Resolving perpetual "addressee unknown" issue with USPS
May 10, 2022 11:42 AM Subscribe
For the last six weeks, anything I've ordered to be delivered to my house via USPS has been receiving a "delivery exception" with the message "Addressee unknown." But my address is as correct as it can be.
Google has been unhelpful, it's just "whoops I guess you don't get things anymore, everything goes back to sender forever."
I've been successfully getting deliveries here for two years until now. My address on all of these shipping receipts is correct. Currently, this is preventing me from GETTING MY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION. I'm crazy busy, very far from a post office, and I really just need some advice on how to fix this, please, and get my extremely needed meds. TIA!
Google has been unhelpful, it's just "whoops I guess you don't get things anymore, everything goes back to sender forever."
I've been successfully getting deliveries here for two years until now. My address on all of these shipping receipts is correct. Currently, this is preventing me from GETTING MY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION. I'm crazy busy, very far from a post office, and I really just need some advice on how to fix this, please, and get my extremely needed meds. TIA!
Have you called your local post office and asked what the problem is? If you know it, call them, and ask for the postmaster of the branch. If not, or if that might be hard to track down, call the USPS hotline: 1-800-275-8777.
Also here's their online help, use the Where is my mail option.
posted by deezil at 11:56 AM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also here's their online help, use the Where is my mail option.
posted by deezil at 11:56 AM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Addressee unknown doesn't mean that the address is wrong—it means that somehow USPS has the idea that the person listed as the recipient is not there. For example, if the letter carrier has put a label with the addressee's name in the mailbox and it doesn't match the name on the envelope.
I think going to the post office in person would probably be the quickest way to resolve this, but you can also try contacting USPS by phone or email. Might take a while though.
posted by grouse at 11:56 AM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
I think going to the post office in person would probably be the quickest way to resolve this, but you can also try contacting USPS by phone or email. Might take a while though.
posted by grouse at 11:56 AM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I am a bit of a USPS expert where I am. I am assuming you are getting these messages back from the companies who you are getting deliveries from (i.e. you don't get a bounced back message form a website when you are trying to order). It's possible something changed with the database that USPS uses to verify addresses. So a few questions to tease this out
- Are these packages that you are not getting delivered via USPS (i.e. not Fedex or UPS doing "last mile" shit with the post office)?
- Is your mail receptacle clearly marked with your name/address?
- Do you live in an apartment complex or in a single family home? Is there something else weird about your address?
- Do you have the ability to make a phone call to your local post office?
- In the long run it's worth filing a complaint with the post office but that won't help get your meds sooner
So with the understanding that there may be two issues here
1. get meds
2. fix addressing issue
Googling post office phone numbers will get you 800-275-8777 on their official page but I've often been able to do some extended searching and track down the local PO number. My best guess is that there's a new delivery person, there's something odd about your address (even if it's perfectly normal) and they are punting instead of handling it. In the immediate short term you may be able to get your meds delivered to a friend or neighbor until you get this sorted.
posted by jessamyn at 11:56 AM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
- Are these packages that you are not getting delivered via USPS (i.e. not Fedex or UPS doing "last mile" shit with the post office)?
- Is your mail receptacle clearly marked with your name/address?
- Do you live in an apartment complex or in a single family home? Is there something else weird about your address?
- Do you have the ability to make a phone call to your local post office?
- In the long run it's worth filing a complaint with the post office but that won't help get your meds sooner
So with the understanding that there may be two issues here
1. get meds
2. fix addressing issue
Googling post office phone numbers will get you 800-275-8777 on their official page but I've often been able to do some extended searching and track down the local PO number. My best guess is that there's a new delivery person, there's something odd about your address (even if it's perfectly normal) and they are punting instead of handling it. In the immediate short term you may be able to get your meds delivered to a friend or neighbor until you get this sorted.
posted by jessamyn at 11:56 AM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Apologies for leaving out so many details in my absolute rage, lol.
Yes, anything that comes from not-USPS gets delivered just fine. FedEx, DHL, grocery deliveries. I have also not received any regular mail (bills, catalogs, magazines), but I have no idea what's become of any of that because it isn't tracked the way shipments are. Also these delivery exceptions did not happen all at once. I received about half of my USPS items, then less, then even less, now none.
