[May 08, 2013] Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind., Rod Spaw column Tweet May 08, 2013 (Herald-Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Search for telephone number frustrating Q: Could you please find out why the Bloomington post offices are not listed in the phone book when the local area ones are And if possible, could you find out what the numbers are I called the ones listed in an old telephone directory, and they are disconnected. I called the USPS 800 number, and after suffering through a lot of verbiage, I was given the times of service and nothing more. Perhaps this explains why the service is losing money T.N., Bloomington A: My 2013 Bloomington telephone book not only lists a disconnected number for the Bloomington post office, it gives the address as 206 E. Fourth St., which the postal service vacated many moons ago. Don't blame the USPS for that, however. Directory publishers often carry listings from one year to the next and don't check for accuracy. That also may explain the listings for the other area post offices. Bloomington Postmaster Rick Minton said the USPS has been providing directories the 800-275-8777 customer service line number for publication. "This was done to streamline the manner in which customer inquiries were handled," he said. Hotline was able to find the current phone number for the new downtown retail postal center by calling the 800 number. Yes, it does require patience and attentiveness to the automatic prompts, but it does work. The telephone numbers for delivery offices and retail centers are available by ZIP code, although the automated system still had the main Bloomington post office on Fourth Street. Eventually, if all else fails, the system will connect you with a real person who can track down the number you are seeking. Here are two numbers I looked up in my searches: Downtown postal center, 334-7013, and the Woodbridge post office, 331-4553. My kingdom for a big blue mailbox Q: Where is the closest mail drop box to downtown ... It seems to me that there should be a drop box downtown, but I can't find it. Does one have to drive all the way to the post office to drop off a letter to be mailed H.E., Bloomington A: As Hotline has stated repeatedly, the Internet is the absolute best way to find a blue postal drop box, by going to www.usps.com and searching for locations near you. However, Hotline understands that not all newspaper readers have access to the Internet or are comfortable using a computer. So, here goes: There are several blue boxes listed in the downtown area, starting with the new postal center at 520 S. Walnut St. There is a drive-up box there at the rear of the property. The USPS website also shows blue boxes at 605 W. Second St., 216 S. College Ave., 100 S. College Ave., 119 W. Seventh St. and 800 E. Atwater Ave. On the east side, the USPS shows blue boxes at 2700 E. Covenanter Drive, 2510 E. Third St., 3210 E. 10th St. and 3901 E. Hagan St. Write to Hotline, c/o The Herald-Times, P.O. Box 909, Bloomington, IN 47402, or email [email protected], using "Hotline Inquiry" as the subject line. ___ (c)2013 the Herald-Times (Bloomington, Ind.) Visit the Herald-Times (Bloomington, Ind.) at www.heraldtimesonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]