Keep getting someone else’s mail.

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antonknee

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#2527957 23-Jul-2020 21:15

I used to be fastidious about writing "return to sender not at this address" on everything that arrived for previous residents or wrongly addressed, and putting it in a post box. For things that looked super important I would even call the sender.

I realised that generally the sender either doesn't care, or can't do anything about it. And in many cases, they've got alternative ways of contacting the intended recipient anyway. So now I only check the mail about once every few weeks (unless I'm expecting something) and put everything not for me straight in to file 13. Just as effective and less stress for me.

jpoc

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#2528008 24-Jul-2020 08:11

I had this problem a while back.

A person was using her name but my address for parcels and then attempting to collect them from my doorstep.

I was concerned that this might be for illegal items so I went to the police with 2 or 3 packages.

I asked what I should do and the policeman told me that I had a duty in law to use reasonable efforts to ensure that the packages would reach either the sender or the intended recipient.

He told me that chucking them in the bin would be a crime and would be prosecuted if the intended recipient or the sender complained.

I suspect that a false declaration that somebody was deceased would also be an offense. Indeed, imagine that the police are seeking somebody regarding a serious crime and you have returned post addressed to them with a marking to indicated that they are deceased. Good luck if a cop having a bad day decides to charge you with attempting to pervert the course of justice or accessory after the fact.

Bung

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#2528012 24-Jul-2020 08:31

antonknee:
I used to be fastidious about writing "return to sender not at this address" on everything that arrived for previous residents or wrongly addressed, and putting it in a post box. For things that looked super important I would even call the sender.

I realised that generally the sender either doesn't care, or can't do anything about it. And in many cases, they've got alternative ways of contacting the intended recipient anyway. So now I only check the mail about once every few weeks (unless I'm expecting something) and put everything not for me straight in to file 13. Just as effective and less stress for me.

A few years ago Genesis Energy foolishly supplied power to some teenagers flatting nextdoor. I think they only got one payment before Her Majesty the Queen offered the account holder alternative secure accommodation and the rest got evicted. I must have RTS'd 10 demands for payment of overdue account before contacting Genesis. Apparently their letter printing and sending out was outsourced and there didn't appear to be any system for stopping the letters going out until the "computer" had reached a magic number and the debt went to the collectors. The Genesis call centre had no argument when i said that these pointless letters were going in the recycle bin from then on.

neb

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#2528063 24-Jul-2020 10:36

jpoc:
Good luck if a cop having a bad day decides to charge you with attempting to pervert the course of justice or accessory after the fact.

And then the courts slap him for wasting their time. Although the police in theory have the legal power to do this, I can't imagine anyone bothering to do it because of someone chucking away someone else's mail, particularly when they've already made an effort to correct the situation.

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