Return to Sender mail - what happens to it?!

notenoughhoursintheday

I have absolutely no idea which category on the forum is the best place to post this thread, but here goes.....!

When mail is returned by the current occupier of the address as 'not known at this address' - what process actually then happens to it?

I had a huge pile of letters dating back the last couple of years for someone who I don't think ever lived at this address, and popped them all in the post box last month with a sticker over the name and address printed with 'return to sender - not known at this address'. I would say that approximately 99% of the letters had the senders address printed on the back of the envelope.

These letters, I posted in a local village post box that is emptied and mail taken to the sorting office in the local town.

I was chatting with my postie a couple of days ago and he said he had something to tell me - 'oooh, when you return post, don't stick stickers over the recipients name and address because the workers in the town post office have moaned that you have returned lods of letters and they have to peel off all the labels'.

So what I want to know is, what happends when mail is returned? (I've always wanted to know the answer anyway, lol!)

Why does it matter that the recipients name and address is covered with a label when the return to sender address is clearly on the back of the envelope?

Many thanks if anyone can help :money:

VfM4meplse

notenoughhoursintheday wrote: »

When mail is returned by the current occupier of the address as 'not known at this address' - what process actually then happens to it?

The postman bursts into song? Sorry, just couldn't resist .

arcon5

If it has the address on the back, is it not just.. returned to sender?

When I moved address last I forgot to notify one of my banks, realised when they phoned me to say the account was barred as they had received RTS mail - so they must have received it.

Perhaps RM note when an address is receiving the wrong mail or something? I don't know why though

notenoughhoursintheday

arcon5 wrote: »

If it has the address on the back, is it not just.. returned to sender?

Exactly - That's what I assumed would happen?

arcon5 wrote: »

Perhaps RM note when an address is receiving the wrong mail or something? I don't know why though

Maybe - never thought of that!

Thank you for your reply :money:

MarkyMarkD

It simply gets returned to the sender. I don't know why the postie said they were bothered about the original recipient's address being covered up.

As most items come in window envelopes, the original sender can easily enough open the letter and identify who they were really writing to.

notenoughhoursintheday

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

As most items come in window envelopes, the original sender can easily enough open the letter and identify who they were really writing to.

They were all in window envelopes! Very odd :rotfl:

Thanks for replying

mazza111

Then how would the postie know that that person isn't living at that address any more, especially in this day and age when there may be several surnames at one address.

Just write on the front of the envelope "Not at this address", it let's the postie see who's not at that address and will eventually pick up on it. The address will get scrubbed out in crayon and return address circled to highlight it.

Oh the joys, used to sit colouring in when I was injured

getzls

They get sent to the returned letter section in Belfast to deal with.

mazza111

getzls wrote: »

They get sent to the returned letter section in Belfast to deal with.

No they don't, only the ones without a return address get sent there...

notenoughhoursintheday

mazza111 wrote: »

Then how would the postie know that that person isn't living at that address any more, especially in this day and age when there may be several surnames at one address.

I can understand the local postie having an interest in whether they live here or not, but the post is not sorted in this village - it is taken to the main sorting office in the city, therefore no-one there would have a specific interest in it?

mazza111 wrote: »

Just write on the front of the envelope "Not at this address", it let's the postie see who's not at that address and will eventually pick up on it. The address will get scrubbed out in crayon and return address circled to highlight it.

Oh the joys, used to sit colouring in when I was injured

Will it be returned via my local sorting office so that my postie sees it then?


Thank you for replying I was chatting to a collegue this morning, and he said that he regularly returns his unwanted junk mail by marking it 'not known at this address'. Obviously his postie knows that he *is* at that address, so I wonder how that works?!

Hermia

notenoughhoursintheday wrote: »

I was chatting with my postie a couple of days ago and he said he had something to tell me - 'oooh, when you return post, don't stick stickers over the recipients name and address because the workers in the town post office have moaned that you have returned lods of letters and they have to peel off all the labels'.

The PO told me you shouldn't completely obliterate the person's address so there may be a reason for this. I was told to just put a large cross through the address so it could still be read.