Canada Post and Returned Mail

[ken0042]

I have a question in case anybody knows the answer. Here's the story:

I moved into a new house 11 months ago, and I still get mail for the last owner. It's not junk mail; some of it is banking info. This is at a community mailbox. Normally I would just put it into the return mail slot and be done with it. Now it seems Canada Post is just putting it right back into my mailbox because I haven't written "return to sender" on the envelope.

Now, the mailbox is over a block from my house, so I really don't feel like taking an extra 5 minutes to take the mail home, write "return to sender", and then bring it back. Maybe I'm lazy, but not as lazy as the guy who a year later can't tell his bank that he moved.

What is my obligation here? How long am I expected to return stuff? Can I just throw it in the garbage?

[Robbob]

If you just throw it out then it might never stop. Looks

[fredr123]

Rather than moving the mountain to you, why not move to the mountain???? Err, I mean, bring a pen with you to the mailbox.

If I were you I would call Canada Post and see what they say. In the mean time, keep writing "Return to sender" on the mail and firing it back. Unless you find something cool, in which case finders keepers...

[Bobblehead]

Up until 6 months ago, I was getting mail for the previous owner of my house, a house I bought 5 years ago. I'm talking MRC letters, RRSP updates, and so on. I gave up returning the junk mail pretty quickly, but for one piece of mail the came regularly from a life insurance company I finally phoned the company and said, "Look, I've been getting mail from you for XXXXXX for years now. He doesn't live here." And that finally stopped it.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Robbob

If you just throw it out then it might never stop. Looks

Yeah, but returning the mail doesn't seem to do much anyways.

As for bringing a pen to the mailbox; once again that would require me to have a pen handy at all times when I go to get my mail. I'm usually trying to grab my mail in a hurry; when I'm driving by. And because it isn't every day, keeping a pen in the car conficts with the migratory instincts that all pens seem to have. (ie there's never a pen around when you need one.)

[JD]

Rather than writing return to sender, write MOVED on the envelope and put it back in the mailbox. That way, whoever gets the letter back gets the hint and stops sending you that person's stuff.

Return to sender doesn't imply any particular reasoning. It makes the sender assume it only applies to that one piece of mail.

[Ace]

The thing about stuff from the bank, is that it's probably pre-approvals for credit cards. In which case it's unsolicited and he has no idea that they are coming there.

Also I know you don't bring a pen, but on the bottom of envelopes they print the orange routing codes, and you should try and block those out with a marker so that they don't get automatically routed back to you (i.e. somebody will have to actually look at it)

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Ace

The thing about stuff from the bank, is that it's probably pre-approvals for credit cards.

I had considered that. But it does come first class and not "addressed admail." The other thing is he deals with the same bank as me, and I accidentally opened one a little while ago, and it was his RRSP statement. The rest of the envelopes look about the same, so I'm guessing it's something similar.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by ken0042

I had considered that. But it does come first class and not "addressed admail." The other thing is he deals with the same bank as me, and I accidentally opened one a little while ago, and it was his RRSP statement. The rest of the envelopes look about the same, so I'm guessing it's something similar.

That is weird! who doesn't update their address with their bank. Thant's what I keep thinking though, is when I move the new people are going to get all my credit card aps. I don't want these stupid banks sending financial stuff around with my name on it! How do I stop that, i don't want to call them and give them my address either, just quit sending me crap...

[Incinerator]

Originally Posted by Ace

That is weird! who doesn't update their address with their bank. Thant's what I keep thinking though, is when I move the new people are going to get all my credit card aps. I don't want these stupid banks sending financial stuff around with my name on it! How do I stop that, i don't want to call them and give them my address either, just quit sending me crap...

When I moved I paid Canada Post $60 to redirect all my mail for a year, then I just changed my address gradually over the year with everything.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Ace

That is weird! who doesn't update their address with their bank. Thant's what I keep thinking though, is when I move the new people are going to get all my credit card aps. I don't want these stupid banks sending financial stuff around with my name on it! How do I stop that, i don't want to call them and give them my address either, just quit sending me crap...

