to return to sender?

[Snowneep]

We have received two letters yesterday (that looks like Christmas cards from the envelopes) with our address on but the names of two people who have never lived here. There is no return address and they are handwritten.

We don’t recognise the name as someone who lives on the street and I’ve asked a couple of neighbours I bumped into and they didn’t either.

AIBU to cross the address out and put ‘not know at this address’ on the front and put them back in a postbox next time I go past? DH thinks I should go and knock on doors with similar numbers to ours on surrounding streets and try and find the intended recipients but with 3kids at home (one with severe SEN) I don’t fancy spending my time dragging around.

He thinks I’m being unreasonable despite not being willing to do it himself!

thoughts?

Just stick it back in the post box! Your DH can walk round the neighbourhood if he wants to, but how ridiculous of him to decide this is somehow your duty!

DH thinks YOU should go traipsing around while he sits comfortably at home, does he?! FFS.

If you have nextdoor (app/website) you could post on there, or on local fb page, asking if the addressees are in the area, or if anyone knows them?

You could open the envelopes to see if thr cards inside have an address in them.

Or, as you say, just write "not at this address" and put back in the post.

Of course he thinks you're being unreasonable as any other way of thinking would show him for the lazy-arse he's actually being himself.

Classic deflection.

If there's no return address as they are not commercial post what would be the point of doing return to sender? They won't go anywhere. Just bin them.

If there's no return address Royal Mail will just bin them, so you may as well just do the same.

Open them in case there’s a name or email

Open them. No point in return to sender
or wait till you have more time to ask a few neighbours.

Can you stick it on a local FB page asking if anyone recognises the name?

I'd open them. If no clue re sender or recipient I'd then bin them.

Thanks everyone! DH was making out I was some sort of Grinch and I was doubting myself - Mumsnet comment sense to the rescue again! He apparently couldn’t do it because it would be ‘antisocial’ for him to go after work 🙄

Don’t feel comfortable opening them so will pop them in the postbox next time I go past and ask any neighbours I see

so will pop them in the postbox next time
But why? They'll get binned so just bin them

Bin them

There is currently 3 weeks of backlog sitting at Royal Mail sorting offices. Please do us all a favour and DON'T pop them back in the letterbox. You said yourself there is no returns address so apart from adding more useless work for the postal services, what would be the point?

Absolutely no point putting them in the post box with “RTS” if there’s no return address on there.
Royal Mail have a lot of backlog at the moment, why add to it?!
They’re destined for the bin anyway. Why not just pop them in the recycling box?

I did this once, traisped around all the houses near our number and roads that were similar named. Barely got a thank you when I found the house. Would certainly not bother again!

Your DH is being ridiculous!

I very much doubt these people care much about receiving Christmas cards from people who don't even know their address - and I doubt the neighbours will be over pleased by the detective routine either.

I would open them (if you really think they are Christmas cards) to see if there is an address inside - if not then bin them.

He's being an unreasonable hypocrite.

If you put them back in the postbox, even with "return to sender" written on them, there's a pretty good chance that they'll come back to you in a few weeks.

Depending on your house number stick a 1 in front of it and put it through that house door just in case?

Excellent point I hadn’t thought about the strike backlog. They are just likely to just bin then aren’t they? Will open them to see if any address and if not into my bin they go then!

Cards delivered to the wrong address are cards from people who haven’t been told the right address, so the people for whom they are intended really won’t care. I’d put them in the bin. I would open them first just in case they aren’t cards(I once received a letter from a debt collection agency addressed to a total stranger - that required action).

There's absolutely no point putting post with no return address on back in the letter box.
Either open them to try and find an address, bin them, or keep trying on social media.

Royalmail do not need extra post they have no chance of delivering right now.

Bin them

Just open them… not that big a deal.