot and that's a hard thing to come by at this location, so I tried to make my kids less uncomfortable while we waited for our turn. In the mean time, yeller clerk took only non transaction customers. The last time I used this office, I was instructed that I needn't use the Priority label to address the box. I had used a postal annex in the past (how I miss them) so I assumed this meant that they used the information on the Customs form to label, and therefore address the package (just as my beloved annex had done for me). When it was finally my turn (20 minutes in line) I handed over the box, and my customs form, and smiled in hopes of improving the atmosphere. " You didn't fill out the last three lines", she barked at me. Only I didn't understand what she said because I was fishing my wallet out of my purse, and a gentleman was asking everyone where the express mailers were. Since I didn't fill out the customs form, the hubs did, I had to look it over to try and figure out the problem. "And you didn't even address this box!?" She chastises as she throws... yes, throws... a priority label in my direction. Ummmmm... this is about to become a situation. What isn't filled out? I ask her. "The total value lines" she answered, clearly annoyed that I didn't notice. That's only one line, and I usually fill it out along with the insurance. And can this box only go priority? I try my hardest to calmly ask. For the first time in this transaction she actually makes eye contact with me to roll her eyes and patronizingly tell me that there is no longer international first class mail, as if that's general common knowledge. "Okayyyy... the last time I was here I was told a priority label wasn't necessary" I say, losing my patience and temper. I'm going to have to help the next person while you figure your paperwork out, she says and with that she yells "next". No answer, no offer to explain these apparent new rules. And she wasn't much nicer to the person after me, either. I grabbed my box, and my scattered paperwork and walked out. I drove across town to the Pacific Grove office, waited for 5 minutes, and although that clerk wasn't cheerier, he was definitely more professional, exhibited excellent customer service AND answered all my questions. My point? This is why the post office is a failing business and if you can, do your mailing business elsewhere. read more

This post office is terrible. No automated stamp machines or self-mail scanners, the staff was not considerate, the flat rate boxes were out of stock, forever stamps were out of stock, the line was long, and staff members walked away from their stations while the line was out the door. read more

You know, despite the long waits, the staff at this Post Office are especially lovely and helpful. That includes my long, curly-haired friend - you know who I am talking about ;) and In Suk. In Suk helped me to compare prices on sending something overseas - we found a good option, she didn't make me fill in the WHOLE customs form (she did the rest herself YAY), upsold me on stamps, helped me get a box in the size I needed. I was very pleased. If you go at around 10 ish you can get in and out really quickly. read more

Frequently have items not picked up on time (sit outside for a day or more) and receive things falling out of their packaging constantly. None of the cashiers have any sense of alacrity and more often than not a bit of attitude as well. read more

I've been using this post office for several years, the guy PARKER is the most condescending customer service representative I've ever met. The fact that he's allowed to work with people is a joke. As long as that poor excuse for a person is behind that counter I boycott this place! read more

I like this post office! I don't know why it has such horrible reviews. In my experience post offices and pretty much the same. I would say avoid this location on Fridays, Saturdays, that's when it's normally super busy! I have found post offices are generally packed after or around 3. Usually during the week I get lucky and there's hardly anyone there. Staff is pretty friendly and they're very helpful! My main complaint would be parking! It can be dreadful especially with people not paying attention read more

I walked into this post office and there was one customer at one of the three open counters... There are two cases in the area with open areas between them with no discernible signage about lines. I waited a couple of beats and walked up to one of the counters. The man there, older, heavier, gray with a small mustache and beard,kept shuffling his papers ignoring me. A couple of minutes another customer came in and stood by one of the counters. The man behind the counter said to me in an arrogant tone " I'm busy, get in line".. I was shocked. speechless... I walked over behind the cases and the customer in what must be the line told me I could get in front of him. He had seen what had happened. I took care of my business at another window and as I left I told the older postal worker behind the counter that was "kind of rude". He said " next time get in line"... I have never been treated like that at any other post office, no, not any where... It's completely shocking... I only give a star because the other employee wasn't that rude... Not really warm either. .. They should have signs saying there is a line instead of three openings to three counters. read more

I went there to mail receive information on how much a package would be to mail it with the different options of mail time. I was told to go to UPS and that they wouldn't tell me the price unless I was ready to mail it right then. I was not because I didn't want to go with the first price. I felt as though the lady behind the counter wanted nothing to do with helping me. Will not be going back. read more

Today I needed help. I asked for the supervisor. She was not helpful, polite or informative in regards to my postal questions.She was rude and unprofessional in dealing with the public. I was surprised that the post office could have such a rude person to be the supervisor. She should learn from the other postal workers, who were nice helpful, on how to relate to the public. I must confess, her rude attitude did upset me. read more

I've always had a great experience at the Monterey Post Office. The staff is very friendly and they offer great customer service with a smile. I'm not fond of their manager: I believe is their Post Master. She is very rude to the employees and I was embarrassed to witness this while waiting in line for service. She is a grumpy, big woman who seems to go on a power trip and does not know how to address her employees professionally and respectfully. It's a shame since all the people there are very hard-working, professional and polite as far as my own experience there. read more

Great service. Usually staffed well,polite &efficient customer service!! There are several offices to choose from between Carmel & Seaside and this one is the BEST! Liz, Isaias(SP) and Manny are FABULOUS!! Manny always asks how my day is going & how my family is... and I am NEVER rushed. I have been in line on several occasions when customers wait just for his window to become available. He is extremely helpful and kind. The whole staff helps keep the line moving smoothly..if a customer approaches the window and has yet to fill out paperwork or make accessory purchases,that could have been done while standing in line,they are politely asked to step aside & fill it out so customers that are ready,can be helped. They are never sent to the end of line,simply told when they are done to let the clerk know and they will,once again, be helped. I have witnessed this several times over the years and, from a customers prospective, it is always appreciated. Everybody is happy. Get there on time though...they do close the doors promptly at closing time! Great office..best clerks ever!! Thanks you Liz,Manny & Isaias !! read more