Among Friends

[Mom2Dogs]

I get a my neighbors mail delivered to me roughly 2-3 times a month....so I write on the envelope....wrong address.  Today, the mail carrier left a sticky note telling me  do write on the mail!  Wonder if this is a 'law' or that she does not want the neighbor (s)  to know that she delivers to the wrong address on a consistent basis?

[PhilaLady1]

Both my uncle and my brother worked for US post office.  My brother retired about 15 years ago, and my uncle before that, so the process may have changed.  But he told me that I could write directly on the envelope something like 'no such person at this address, return to sender'.   And I did that several times with no repercussions.

[millieshops]

@Mom2Dogswhatever her motive, telling you what NOT to do isn't much help!   What should we do with that mail?  Unless what I get is for someone I see regularly,  I put it back into outgoing mail, but that's easy where I am because there's a box for that right on our bank of locked boxes.-

Our regular carrier is excellent, but her replacements are overwhelmed by her responsibilities and make frequent errors.

lol   What good is it to tell you what not to do?  Just what's proper or helpful?

PS  I don't much care about the carrier's motives -  making her happy isn't my job.  I just want my neighbors to get their mail!

[Mom2Dogs]

@millieshops ....I agree....I think she just does not want the neighbors to know that she is not delivering to the proper address...

many years ago the postal carrier delivered a 'woman's magazine' if you know what I mean to my house, I was furious, let alone everytime I looked at my neighbor my skin crawled, ha!

[lolakimono]

@Mom2Dogs 

Under FAQs-

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/How-is-Undeliverable-and-Misdelivered-Mail-Handled#report_return_misd...

[Montana]

I just put the occasional misdelivered mail in the mail slot for pickup.  All my own outgoing mail is picked up that way too. 

The unsolvable mail problem I’ve had is when my address is correct but the addressee is someone who does not live at my home.  I was instructed by the post office to write “addressee unknown” on the envelope  and return to them.  I did that and they just redelivered it to me again.  

ETA: My mistake, it was “Not At This Address” as cited to be written on the front.

[Mom2Dogs]

@lolakimono thank you.  I have been writing that message on the mail for years.....this is the first time I was told not to by the carrier....I feel 'better' when I do it, hoping that she will be more carefull.

[Icegoddess]

You could do what he/she did with you, put it on a sticky note.That way the postal carrier can get the message without shaming them to the neighbors.   I used to get a lot of my neighbors' mail with a previous carrier, but I just went and put it in their mailbox. Of course you can't do that if it's locked boxes like at an apartment complex I guess.

[jackthebear]

I would go to the PO and let them know that it keeps happening, in other words, "complain" but nicely

it could be happening at the sorting end too, if their box is near yours when they slot the incoming mail, 

but I don't feel it is your responsibility to continually take the mail the neighbor,  once , but not all the time 

[CelticCrafter]

Is the mail addressed incorrectly or is she just putting it in the wrong mail box?

JMO but if it's being put in the wrong box then writing on it wrong address would be confusing.

Whenever we get mail that doesn't belong to us I just put it back in our mail box to be taken the next day.