What Would You Do? Letters Keep Arriving. (Many of Them)

iNeed2Pee on 29/06/2021 - 12:09
Last edited 29/06/2021 - 12:10

Moved into my first home a few weeks ago.

Old Vendors mail is still arriving nearly daily. I have already gone past his new place to drop it off twice now.
(We knew he was moving which isn't far from where we are.

They were nice people and I felt bad. But now I am thinking if I should just write a note on this mail with a msg saying "please redirect your mail" and drop it off one last time….or now just write on the letter "return to sender" and put it back in the post box.

What do you think?

I have added our trusty Poll.

Poll Options

  • 45
    Leave a msg on the mail "Please Redirect mail" and drop it off one last time.
  • 615
    Put back in post box with "Return to sender"
  • 40
    Throw it away
General Discussion

Comments

  • apsilon on 29/06/2021 - 12:13
    +35

    RTS, not at this address. Drop in mailbox at your convenience.

    • dabhbl on 30/06/2021 - 12:32
      +8

      This is the way.

      The business receiving the letter usually updates their records and stops sending you mail. The number of letters you receive then should reduce over time this way.

      The first place I moved into had the same problem, had been rented out so got a lot of letters for the old tenants. Doing the "RTS, not at this address" got them to reduce, though some businesses don't update their records. For companies still sending stuff to my house after 1yr of doing this, I just called them up (based on either the company name on the outside of the letter, or googling the return address and finding the company, do NOT open letter for other people, it's illegal) and telling them to stop sending mail to XX at YY since I'm sick of sending it back to them. There were only about 2 or 3 companies that I had to call to get them to update their records.

      • Hybroid on 30/06/2021 - 16:26
        +26

        Its much more convenient just to throw the mail away

        Also, it's illegal. Do not do this.

        • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2021 - 18:13
          -1

          Not sure if there's anything dishonest about clearing out your mailbox of trash. Also not convinced that it would be 'appropriation' if you are trying to get rid of it.

          Subdivision A—General postal offences

          471.1 Theft of mail-receptacles, articles or postal messages
          (1) A person commits an offence if:
          (a) the person dishonestly appropriates:
          (i) a mail-receptacle; or
          (ii) an article in the course of post (including an article that appears to have been lost or wrongly delivered by or on behalf of Australia Post or lost in the course
          of delivery to Australia Post); or
          (iii) a postal message; and
          (b) the person does so with the intention of permanently depriving another person of the mail-receptacle, article or postal message.

          • Hybroid on 30/06/2021 - 18:24
            +3

            @[Deactivated]: I'm not a lawyer but I believe 'destruction' rather than 'theft' is more pertinent so 471.6 would apply. Every source online says disposing of mail illegal in Australia.

    • Musing Outloud on 30/06/2021 - 23:26
      +4

      I saw something like this on Reddit (possibly r/maliciouscompliance) where the previous owner not only refused to pay the redirection fee, but expected the new owners to forward his mail to him. He laughed at them when they complained.

      So being irritated at this and knowing they could not dump his mail, open it or anything else for legal reasons, they did start writing on it "Deceased - No Longer at This Address".

      Apparently this caused the ex-owners no end of grief as banks, investment companies, life insurance companies etc, all closed their accounts. Then their credit rating tanked, and they were accosted by debt collectors, and had to go to extensive effort to prove they were in fact alive. The ex-owners came back to complain so that was how the new owners found out how well their efforts worked.

      Could be an urban myth in the US. Could even be true. Your mileage may vary somewhat in Oz.

      • DemocracyManifest on 30/06/2021 - 23:30
        +3

        Sounds unlikely haha - they need to actually ring them and check for proof of life before just closing their accounts etc

        • Musing Outloud on 30/06/2021 - 23:41

          All depends on how good their processes & policies are.

          When my MIL passed, the number of these places that had no formal processes or policies to deal with this was surprising. My wife had to ring some several times. The banks and investment companies did the right job locking the accounts down while waiting for probate, but that was it. We had to fund everything until probate came through. Council, utilities, and similar couldn't seem to cope with any change to keeping the billing going. So my wife's shit experience suggests this could partly work in Oz.

    • kaleidoscope on 01/07/2021 - 13:09

      ^ this

      Do it at your convenience and it’s the right thing to do.

    • AEKaBeer on 01/07/2021 - 16:34

      I've only had success with this with one company. The others just keep sending them and I keep RTS'ing in the hope they change…

  • Hybroid on 29/06/2021 - 12:13
    +6

    Collect them and ask them to pick up every month or so. Eventually they’ll tail off.

