In the last two years, islander Jeff Snell has requested that the post office hold his mail six times, and each time, he said, the post office has failed to do so.

Just recently, it happened again. He had requested a hold on his mail while he traveled. When he returned one day before he had indicated he would go to the post office to pick it up, he found his mail in his mailbox. To his chagrin, so was the form indicating the dates he expected to be gone.

“That’s the most critical thing,” he said about the form being in the box. “That defeats the whole purpose.”

Snell is just one islander among many who have reported problems with their mail in recent months. In May, several islanders took to Facebook, reporting delayed mail, problems with package delivery and sometimes no mail at all when something important was expected. The Washington state spokesman for the United States Postal Service, Ernie Swanson, said at the time that the local post office was dealing with some staffing challenges and that backup personnel would be added to alleviate that shortage. Last month, however, several islanders reported mail delivery problems again, from mail delivered to the wrong address to mail arriving well into the evening.

Postal employees, including the temporary postmaster who began last week at the Vashon post office, are forbidden from talking to the press. However, asked again about the problems on Vashon, including postmaster turnover and insufficient staffing, Swanson sent an email saying the post office continues to focus on reducing expenses and improving efficiencies, including adjusting employee staffing and scheduling to meet the changing workload.

“This includes looking at possible hiring opportunities within the Vashon Island community,” he wrote.

He added that nationwide in the third quarter of this fiscal year, letter mail volumes declined by approximately 4 percent, while package volumes grew by approximately 11 percent — a spike in packages that is also evident on Vashon.

He did not address issues related to the hiring of a permanent postmaster or specific efforts to hire additional staff.

He did, however, say that the postal service pledges to continue efforts to be fully responsive to the mailing needs of all of its customers. He encouraged customers to call the Postal Service’s toll-free customer service hotline to share issues and concerns. The number is 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).