What do you do with mail delivered to wrong address?

[verycontrary247]

I had a package on my doorstop when I got home. Definitely different name, different address, same zip code. Not sure what kind of mix up led to me getting this but I feel bad. It's contact lenses! Is it weird to bring it to the right address?

[alicenelson]

Ditto Tamb.

[verycontrary247]

Jul 31, 2015 21:14:22 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

I write "not at this address" and put it back in the mailbox, unless it's someone on my street.

We have apartment-style group mailboxes with little individual slots, the box won't fit in there.

[StephaniePlum]

We had a neighbor 3 streets away bring a grill to us that was erroneously delivered to his address. We didn't think it was weird, just incredibly generous!

[Deleted]

Drugs

[puppyluv]

If it was delivered by the Post Office I would leave it for them to pick up tomorrow. For FedEx/UPS, I would take it to the correct address if it was close and already going out. Otherwise you can call them up and ask them to come pick it up since it is not yours.

Anecdote: my mom was once delivered 2 bags of diet dog food by mistake. She called to ask FedEx to come take it back. They never came so a month later she gave it to the local shelter. A few weeks after that a FedEx guy came by and asked if she had a package that was misdelivered to her house. She told them what happened and they left. No follow up after that.

[redheadk]

I have no idea.

I recently received a package from PBK. It was addressed to someone else living 30 miles away. WTF. I called PBK, they never came to pick it up so I'm selling that shit on the local yardsale website. WTF am I supposed to do with crap embroidered with the name Lily?

[redwino]

We live on X Pl. and sometimes get mailed added to X St. all the time. We usually take it to them and put it in their mailbox. Its thw nwxt street over. Occasionally we worry that they'll come out and yell at us for messing with their mailbox but so far there's been no issues.

[killercupcake]

I usually write "Not at this address" on it and put it back in the mailbox.

But if you have my mailman/lady, they'll just keep redelivering it and moving the forwarding address sticker over what you wrote.

[adhdfashion]

Drop it off at the post office. Let the mail dude know he did it again. This happens to me at least three times a year.

[justkly]

Jul 31, 2015 21:32:27 GMT -5 redheadk said:

I have no idea.

I recently received a package from PBK. It was addressed to someone else living 30 miles away. WTF. I called PBK, they never came to pick it up so I'm selling that shit on the local yardsale website. WTF am I supposed to do with crap embroidered with the name Lily?

Uh, WTF? YOU are not supposed to do anything with it. How about just return to sender? Certainly not open it if it's addressed to someone else.

[Deleted]

This happens to me with an alarming frequency. I just put it back in the mail box with the flag up and they take it away. With a package I would either deliver to the intended recipient if it isn't far or drop it off at a post office.

[lucyfur]

We always get junk mail for the people that used to live here. I throw it away. Anything that looks like it might be important, I open to check and send it to them.

A random package, I'd deliver to the right place if its close. If it wasn't close, I'd call UPS/the post office for pick up.

[killercupcake]

I'm a little pearl clutchy at the people who are opening others mail. Who knew that was my line?

[sailorgray]

I had a neighbor from a few bloks away bring over a package once. She had opened it and apologized profusely for not checking the label first. It was jut tank tops from groupon. It was nice of her to run them over.

P.S. don't ever buy clothes from groupon. They are most likely crap

[ECB]

Regular mail - if we get our NEXT door neighbors mail, I'll just take it over. But if it's for anyone I don't know, even if in my neighborhood, I put it back out for the mailperson to take.

Packages - we've only gotten one and it was a FedEx. It was our house # but a different street in our neighborhood so I just took it over. It was a letter sized package and that just says "important" to me so I wanted to make sure it got there.

[ECB]

Aug 1, 2015 7:36:49 GMT -5 sailorgray said:

I had a neighbor from a few bloks away bring over a package once. She had opened it and apologized profusely for not checking the label first.

This happened to me once too!  Older lady about 4 houses down.  She was SOOO sorry but it was her birthday so she didn't even think to look at the name on it - she just assumed it was for her.  LOL.  Swore to her up and down that I didn't care - all that mattered was I got the package.

 

[ECB]

Aug 1, 2015 7:27:44 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

I'm a little pearl clutchy at the people who are opening others mail. Who knew that was my line?

Being prepared to clutch my pearls too - I had to go read.  Eh, it was a package where due diligence was done to try and get it picked up/returned.  I'm not going to hold onto a package forever and I'd absolutely open it up before throwing it out (which would be the other option!). 

[killercupcake]

Aug 1, 2015 7:41:24 GMT -5 ECB said:

Aug 1, 2015 7:27:44 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

I'm a little pearl clutchy at the people who are opening others mail. Who knew that was my line?

Being prepared to clutch my pearls too - I had to go read.  Eh, it was a package where due diligence was done to try and get it picked up/returned.  I'm not going to hold onto a package forever and I'd absolutely open it up before throwing it out (which would be the other option!). 

Well, calling PBK was a good step, but when they never sent anyone to pick it up, she could have just dropped it off at the post office instead of selling it on a yard sale site. That makes me uncomfortable.

See also the person above who opens the mail and determines whether or not to forward it on to the old residents instead of just writing "Return to sender. No longer at this address" and putting back in the mailbox.

[ECB]

Aug 1, 2015 7:46:24 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

Well, calling PBK was a good step, but when they never sent anyone to pick it up, she could have just dropped it off at the post office instead of selling it on a yard sale site. That makes me uncomfortable.

