Mail redirect issue

Rambosmum

I've just organised for my mail to be redirected for 6 months.


Whilst doing this, I realised that my maiden name (which is still on a large amount of paperwork/ letters I receive) is the same name as the vendors we are buying off.


What will happen if they get their mail redirected? Will my mail get re-re-directed iyswim? Or does one redirection stop a second?

glentoran99

Its entirely possible it could be re-re directed

Fosterdog

As long as you don't have the same first initial as the vendor you should be fine. They should only redirect based on a full name not just the surname (particularly if it is a common one) it won't hurt to have a chat with your postie or speak to the delivery office so they can mark special instructions to be extra careful. They must be used to doing it for things like family separation where some stay and some move out.

We get things occasionally with a business name and no persons name because a previous occupant had his own business and even though he most likely had his personal mail redirected if something has just the business name it doesn't get redirected.

G_M

Given that postal redrection is in any case never 100% reliable, it seems likely that if the surname is duplicated, then even if the first name/initial is different, that reliability ratio will fall dramatically.

I'd ask your vendors if they are redirecting. If the relationship is good, and you can build trust, perhaps offer to always forward on their mail same day if they agree not to redirect?

Or ask them to send back any wrongly redirected mail to your married name?

Tea and cake should solve this issue (unless the sale has been fraught and argumentative.....)

gingercordial

Be prepared for this to be messed up.

I paid for redirection when I left my ex-husband (he wasn't inclined to forward it on) and at that time we had the same surname. Despite us having different initials they quite often redirected his post to me as well as my own - even items with his full first name typed clearly - which caused me grief during divorce proceedings as he accused me of doing it on purpose. I have no idea how much of mine did not get redirected.

Every time (sometimes several times a week) I phoned and made a complaint, got a reference, repeated those references the next time, and so on. They sent a few books of stamps as an apology and eventually a full refund of the fee for the service. I was very relieved when it ended.

Apparently it's down to the original sorting office to look at things properly and pick things out for redirection. I imagine they're under time pressure to get it done before starting their rounds so I'm not completely unsympathetic, but the central complaints team's requests to the sorting office to take more care didn't seem to help; there should have been a special note put against my old address but if so it did no good. Having said that I'm sure some are better than others.

So yes, it'll probably go wrong at least once. Hopefully you will be on better terms and can agree between you to forward it on or return it when mistakes are made.

saajan_12

A family friend had this issue due to a very common surname.. their vendors had set up mail redirection and lots of my friends mail went to the vendors new address because either things were addressed to MR [surname] only or Royal Mail didn't pay attention to the first initial and in some cases the entire forename.

In the end they tried a multi pronged strategy by speaking to the vendors and asking every regular postman and the local post office to double check. The postmen actually knocked to ask whether certain items were theirs and took back things they declined, and my friend picked up stuff that made it to their vendors every week.

Tiners

I'd definitely call in to the delivery office, explain the situation and ask them to put a note on the redirection to be especially aware of the same surname. Otherwise I can guarantee a few will slip through the net!

custardy

You will have an issue,eg mail addressed to miss smith would be delivered,whereas your mail miss r smith would/should be redirected.
Wouldn't hurt to make customer service aware to flag this to the delivery office.

Tiners

GingerCordial - If both you and your husbands name was on the item of mail then it will have been delivered as adressed and NOT redirected, that's the correct procedure

Rambosmum

Thanks for the advice. I have spoken with Royal Mail and the vendors DO have a redirect in place. Royal mail have altered their redirect (after I provided them with information to 'prove' I really had the issue)so that only their specific names and initials get redirected.

I expect it'll get messed up at some point so will take the multi-pronged approach and speak to them (reasonable terms) and to the local postie.

gingercordial

Tiners wrote: »

GingerCordial - If both you and your husbands name was on the item of mail then it will have been delivered as adressed and NOT redirected, that's the correct procedure

No, I'm talking about stuff addressed to each of us individually.

The redirect was for my name, at that time Mrs Xxx Yyyy, as I had moved out.

Things addressed to him and him alone, Mr Zzz Yyyy, were also routinely redirected to me at my new address through their repeated errors. They just didn't care enough to check the first names properly.

I expect some things addressed to me alone were not redirected (because I'd be surprised if they got it wrong one way and not the other) but I wouldn't know as I expect he binned them. Fair enough about the tiny number of things addressed to us both but that wasn't the issue!]

But anyway, thankfully that is all done and dusted. I just don't expect much accuracy from the redirect service going forwards.