“I got an e-mail this week from a constituent who put it like this: ‘Halleluiah Congressman!!!’
“I agree. It’s good news,” said Congressman Sablan. “And I am very glad that the congressional office was able to help get this problem fixed for people in the Northern Marianas.”
Walmart is sending word of its policy change to its customers in e-mails that read:
Subject: Walmart.com can ship to more U.S. Protectorate/ Commonwealth ZIP Codes
Dear [customer],
Good news! The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has reinstated delivery confirmation services for shipments addressed to Palau, the Northern Marianas and the Marshall Islands. The USPS delivery confirmation number acts as a tracking number, providing visibility and accountability to the package in transit.
Sincerely,
Your Walmart.com Customer Service Team
Sablan said his office first became involved in the issue early this year when constituents began receiving notices from Walmart that read:
Subject: Walmart.com discontinuing shipping to certain U.S. Protectorate ZIP
Codes
Dear [customer],
We’d like to alert you to a change by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that may impact your future orders with Walmart.com. The USPS recently announced that it will no longer support delivery confirmation services for shipments addressed to Palau, the Northern Marianas or the Marshall Islands. The USPS delivery confirmation number acts as a tracking number, providing visibility and accountability to the package in transit.
“Of course, we contacted the U.S. Postal Service to see if, in fact, they were cutting off delivery confirmation service for the Northern Marianas,” said Sablan. “It did not seem to make any sense that the USPS would being doing that.
“What we discovered was that the Postal Service had made no change in its services. They were providing delivery confirmation for Saipan and Rota, and had no plans to change.
“But we did learn that there was no delivery confirmation on Tinian. And that did not seem right.
“So, we got the Postal Service to agree that there was no reason that Tinian should not have delivery confirmation service, just like the other islands.”
As a result of Sablan’s work, the Postal Service announced in August that Tinian would get service beginning on September 7. The Postal Service also agreed to that it would inform Walmart and other large retailers of the change.
Kilili’s office also worked with the Walmart government affairs office in Washington to make sure that the new information reached the company’s shipping department.
This week’s e-mails from Walmart indicate that the company does now understand that delivery confirmation service is available throughout the NMI — and is ready to start shipping for the holiday season.
“Working on large-scale national policies is an important part of what a congressional office does,” Kilili says.
“But equally important — and especially satisfying — is working to solve problems that are vexing constituents in the Northern Marianas.
“I am glad we could help.”
