Do I keep the voucher

[skipperjonce]

We’ve lived in our current house for nearly 2 years. Very rarely we receive mail for the previous owner. As I don’t have a forwarding address I normally return to sender.

Last week we received a Christmas card for her containing a £20 m & s voucher. I opened it as it felt bulky and there was no return address on the envelope. The card was from Uncle and Aunty whoever and again no return address, just the voucher and a short message.

So AIBU to keep the voucher and spend it. It’s already paid for after all?

It would be pointless spending it as I'd feel guilty and shitty and wouldn't be able to enjoy it.

I would try to find the intended recipient.

@Bluntness100

Just message of call Marks and Sparks and ask them, they will have rhe deteails of rhe person who bought it.

I’d not be able to spend it, I’d feel like I was stealing. Because I would be.

Would be against GDPR legislation to give out another customers address - or were you thinking they'd be able to refund the purchaser? Unlikely - they may have paid cash.

50/50 stuff for foodbank and a treat for yourself?

I couldn’t be arsed with trying to find the owner tbh, seriously who actually has time for that? They moved out two years ago, whoever has sent it clearly isn’t that close to them or they’d of known they had moved. You could always spend it on food for the food bank?

Previous owner here died. Kept getting mail for years so I opened it and contacted the companies and private individuals that were sending the mail and cards.

I received a card back once thanking me for actually putting the effort in to notify them that they had died because they’d not had a card back and thought theyd be ‘black listed’ or something.

It’s mad that people would return to sender when the sender is unknown... the bloody waste. Use logic!

Be careful. We received a parcel at the weekend for previous occupier. I just opened it as we have so many parcels coming through atm I just assumed it was ours. It was a lovely Michael korrs bag! No return address or any invoice. I’d left it on the side - knock at the door last night. It was previous resident who had ordered via eBay, but still had registered address as ours, and had travelled over 20 miles to come and get it. It looked very suspicious as bag was sat there next to my coat in the hallway, looking like I had claimed it! Bit embarrassing.

All those mentioning estate agents and solicitors - maybe read the Ops posts first!

She has stated that the house was part-ex’d to a builder, who sold it onto a part-ex company, from whom Op bought it.

So how on earth will she get the original owners details from an estate agent or her solicitor when she didn’t buy it from them!

Op, try the local FB page, the one for my town often has people posting with regards to mail delivered wrongly, and it generally seems to reach the right person. However, it depends on how big your locality is, we are a small town, so generally most people know someone on the FB site.

I went to my previous address to get a parcel that the scummy new occupant had opened and helped themselves to. I had done Royal Mail redirection too and it had still been delivered. Yuck to those who would just spend it.

'I couldn’t be arsed with trying to find the owner tbh, seriously who actually has time for that? They moved out two years ago, whoever has sent it clearly isn’t that close to them or they’d of known they had moved. You could always spend it on food for the food bank?'

This.

It's 20quid. Not ideal that the op opened it but she did. All the sleuthing to find the previous owner would seem ott.

YABU. M&S will likely be able to trace the buyer so you should contact them

LOL. No. first they can't do that and second even if they could, they wouldn't give you the info anyway.

Its 20 quid. Who gives a fuck?

So, what are you in for mate? Oh triple murder. You? Opening an envelope that came to my house but wasn't addressed to me. Classic MN.

@RegularHumanBartender

So, what are you in for mate? Oh triple murder. You? Opening an envelope that came to my house but wasn't addressed to me. Classic MN.

Even better is the image of Sue at M&S frantically trying to track down who bought this 20 quid voucher 🤣

“It isn’t illegal to open someone’s mail.

Why does this keep on getting repeated!”

Because it is illegal to open someone’s mail. Postal Services Act 2000 s84(3).

It’s no use suggesting OP pops it back in the mailbox with “not at this address” written on it either it’s not going to reach the sender without a returns address.

I’d wait a couple months in case they get in touch then use it to buy foodbank goods. Rather it goes to a local good than a large shop profiting. Slightly more luxurious food stuff would definitely be gratefully received.

I shouldn’t but I automatically think that the sort of people who open other peoples letters and then merrily spend their Christmas present money are the type who throw McDonald’s wrappers out on the road. You know the type

I've opened mail that came to my house on two separate occasions and found cards inside addressed to Dad. Different Dads, neither of whom had ever lived here. Quite sad really. I did get them to the intended recipients eventually, by Googling asking around, but return to sender would only have ended up with the cards in the bin.

@Tulipshoots ugh what a vile person. What was it?

I would donate it. Spending it would just feel awful. But there are some seriously odd people on here! As if M&S could trace it

@RegularHumanBartender

So, what are you in for mate? Oh triple murder. You? Opening an envelope that came to my house but wasn't addressed to me. Classic MN.

It's not the legality of opening it for me, I just genuinely don't understand why anyone would.

It's just plain old nosiness surely, so why dress it up as anything else?

The only time I've opened mail not addressed to me was after my EXH moved out and anything to him I checked to see if it was worth the stress and drama of having to tell him to come get it. New bank card, Yes. Circular from a company he once bought something from, No.

[quote Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel]@Tulipshoots ugh what a vile person. What was it?

I would donate it. Spending it would just feel awful. But there are some seriously odd people on here! As if M&S could trace it [/quote]
It was a parcel of children’s clothes from monsoon.

I'd send it to the solicitor that did the conveyancing on their side and ask them to forward it on. I'd feel bad for the aunty and uncle otherwise

I;d make an attempt to find the person its addressed to or who sent it, keep hold of it for 3 months, then spend it if no-one came forward.

Its been nearly 10 yes since we moved and every year around June we get an official looking envelope addressed to the previous owner. This year I opened it, it's a bank statement! Addressed to Mr X Senior so the previous owners dad who used to live with them. He was very elderly when we bought off them, no idea if he's still alive and I've been returning that one envelope every year with 'not at this address' written on it. It had a substantial amount of money in it as well.

I'd like the challenge of finding them more than the guilt of spending it on myself - these days with estate agent/social media etc they should be traceable.

Think I'd wait a month, if they go unclaimed then I would spend them. Otherwise it would be wasteful!

It really really isn't illegal to open someones mail if your intent is to try and find some details to return it.

If you take reasonable steps to return the contents and cannot, I can't see the harm in spending a £20 voucher if you would be willing to give them back the £20 should someone ever turn up asking for it (these vouchers don't last forever do they?), as you wouldn't be intending to deprive them of their property/funds.

If there really is no way to track down the owner of the voucher or the intended recipient, who EXACTLY is harmed by spending the voucher (if you would be willing to repay should someone claim it later)...

If it goes back to the post office it will either be destroyed or auctioned off, or potentially nicked by someone working there.