College, Moving, Mail...Eviction? (bit long)

[Aethian]

Okay it's official I have been blamed now by some very un nice girls that I got them evicted. How did I do this you ask...easy I didn't deliver mail to what I believed was a vacant house.

According to my little notebook I had a package for this 'vacant' house. Beliving that it was vacant and not having mail for the address within the past three weeks I just left a notice and a vacant slip.

A day or so later I checked for the vacant slip and it was gone along with the notice for the package. But not having any current names I didn't leave any of the few pieces that I had gotten. As I didn't know if they were old names (had been getting lot of those all over the route) or new names.

Five or so days later I left a new vacant slip and left it along with a second notice for the package. The mail was at four or so pieces and I was just holding it with others I was waiting on. Well today it had become 12 days (two weeks) and so I was talking with my relief person this morning about the names. He hadn't seen them before or picked up a completed vacant slip, neither had I. Nor had either of us seen anyone at the house.

So as he and I are talking one of the bosses comes over and wants to talk about us about that address. Fill him in with the above and he wanders away to talk to another boss. Shrugging it off my relief guy goes back to work and I return to casing my own mail. Not five minuets later and a different boss is over to see me. Behind him is one of the rookies and he is told to continue casing so that I don't get behind.

Giving my boss a look I follow him up towards the offices. Gesturing to one of the carriers we are quickly joined by a Union steward who happens to be the president of our local union. Boss says he's not needed but the steward just raises an eyebrow and stays right with us. So we two carriers are led into the Post Mistresses office and there is four pissed looking girls.

Turns out these girls complained that they weren't getting any mail and that they were getting evicted because they never returned a rental packete they were sent. So I inquired about the package notice and they kinda shared a look, "Well we thought you would just bring it out."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at my steward. Only half noticing the door getting proped open by another gentleman who leaned on the door frame. So I asked about the vacant slip, "We lost the first one and just...never got round to filling out the second one."

Me: I haven't seen anyone at the house.
Girl: Well we work and go to school. (And I don't?)
Me: Did you ever fill out a change of address for this address?
Girl: Why the *bleep* would be have to do that?
Me: Because getting a verification would have told me that someone was moved or moving in.
Girl: Well you should just know. It's ALL your fault that we didn't get this and it's ALL your fault that we have to pay so much to the company.

I admit it...I had started to laugh and then started to choke at trying to not laugh. The girls however caught this and their little ringleader demanded to see my supervisor. One boss raised his hand and simply stated that he doesn't see me at fault. So she wanted the next higher up. Thats where our mystery gentleman steps forward.

MG: Ladies, if one isn't told a bit of information they won't know it. It was your responsibility to fill out the form left by the carrier so that she knew who was living in that home. It was YOUR responsibility to pick up the package or to call the office once you got that notice slip. It is YOUR responsibility to take charge of your own bills. The carrier is not at fault.

Well one of the girls looks a bit ashamed at this but the ringleader after stuttering a bit she raises her nose in the air, "Well I want YOUR boss."

MG: Mam, I am the Poom of this district. Meaning I am the postmaster of postmasters and cover this post office as well as every post office in *district*. If you really want to go higher then me you will have to talk to *name* and that is not a easy task.

Girls fidgit a bit more and are led out of the office and back to the public area. I'm able to go back to work and leave for the route...late *grrrrrr*

But yes now I know they live there and will leave mail as well as four change of address cards. Don't know how long they will stay there...but for right now the address isn't vacant.

[BethB]

Obviously being responsible was something their parents took care of. It's girls like this that has me terrified for my children. I knew when I moved out of the house that is was MY responsibility to take care of things like change of address and such but these pack of no-brains take the cake. All I can think of is the Pink song "Stupid Girl"

[Saydrah]

POOM PWN!

[prb]

I'm confused, which was it:

A) Package says 123 Any Street, you deliver it there, they have moved to 456 Fake Street and didn't file a forwarding request
B) Package says 123 Any Street, they live there, you don't deliver it because you think it's vacant
C) Package says 123 Any Street, they don't live their, you don't deliver it because it's vacant

If it was B or C, I'd be pissed off as the recipient of the mail. I use vacant houses to receive my mail sometimes, properties owned by my family, for Energy Audit reports, utility bills, small parcels I don't want people knowing about, etc. Yes, I also receive packages at these vacant houses. Such as boxes of Cat5E cable, spools of RG6 cable, and other stuff for use at that property - no one is home to sign for packages, so a card is left and I pick it up at the local post office within 14 days.