    Pretty sure throwing away mail is illegal here. Even though see it in apartment block mail rooms all the time.

    • Sawtell on 29/06/2021 - 15:00
      +2

      Yeah I would just chuck them all in a box in the garage. Next time you see them tell them you have mail and ask them to stop by and pick it up. Its probably all crap they dont want anyway.

      • Hybroid on 30/06/2021 - 15:54
        +3

        Which part was so outrageous?

          • Hybroid on 30/06/2021 - 15:58
            +6

            @HeWhoKnows: Well, guess what… It is indeed illegal.

            The Criminal Code Act along with the Telecommunication and Postal Services Act (Cth) cover a variety of other postal offences that can result in criminal penalties. The following activities would be considered offences:

            • Stealing mail from postal service
            • Tampering with a post box
            • Throwing out mail
            • Dishonestly receiving stolen mail
            • Harassing others via post

            What To Do With Mail That Isn’t Yours

            DO NOT throw the mail away. As previously mentioned, it is illegal to dispose of mail that isn’t yours. The best course of action is to write “RETURN TO SENDER” on the envelope and place it into your local post box.

            https://lawpath.com.au/blog/legal-open-someone-elses-mail

            • Munki on 02/07/2021 - 02:23

              @Hybroid: Is it throwing out mail if I'm just redirecting it into the bin?

      • smartazz104 on 30/06/2021 - 17:05
        +1

        This is why you are receiving NEGATIVE votes

        Guess again kid.

  • sempro on 29/06/2021 - 12:15
    +11

    write 'DECEASED - forward to afterlife' and put it in mailbox.

  • MS Paint on 29/06/2021 - 12:16
    +9

    Throw it away

    Pretty sure that is illegal

    • iNeed2Pee on 29/06/2021 - 12:17
      +26

      That's why it was added to the poll.

      It is not a poll without a dodgy choice.

      • MS Paint on 29/06/2021 - 12:18
        +10

        Then I will continue with tradition and select the dodgy choice. Thanks for the clarification.

    • meowsers on 29/06/2021 - 15:04

      So is double parking, but alas…

      • Hybroid on 30/06/2021 - 16:02
        +9

        THE TRUTH is throwing out someone else's mail is indeed ILLEGAL.

        Stop going around commenting on others to say they're incorrect when in fact you are.

        The Criminal Code Act along with the Telecommunication and Postal Services Act (Cth) cover a variety of other postal offences that can result in criminal penalties. The following activities would be considered offences:

        • Stealing mail from postal service
        • Tampering with a post box
        • Throwing out mail
        • Dishonestly receiving stolen mail
        • Harassing others via post

        What To Do With Mail That Isn’t Yours

        DO NOT throw the mail away. As previously mentioned, it is illegal to dispose of mail that isn’t yours. The best course of action is to write “RETURN TO SENDER” on the envelope and place it into your local post box.

        https://lawpath.com.au/blog/legal-open-someone-elses-mail

        • meowsers on 02/07/2021 - 22:59

          I don’t throw it out. I put it in the recycling.

      • MS Paint on 30/06/2021 - 16:25
        +2

        Not so amazing one

      • smartazz104 on 30/06/2021 - 17:06

        https://www.bhg.com.au/is-it-illegal-to-throw-away-someone-s…

        Sit down and learn to read some time.

    • vikvance on 01/07/2021 - 00:05
      +1

      It's a serious crime to throw away someone's mail.

      The penalty is 2 to 5 years in jail.

  • buzymum20 on 29/06/2021 - 12:16
    +8

    We have found 'return to sender' or 'RTS' is the only way to stop the mail coming. My daughter is a student living in an apartment in Melbourne (lucky her) and heaps of mail coming to many different names. It has taken over 2 years to get rid of 99% of it.

    • jetblack on 30/06/2021 - 08:00
      +4

      I've been doing RTS and I still get letters from the same companies. Many seem to have stopped, but there's a small handful that seem to just ignore the fact that they keep getting RTS mail from the same address consistently…

        • Hybroid on 30/06/2021 - 16:26
          +2

          Yes, it is your problem. Throwing away someone else's mail is illegal.

        • gromit on 30/06/2021 - 17:24
          +2

          You should stop telling people to commit a crime, it really isn't a good option and besides it won't stop more mail coming.

