getting post for someone who has never lived here

melancholly

over the last 3 months, we've had at least 30 letters addressed to someone at my address who has never lived here (or at least not in the last 7/8 years - it's a rented house and we have forwarding details for almost everyone who has left and we've not had any mail for them in last 3 years while i've been there). i'm think it's an error in an address from one of a few blocks of flats that have recently been sold on the same road.

we have sent all of them back to sender, marked as 'not found at this address' but still they keep coming (2 on thursday and 1 on friday from one sender alone!). i don't know where this person lives and apart from going to all the flats in the new builds and trying to find them, what can i do? i have phoned up royal mail and tried to negotiate their phone menu hellish system, but after about 8 mins i gave up (yes, i am impatient but it also seemed a waste of my money to stay on hold indefinitely when i just wanted to speak to real person!).

the royal mail website says that they are obliged to deliver letters as addressed, so i'm not sure what they can do anyway. i'm just a bit concerned about non-residents using the address as we are already dealing with debt collectors trying to contact someone who did live here but disappeared last summer owing a lot of people money (us included!). we're the only address they have for him and multiple companies are chasing him!

any suggestions on what to do? after 30+ times of returning to sender, i'm out of ideas. the fact that it's being sent repeatedly suggests that they have requested the post so i'm pretty amazed that they haven't checked that the address is correct.....

custardy

nothing unexpected tbh,i get this sort if stuff every day
companies seem to just keep churning items out or not amending details correctly
if it continues iwould be inclined to open the letter and contact the company with whatever reference no. there is

NAR

I do not think you are allowed to open anyone else's post. You have tried return to sender without success - IMHO just bin it, it's probably spam anayway!

custardy

NAR wrote: »

I do not think you are allowed to open anyone else's post. You have tried return to sender without success - IMHO just bin it, it's probably spam anayway!

your not but whats worse,bining it or trying to sort the error?
if your not opening it for malicious/illegal reasons then i dont really see an issue

sillyvixen

if the post is marked 'confidential addressee only' and looks official it could be regarding debts or debt collection - worth opening and contacting this persons creditors, if its just junk return to sender or bin!!

Debt_Free_Dreamer

I once lived in a flat which I rented and had loads of mail which was not for me. I collected it all up (over several weeks). When I had a load, I put it all in a plastic bag with a note saying 'return to sender - not at this address' and pushed it through the door of the local post office one night when they were closed.
Two days later it all came back! :mad:

Now I just bin it.

custardy

Debt_Free_Dreamer wrote: »

I once lived in a flat which I rented and had loads of mail which was not for me. I collected it all up (over several weeks). When I had a load, I put it all in a plastic bag with a note saying 'return to sender - not at this address' and pushed it through the door of the local post office one night when they were closed.
Two days later it all came back! :mad:

Now I just bin it.

if the letter is unendorsed then the postie is within their rights to deliver it
if its not marked gone away,not known etc
ive redelivered mail as well
had a customer who constantly returned mail that didnt suit him as gone away
i warned him not to as all his mail would stop
he continued then changed his mind when he got no mail for over a month

posties need to justofy why they are returning mail,any im suspect over i will photocopy and hold a copy incase i get pulled for it(and it happens)
had you returned the 1st few or put a sign on your door showing the names in the property you could have saved a lot of wasted time and deliveries

melancholly

custardy wrote: »

had you returned the 1st few or put a sign on your door showing the names in the property you could have saved a lot of wasted time and deliveries

is this worth doing (the sign, i mean)? i've always returned to sender as it seems to get things stopped, rather than binning it all every time it comes in (waste of paper, waste of the PO's time). hadn't even thought of that!

i was thinking of posting this on the ebay board hoping you'd see it - maybe next time i should just send you a PM!!!

i'd always thought it was 'illegal' to open someone else's mail. i've only ever done this with post for the disappearing housemate which didn't have a return address on it, so that i could send it back. does anyone know the actual rules on this as there are some differing opinions?

i don't think it's spam, as initally we had post from about 8 different senders, but now only one keeps sending it to our address. it was like someone had changed their address with everyone, just incorrectly, and there's just one rubbish company/bank that can't sort it out.

custardy

well technically posties should disregard names on the doors
however if i see a fairly new sign with mail for XXXXX only please(dont forget please then generally i will go with that
i deliver to a high turnover tenement area so its not unkown for folks to live in a property for a month or less
obviously a bit of judgement goes with it and if in doubt i will just deliver

kazwookie

Just write RTS on it and stick in the post box next time you are passing.

Mojisola

melancholly wrote: »

it was like someone had changed their address with everyone, just incorrectly, and there's just one rubbish company/bank that can't sort it out.

I'd open it, write a letter to the company explaining the problem and enclose their letter with it.