An Post

Foggy Jew

Can An Post cease delivering mail addressed to an individual off their own bat i.e. no instruction from the individual himself? Decision appears to have been taken by An Post based on 'local knowledge' (aka gossip)?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Depends on the reason (gossip) I suppose. Your query is a bit vague.

Jack Killian

Foggy Jew wrote: »

Can An Post cease delivering mail addressed to an individual off their own bat i.e. no instruction from the individual himself? Decision appears to have been taken by An Post based on 'local knowledge' (aka gossip)?

As in "local gossip" said the person died / moved / emigrated / went on a long holiday, and the postman stopped delivering ?

There's a chance that the postie might view it as doing them a favour, as a buildup of mail on the hall floor, visible through the letterbox or glass, could be an invite to a breakin.

Foggy Jew

The person certainly no longer resides at the address. However, An Post were never informed of this officially. Remaining family still live there. My question is whether An Post were entitled to use 'Local Knowledge' instead of a direction from either the individual himself or another resident at the address to stop delivering mail.

RichT

How do you know the "individual himself" hasn't set up a redirection or a MailMinder for himself?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

If the person wants post delivered there and no longer lives there then he/she should address it as c/o the address. Of course if they are pulling a fast one for insurance quotes etc that may not suit but isn't the fault of An Post. They don't have to be 'officially' told an address in incorrect if they know it to be so.

Sleeper12

Foggy Jew wrote:

Can An Post cease delivering mail addressed to an individual off their own bat i.e. no instruction from the individual himself? Decision appears to have been taken by An Post based on 'local knowledge' (aka gossip)?

An Post can deliver mail to country addresses without house numbers etc. They can do this because they have local knowledge. I can't see why they can't see why it wouldn't work the same way, using the same local knowledge to know that someone no longer lives at the address.

I would imagine someone has set up a redirection. Otherwise the mail would be returned to sender. I can't imagine An Post holding the mail on a shelf somewhere. It has to go forward or back imo.

gumbo1

I moved out of my parents house 16 years ago and still get post delivered there. The dogs on the street know I don't live there anymore. I didn't redirect some of my mail as I moved about a bit and spent some time abroad. IMO, no is the answer to your question. Now, I'm Dublin based so that may be a reason why the postie still delivers. If it was a rural setting where everybody knows everyone and the postie is a neighbour then it could be likely but other than that I imagine that someone has asked for the mail to be kept in the local office.

irishgirl19

Well there was a mix up with an elderly couple around the corner from me. I kept getting hospital appointments for them. Our addresses are the same except for we're 'the road' and they're 'the avenue'. I asked an post why the postman didn't just drop it around to them as he would've known it was for them and I was told it had to be delivered to the name printed on the envelope

Foggy Jew

RichT wrote: »

How do you know the "individual himself" hasn't set up a redirection or a MailMinder for himself?

Because I have verbal, email & written confirmation from him that he never put such a direction in place.

Foggy Jew

Sleeper12 wrote: »

An Post can deliver mail to country addresses without house numbers etc. They can do this because they have local knowledge. I can't see why they can't see why it wouldn't work the same way, using the same local knowledge to know that someone no longer lives at the address.

I would imagine someone has set up a redirection. Otherwise the mail would be returned to sender. I can't imagine An Post holding the mail on a shelf somewhere. It has to go forward or back imo.

No redirection was ever put in place. I have confirmation of that.

Foggy Jew

Another family member moved away 7 years ago. Mail is still being delivered to him. The subject of my query disappeared in 'scandalous' circumstances, and was the talk of the parish. I resent the fact that An Post employees seem to be reacting to salacious gossip.

Fred Swanson

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Kristopherus

Foggy Jew wrote: »

Another family member moved away 7 years ago. Mail is still being delivered to him. The subject of my query disappeared in 'scandalous' circumstances, and was the talk of the parish. I resent the fact that An Post employees seem to be reacting to salacious gossip.

Go for a long peaceful walk and get rid of the big chip off your shoulder.:rolleyes:

Sleeper12

Foggy Jew wrote:

Another family member moved away 7 years ago. Mail is still being delivered to him. The subject of my query disappeared in 'scandalous' circumstances, and was the talk of the parish. I resent the fact that An Post employees seem to be reacting to salacious gossip.