  • randombrick on 29/06/2021 - 12:17
    +20

    7 years in - I still have letters arriving. I did RTS for the first year or so. Now they just go in the bin.

    • AndyC1 on 29/06/2021 - 13:41
      +1

      RTS only works for some companies an others deceased works and there are a few that nothing works (I keep them until I need to go to the post office and put them back in the post box). I do not go to the post office specifically to drop the letters off.

    • chartparker on 02/07/2021 - 11:16

      Same here. It's been almost 5 years and the previous tenants still haven't done anything about their address change

  • Archi on 29/06/2021 - 12:20
    +6

    i still get mail for the people that use to live in this house we are in. and it has been 4 years

    occasionally i open it too see what their bank balance is and sometimes i use the gift cards that are also in there, jokes aside.

    it's not hard to just bin them or put them in a pile and text the guy to come collect it off the front porch if they don't live that far from you.

    if this worries you i cant imagine what a noisy neighbour will do or if all the toilet stalls are taken in a public bathroom

    • iNeed2Pee on 29/06/2021 - 12:52
      +1

      I don't have his number. I would have just assumed the logical thing to do was to ensure certain mail would have been directed by now. If I could do it, I am sure he could have as well.

      • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2021 - 19:30

        Maybe RTS with his new address?

  • bobbified on 29/06/2021 - 12:23
    +1

    If you RTS the letters, the originating place/company (especially the larger entities) sometimes has a process to remove the address from their system.

    I've been in my place for 3 years now and still get old mail. After a while, i just started binning them.

  • brad1-8tsi on 29/06/2021 - 12:23
    +6

    Put "Not this address. Return to Sender". "Return To Sender" isn't enough.

    When you've been there a while (2+ years) just bin them.

    I still get mail for others after 3 years.

  • Catullus on 29/06/2021 - 12:25
    -3

    Phone the Delivery Centre and tell them to RTS all mail except yours.

    • peterwilliams83 on 29/06/2021 - 14:20

      Can this really be done?

      • Belistic on 29/06/2021 - 14:34
        +8

        No, because Auspost deliver as per the address, not the name. You could have 'mickey mouse' as the addressee, and it will still be delivered to the address.

        • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2021 - 19:23
          +1

          Legally this wouldn't be able to be thrown away or opened. If there was no return address, someone could fill their home with mail they can't do anything with.
          What if they had the same name?
          What if they changed their name to Mickey Mouse?

  • jjjaar on 29/06/2021 - 12:26
    +1

    a few weeks ago.

    I was getting mail for about 2 years from previous tenants. You’ve got a way to go.

    Agree with above - need to include “no longer at this address”.

    • Sawtell on 29/06/2021 - 15:01

      Over 10 years for us. Mostly at Christmas.

  • tsunamisurfer on 29/06/2021 - 12:27
    +13

    I had the same issue.

    I collected them, placed them in a safe place, and told the previous owners where to get their mail.

    They would collect it but after a while stopped (they became nomads).

    After a while they told me to bin all correspondence, so I have been using their credit cards ever since.

  • muckingfuppet on 29/06/2021 - 12:31

    At an apartment I was in, I kept getting "final notice" letters from what I think was a notice of a fine to the old tenant. The red warning on the letter could easily be seen from the envelope.

    Poor guy doesn't even know what's coming…

  • Almost Banned on 29/06/2021 - 12:41

    I think 'a few weeks' is within the 'keep the letters' and tell the owners to collect.
    Maybe after a month or two you switch to 'RTS'.
    After 6 months to a year you can change to 'bin'.

    • Mechz on 29/06/2021 - 16:24
      +1

      Nah, get your shiz together and RTS from the get go.

  • Chandler on 29/06/2021 - 12:48
    +1

    Missing poll option: "(profanity) in his mailbox". You do "Need2Pee" after all :P

    Serious answer: "return to sender - not at this address".

    It's annoying, but most senders eventually get the idea. I still get (infrequent, presume marketing) mail from a bank (of all things!) for the old owner of our place, which we've had for 6 years this year.

  • screensaver on 29/06/2021 - 13:02
    +2

    ask him to get a mail redirection

  • AussieDaddy on 29/06/2021 - 13:12
    +1

    I have an issue with letters, slightly different from OP's situation. Landlord relocated me to a temporary unit while mine is being renovated, and I keep receiving letters from Origin addressed to the previous occupier. I've returned about half a dozen letters in the last two months with the 'RTS. Addressee doesn't live here', but the letters keep coming.

