Mail forwarding/address change issues
January 17, 2018 6:18 PM Subscribe
Over the summer, my parents had their mail forwarded to me via a temporary address change, but my mail is now being forwarded to their address due to my dad and my similar names. Help?
Over the summer, my parents had their mail forwarded to me via a temporary address change. My dad assures me that he completed two individual address changes for him and my mom, and not a family change. He also completed the address change form to return their mail back to their permanent address.
However, my dad's name (James) and my name (Jamie) are similar, I have the same last name, and my mail is being forwarded to their address with HIS name label on it. He has talked to their post office and completed an additional address change for for them to their original address, but my mail is still being forwarded to them, and some important mail addressed to me at my address has been returned to the sender as undeliverable with my current address (such as my renewed driver's license). I am nervous that I won't receive my W2 under my current address.
I've talked to different clerks at my post office in person several times, and they just direct me to a customer service number in which no one answers and it cuts off without the option to leave a message. In person, the post office clerks won't give me advice, and just refer me to their number.
Has anyone been in this situation before? I am thinking I should complete an address change for for myself, but I'm not sure if I should put my current address as both my previous and new address, or my parent's address as my previous address with my current address listed as my new address.
Has anyone been in this situation? Does anyone have post office experience to offer advice? I appreciate thoughts or advice.
Over the summer, my parents had their mail forwarded to me via a temporary address change. My dad assures me that he completed two individual address changes for him and my mom, and not a family change. He also completed the address change form to return their mail back to their permanent address.
However, my dad's name (James) and my name (Jamie) are similar, I have the same last name, and my mail is being forwarded to their address with HIS name label on it. He has talked to their post office and completed an additional address change for for them to their original address, but my mail is still being forwarded to them, and some important mail addressed to me at my address has been returned to the sender as undeliverable with my current address (such as my renewed driver's license). I am nervous that I won't receive my W2 under my current address.
I've talked to different clerks at my post office in person several times, and they just direct me to a customer service number in which no one answers and it cuts off without the option to leave a message. In person, the post office clerks won't give me advice, and just refer me to their number.
Has anyone been in this situation before? I am thinking I should complete an address change for for myself, but I'm not sure if I should put my current address as both my previous and new address, or my parent's address as my previous address with my current address listed as my new address.
Has anyone been in this situation? Does anyone have post office experience to offer advice? I appreciate thoughts or advice.
They seem to just look at the last name and forward- my husband shared a house with his sister before he got married, and as they share a surname we get her mail at our place (different house, he did a mail redirect) still.
posted by freethefeet at 7:16 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by freethefeet at 7:16 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
My husband's family is in a long line of naming their kids after themselves (Vincent J and VinceJean) and this will never be over. I'm sorry how that sounds. Do the individual address change. You can talk to your mail carrier. It can't hurt, but they are given mail to deliver. What mail they physically get to deliver is out of their hands. If you are consistently getting mail sent to the wrong address, contact whoever is sending the mail. A lot of this is unfortunately automated, so a lot of companies will automatically adjust your address from your change of address form. As it is, we mostly get the right mail but it's never perfect.
posted by Bistyfrass at 7:38 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Bistyfrass at 7:38 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Do the address change from old (parents) to new (your place). ALSO, sign up for Informed Delivery. Also have your folks sign up for it and have those emails either sent to you or forwarded to you. You will then see 90% of all mail being delivered to both addresses.
Informed Delivery!
posted by AugustWest at 9:24 PM on January 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Informed Delivery!
posted by AugustWest at 9:24 PM on January 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
I can't really help, but I will add that signed up for Informed Delivery for USPS and I love it. A warning that it doesn't capture everything you get, but it is helpful. For packages, I signed up for My UPS and FedEx Delivery Manager, in addition to Informed Delivery, and it has helped me find packages that got delivered to wrong apartments because I knew when a package was supposed to be delivered to me.
This seems to be a flaw in mail but also just in record-keeping. My mom gets junk mail addressed to my dad's new wife, even though that woman has obviously never lived at my mom's address and my parents have been divorced for 20 years.
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:17 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
This seems to be a flaw in mail but also just in record-keeping. My mom gets junk mail addressed to my dad's new wife, even though that woman has obviously never lived at my mom's address and my parents have been divorced for 20 years.
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:17 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
I checked with my husband, he said his parents (they had done the last change of address) had to ask to speak to the postmaster of the post office closest to them. That's when it mostly got resolved.
posted by Bistyfrass at 10:22 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Bistyfrass at 10:22 PM on January 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
This happened to me when it turned out that the previous tenant had almost the same name as me :/ I called the post office, and they told me I had to go to the physical post office that managed my address (which wasn't actually the closest one, because they aren't evenly distributed). This office will be the building where your mail actually gets either delivered to your house or forwarded, as I understand it, so these are the people who need to know that the two names must be checked carefully to differentiate. If the workers there are really refusing to help, you need to complain to higher up, perhaps that's the postmaster general? It is 100% possible for you to get this fixed without your parents doing anything - I managed to get my mail sorted by first name with almost no mistakes once I got the problem explained to the right person at my local office.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 1:03 AM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by the agents of KAOS at 1:03 AM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
This has happened when I went on deployment - im Dan III and my dad is Dan Jr. I just had to go company by company to change address, and still there are random ones that sneak in.
posted by aggienfo at 4:04 AM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by aggienfo at 4:04 AM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Another talk to the post office data point:
My friend, John Smith, had his mail forwarded when Janice Smith submitted a change of address form for her apartment in the very large complex they both lived in. Same street address, different apartments, same first initials, different first names.
It has eventually resolved, but he too had to speak to the post office.
posted by JawnBigboote at 6:44 AM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
My friend, John Smith, had his mail forwarded when Janice Smith submitted a change of address form for her apartment in the very large complex they both lived in. Same street address, different apartments, same first initials, different first names.
It has eventually resolved, but he too had to speak to the post office.
posted by JawnBigboote at 6:44 AM on January 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
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For starters, I'd write your full name on your mailbox and also try to talk to your mail carrier to explain things. If you do the change of address (not ideal but hopefully successful), I'd use your parent's address as your previous address and your current address as your new address. I will note though that you get random old things in the mail, such as a bill for $0.00 from a medical office I haven't seen in nine years and magazines that I never ever ordered. Still, it's better to get all that junk than miss the important stuff. Good luck!
posted by smorgasbord at 6:31 PM on January 17, 2018 [2 favorites]