Nothing weird about my address that I can fathom...My building isn't new construction, there's been no change to its zip or anything, I'm not in a 3400 1/2 kind of situation. It's multi-unit but that's absolutely the norm for my area so I'd be astonished if USPS or the carrier found the address unusable just because of that.
My mailbox is labeled but that's a good point--there are old labels crossed out all over the boxes, and maybe it's frustrating to figure out which is the new one. I will go add a new label in the brightest possible color and largest possible print so there's no mistake. Come to think of it I have noticed more and more of my neighbors adding large bright labels lately so maybe they're also having issues.
(I can't get the meds delivered anywhere until the prescriber receives the package back because insurance won't let them send another one, but that's a rant best saved for a U.S. healthcare system Ask I'd imagine.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:37 PM on May 10, 2022
Yes, anything that comes from not-USPS gets delivered just fine. FedEx, DHL, grocery deliveries. I have also not received any regular mail (bills, catalogs, magazines), but I have no idea what's become of any of that because it isn't tracked the way shipments are. Also these delivery exceptions did not happen all at once. I received about half of my USPS items, then less, then even less, now none.
Nothing weird about my address that I can fathom...My building isn't new construction, there's been no change to its zip or anything, I'm not in a 3400 1/2 kind of situation. It's multi-unit but that's absolutely the norm for my area so I'd be astonished if USPS or the carrier found the address unusable just because of that.
My mailbox is labeled but that's a good point--there are old labels crossed out all over the boxes, and maybe it's frustrating to figure out which is the new one. I will go add a new label in the brightest possible color and largest possible print so there's no mistake. Come to think of it I have noticed more and more of my neighbors adding large bright labels lately so maybe they're also having issues.
(I can't get the meds delivered anywhere until the prescriber receives the package back because insurance won't let them send another one, but that's a rant best saved for a U.S. healthcare system Ask I'd imagine.)
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 12:37 PM on May 10, 2022
It's multi-unit but that's absolutely the norm for my area so I'd be astonished if USPS or the carrier found the address unusable just because of that… I have noticed more and more of my neighbors adding large bright labels lately so maybe they're also having issues.
Not exactly sure what multi-unit means in this context but my best guess is that it has much to do with the problems here. Are there multiple mailboxes with the same primary address number and street name, but have different secondary addresses? If so, then maybe your letter carrier is deciding that only one of these is "the" mailbox for that address.
posted by grouse at 1:25 PM on May 10, 2022
Not exactly sure what multi-unit means in this context but my best guess is that it has much to do with the problems here. Are there multiple mailboxes with the same primary address number and street name, but have different secondary addresses? If so, then maybe your letter carrier is deciding that only one of these is "the" mailbox for that address.
posted by grouse at 1:25 PM on May 10, 2022
A highly-unlikely but possible scenario - before your mail stopped, were you regularly emptying the mailbox? Once, in a fit of overwhelm and failure of executive function, didn't check my apartment's mailbox for several weeks. When I finally worked up what I needed to go check it, it had been emptied by USPS, my name had removed, and more than one person told me that something they'd sent was returned to them.
posted by hanov3r at 1:33 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by hanov3r at 1:33 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Are there multiple mailboxes with the same primary address number and street name, but have different secondary addresses? If so, then maybe your letter carrier is deciding that only one of these is "the" mailbox for that address.
Yes, this is the setup, but also the setup for just about every building on my block and probably 70% of the buildings in the city. If a mail carrier can't handle [building][street][apartment] I have zero idea how they came to be a USPS delivery carrier in the city of Chicago.
A highly-unlikely but possible scenario - before your mail stopped, were you regularly emptying the mailbox?
Yes, apart from a week-long vacation. I don't receive enough mail normally (3-4 things per week) to have thought a vacation hold was necessary, but maybe that was enough for them.
Another package has been returned to sender with "Moved, left no forwarding address" which is also not a thing I did, so the plot thickens I guess.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:37 PM on May 10, 2022
Yes, this is the setup, but also the setup for just about every building on my block and probably 70% of the buildings in the city. If a mail carrier can't handle [building][street][apartment] I have zero idea how they came to be a USPS delivery carrier in the city of Chicago.
A highly-unlikely but possible scenario - before your mail stopped, were you regularly emptying the mailbox?
Yes, apart from a week-long vacation. I don't receive enough mail normally (3-4 things per week) to have thought a vacation hold was necessary, but maybe that was enough for them.