    I have told the building manager about the letters and asked if they can, maybe, contact the previous occupant and notify them about the letters, and was told to throw them away. Of course I didn't, but decided not to bother sending them back every week. Will do it once when I am moving back as I got tired of returning letters every week. I even wrote on the last letter I returned that the addressee doesn't live here and that Origin should contact the landlord to locate them, instead of inconveniencing me with sending the letters back all the time, to no avail.

    And the funny thing is, my electricity is with Origin, so I don't understand why they keep sending letters to someone else at this address, who doesn't have utility with them any more, since they've already got my details as the new occupant of this place (and I was with them for over a decade in my other place).

    • Mikuji on 30/06/2021 - 07:38

      Firstly, after two years, just break the law and open their letters. It’s fun, like when you find that the previous tenant/owner has thousand and thousands of dollars worth of traffic fines and they’re about to go to court.

      Check whether the correspondence for the previous tenant is a bill or just some crap letter - maybe every month or two they’re trying to refund the old people $5 credit on a closed account or something.

      Most importantly, if they have a NMI or MIRN or meter number listed, compare it to your own bills and or meter number so that it’s not some kind of crossed metering mistake or something.

      As long as it’s the right address and your account is open, if they try and cut off your power or anything in error, try and claim mega compo

      • AussieDaddy on 30/06/2021 - 16:10

        Thought opening or throwing away mail was illegal? Anyway, I'll stay here for a couple more weeks before I move back to my old apartment, so will wait until then and send the lot back in one bundle.

  • tallkid123 on 29/06/2021 - 13:15

    RTS it all.

    And maybe email the agent as well to tell the vendor to update their mailing address.

  • p1 ama on 29/06/2021 - 13:28

    Just do the nice thing - leave it aside somewhere and let the old owners know where to drop by to collect it.

    • trongy on 29/06/2021 - 15:22

      For how long though?

  • pformag on 29/06/2021 - 13:36

    Bin them. I have letters coming after 10 years.

  • brendanm on 29/06/2021 - 13:37

    In the bin.

  • thrillho on 29/06/2021 - 13:46
    +2

    Where's the bikies option?

    • cashless on 30/06/2021 - 14:02

      Why would bikies want all that junk mail?

      • justgooddeals on 30/06/2021 - 23:28
        +1

        So they can use it for identity theft.

  • Ocker on 29/06/2021 - 14:04
    +4

    Probably too lousy to pay for the $33 per month redirection service offered by AusPost. Then again if you will do it for free then why pay?

  • toomuchdogfur on 29/06/2021 - 15:52
    +1

    RTS-ing has worked pretty well for me - after a few months I only receive a trickle of previous-tenant mail. It then places the onus on the sending company to figure out where to send mail to.

  • glub on 29/06/2021 - 16:19

    This drives me crazy, I get like 3 past tenants mail more than I get my own, have missed a few important letters because its buried in all the other spam I receive. I just bin it, if they needed it they would update their address.

  • Snake 4 on 29/06/2021 - 16:57

    Nine years and I still receive some mail from previous owner. Straight in the bin..

    • [Deactivated] on 30/06/2021 - 19:29

      But doing that is ILLEGAL.
      But sitting the mail out on your garage door before you RTS it, probably isn't.
      And maybe, just maybe the neighbourhood tomcat might pay a visit to each letter with their whiz-end.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/06/2021 - 17:42

    I have already gone past his new place to drop it off twice now.

    If they haven't actually requested you to hold their mail then you may have set a precedent by also dropping it off at their new place.

    I don't have his number.

    If you don't have his email then make a final drop off and let him know that he needs to make other arrangements so that he is aware.

  • Donaldhump on 29/06/2021 - 18:09

    Good dunny read to be honest

  • SimbaGirl on 29/06/2021 - 18:23

    We were still receiving mail for the previous owner of our house 15 years later, despite putting all his mail back into the post box marked - "RTS - has not been at this address for (insert appropriate number at the time) years". I should have tried putting "Deceased" as others have suggested! .

  • CheapskateQueen on 29/06/2021 - 21:50

    stuff like this I think is a threshold issue.

    has the guy been completely lazy and not changed any of his addresses or are these the strays he forgot exists?

    you definitely don't need to be dropping them off monthly to the guy. maybe one more drop with a note advising him to change his address, you won't be doing any more drop offs, and you'll start RTS.