How do you know he/she didn't redirect the post?
The post is either being delivered somewhere or all the post is being returned to sender. Its much more likely that this person went into a different post office anywhere in the country and filled in a redirection form. Their own family wouldn't know this unless he told them. It doesn't look like a big mystery to me

joeysoap

An post deliver mail as addressed.simples. If you have proof that such mail is not being delivered as addressed complain to the delivery manager. If you are in a rural area the sorting office closest to you will have a manager. Why don't you post a letter to this person and see if it's delivered ( put a different address for the sender), and if it's not delivered you have proof for the manager. My son's mail is delivered here as well as to his house no problem. As far as I can see all his 'new' post (utility, Sky etc ) to his address, all his 'old' stuff ( P60, union letters) is delivered here.

gerard2210

I'm a postie. I delivered mail to a blokes home house known he had moved away. One day I had a phone bill or something his mother refused it telling me he no longer lived there. So I started returning his mail to sender. Few weeks later his mother was wondering why his mail was been returned . The postie can't win.

Fred Swanson

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ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Just ask the manager at the sorting office. He'll tell you. Case closed.

gerard2210

Fred Swanson wrote:

I am right in thinking mail can only be "returned to sender" if someone refuses it? Otherwise it must be delivered to the address?

Should only be returned to sender if refused or postman is told by someone at the address that the person no longer resides at the address.

Foggy Jew

Thank you, Kristopherus for your valued input. Perhaps a walk along with me in my shoes may help you.
I have sent a registered letter to the party concerned, from my work address & it was returned to me as 'gone away'.
An Post steadfastly argues that once a person is known not to live at an address, they will not deliver their mail. Fine.
What I need to know is what criteria is used by An Post to determine that a person is no longer at an address.

Is it, as I suspect, local gossip? Is that sufficient grounds for not delivering post?

rock22

Foggy Jew wrote: »

Thank you, Kristopherus for your valued input. Perhaps a walk along with me in my shoes may help you.
I have sent a registered letter to the party concerned, from my work address & it was returned to me as 'gone away'.
An Post steadfastly argues that once a person is known not to live at an address, they will not deliver their mail. Fine.
What I need to know is what criteria is used by An Post to determine that a person is no longer at an address.

Is it, as I suspect, local gossip? Is that sufficient grounds for not delivering post?

Knowing, from personal knowledge, that someone is no longer at an address should be sufficient for the postman to return the letter.Such personal knowledge is not "gossip" as you described it.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Foggy Jew wrote: »

Thank you, Kristopherus for your valued input. Perhaps a walk along with me in my shoes may help you.
I have sent a registered letter to the party concerned, from my work address & it was returned to me as 'gone away'.
An Post steadfastly argues that once a person is known not to live at an address, they will not deliver their mail. Fine.
What I need to know is what criteria is used by An Post to determine that a person is no longer at an address.

Is it, as I suspect, local gossip? Is that sufficient grounds for not delivering post?

If you accept their stance that they don't deliver if a person is known not to live somewhere, the means of them knowing is immaterial. At no point have you said the common knowledge was wrong.

Fred Swanson

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my3cents

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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Its black and white but this is Ireland so of course there is a lot of grey.

The postman has to deliver to the address NOT THE NAME on the mail. BUT he may have to use local knowledge to deliver mail that has a non unique address where the name identifies who lives at the address.

....................... postman just arrived at the gate with a parcel and he said the same also that if he did that he could get in a lot of trouble.

Sleeper12

Fred Swanson wrote:

This flies in the face of An Post official policy that they must deliver the address named.

My understanding is that it is the person named at that address. If an post know that the named person is no longer living there it gets returned to sender.

Fred Swanson

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my3cents

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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I was just talking to our postman and he can loose his job by making decisions like that. If the person has moved to Australia for example then comes back and makes a complaint that their mail hasn't been delivered while they were away he is screwed because he hasn't been doing his job. So he might know the person has gone to Australia but for all he knows someone else at the house will pick up and forward the mail.

However the postman can do whatever they want if there are no complaints.

Sleeper12

Fred Swanson wrote:

Is that an official policy?

Just talking to my own post man here in Dublin. He says if it is a country address (no house number) then the name on the envelope is actually part of the address & it can't be delivered if they know that the named person doesn't live there because it becomes it would be an incomplete address.
He said there nothing unusual about this scenario

Fred Swanson

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Sleeper12

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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If.

OP hasn't said for sure yet