Mail forwarding etiquette.

YoungBlueEyes

That's lovely @Beeboo23

I set up a redirect when we moved, and have wondered at it's effectiveness too. It's a bit tricky to gauge really what with all the postal strikes. I've had 2 things come through, but quite a few bits missing (so far). Christmas cards from overseas mainly, but who knows what else I'm missing...?

silvercar

Some companies have access to the GAIN - gone away information network. Once that is updated the amount of mail should reduce.

Silvertabby

YoungBlueEyes said:

Gawd if someone owed me money and I'd bailiffs on the case, I'd want them to be a little more ....rigorous.... But thanks for putting my mind at rest

Some are ...a little more rigorous... but perhaps act beyond the law?

Some years ago, a friend lived at 1 St X's Close, at the same time that a family with, to put it mildly, major debt problems, lived round the corner at 1 St X's Grove.  Mail and 'visitors' were re-directed to the correct address but...

One sunny afternoon she popped out to her next door neighbour's barbecue, leaving her back door unlocked.  Only next door... safe area etc....

Another barbecue guest commented on the large van parked on my friend's drive and activity in the house, so several of the male barbecuers (all big Army guys) rushed round to find 2 men in black gathering up my friend's TV and other valuables.

After an Army type discussion on the importance of ensuring that they had the right address before taking stuff, the bailiffs re-connected the TV and hi-fi, put everything back neatly, and even hoovered up the mess they had made.

YoungBlueEyes

“Army type discussion”  And hoovered up too - love it! 

By ‘more rigorous’ I meant it shouldn’t be beyond the beyonds to see some ID, a council tax bill in their name or whatever. But I spose then you’re getting into civil liberties (?) territory or something. Toughie. 

If someone owed me money, and my bailiff went to the right address, I’d want more than “well I knocked on the door but the guy said he wasn’t Bob that owes you a grand”. 

(Also I suspect that them big male barbecuers had more of a bearing on the hoovering up than a single woman could elicit. I’d loved to have seen that though 😁)

deano2099

[Deleted User] said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Some of the bits -  clubcard, holiday brochures - I've started binning this year. It's the 'proper' stuff I'm on about really. Binning that seems wrong, but sending it back isn't working (you've more patience than me @vangirl!) 

So if a bailiff/whoever turns up, what do I do? Surely standing there saying "no that's not me, goodbye" isn't gonna satisfy them?

They are going to have to take your word for it. They have no legal right to demand ID or proof you aren't that person. If they won't leave, call the police to get rid of them.

On the other hand, if you show them ID, they might then actually update their books. 
I've had it twice in the past, once the guy asked for ID and never heard from them again. The other time the guy took my word for it, though I suspect that's because the name implied a specific racial appearance that I didn't match at all.

Brie

YoungBlueEyes said:

“Army type discussion”  And hoovered up too - love it! 

By ‘more rigorous’ I meant it shouldn’t be beyond the beyonds to see some ID, a council tax bill in their name or whatever. But I spose then you’re getting into civil liberties (?) territory or something. Toughie. 

If someone owed me money, and my bailiff went to the right address, I’d want more than “well I knocked on the door but the guy said he wasn’t Bob that owes you a grand”. 

(Also I suspect that them big male barbecuers had more of a bearing on the hoovering up than a single woman could elicit. I’d loved to have seen that though 😁)

Hah!  reminds me of the reaction I got from the burglar I caught in my lounge at 3 am a few decades back!  And I'm far from being a big male barbecuer!!!  

As I understand it legally they can't insist on anything from you beyond denial of being the person they are looking for.  Even if the person they are looking for is in the next room.  The problem is that it's scare tactics that many will succumb to including clamping your car insisting you pay £££ to get it released.  I know someone who had that and when she handed over £200 they simply asked for more refusing to unclamp.  That's when she called on a bigger meaner relative who was supposedly coming with the cash but was there as muscle instead.  

YoungBlueEyes

I win wonder how long it takes for the GAIN to update then, doesn’t sound like it’s sharpish. 

I understand people have said you don’t legally need to show ID and can call the police, but I think I’d just get my driver’s licence out to get it ended. And I say that as someone who was absolutely not raised to knuckle under just because a big boy said so. Sometimes you have to be realistic. 

I don’t wanna curse meself but I almost want one to come round now so I can see ha haa! 

YoungBlueEyes

@brie what did you do?!

TBagpuss

deano2099 said:

[Deleted User] said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Some of the bits -  clubcard, holiday brochures - I've started binning this year. It's the 'proper' stuff I'm on about really. Binning that seems wrong, but sending it back isn't working (you've more patience than me @vangirl!) 

So if a bailiff/whoever turns up, what do I do? Surely standing there saying "no that's not me, goodbye" isn't gonna satisfy them?

They are going to have to take your word for it. They have no legal right to demand ID or proof you aren't that person. If they won't leave, call the police to get rid of them.

On the other hand, if you show them ID, they might then actually update their books. 
I've had it twice in the past, once the guy asked for ID and never heard from them again. The other time the guy took my word for it, though I suspect that's because the name implied a specific racial appearance that I didn't match at all.

Yes, if they are reputable bailiffs they know they are not entitled to force entry or make you provide ID. Also, I am not sure whether it's similar with bailiffs enforcing debt but I know if you are organising bailiff service they ask for a description, and a photo if you have one, so it may be that at least in some situations they already know the general appearance f the person they are looking for. 

We used to get bailiffs show up regularly when we were students, as we rented for the Worlds Dodgiest Landlords, and it appeared that their ..interesting...approach to the role of landlord was mirrored by the rest of their financial dealings. The bailiffs never gave us any hassle, we would explain that we were tenants, we didn't have a forwarding address but would cheerfully give them the agents details.

Similarly, at my last house I did get a couple of visitors as the previous owners had obviously got s lot of debt. Sadly I didn't have a forwarding address(The sellers were deeply unpleasant people so I would have been more than happy to pass on all of their details, if I had had them) 

They hadn't bothered with redirecting their post and while initially I did mark it RTS after a bit I got tired of that and just put t straight in the recycling. On the other hand, I used to forward the post for the little old lady who had lived there before them - the council once sent some of her stuff to my address, I think she'd sent them proof of ID to get/renew a bus pass or something, and  one of the items had her new address on, so I forwarded it all with a note explaining it had been sent to my address, and after that used to redirect any chiltomas cards and things that came for her. 

Slinky

Brie said:

I hate the fact that we still get Christmas cards for the previous owners 5 years after we moved in.  I think it's really sad because at some point the sender will think the previous occupant has died or something as they likely may have stopped receiving card from the PO as well.  Annoyingly these never have return addresses - completely daft in my opinion.  

A friend of mine had homemade jam left on their doorstep for a couple of years in the Autumn. By year 3 they left a message for 'the person who leaves jam here' telling them the previous owners no longer lived there and it stopped. One jar exploded in their cupboard before anybody asks......... I don't think they kept the second one.