    Then RTS/bin depending on your mood.

    I do hate to think of what mail is potentially going to my old addresses. I try my best but some mail only comes annually and I totally forget it exists. usually financial stuff which is even worse/ most confidential.

  • CecillyL on 30/06/2021 - 07:07

    Slightly different scenario. My experience: someone in another suburb incorrectly redirected their mail to my Aust Post post box. First time, I wrote RTS on it and put in an Aust Post mail box. Second time, I took it to the counter in the post office and they completed a form online re the directed mail and it stopped immediately.

  • Luckyalways on 30/06/2021 - 08:00

    Perhaps tell your local post office of the problem and ask them what to do? Or it might just be easier to write RTS on them and put in the post once a month or whatever suits you. I don't think you need to be the one taking responsibility for their mail to be redirected as it cost me to redirect my mail from old to new home.

  • Lurk Hartog on 30/06/2021 - 08:25

    I got daily unpaid toll notices for about a year for the person who used to live at my address. Must have been expensive when that finally caught up with her.

  • Grunntt on 30/06/2021 - 09:50

    First month or two I just RTS. After that I just wrote RTS on envelope and bundled them up until I had a decent amount (about 3 or 4 months worth) and dropped them at the post office the next time I was there.
    Did the same thing a couple of times but changed the RTS to 'RTS - deceased'. Seemed to eventually stop most of them.
    Still receive the occasional financial details of business customers every year or so.

  • bweiss on 30/06/2021 - 09:52

    I would drop off one last batch of letters to him, and then ask him to set up a redirect for 3months / 6 months.
    https://auspost.com.au/receiving/manage-your-mail/redirect-h…

    After that, any new mail that you get for them you should just mark as 'Return to Sender' cross out the address and put it in the outgoing mail
    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-01/melbourne-post-whispe…

  • trankillity on 30/06/2021 - 09:57

    I had a similar situation when I moved into my first home in late 2019. Just did the RTS thing and it does eventually work. Just took about 9 months of being diligent for them to finally stop coming.

  • deal88 on 30/06/2021 - 10:32
    +1

    Never just write “RTS” or “Return to sender”. This could just be a lazy post person of even could not deliver due to a dog.

    Add some extra useful info like

    “RTS - This company has moved”

    The old vender could also pay the post office to redirect their mail.

  • Mythreesons on 30/06/2021 - 10:44

    When I moved I got my mail redirected, a few weeks later I got a nasty message on Facebook from the tenant that moved into my old house abusing me about my mail still going there. It’s not the first time this has happened, a few years ago I moved suddenly and got mail redirection and some very important items were still delivered to my old address and the new tenants signed for and kept the items and there was nothing I could do. Australia post offered to repay the person I order the items from (I payed extra for insurance on the items, which took 8 weeks to arrive) and I never got anything and the police weren’t really interested in dealing with the people who signed my name to get the items.

  • OzHunterNSW on 30/06/2021 - 11:59

    Write RTS, and clearly state the person no longer resides at this address…. then post off

  • psdillon on 30/06/2021 - 12:10
    +2

    It's ridiculous in this day and age that we have to give out addresses for mail. The address is only needed by the postie, we should all have virtual addresses that can directed wherever we want. Moving would take 1 click on the Auspost website.

    I guess Auspost make too much money on redirections to bother improving things.

    • idonotknowwhy on 30/06/2021 - 12:31
      +1

      This! It's the most painful thing about renting/moving frequently.
      We need DNS / domain names for our physical addresses!

  • TheOtherLeft on 30/06/2021 - 12:14

    I moved into my current place 6 yrs ago and still receive mail from the previous owner. I get sick of RTS'ing them.

  • cheng2008 on 30/06/2021 - 13:06

    Just leave it on the porch or shoe rack, if they come and collect it then all good, otherwise if they don't then you can bin them.

    • iNeed2Pee on 30/06/2021 - 14:45

      Yeah look the vendor was a real nice guy, so im probably just gonna hold onto it for a couple more days and see if he collects. Im not going to be dropping it off anymore though.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 30/06/2021 - 13:07
    +1

    They might be nice, but they might also be lazy.
    Send it back, RTS with the correct address on there.

  • HCBargain on 30/06/2021 - 13:57
    +1

    I have previously sent them back with "Return to send - not at this address" or similar.

    One company kept sending things, after the 5th time I sent them a bill for my time to return their mail to them. They never responded, but also didn't send any more mail.

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