How do the eff do we make them stop?

lbo — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:28:07 -0800

Why am I getting snail mail and phone calls for two people who never lived in my apartment, but who share my last name? I've lived in my current apartment for about two years now. About three months ago my husband and I decided to get a land line to use in emergencies. Since we started the service, we have received phone calls almost daily for Cory OurLastName or Sawanda OurLastName. We've also started to receive mail for them at least once or twice a week, on which we write "no such person at this address" and return to the mailbox.

When we searched their names on one of the more popular, but sketchy-seeming, online phone books, we found that they were listed as heads-of-household in a different apartment within our same complex. They are listed with our phone number and, oddly, my husband is also listed as living with them. When my husband searches his own name, he also comes up at that address living with them.

Qwest was of no help aside from telling me to get a new phone number. Our number has always been unlisted with them, so that should never have contributed to our number/address being listed online, should it? I called my apartment management company and they were able to tell me that Corey and Sawanda did, in fact, live in the complex at one point, and at that different apartment number that we found online. The manager told me she would talk to the mail carrier herself about not delivering any more mail addressed to them.

We'd really prefer not to change our phone number, though we will if necessary. But what's to really stop us from somehow being connected to them again, even with a new number? Is there some logical explanation for this that we're missing? We are weirded out that our names, address and phone number are so easy to find. We live in Utah, if that's useful.

as bad as spam, maybe worse.

fidgets — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 18:00:27 -0800

We're having a seriously annoying (snail)mail issue. Help! Is there any way I can get the post office to stop delivering mail for people who no longer live here?

On any given day at our apt building (3 units) we get 2-4 times the amount of mail for people who no longer live here then for people who do. Junk mail, subscriptions, personal letters, bills, you name it. I know that I can't put in a change of address form for these people. Is there any other course of action I can take? A form I can fill out? The unwanted mail piles up for a month or two and eventually gets tossed, and its a hassle for everyone who lives here. The mailman could not care less if I tell him not to deliver it and there doesn't seem to be any information on the USPS site about this kind of problem. Im located in Brooklyn if this helps.

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How do the eff do we make them stop?

as bad as spam, maybe worse.