Postal redirection how can I extend it over 4 years?

Crater

Postal redirection for a relative in a care home, from her own home, has now been ended after 4 years (the letter says) as they assume everyone who should know the new address now knows it. There doesn't seem to be any route of contact or appeal.

This isn't sufficient for vulnerable people, we are still getting the occasional redirection from organisations (including a bank) who should know better. A mailing returned 'undeliverable' to someone in that situation can cause a red flag on their account and actual stoppage of mail without any way of them knowing it has happened.

Can anyone suggest how we can continue to extend the Postal Redirection (legally!)?  I would contact them and explain it's a vulnerable person, but I would like to know if anyone has experience first. Not all organisations respect the situation with vulnerable people and I don't know how Royal Mail stands.

Thank you for any advice.

user1977

Not sure why the recipient being "vulnerable" ought to make a difference - is anybody operating e.g. those bank accounts on her behalf? Four years really ought to be sufficient to mop up everyone who matters.

Bigphil1474

Is her home still her home? Seems strange to need a postal redirection for more than 4 years. Someone should really have been speaking to the people sending the mail to notify of new address. As you pay for it though, don't know why it has to stop?

Crater

Because vulnerable people can't deal with problems themselves, and having someone else dealing, even officially, places more barriers between you and the organisation. Everyone has been notified! And been provided with a POA. But start dealing with "big orgs" and you will find that whatever you tell them, and no matter how often, some of them keep getting it wrong. Naming no names. And if mail is returned and you don't know about it (to be fair, one of the worst culprits is also one who will send a letter of enquiry to any other address they have, probably out of desperation), it can have serious knock on effects. Someone even  had an account frozen becasue "marketing" got a junkmail letter returned. Not all of them are that ridicuous.

user1977

Crater said:

Because vulnerable people can't deal with problems themselves, and having someone else dealing, even officially, places more barriers between you and the organisation.Everyone has been notified! And been provided with a POA. But start dealing with "big orgs" and you will find that whatever you tell them, and no matter how often, some of them keep getting it wrong.

Then you'd be better off complaining to them. Had for example that bank already been told, and if so has there been a complaint pursued against them? Hopefully you understand why there have to be limits on how long people can still have mail funnelled through an old address.

What about the current residents of the old address - can they assist with anything which still appears?

Herzlos

What happens if you let the redirection lapse, wait a few weeks and then "move away" again?

I echo the statements above that after 4 years you really shouldn't need it. Does said person still own the home the mail is getting redirected from? If so is someone checking it regularly for mail, leaks, etc? If not, can you get the new residents to let you know if mail turns up?

Crater

I will contact them assuming they are still there, but if the house has changed hands again, anyone new won't know us from Adam and that would be very dubious security (though I supposed they could demand a POA!). And yes I have complained to the bank concerned! And the hearing aid people. They insisted on my sending them a POA copy just to take her data off their list.

Herzlos said:

What happens if you let the redirection lapse, wait a few weeks and then "move away" again?

I echo the statements above that after 4 years you really shouldn't need it. Does said person still own the home the mail is getting redirected from? If so is someone checking it regularly for mail, leaks, etc? If not, can you get the new residents to let you know if mail turns up?

Thanks Herzlos. The answer is "I don't know" what happens if I do that, although it has been suggested at some point in the past (not to me. Just something I read.)  I was hoping someone out there would know, this being a big and popular forum. Yes, all those things are being done. No, the person does not still own the home, that would make it too easy    I've already tried to explain why we still need it!

SiliconChip

Crater said:

Naming no names.

Why not just name them? It surely can't be very many, and if we know who they are that might suggest some alternative ways of dealing with the issue, beyond @user1977's suggestion of an official complaint.

Crater

It's the other way round, I'm afraid. Once I know who the problem is, I can deal with them, as I am doing. It's when it comes out of the blue, or you don't know it has happened, that could be a problem.

I haven't gone the route of making a complaint yet, as this has just come up. It's not as if the Redirect people have done anything wrong - those are their rules - but we need more support.

Crater

It looks as if the answer is simpler than I imagined .. phone Customer Services, who will give you a number for Postal Redirections. Phone Postal Redirections and wait for an agent to be free. (Not too long.)  They will assist.  This was a much better "customer service experience" that I had last time I called Royal Mail CS many years ago.  Hopefully this will now be solved at least for the next year.