Charging to write replies

[RyanfaeScotland]

Hey there,

I have a post related question so thought I would join up and see what you guys and gals think.

I bought my house a few months back (about 8) and since then I am still getting a lot of mail for the previous occupier. It is mostly crap and they have told me to bin anything that doesn't look important but I'd still like to stop it from getting delivered in the first place. I know delaying/destroying mail is a crime although I am assuming it is ok since they have gave me permission and even if it is still illeagle I doubt they would press charges against me.

Anyway what I am thinking of doing is writting to the companies that are mailing them using the return address and asking them to update their records to reflect that they don't live here anymore. I was also going to say that if they continue to post mail to my address not addressed to anyone who lives that that I will charge X amount to reply to them reminding them that they no longer live here.

I have to go out so I have rushed this post but it's pretty much the jist of my thoughts. I'd (probably) never actually purse the money for replying but it might stop them.

What you reckon, worth a shot?

[noggin1969]

Give it ag

[Spedley]

I think you'll find nobody cares! I often meet customers who are quite put out about receiving a previous occupants mail but there is nothing you can do about it except cross the address out and write 'gone away' on it and put it in a post box.

If there is no return address I sometimes open the letter to find the a company address and then return it or even better ... put the whole contents and envelope back in the business reply envelope and post that!

You could try the Mailing Preference Service which many people have had some success with.

[DGP1]

The DO can also put in a special instruction card to only deliver mail for X person to that address but you'd need to contact the DOM and request it.

[shadow]

If the previous tennant hasn't put in a redirection then I think we are obliged to deliver it. Like has been said contact your local office and put in a special instruction.

[norbert]

If the previous tennant hasn't put in a redirection then I think we are obliged to deliver it. Like has been said contact your local office and put in a special instruction.

One danger can be letters re debts and over zealous debt collecting firms that buy these debts up and get paid commission .

I killed off a fair few letters off properly but letters regarding Court Action kept coming so I'd to write a statement out with checkable contact details of Solicitors and Estate Agents etc . I have heard of a similar case when a new householder was threatened with Court Action , the Debt Collectors virtually settled on the Court Steps .

The Vendor was letting the House out to some well known undesirables , one of them being from a family of troublemakers from a notorious Council Estate which has been on the telly .

[swpostie]

Hi RyanfaeScotland,

Just write "Gone Away" on the envelope and put it back in the post.

Your postman will then oficially endorse it as such and return it to the sender - he may, after a while, return it without even bothering to trouble you with it in the first place (but that's not the way he's supposed to do things).

You can make it easier for him by not saving up the letters, but by doing them as you get them!

[RyanfaeScotland]

If there is no return address I sometimes open the letter to find the a company address and then return it or even better ... put the whole contents and envelope back in the business reply envelope and post that!

I love doing that with letters businesses send to me!

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll give writing to the companies a try first and then get the Special Instruction Card set up if it doesn't work. I imagin the SIC only lasts so long so I'll hopefully manage to get the compaines to stop instead.

Oh and they did have a redirect set up but it was only for 6 months, since then I have been writing "Not known at this address" on the mail and putting it back in the post box. Not sure why "Not known at this address" is what I write, it sounds officail and I think it is what most people write but no-one from the post office has ever told me or anyone I know that that is what you write...

Anyway would it be better if I gave the mail back to my postie on the day it is delivered rather than putting it all in the post box at the end of the week?

[norbert]

that's another thing , RM have to subsidise firms like TNT , Business Post on every DSA letter , then because RM delivered it on the final mile ; they are obliged to send all this killed off Junk Mail back .

I actually worked in a Junk Mail Factory for an agency - we stayed hired because we were fast at stuffing envelopes . That's work outsourced out from various well known firms . There was actually a back entrance where staff were told to disappear through if the Social came round to check if people were on " the lump " .

In another mailing place you could see your breath as it was that cold , the Boss who came to work in a Rolls Royce told us not to start stripping off - ha ,bl**dy ha ! , to be fair staff were allowed to leave their work stations to go and sign on .

Unwanted mail will keep coming back as it's cheaper to keep sending it out , it's all time and money as these firms to pay somebody to go into Microsoft Office on the computer delete data base entries ; send memos etc .

If you do get mithered by these firms , put the junk mail into a plain envelope , address it and put on it " Royal Mail please surcharge , Thank You " , though I wouldn't recommend putting house bricks in foolscap size envelopes as some people have done , some poor b***er has to to deliver it .

[RyanfaeScotland]

Unwanted mail will keep coming back as it's cheaper to keep sending it out , it's all time and money as these firms to pay somebody to go into Microsoft Office on the computer delete data base entries ; send memos etc .

If you do get mithered by these firms , put the junk mail into a plain envelope , address it and put on it " Royal Mail please surcharge , Thank You " , though I wouldn't recommend putting house bricks in foolscap size envelopes as some people have done , some poor b***er has to to deliver it .

I would think the Data Protection Act would mean they have a legal obligation to change the information they have on there database since it is incorrect but I guess it's one thing to have a legal obligation and another to actually do it.

I did think about sending a letter to them in the biggest box available and passing the cost onto them but I thought that would be a bit childish, I'll save it for when they really start to annoy me!