See also the person above who opens the mail and determines whether or not to forward it on to the old residents instead of just writing "Return to sender. No longer at this address" and putting back in the mailbox.

True on point #1. I must have missed #2.

[tacokick]

Someone in my neighborhood received a package meant for me (the sender got the street right but not the numbers), googled my name found my website which says I live in my city etc and emailed me that he had it. I thought that was above and beyond the call of duty!

[killercupcake]

Aug 1, 2015 7:47:10 GMT -5 ECB said:

Aug 1, 2015 7:46:24 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

Well, calling PBK was a good step, but when they never sent anyone to pick it up, she could have just dropped it off at the post office instead of selling it on a yard sale site. That makes me uncomfortable.

See also the person above who opens the mail and determines whether or not to forward it on to the old residents instead of just writing "Return to sender. No longer at this address" and putting back in the mailbox.

True on point #1. I must have missed #2.

Number 2 is just above my first post.

Edit: sorry, second post. It's early and I'm tired. I forgot I was already in here. Lol

[ECB]

Aug 1, 2015 7:48:37 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

Aug 1, 2015 7:47:10 GMT -5 ECB said:

True on point #1. I must have missed #2.

Number 2 is just above my first post.

Edit: sorry, second post. It's early and I'm tired. I forgot I was already in here. Lol

Ah... yeah.  Not their call to make...

[redheadbaker]

Jul 31, 2015 21:32:27 GMT -5 redheadk said:

I have no idea.

I recently received a package from PBK. It was addressed to someone else living 30 miles away. WTF. I called PBK, they never came to pick it up so I'm selling that shit on the local yardsale website. WTF am I supposed to do with crap embroidered with the name Lily?

Why would PBK come get it? They didn't deliver it. Call the carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS) that delivered it.

[madringal]

Aug 1, 2015 7:56:11 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Jul 31, 2015 21:32:27 GMT -5 redheadk said:

I have no idea.

I recently received a package from PBK. It was addressed to someone else living 30 miles away. WTF. I called PBK, they never came to pick it up so I'm selling that shit on the local yardsale website. WTF am I supposed to do with crap embroidered with the name Lily?

Why would PBK come get it? They didn't deliver it. Call the carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS) that delivered it.

I would put zero effort into returning a package that was shipped to me in error.  I am sure as heck not going to deal with calling UPS/FedEx/USPS.  And I am lol'ing all these responses that are creating work for the OP.  Open it, don't open it, who cares?  The person that didn't get it is going to contact the seller and get another one.

[cville]

Aug 1, 2015 8:02:55 GMT -5 madringal said:

Aug 1, 2015 7:56:11 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Why would PBK come get it? They didn't deliver it. Call the carrier (USPS, FedEx, UPS) that delivered it.

I would put zero effort into returning a package that was shipped to me in error.  I am sure as heck not going to deal with calling UPS/FedEx/USPS.  And I am lol'ing all these responses that are creating work for the OP.  Open it, don't open it, who cares?  The person that didn't get it is going to contact the seller and get another one.

You don't open othet people's mail! This is a cardinal rule of life! I don't open mail addressed to my husband without asking him, ffs.

No one is saying she has to rent out a billboard, just make two calls. Write two emails if phone calls are taxing, then hold the package without, you know, selling misappropriated goods for profit.

[meij]

This happens to us a lot because our neighborhood has (for example) 105 Maple Court, 105 Maple Street, 105 Maple Ave.

Our "twin" house doesn't do anything. Our stuff gets delivered to their house somewhat often and unless we get a delivery notification that it's been delivered we have no idea. We take their packages to their house. We've exchanged phone numbers and told them just to call us and we will come get it but they still don't.

H's grandma got our address so wrong one time it was delivered on the other side of the city, thirty miles away. The lady was so nice and tracked us down and called us.

[RoxMonster]

If it is someone on my block, I just walk it down to them. If it's not, I will put it back out for the mail man to pick up or call UPS/what have you if it was a package, though that has never happened to me. Just actual mail here or there.

I do not get getting the wrong person's mail and purposely opening it (meaning it wasn't an accident that you weren't paying attention) and/or not trying to get it back to them. It takes a few minutes at most to call either the post office or UPS/Fed Ex. From there, you likely have to do NOTHING! Just put it out and wait for them to get it. And the real recipient will probably get it ten times faster than if they waited, realized it never got delivered, and had to go through that whole process.

[MixedBerryJam]

Oddly, I get mail most often (by which I mean a couple of times a year) for the same house number, next street over. They're friends of mine anyway, so I use it as a reason to go say hello if I haven't seen them in a while.

[liverandonions]

Aug 1, 2015 8:21:12 GMT -5 cville said:

Aug 1, 2015 8:02:55 GMT -5 madringal said:

I would put zero effort into returning a package that was shipped to me in error.  I am sure as heck not going to deal with calling UPS/FedEx/USPS.  And I am lol'ing all these responses that are creating work for the OP.  Open it, don't open it, who cares?  The person that didn't get it is going to contact the seller and get another one.

You don't open othet people's mail! This is a cardinal rule of life! I don't open mail addressed to my husband without asking him, ffs.

No one is saying she has to rent out a billboard, just make two calls. Write two emails if phone calls are taxing, then hold the package without, you know, selling misappropriated goods for profit.

It's not just a cardinal rule of life, it's federal law! People in this thread are strange that they would not only clearly open someone else's mail but that they are deciding whether to return it or not. Put it back in the freaking mailbox or call ups/fed ex. It's not that hard.