USPS, why don't you understand RETURN TO SENDER?

[weirdboy]

I have had a problem for the last several months. We keep getting mail for people that lived here before. I don't have their new address, and apparently neither does the USPS. So, when we get mail for them I try to do my best and write on the letter I write "RETURN TO SENDER" in big letters across the front so whoever is doing business with them will get it back and know they need to update their system. Then I drop it in the mailbox with the rest of my outgoing mail.


The USPS does not want these people to get their mail. In fact, I am pretty sure they want me to have it, because they just keep redelivering it to me over and over again. One time I even dropped a RETURN TO SENDER letter off at the post office and handed it to the guy, telling him they don't live at that address anymore. It showed up in our mailbox the next day.

It's like groundhog day, only with mail that keeps getting rattier as time progresses. For junk mail addressed to them, I have just been throwing it out since the first incident because the last thing I want is a constantly growing pile of junk mail being redelivered every day to my tiny apartment mailbox, which already results in bent, crumpled, and torn mail due to the postal worker trying to cram the existing flyers, "free" newspapers, etc. in there along with a few letters.

At this point I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do. It just started again. We got a letter from presumably the addressee's insurance provider, probably with important information in it, tried doing "RETURN TO SENDER" on it Wednesday, and the USPS just dropped it right back in my mailbox.

 

[EdWort]

Get some non-removeable labels and print return to sender on them, then place them over the address part of the envelope and draw arrow pointing to the return address. I bet they don't come back.

 

[Hammy71]

Great advise Ed. I can't stop laughing at the OPs story. Love the same mail keeps coming back. What idiots.

 

[unionrdr]

Try talking to the post master. If that doesn't work,maybe go to the nearest hub.

 

[iaefebs]

Try talking to the post master. If that doesn't work,maybe go to the nearest PUB.

Fixed it for you.
To the OP I would just throw the return to sender mail that comes back away. You tried.

 

[ultravista]

I have lived in my house for nearly 8 years and still get mail for the previous occupant.

Despite flagging mail with "return to sender", "xxxx no longer resides here", and so on, I continue to get bills, credit card applications, etc.

The USPS is not the most efficient beast ...

 

[EdWort]

I have lived in my house for nearly 8 years and still get mail for the previous occupant..

Me too, but I have the previous owners address and a sheet of labels, so I slap on on (covering my address) and stick it back in the mail.

I have never had one boomerang yet.

 

[cricky101]

I used to collect mail sent to my house for previous people who lived here for a week and then bundle it all up with a note. The mail carrier took it and I never saw it again.

But I still get crap all the time for people no longer here and now I just throw it away. I figure if they didn't change their address in two years, they don't need the mail.

 

[ultravista]

I use a broad tip Sharpie - trying to get the point across. I too now throw it away, except the Christmas cards since they sometimes have cash

 

[pm5k00]

I use a broad tip Sharpie - trying to get the point across. I too now throw it away, except the Christmas cards since they sometimes have cash

Id keep that info to yourself, seeing how opening someone else's mail is a federal offense and all.

 

[annasdadhockey]

After a year and a half I still get mail for the old owners. I throw it away. I really dont care how important it looks.

They were *****ebags anyway.

 

[bengerman]

We get mail from one person. the funniest part is that my roommate got the same mail at her old house, then moved here and it followed her, and we get collections calls for the same woman.

a few months ago the woman's last name changed, and about half her mail has her new last name, and half the old, but it still comes.


it all goes straight into the recycling, unless it's a catalog that looks interesting (usually they say "or current resident" anyway)

 

[davefleck]

A forwarding address only stays on file a few months otherwise they would have to deal with millions of old forwards. Eventuallly they would have them for more residences then not. If after 8 years you still get their mail, trash it

 

[Hammy71]

Id keep that info to yourself, seeing how opening someone else's mail is a federal offense and all.

PSSST. I think that was a joke......

 

[slomo]

Id keep that info to yourself, seeing how opening someone else's mail is a federal offense and all.

Depends how the mail is addressed. I received a package from my neighbours mom with his name but my address on the package. Not knowing that the name on the package was him, because I had never spoken to the man, I just saw my address and opened it. Then discovering that it was for another person I called USPS customer service. Who said that they deliver mail by address and not necessarily by the name, and that if the package has my address on it then it is technically my property. Take that as you will, but I still wouldn't open other peoples mail even if it does have your address on it.

 

[Pumbaa]

it's the government. You'd expect better?

 

[fxdrider]

No wonder the Post Office is close to going out of business.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I have had a problem for the last several months. We keep getting mail for people that lived here before. I don't have their new address, and apparently neither does the USPS. So, when we get mail for them I try to do my best and write on the letter I write "RETURN TO SENDER" in big letters across the front so whoever is doing business with them will get it back and know they need to update their system. Then I drop it in the mailbox with the rest of my outgoing mail.


The USPS does not want these people to get their mail. In fact, I am pretty sure they want me to have it, because they just keep redelivering it to me over and over again. One time I even dropped a RETURN TO SENDER letter off at the post office and handed it to the guy, telling him they don't live at that address anymore. It showed up in our mailbox the next day.

It's like groundhog day, only with mail that keeps getting rattier as time progresses. For junk mail addressed to them, I have just been throwing it out since the first incident because the last thing I want is a constantly growing pile of junk mail being redelivered every day to my tiny apartment mailbox, which already results in bent, crumpled, and torn mail due to the postal worker trying to cram the existing flyers, "free" newspapers, etc. in there along with a few letters.

At this point I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do. It just started again. We got a letter from presumably the addressee's insurance provider, probably with important information in it, tried doing "RETURN TO SENDER" on it Wednesday, and the USPS just dropped it right back in my mailbox.

If there is a barcode at the bottom, draw a line thru it with black marker & mark it "return to sender" with an arrow pointing to the return address.
If this persists, take the mail to the post office, the one where the carriers who deliver YOUR mail are based & explain the problem calmly & rationally.
This approach worked for me & I haven't had a problem since.
Regards, GF.

 

[TomSD]

I x out the address and put "Not @ this address" over it. Seems to work though I still get stuff I generally only get it once. Then again if I had your carrier I am thinking I would be getting them back, lol. A lot of it has to do with your carrier too. They get to know their routes and (the good ones anyway) don't want to deal with a problem piece more than once so catch them themselves.

 

[knotquiteawake]

I had the same issue before. I would just scratch out the address and write RTS with an arrow to the return address. Never saw the letters again. After a while I would just trash them though, unless they looked like bank statements or a few times replacement credit cards, those ones I would actually feed to the shredder because I didn't want to chance somebody else getting it out of the trash.

 

[Hugh_Jass]

Get some non-removeable labels and print return to sender on them, then place them over the address part of the envelope and draw arrow pointing to the return address. I bet they don't come back.

This

Be sure to scratch out the bar code on the bottom our the letter will probably end up in the land of the misfit letters.

 

[ultravista]

The "open Christmas cards" comment was joke. But I do now throw it all away.

After 8 years, with the same delivery person, if the point hasn't been made yet then it will never be. I also have our names posted on the inside of the box, right where they can see it.