To think it strange my letter has been opened

[Cailleach1]

Hi,

As above. I received a letter this morning. Saw the postman call to the door and went to retrieve the letter from my porch. When I looked at it, it was open in a straight cut line underneath where the envelope was gummed shut. It wasn't a tear, but a straight cut underneath rather than the top of the flap.

The letter was still in it and there was no inclusion to be taken out. The reason I am wondering about it, is that I am expecting some earrings off ebay and expect them to come in letter form. I am concerned someone intercepted these letters and then cut the other one which yielded nada. The earrings may arrive in the next few days, of course.

This envelope having been cut open is a strange occurrence, though. It was not a tear or possible to have happened inadvertently.

Should I email Royal Mail?

Where did the letter come from? Should it have had the earrings in it? Is it something to do with customs??

But if someone cut it open abd stole your earrings surely they would just discard the envelope, keep the earrings and the rest of your post well alone?

If it did include the earrings but came it a regular envelope then it would have been caught and damaged in the machines in the sorting offices - anything thicker than 5mm is at risk of damage.

Are you certain it’s a cut? Some envelopes are designed to open with a perforated edge under the flap.

No, this letter was a different one which was not expected to have anything included. It was a straightforward letter. It was not a perforated line. It had been cut straight across, not a tear. I didn't have to open the gummed shut flap. I could just take the letter out through the cut.

I am just wondering if this was opened, is it a flag that the other one(s) with the earrings had been similarly opened and the contents removed. Then disposed of.

The reason is there was a news report a while ago that there are some dodgy goings on with the mail service. The report was some Royal Mail workers working with criminal elements and was about obtaining bank details, but post was being interfered with.

The earrings wouldn't be worth much. It is the possible interference with post that worries me a little. It could have been a letter with my bank details.

I'm a postie. It sounds like a cut from one of the machines. There are lots of reasons it may have happened. If someone had any intention of stealing it they would just discard the envelope. The letter goes through a whole host of people before it gets to the postman too.
One thing the postman should have done though is put the letter in a damage bag which would have royal mail's customer service number on and an apology note

Maybe as the other envelope(s) contained something, they checked this one as well.

I guess I'll know about the others if they don't arrive. It will leave me wondering about this one still, though.

It might have originally been misdelivered.

At work my mum opens everything with a letter knife. A straight cut. All post is put I. A pile address side down so it would only be when the contents were removed thstvwe would know if something had been mis delivered.

would 'Return to sender' or 'Wrong address' not been on the envelope in that case. The postman delivered it.

Not if the correct address was on the envelope. We often get stuff for a similar numbered building in the next street for example.

But how would you redirect it? I would have sellotaped it up and written 'Delivered to wrong address', popped it in a letter box if that had happened to me. It was put through my letter box by the postman.

Well I too would sellotape it but just put it back in the postbox & hope the postman read the address correctly second time round.

Lots of our letters and cards arrive and are ripped or cut open. Dodgy worker in the sorting office looking for cash

We often receive letters for a similar address also on our posties route, I just give them back the next day and he redelivers to the correct recipient. No writing on envelopes etc, the real recipient wouldn't know I'd got it first.

In my old house, we lived in a road that had another similar name (think mulberry close and mulberry drive). The other road was right on the other side of town.

Very occasionally post addressed correctly to the other road would be delivered to us. If this happened I just used to pop the letter back in the post. Rarely, I would accidentally open the letter (if I hadn’t read the front). Then I would reseal and put it back in the post.

I have also sealed letters to send, realised I’d left something out, opened it up and re-sealed it again. So that’s another option.

I've received a letter (an obvious birthday card) officially wrapped up by Royal Mail after being opened and the contents removed. I think not everyone working at Royal Mail is 100% honest.

Having said that my postman happily goes out if his way for me and my neighbours.

Sorry but you sound bonkers. How would anyone in the postal system know that you're expecting earrings through the post?

You must be right Questionable. How would anyone get anything stolen, ever?

We had a huge scam years ago where postal staff were intercepting cheque books, taking a couple of cheques out of the middle, resealing the envelopes and delivering them.
Hundreds of people had money taken out of their accounts.
I am not sure what you can do, but these things do happen.

You do sound bonkers. Of course stuff goes missing.

My point was that you seem to think someone is opening your post because they know you have earrings coming which simply can't be the case.