[Custard Chick]

PRB, the OP mentioned that she left a package notice the first time along with a vacancy notice. The girls knew they had a package, just were too lazy to get down to the post office to pick it up.

[Aethian]

I'm confused, which was it:

A) Package says 123 Any Street, you deliver it there, they have moved to 456 Fake Street and didn't file a forwarding request
B) Package says 123 Any Street, they live there, you don't deliver it because you think it's vacant
C) Package says 123 Any Street, they don't live their, you don't deliver it because it's vacant

If it was B or C, I'd be pissed off as the recipient of the mail. I use vacant houses to receive my mail sometimes, properties owned by my family, for Energy Audit reports, utility bills, small parcels I don't want people knowing about, etc. Yes, I also receive packages at these vacant houses. Such as boxes of Cat5E cable, spools of RG6 cable, and other stuff for use at that property - no one is home to sign for packages, so a card is left and I pick it up at the local post office within 14 days.

B. I knew it as a vacant address. I KNOW it's a home that is leased out to college students. The name was NOT one that I or my relief knew. Being as it is a VACANT and looks VACANT why would I leave the parcel there that means it could be taken by just anyone? What if they hadn't moved in yet and wouldn't be moving in for another week? It would be MY ass on the line for proof of leaving the package.

They did NOT use the slip that I left to go get the package. They did NOT use the second notice slip to go pick up the package and package got sent back. How is that my or the post offices fault?

Still pissed at me? If yes then please PM me so we can talk about our two positions.

[Saydrah]

small parcels I don't want people knowing about

Prb, have you been ordering pink camouflage hats again?

[Bright_Star]

How are you supposed to know that they changed their address if they didn't fill out a change of address form? So is that a new requirement now-MIND READING?

[prb]

Ah, well if they were given a delivery notification card and didn't get it, then screw them.

[Chromatix]

Under the British system, if it has an address on it and will (easily) fit through the letterbox, it just goes in. If it won't fit, the postman rings the doorbell. If there's no answer... *then* a please-collect-it notice gets posted. British postmen typically don't pay attention to the name on the envelope, that's for the resident to sort out.

I once got an official-looking letter addressed to my house, but with some Polish name (which my name most certainly isn't). The local quirk was that I lived at 3, Hairpin Road (not the actual address), but there was a small block of houses half-way down the road that contained a 3, Hairpin Court, Hairpin Road. There wasn't any sign indicating this, just a strange break in the numbering and a wider bit of pavement. So I accosted the postwoman the following day and asked her to check if it should have gone to the other place - which, as it turned out, was fairly likely.

[South Texan]

no one is home to sign for packages, so a card is left and I pick it up at the local post office within 14 days.

Ah! You see, THAT is the difference between you and the girls with whom Aethian had to deal.

YOU take responsibility and respond to notices left for those packages. The girls ignored Aethian's attempts to confirm that anyone was at the address or to pick up the package for which a slip was left.

While I also am not clear why anyone would hold back multiple deliveries for a specific address (as sometimes people do move into structures that have been vacant for some time), it obviously is the policy for Aethian's employer. The girls simply needed to respond to the request for comfirmation that they did, indeed, live there. All would have been OK had they done so.

[smileyeagle1021]

wait, Aethian, you check the name on the mail

can you replace my current mail carrier? Seriously I'm still getting mail for roommates who moved out 4 months ago

[South Texan]

I'm still getting mail for roommates who moved out 4 months ago

I bought the house my grandparents built. To this day I get mail for my grandfather who died in 1989!

Almost all of the mailings are requests for donations to charities or ads from insurance companies.

[Evil Queen]

I don't see what you did wrong Aethian.

But has a cookie anyways.

*shares her super special sugar shortcake cookies*

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Those girls fail at life.

When I was in college, I always made sure to fill out the necessary change of address forms when I left for college in the summer, when I left college for winter break, and when I left college in the spring.

I didn't just assume the mail carrier would know where I was living at that particular time.

Any hardships they faced by not filling out the proper forms are their problem and theirs alone.