Home Address Problem

[Batman7070]

My sister lives in a flat that was once part of two old houses which were originally numbered 49 and 51. The house was converted by a builder into several flats. Sister moved into one of the new flats the address of which was numbered flat 51a. Most of the time there is not a problem but some of her mail gets addressed wrongly as 51 causing everyone inconvenience.

It would appear that mailing firms may be using an outsourced and out of date address database. Repeated attempts by sis to get the mistake corrected by mail senders fall on deaf ears.

Sister asks, how can she find out who is responsible for generating the wrong address so as to get the mistake corrected?

[Postdog]

Surely she should notify whoever is getting her address wrong if the letters are wanted. If not wanted, why worry.

[wolf63]

Have Royal Mail been advised of the correct addresses?

They will ensure that a letter has been allocated to each flat and will update their database. I presume that this information will then be cascaded to all companies over a period of time.

[Buenchico]

If the incorrect address is being generated from Royal Mail's database, an email to [email protected] should fix the problem.

[Batman7070]

She is notifying senders. She cant ignore the problem there is now friction between sis at 51a an the occupier of 51.

[BlackadderV]

I cannot see why there should be friction involved in posting misdirected mail through a neighbour's letterbox, unless the occupant of 51 is particularly grumptious.

[Mamyalynne]

I would be very interested to know what the senders say when she tells them they are not sending her mail to the address she has given them.

[Prudie]

I think databases have been sold on to companies and then don't get updated. I regularly give the postcode to suppliers. hotels etc on my work address over the phone and they come back with our previous business name which is nearly 5 years out of date. Royal Mail I'm sure/hope has the current one.

What I'm trying to say is here are so many different versions out there that you cannot get one focal to change the address.

[Postdog]

As someone who used to work at royal mail, you could ask the local sorting office to put a notice on the delivery frame to ensure that any letters for her name goes to 51a even if addressed to 51. This will ensure that even a non regular postman knows.

When a postman if I knew the address was wrong, I'd deliver to what I knew was right, even though use of common sense was frowned upon officially.

[kuulteach]

We have the same problem have postcode from when it was originally introduced. We are number 1 !!! Since then there have been pairs of houses and muses built ... same post code ...but when you get this online stuff that allows you to find address by postcode and house no. It always goes straight to ours. Being a good neighbour. Always took in parcels personally delivered letters et al... but, started to get bills and credit card stuff. Once even got a bailiffs letter...now write "not at this address" even for junk mail. If they can't be bothered to sort out their correct address I can't be bothered to redirect. To the point that when parcels arrive at my door I refuse them and give no info....

[Batman7070]

Thank you to all those who have responded. I have told Sis of Postdog and Buenchicos ideas and will take action, Sister thanks you all.