Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, I am not sure that this amounts to a minus-3, but I confess it is vexing to me. I am a retired USAF Colonel and recently I had occasion to refinance my home in Florida. Thereafter, I began receiving almost daily solicitations to “refinance” my mortgage that I had just refinanced with USAA. The mail solicitations used every attempt imaginable to give the appearance of U.S. government (if not VA) connection before burying the disclaimer that they were not affiliated with any government agency on a back page of their fliers. I have come to recognize the solicitations and place them in “file 13” without opening. I find these annoying, but as with much in life, in my advanced years I have learned to deal with it. But today, I received a letter with the following return address:
USVM
7338 Loncki St. #56279
Hill Air Force Base, Utah 84056
When I opened it, I was annoyed to find it was yet another solicitation from a mortgage company called USVM. It is bad enough that the mortgage company name suggests a governmental agency but when they also used a USAF base as the return address, I can’t believe that this is not a breach of AF Regulations or an abuse of the Base Postal service. Thanks for your time and consideration.
A: Our official mail center researched this issue. The company USVM purchased a valid U.S. P.O. Box from the United States Post Office at Hill. The 75th Air Base Wing OMC does not regulate USPS P.O. boxes; the USPS entity on Hill AFB issues P.O boxes in accordance with USPS guidelines. As long as a “customer” can show proof of address and can access Hill, the customer can purchase a P.O. Box. Therefore, the address is valid and does not violate regulations. However, we have received numerous complaints about this company (USVM). Individuals can contact USVM and request removal from solicitations. Contact information for USVM is as follows:
USVM, 2156 N. Hillfield Road
Layton, Utah 84040
Phone: 801-508-6700 or 888-568-0993
Complainants dealing with USVM are encouraged to contact the Postmaster General if they have a complaint regarding use of the Post Office.