METAIRIE - It's the busiest time of the year for delivery services and the U.S. Postal Service.
A Facebook video showing a mail carrier throwing packages at houses in the New Orleans area is drawing a lot of attention.
Pascal Barone shot the cellphone video on Saturday in his neighborhood near David Drive and Veterans Blvd. in Metairie. He said that is how the woman treated all of her deliveries, up and down his street.
"I just couldn't believe that she had the guts to do this out in public, just mishandling people's stuff," Barone said. "It just seems very careless."
Barone added his package, a rare car part landed on his doorstep with a thud. That's when he decided to looked outside and saw the carrier leaving his house.
"When I saw her walking across the street, I saw her throwing mail, two packages at the neighbor directly across the street," Barone said.
Barone's box was all dented up when it arrived at his house. He's now checking to see if the part is damaged.
WWL-TV showed video of the postal carrier to customers mailing off their holiday packages Monday at the main post office in New Orleans..
"I don't think you should walk up there and throw it up there and just walk away," USPS customer Chief Howard said. "I don't think you're doing your job when you do that."
"Well, obviously it's being handled like it didn't make any difference, like it was of no interest to her whatsoever," customer Tom Murphy said.
"Not good," customer Marion Moore said. "No idea what's in the package, don't know if it's fragile, definitely not a valid way to of delivering a package."
"No wonder they're losing business," customer Dr. Anthony Wickramasekera said. "That's disgraceful."
The video also caught the eye of Congressman Steve Scalise.
His office called the conduct of the carrier, "outrageous."
Lauren Fine, a spokeswoman for the Metairie Republican released a statement saying in part, "Upon seeing this video, our office reached out to the post office to ask for answers, and was informed that the carrier in question has been placed off the clock pending an investigation into the matter."
Postal Service spokeswoman Twana Barber also sent a statement saying: "Local postal management reviewed the situation and appropriate follow-up action has been taken. This is clearly unacceptable behavior that does not reflect the efforts of the thousands of professional, dedicated carriers in our workforce."
Barone said he sent the video to the Postal Service and filed an official complaint.
"This time of year, I understand there's a lot of packages and there's a lot of deliveries being made, but don't be a Grinch," Barone said. "Take care of other people's stuff. If you can't handle it, it's not the job for you then."
Customers with concerns about their mail service should contact their local post office or call the customer care line at 1 800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777).
You can also file a claim or request a refund online at usps.com/help.
Here is the Postal Services full statement:
"The Postal Service apologizes for any inconvenience the customer may have experienced in this specific instance. Local postal management reviewed the situation and appropriate follow-up action has been taken. This is clearly unacceptable behavior that does not reflect the efforts of the thousands of professional, dedicated carriers in our workforce. A postal representative reached out to the customer to offer an apology and resolve the issue to their satisfaction."
Here's is the full statement from Congressman Steve Scalise's office:
“Postal workers have a duty to properly deliver mail and packages to their rightful recipients. It’s outrageous that some Metairie-area postal workers are allegedly engaging in gross misconduct that is causing folks to receive damaged packages or no mail at all, especially during this Christmas season. Upon seeing this video, our office reached out to the post office to ask for answers, and was informed that the carrier in question has been placed off the clock pending an investigation into the matter. Our office will continue to work with those who are affected and demand accountability for those responsible for these actions.”