You Don't Want HER Forwarding Address

January 30, 2018 7:48 AM

I've been getting a sudden influx of junk mail offers addressed to a former roommate - a roommate who moved to Australia, over ten years ago. How can I stop it?

I've always got the odd piece of mail for her here and there over the years - but it's always been something like a random solicitation for a theater company she used to belong to or something like that. I considered calling them to remove her name, but those only came like once a year or something and I'd always forget. But lately I've been getting a bunch of auto insurance offers for her. She never owned a car while she lived here and neither did I; clearly her name's recently been sold to some list somewhere.

I looked into a couple of "stop junk mail" services, but they are more for stopping just mail to me, or they would require me to contact a bunch of vendors directly. I'm looking for more of an across-the-board solution if there is one. Help?

posted by EmpressCallipygos to Grab Bag (15 answers total)

I've lived places where the names of the people the household was accepting mail for were clearly labeled on the mailbox, with some sort of 'these people ONLY!' language.
posted by aniola at 7:55 AM on January 30, 2018

Just write "Return to Sender - Not at This Address" on the offending mail and drop it in a mailbox. Your mail carrier will get the picture quickly and stop delivering it.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 8:10 AM on January 30, 2018 [3 favorites]

In similar circumstances USPS told me to write "Addressee Unknown" instead of "Not at This Address" along with the "return to sender" bit. It seems to trigger a different response.
posted by fedward at 8:17 AM on January 30, 2018 [2 favorites]

If she's ok with you trying to deal with the issue in her name (or you want to just guerilla do it yourself) the suggestions here are solid. Opting out of the prescreened offers dramatically reduced my junk mail, even things that didn't seem to be associated with credit.
posted by Candleman at 8:23 AM on January 30, 2018

Above suggestions are good, but if the mail is addressed to "Former Roommate or Current Resident" or similar, the mail will still probably get to you.
posted by jillithd at 9:09 AM on January 30, 2018

I always write "return to sender, no such addressee" I also write REMOVE THIS ADDRESS FROM YOUR MAILING LIST" on the envelope. If the envelope is addressed to Jane Doe or Current Resident I black out the current resident line.

I kept getting mail for my deceased mom, for years. I finally resorted to writing "where did you buy your mailing list, addressee has been DEAD for x years - you're wasting your money on bad info!!" That actually helped a lot.
posted by vignettist at 9:12 AM on January 30, 2018 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Above suggestions are good, but if the mail is addressed to "Former Roommate or Current Resident" or similar, the mail will still probably get to you.

Nah, they're all to her name and just her name (as opposed to "Roommate Name or current resident").

I was afraid that the piece-by-piece "addressee unknown" would be my only option, and I can do that if it really is best; but is there really no one-and-done thing?

(I may be hoping against hope)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:45 AM on January 30, 2018

Response by poster: Oh, and I did check out this option but that still looked like I'd have to look up each entity that contacted her individually and deal with each one separately.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:47 AM on January 30, 2018

You can get a rubber stamp saying "addressee unknown" to make it quicker.
posted by SemiSalt at 10:00 AM on January 30, 2018 [3 favorites]

If you want to play hardball (and don't believe in the Evil Eye) you can add her name to the Direct Marketing Deceased-Do Not Contact List
posted by Mchelly at 10:01 AM on January 30, 2018 [2 favorites]

The "one and done" is filling out a change of address form with the post office; it's illegal to do it for someone else without their consent.

Marking them "Return - Address Unknown" will get results fairly quickly. The places that send mail won't want to pay to keep sending it, and they'll update their databases. When they sell them or update their clients' databases, that info will spread.

You'll still get the occasional ad three years from now, but that'll be a novelty, not part of a flood.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:36 AM on January 30, 2018 [2 favorites]

Can you put a note to the mail carrier on your box that says so-and-so does not live at your address? I would try that; it's worked for me in the past but may depend on your mail carrier. Then you wouldn't have to write "addressee unknown" over and over.
posted by JenMarie at 1:04 PM on January 30, 2018

Response by poster: My local post office frequently will bring me mail for the wrong address entirely - like, I'm at 123 Kennebunk Street, and they'll bring me mail for 135 Kendall Place. Or I'll get mail for 125 Kennebunk, 120 Kennebunk, 132 Kennebunk....If they can't be arsed to read whether they have the right street, I doubt a note to the carrier on my mailbox about the right person would help.

It looks like "Addressee Unknown" on each piece of mail for a while is the best option. Thanks.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:21 PM on January 30, 2018

My local post office recommended that:

1. Write "NSP (No such person)" on the front of the envelope
2. cross out the automated barcode lining the bottom of the envelope
3. talk directly to my mailperson

The process is also described here.
posted by hooray at 7:06 PM on January 30, 2018

My local post office frequently will bring me mail for the wrong address entirely -

I was having this problem for six months or so. I talked to the delivery person (who had been our same delivery person for years, so I knew it wasn't something he was doing); he told me that it was an issue with the person who was keying in the address that results in the bar code being printed at the bottom of the envelope (which is then how the envelopes get internally routed to our carrier's bag).

I suggest talking to your local postmaster when that happens to let them know that it's been an on-going issue. They should address it internally as a training issue.
posted by vignettist at 12:30 PM on February 1, 2018