Another package has been returned to sender with "Moved, left no forwarding address" which is also not a thing I did, so the plot thickens I guess.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 1:37 PM on May 10, 2022
"Moved, left no forwarding address" is the delivery person not seeing your name on your unit's mail box. New label, removing all the old crappy ones, and please call the post office. They might have decided it wasn't worth even trying delivering your mail, so they're probably being bounced back from the sorting office without ever being brought near your building because one postie once saw an unclear label
posted by scruss at 1:48 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by scruss at 1:48 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Possibly it’s being delivered to a neighbor and neighbor, not knowing who you are/that you exist, are sending your stuff back thinking perhaps that you were a previous tenant of their unit? (Still doesn’t explain why it would be mid-delivered so consistently, though). I’d check in with neighbors to see if this might be the case and to determine if they, too, are having problems of their own.
posted by Sassyfras at 1:51 PM on May 10, 2022
posted by Sassyfras at 1:51 PM on May 10, 2022
Agree with others above, remove all the old labels on your box/slot, put up a bright clear easily read label with names & unit numbers as well as your building address, thus:
MAIL DELIVERY
4411 Evergreen Terrace
Unit 1, Liberace
Unit 2, Steinway
Unit 3, Diaghelev
Thank you
We got a handwritten note from a new mail carrier to the effect that NO MORE MAIL until all names, unit #s, and street address (doesn't matter it's literally on the building) were clearly posted. It actually did help cut down on us accidentally getting wrong address mail, so there's that.
Best of luck, I hope you get your meds safely and soon.
posted by winesong at 2:00 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
MAIL DELIVERY
4411 Evergreen Terrace
Unit 1, Liberace
Unit 2, Steinway
Unit 3, Diaghelev
Thank you
We got a handwritten note from a new mail carrier to the effect that NO MORE MAIL until all names, unit #s, and street address (doesn't matter it's literally on the building) were clearly posted. It actually did help cut down on us accidentally getting wrong address mail, so there's that.
Best of luck, I hope you get your meds safely and soon.
posted by winesong at 2:00 PM on May 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
Strange thing. A couple of years ago when the new landlords put in new mailboxes (18 unit apartment building) there was a note saying explicitly to not put your name on the mailbox for safety reasons and that the post office wouldn't check. They only deliver based on street address and number. I still on occasion get mail for the lady who lived in my apartment over 20 years ago. To me it's pretty odd to put anything on the mailbox except the relevant numbers. Maybe different post offices are different?
posted by zengargoyle at 5:11 PM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by zengargoyle at 5:11 PM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
Is this the kind of group mailbox where the boxes are stacked like 5 across and 5 down and the mailman accesses them through a door that opens to expose the interior (vs stuffing mail into individual slots from the front)? Because those need to have labels on the interior too.
Oh, and definitely go to the PO in person. The 800 number will send you into a death spiral. The local phone numbers are top secret but once you get ahold of one, even if it’s the wrong department, they will transfer you.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:18 PM on May 10, 2022
Oh, and definitely go to the PO in person. The 800 number will send you into a death spiral. The local phone numbers are top secret but once you get ahold of one, even if it’s the wrong department, they will transfer you.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:18 PM on May 10, 2022
Mail delivery for post office boxes (the ones at the USPS) are limited to the list of recipients authorized on postal form 1583. Ours puts printed label(s) on the inside of the POB in the back to indicate the valid recipients. Every few years, some new employee gets confused and either delivers mail that shouldn't be, or bounces mail that should be. Usually a chat with the postmaster takes care of that.
Street delivery is exactly the opposite. Mail is supposed to be delivered in all cases unless there is a specific reason not to, such as a vacation hold, a change of address, etc. However, in an apartment building, it is probably a good idea to have a label on the inside in the location that the mailman will see, if for no other reason than many carriers to tend to look at the name in addition to the unit number.
Originally from chats I've had with a postmaster when complaining about misdelivery.
posted by jgreco at 5:26 PM on May 10, 2022 [6 favorites]
Street delivery is exactly the opposite. Mail is supposed to be delivered in all cases unless there is a specific reason not to, such as a vacation hold, a change of address, etc. However, in an apartment building, it is probably a good idea to have a label on the inside in the location that the mailman will see, if for no other reason than many carriers to tend to look at the name in addition to the unit number.
