Rural resident in postal "dead zone"

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Okla. - For the last dozen years or so, Charles would head down his driveway and down a winding country road, into town nine miles away, to drop off and  pickup his mail.

"It was safer to get it up there, nobody would steal my mail or tear up my mailbox, there's always a chance of it you know."

But toward the end of last summer, Charles says he got tired of going into town everyday, especially since the cost of gas has shot up the last few years.

When he asked the post office to deliver his mail to his rural home, though, Charles says he got some strange news.

"They told me it was a dead zone, mail didn't come up here."

Charles says he was told to fill out some paperwork, and send it in, which he says he did twice.

But still, no mail delivery.

And while he waited, his new mail box was vandalized.

Charles wasn't about to give up.

"I just thought I'm going to stay with it until it happens."

 Charles finally called the 2News Problem Solvers, and we got in touch with the regional management for the post office.

A representative looked into the situation. She says they couldn't find the paperwork that Charles says he sent in.

So she worked out all the details, so Charles could get his mail delivered right to the end of this driveway.

"Lot more convenient, uh huh, walking distance."

 Instead of driving distance. 

Charles says he learned the importance of keeping copies of any important paperwork you mail when trying to get a problem solved.