Understanding "going postal"

**dcompton** · 10-23-2008, 03:28 PM

The post office has made an unholy mess of things for me. I moved in early September. Now I find that for an undetermined time, probably a couple of weeks at least or longer, they were returning all my mail, correctly addressed, to the senders as an undeliverable bad address. A sizeable rebate has fallen into the void and is probably unrecoverable, quarterly statements, insurance renewal notices, and other business mail has been bounced back, magazine subscriptions are being cancelled for undeliverable status, and I have no way of knowing how many contacts this has affected. Only a few things, like three or four, were actually forwarded to me. Everything else was junked by them if it was the old address, and much of what had the new address on it.

I can't just "correct" the address with these places online, because what can I do but put in the "right" address, which then still appears to be the bad one. I tried that a place or too and it hasn't worked. I am going to have to deal with all of this by phone, one by one, as I figure out who is involved. At least for the easy ones. For at least one of the business ones I am going to have download forms and do it all by mail. I imagine that may be true of several of the financial ones at this point when it is a disputed address.

After many frustrating calls to the post office, I hope it is straightened out at their end and they are convinced that I really do live here. It can make you feel quite helpless - the mail is the mail and there aren't other options. I would be told just "I'll talk to the carrier." I've been afraid to do ordinary things like reorder medications, not knowing if I would ever get it. At any rate, I am beginning to get mail again in what seems a more normal amount. I always received a little, and it seems quite random what got through and what didn't. Needless to say I am so mad at the post office right now I could spit. I have a feeling the aftermath of this isn't going to go away for quite a while.

But what can ya do? It's the post office...

**HisDaisy** · 10-23-2008, 05:19 PM

I feel for you. I have had similar problems with the post office.
The first time it was because I temporally forwarded my mail. The forward worked fine and when I came back the mail was delivered fine until my normal carrier went on vacation. Somehow the replacement carrier thought that I did not live there anymore and took my name off the mailbox. It took me a week or so to figure out that something was wrong. I was very upset.
The second time was after I got married. I did not realize that I need to notify the post office that my name changed. They would not deliver mail addressed to my married name or to my husband. I had wedding gifts returned to sender as well as bills and bank statments. Some were nice to resent them, but others did not bother. I was very mad.
Sometimes I think that the post office takes on too much authority.

**MomToTwoBoys** · 10-23-2008, 06:28 PM

I just went through something pretty similar with the phone company. If I didn't need the line for the alarm system, we'd have cut it off by now and used our cell phones with a calling card for long-distance calls. It has taught me to be on top of things, check and double check and then triple check. If that doesn't work, then a nice verbal lashing after all is said and done is possible. Then you may never see your mail again.

The post office must have a national number to call for complaints. I'm sure that by going that far up the chain, you're liable to get someone who can make sure this doesn't happen again. At the same time, I'd recommend to them that they check their policies on mail because just trashing mail that hasn't been delivered is something I'd be rather teed off at someone for doing.

**Dancing Lotus** · 10-23-2008, 07:27 PM

I lost a 3,000 dollar check because instead of holding my mail they sent it all back! it took months to get it straight. I feel for you. Good luck

**Darlene** · 10-23-2008, 07:36 PM

Do you have your name on your new mailbox? This is so important & many people fail to do this. Other than that it's probably nightmare bs managment rule wack-o-ness.

Hubby (mail carrier) is soon to retire from PO and dislikes management. (as do most carriers) much. Anything you can do to make most of your bill paying etc. online, will save you postal horror stories in the long run.
The postal service is starting to downsize and guess who will probably feel some pain from that....My hubby is taking early retirement because he hates working there... Want to keep up on things? postalnews.com.
Heads up for my fv pals.

**katholc** · 10-23-2008, 08:05 PM

because my house was vacant for 1 1/2 years before we moved in, we couldn't change anything online because they said the address didn't exist. We still get mail for someone who lived here 10 years ago.

**dcompton** · 10-23-2008, 08:22 PM

Darlene, I know what your DH means. I have a very good friend in MD, a long time PO employee - yeah, I really hear some stuff. She bore heroically with all my venting through this, though I did assure her I didn't hold her personally responsible for things happening half the country away. She was much fiercer about it than I was - I guess she's seen a lot more of it than I have.

Anyway,it's greatly annoying, but it will all be straightened out eventually. I just need to be vigilant about things I should be getting and don't. I had just had a whole morning of working on undoing the tangle and was very fed up when I posted this.

On the whole though, I think the PO does a good job. It sometimes amazes me that I can drop something in a box and very soon it ends up on exactly the right doorstep out of all the millions in America, or the world. It was just my time to be the unlucky one.

**starsapphire** · 10-23-2008, 09:00 PM

I had the same problem a few years back so I know how you feel. I didn't even move or have anything happen to make the problem start! Out of the blue I started getting calls about mail being returned and could they please have my new address. I was even getting my mail delivered to me with the yellow sticker saying bad address. I made a few calls and found out there was some sort of computer glitch at a main branch in the nearest huge city and was told there was nothing that could be done except wait for it to work itself out - yeah, I was upset. It did stop soon after that thank goodness. I hope it all gets worked out for you soon.

**cmdarlin** · 10-24-2008, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by katholc

because my house was vacant for 1 1/2 years before we moved in, we couldn't change anything online because they said the address didn't exist. We still get mail for someone who lived here 10 years ago.

We get mail and phone calls for a person that never lived at our address. I'm thinking that maybe she had our phone number at one time. It is annoying to keep telling people she doesn't live here.

Debbie

**forHISglory** · 10-24-2008, 10:32 AM

Sigh....
We've been dealing with this for years. When we built our house out here in the country, we had a route and box number for our address. Worked great; no problem.

Then the county got the bright idea of doing away with the route and box numbers and giving everyone a fancy road name and house number, like "123 Kensington Road" or "123 Park Place". So we didn't move, but we suddenly had a different address. The PO took forever to catch up on this. To be fair, this wasn't their fault, but mail all across the county was disrupted.

Then it got worse. The county determined that they gave us the wrong number on our new road name. They said they thought we lived on the right hand side of the road, but actually we lived on the left hand side. So they changed our number. Then the PO quit delivering mail to either number. They had not been informed that we had a new number, but determined that we no longer lived at the old number. Are you confused yet?

The upshot is that we have lived in the same house for years and have had 3 different addresses for it! We still lose mail because of this. The county forgot to inform the state of the new addresses, so we didn't receive income tax stuff or car license or driver's license renewals, and the county couldn't find us for jury duty....... what a mess.......

**Gardengal18** · 10-24-2008, 11:16 AM

Originally Posted by MomToTwoBoys

I just went through something pretty similar with the phone company. If I didn't need the line for the alarm system, we'd have cut it off by now and used our cell phones with a calling card for long-distance calls. It has taught me to be on top of things, check and double check and then triple check. If that doesn't work, then a nice verbal lashing after all is said and done is possible. Then you may never see your mail again.

The post office must have a national number to call for complaints. I'm sure that by going that far up the chain, you're liable to get someone who can make sure this doesn't happen again. At the same time, I'd recommend to them that they check their policies on mail because just trashing mail that hasn't been delivered is something I'd be rather teed off at someone for doing.

ADT offers a wireless alarm system that hooks right up to your cell phone. My neighbor has it. Give ADT a call about it.