Originally from chats I've had with a postmaster when complaining about misdelivery.
posted by jgreco at 5:26 PM on May 10, 2022 [6 favorites]
Local Post Office phone numbers should be available here:
https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm
Enter your info and the click through on the specific office. Under the bold toll free number you’ll see a local number.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:54 PM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm
Enter your info and the click through on the specific office. Under the bold toll free number you’ll see a local number.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:54 PM on May 10, 2022 [3 favorites]
Postmaster is a good idea.
I ran into a problem with my mail, in Chicago, about 12yrs ago, where one of the postal workers sorting mail somehow became convinced I was engaged in fraudulent behavior, and bounced any mail directed to me.
I had no clue this was happening, and blamed the occasional returned or lost mail on poor service, until I ran into this individual when picking up a package and he demanded all the IDs to prove I was really me.
At the time I'd just wanted to make the problem go away, and I wouldn't have known to talk to the postmaster, but I wish I had, because having random pieces of mail returned as "no addressee or fraudulent id,. caused years of unexpected ripple effects.
posted by bindr at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2022
I ran into a problem with my mail, in Chicago, about 12yrs ago, where one of the postal workers sorting mail somehow became convinced I was engaged in fraudulent behavior, and bounced any mail directed to me.
I had no clue this was happening, and blamed the occasional returned or lost mail on poor service, until I ran into this individual when picking up a package and he demanded all the IDs to prove I was really me.
At the time I'd just wanted to make the problem go away, and I wouldn't have known to talk to the postmaster, but I wish I had, because having random pieces of mail returned as "no addressee or fraudulent id,. caused years of unexpected ripple effects.
posted by bindr at 10:02 PM on May 10, 2022
I have also not received any regular mail (bills, catalogs, magazines), but I have no idea what's become of any of that because it isn't tracked the way shipments are.
Can you sign up for Informed Delivery? Might give some sense of where in the system the problem lies.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:52 AM on May 11, 2022 [3 favorites]
Can you sign up for Informed Delivery? Might give some sense of where in the system the problem lies.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:52 AM on May 11, 2022 [3 favorites]
A few years ago, mail delivery to my house became very spotty. A whole week or more would go by without any mail. I went to the local post office and talked to a very unhelpful, hostile supervisor who just gaslit me and said that my mail delivery "problems" were just cases where I simply didn't have any mail that day. Calling the post office's 800 number wasn't helpful at all, either.
I finally solved the problem by talking to my mail carrier. She said that she saw a rat in my yard and decided that she would simply stop delivering mail to my house, due to her fear of rodents. The days I was getting mail must have been days when a different carrier was working that route. The mail carrier agreed to deliver my mail to my neighbors (with whom I'm friendly). This arrangement lasted for a few months until the carrier was replaced by someone else.
posted by JD Sockinger at 7:04 AM on May 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
I finally solved the problem by talking to my mail carrier. She said that she saw a rat in my yard and decided that she would simply stop delivering mail to my house, due to her fear of rodents. The days I was getting mail must have been days when a different carrier was working that route. The mail carrier agreed to deliver my mail to my neighbors (with whom I'm friendly). This arrangement lasted for a few months until the carrier was replaced by someone else.
posted by JD Sockinger at 7:04 AM on May 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
In a similar situation, it was a big shruggo mystery to USPS with a lot of completely irrelevant speculation and inane questions (are you sure you have a mailbox? was it full? is it inside an apartment building even though I said it wasn't? is it hiding behind a tree even though I live on a city rowhouse block? did someone else in my house take the mail? do I know everyone living in my house?) until another agent finally informed me about the vacation hold I had placed at some past date that also didn't match the delivery problems.
I have literally never placed a vacation hold on my address. "Yes," I replied, "remove the hold."
posted by desuetude at 3:57 PM on May 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
I have literally never placed a vacation hold on my address. "Yes," I replied, "remove the hold."
posted by desuetude at 3:57 PM on May 11, 2022 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
"Addressee" doesn't mean your mailing address, it means the actual name on the label. For some reason someone between the post office and your home thinks that [your name] doesn't live there. Probably this is the mail carrier - maybe they think you moved for some reason. But the reason doesn't matter, you just need to talk to the post office and tell them it's correct.
(Oh! If you live in a condo, apartment, or other situation with a shared mail room it could also be someone there, and I guess that'd be the place to talk to first.)
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 11:54 AM on May 10, 2022 [4 favorites]