To the Editor:

The 11964 versus 11965 conundrum (“11964 and 11965, where are you?” January 10) is definitely annoying at times, but it can also have very serious untoward ramifications.

We live in Hay Beach and have happily had our post office at the Heights for 14 years. However, the discrepancy between where we physically live and where we have our post office box has caused serious problems for us and many Shelter Islanders.

Because mail was sent to the 11964 post office (despite our 11965 post office address), it has often been sent back to the sender by the Center post office. People like us have had insurance (life, home and health) canceled because we never received a bill and did not respond to what we did not receive.

Government mail is another problem. Mail addressed by government agencies (Social Security, Medicare, voting and Motor Vehicle departments) is often “corrected” by these agencies and sent to 11964, because of where we physically live, and as a consequence we do not get important or serious mail.

This week I had to drive in to Riverhead to register my car as the registration I paid for online was returned to DMV by the Center post office because it was sent to 11964. How many of us have had our voting registration deleted after many years because we did not get the voting information sent to us at the wrong post office? I am sure we are not the only residents with similar problems. How hard would it be for the Center to check (or forward) our mail to the Heights instead of the cavalier attitude of returning important mail to the sender and disrupting our lives in serious ways?

BOB FREDERICKS

Shelter Island