No post since moving house

Piggywinkle

We moved house before Christmas. We didn't really put much importance on getting no post until into the new year, when we realised we hadn't received any mail at all. This was bought to light by us not receiving our updated driving licences and also DH's employer sending an expensive bit of work kit (untracked!) and us never receiving it.

Royal Mail can't offer an explanation and we can't get in touch with the previous owner of our house to see what redirection arrangements may be in place. They apparently can't tell us what possible redirection arrangements the previous house owner has in place ('data protection').

RM have simply told us to sit tight and get back in touch with them next Friday if we still haven't received anything. In the meantime, we are now discovering lots of other important things haven't turned up in the mail, namely my child's annual savings statement, our driving licences (as mentioned) and my updated car logbook. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before and are there any explanations from someone reading who may work at RM?

---

Feel like I should edit with extra info that's come to light as it may get lost further down the thread.

1) We didn't set up redirection from our old address to our current one - just updated in writing with all of the agencies and then followed up with a phone check. We've moved quite a few times within the last 5-6 years and have got it down pat now!

2) We had an overlap between our old rented property and our current one of just over a month. In this time, two pieces of unsolicited junk mail arrived at our old rental property and nothing else.

3) Landlord's mom lives in the same street as our old rental and checks the vacant property once a week for post. She then drops DH a text and he goes to pick up anything that has arrived. Since Christmas, this has also consisted of one or two bits of unsolicited junk mail or stuff addressed 'To The Occupier.'

4) We've since managed to get in touch with the previous owner of our property. He has redirection set up and is getting his mail but has not received anything of ours.

5) We've confident that the following things have disappeared into the ether:
- Mine and DH's driving licences (after updating to show our new address)
- My logbook (showing our new address)
- Daughter's annual savings statement
- A cheque for £75
- Land registry/other documents from our solicitor
- A pricey bit of work kit from my DH's employer (unfortunately, they were daft enough to send it untracked!)
- Information from our new energy supplier
- And other bits, such as cards from long-distance friends (i.e. new home etc.)

If it was just one or two bits then I'd be mildly annoyed. But there is no way that all of this can go astray without something being very wrong in the system somewhere. Relatives have suggested a light fingered postie, but I find that hard to believe and a bit far-fetched tbh.

Again, I will update tomorrow when I've been to the sorting office. It could just be down to the particular people I've spoken to, but the staff I've had dealings with are extremely unconcerned about the whole thing.


ETA: Sorting office not interested in helping, lodged a formal complaint over the phone. As mentioned in the thread, I sent myself two pieces of mail. One signed for and one standard. The recorded one arrived but the non-recorded one has disappeared too!

Le_Kirk

Send a letter to your address marked "For Occupier" asking for the recipient to contact you (by e-mail or phone as post is not going to work) to tell you where it ended up. Maybe the previous owner/occupier has put in place a redirection and ALL your post is being redirected not just that for the previous owner.

Piggywinkle

Great minds and all that... I did that this morning!

Fosterdog

Are you certain you are getting your new address right when updating places?

I know it’s sounds a bit daft but I recently had a customer order that he complained hadn’t been received, after much chasing up with RM it turned out that the guy honestly thought the house he moved in to was 10 example street, when he had actually moved to 10 cross example street. He didn’t realise that where there was a bend in the road the street also changed name. He’d been wondering why he wasn’t getting his mail and why parcels hadn’t turned up and it was several days of us chasing it up with RM and I finally got through to his local delivery office at a time in the morning that his postie was still there, after speaking to him it became clear that the people in 10 example street were getting quite concerned that a lot of mail was turning up for somebody they had never heard of and thought there was some fraud going on, the postie worked out what had happened and gave me both postcodes so I could look up on google maps. The customer genuinely believed he lived in example street, and had not paid any attention to the street sign for cross example street, it only came to light this time because it was a tracked item so he could see online that they were saying a delivery attempt was made and a card left, obviously that was to the other address not his.

Piggywinkle

Fosterdog wrote: »

Are you certain you are getting your new address right when updating places?

I know it’s sounds a bit daft but I recently had a customer order that he complained hadn’t been received, after much chasing up with RM it turned out that the guy honestly thought the house he moved in to was 10 example street, when he had actually moved to 10 cross example street. He didn’t realise that where there was a bend in the road the street also changed name. He’d been wondering why he wasn’t getting his mail and why parcels hadn’t turned up and it was several days of us chasing it up with RM and I finally got through to his local delivery office at a time in the morning that his postie was still there, after speaking to him it became clear that the people in 10 example street were getting quite concerned that a lot of mail was turning up for somebody they had never heard of and thought there was some fraud going on, the postie worked out what had happened and gave me both postcodes so I could look up on google maps. The customer genuinely believed he lived in example street, and had not paid any attention to the street sign for cross example street, it only came to light this time because it was a tracked item so he could see online that they were saying a delivery attempt was made and a card left, obviously that was to the other address not his.

I have my moments, but I'm 100% sure we have the correct address on this occasion

marliepanda

Do you have the same surname as any of the occupants who left before you?

J_B

Piggywinkle wrote: »

..... and we can't get in touch with the previous owner of our house to see what redirection arrangements may be in place.

But, maybe your conveyancing solicitor could do this for you???

Shaka_Zulu

So why weren't driving licences sent to the new address?

custardy

Piggywinkle wrote: »

We moved house before Christmas. We didn't really put much importance on getting no post until into the new year, when we realised we hadn't received any mail at all. This was bought to light by us not receiving our updated driving licences and also DH's employer sending an expensive bit of work kit (untracked!) and us never receiving it.

Royal Mail can't offer an explanation and we can't get in touch with the previous owner of our house to see what redirection arrangements may be in place. They apparently can't tell us what possible redirection arrangements the previous house owner has in place ('data protection').

RM have simply told us to sit tight and get back in touch with them next Friday if we still haven't received anything. In the meantime, we are now discovering lots of other important things haven't turned up in the mail, namely my child's annual savings statement, our driving licences (as mentioned) and my updated car logbook. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before and are there any explanations from someone reading who may work at RM?

What redirection arrangements do you have?
The missing mail,is it redirected from your old place or coming directly from the senders via an updated address?

London50

it is up to you to sort redirection with RM not the new owner/tenant.If that has not been done either the new owner/tenant has disposed or returned any mail or is holding it waiting for you to collect it.
I like you moved just before Christmas,set up 6 months for redirect from my old place and any mail from previous is put back into the post marked no longer at this address

BorisThomson

London50 wrote: »

it is up to you to sort redirection with RM not the new owner/tenant.If that has not been done either the new owner/tenant has disposed or returned any mail or is holding it waiting for you to collect it.
I like you moved just before Christmas,set up 6 months for redirect from my old place and any mail from previous is put back into the post marked no longer at this address

I read it that this is mail addressed to the new address (OP refers to updated driving licences), not mail going to the old address.