If the person has the same bank as my wife and I it is quite possible he could have changed his address but the bank farked it up.

When my wife and I moved we changed our address promptly. After 2 months of no credit card statements or account statements we physically went into the bank to inquire as to the difficulty with the address change and gave them our current address again.

We began to receive our statements again for about 2 months then for no reason they stopped arriving so I called the bank. The call centre confirmed that our address was listed correctly in the system (I had the person read it back to me). A week later we received a large envelope from the bank with 4 unopened pieces of mail in it addressed to our previous address. They had been sending everything to our old address despite changing our address in the bank branch.

We received our statements the following month so I figured the problem was solved. No such luck. After a month when we received no statements I called the call centre to inquire about them. Upon checking our address with them it was revealed that they had our previous address recorded in our contact information even after three attempts at changing it.

At that point we physically went back into the bank and I raised holy hell about the whole ordeal. The bank manager herself came out of her office and had to personally input the information in order to insure it was correct.

It shouldn't take 8 months and a great deal of footwork to change your address at the bank but this time it did.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by fotze

Was the bank PCfinancial. My wife had to do the same thing.

Nope, it was the good ol' Bank of Nova Scotia. If our mortgage wasn't with them we would have pulled up stakes and went with another bank by now.

[Flames_Gimp]

can you not go to the post office and have some sort of stop mail thing put on for that name?

I'm recieving mail for the previous owners in my new house as well... everything from Revenue canada, alberta health, banks, life insurance blah blah. i'm ****ing sick of sending it back.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

can you not go to the post office and have some sort of stop mail thing put on for that name?

I'm recieving mail for the previous owners in my new house as well... everything from Revenue canada, alberta health, banks, life insurance blah blah. i'm ****ing sick of sending it back.

I think the only way to have mail held for a name is if you are person with said name.

I'd recommend getting a stamp that reads "RETURN TO SENDER: NO SUCH ADDRESSEE." There's even a stamp shop across the street from the Stampede grounds. When the mail arrives, stamp it with the stamp and put it back in the mailbox (if you have home delivery) or drop it in the outgoing mail slot if you have a "Superbox."

[Displaced Flames fan]

Return to Sender does not tell Canada Post what the issue is. Write on the envelope, NO LONGER AT THIS ADDRESS.

If you keep getting the letters then, call your post office and complain. Your carrier is responsible for knowing who has moved and they should be able to keep that stuff out of your box once you've informed them that the person doesn't live there anymore.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Return to Sender does not tell Canada Post what the issue is. Write on the envelope, NO LONGER AT THIS ADDRESS.

If you keep getting the letters then, call your post office and complain. Your carrier is responsible for knowing who has moved and they should be able to keep that stuff out of your box once you've informed them that the person doesn't live there anymore.

Note the part where I said the stamp should read "RETURN TO SENDER: NO SUCH ADDRESSEE."

[Displaced Flames fan]

Your post wasn't there when I was typing mine out.

Besides, why would you spend your own money on a stamp to remedy somebody else's mistakes?

Just write it. It will get the job done.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Your post wasn't there when I was typing mine out.

Besides, why would you spend your own money on a stamp to remedy somebody else's mistakes?

Just write it. It will get the job done.

I know FG. I know what a pain in the ass it would be for him to write it on each piece of mail. That's why I suggested the stamp.

[Buff]

I've been getting a Christmas card (assumedly since it comes every year at Christmas time) addressed to the previous owner of my house. I scratch out the address and write MOVED and put it back in the mail. I know this won't work out so well b/c the sender of this mail doesn't put a return address and the card comes from England. How can it be returned to sender?

I'm hoping that the person in England either realizes that the return address on the card that they are receiving is different than the address they are sending to, or gives up on sending a card to somebody who doesn't return the favor... its been a few years though, I'm not holding my breath.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Reaper

I know FG. I know what a pain in the ass it would be for him to write it on each piece of mail. That's why I suggested the stamp.

Well there's the problem. I wasn't responding to FG, I was responding to the original poster.