About two months ago I moved and filled out a forwarding form at the Post Office. I still have access to the old address and I got a confirmation form at both addresses, and I started getting forwarded mail (with those yellow stickers) but the volume… is lacking. I’ve been to busy lately to figure out what’s actually missing (I think my paystubs from direct deposit are), but now I get 1 letter (junk, bill or otherwise) about every 2 days. I used to get 6-10 envelopes a day of bills, junk mail, etc. at my old address. The old address is not getting that much anymore(maybe 2-3 a week slip by the forwarding). So where is it all going? Is some mail not-forwardable? is there more than 2 months of a delay on forwarding? Should I call the post office or should I find specific pieces of mail that I should’ve gotten but didn’t before I do so?
I would guess that this is an issue of “Forwarding Order Expired.” They expire. You are supposed to notify anyone you expect mail from that your address is changed.
I believe that only first-class mail is forwarded. All of the junk mail that is addressed to your old address should not come to your new address.
I believe they expire after 12 months. I received forwarded mail well after two months.
I tried to confirm this info on the USPS FAQ page, but had no luck. I would suggest contacting the PO with you concerns.
I have the same problem. I moved 6 mos. ago and have only had a couple of things forwarded. It took so long for the first confirmation that I went to the post office and asked the forwarder and they pulled out a book to show me that they had the right forwarding address and that it had been entered the day I submitted it.
They said all forwarding is done at the regional center which handles half the state.
I know that things are being lost. They can’t really pile up for 6 months and get over it.
If I were you, I’d do what I did- Try to think of everything that could go wrong if they never forwarded anything and just try to bypass the post office.
For example, I went and waited at the DMV to get my registration renewed because the renewal form had not been received in time. Don’t let that kind of thing lapse or your next speeding ticket could find you without a current registration at all.
Also, be sure to call everyone who gives you a statement and ask if you’ve missed any payments. Not fun, but you don’t want that odd gas station card bill to show up on your credit report as past due.
You need to be “bypassing the post office” anyway - just because your stuff is getting forwarded doesn’t mean the people sending it know you’ve moved. Forwarding is just a temporary measure to get you time to change your addresses for all these people.
And in my experience, yeah, you’re still getting as much real mail as you used to, only you’re not getting the real junk anymore (except for specifically addressed crap, like credit card offers.) I moved from my parents’ house and got a forwarding order - I dont’ get much forwarded mail, but my overall mail volume is the same because I just get the previous residents’ catalogs and crap, which isn’t being forwarded to them.
The post office can be horrible at forwarding mail. I had some outpatient work done at a hospital and some bills didn’t get forwarded to my new address. These were bills from labs, radiologist who read xray, etc. I didn’t know who was going to bill me, no idea who to contact.
I almost was slammed into collections over a 35 dollar bill. Fortunately, the lady picked up the phone and called me. I have no idea how much mail I’ve lost.
I also got a piece of mail forwarded last week. It was sent to an address I havn’t lived at in over 2 years. I’ve even moved 2 times since then, no idea how they got that one to me.
At the time you fill out a change of address form for the USPS you get several post cards to notify magazine publishers, businesses, and other correspondants of your move. Magazines are forwarded for 2 or 3 months, (first class) standard mail for 6 months or so.
What happens to the mail that I don’t get. Does it get returned, destroyed, kept in a large warehouse, recycled?
You should also note that many mailers (especially people who send you bills) will print “Return Service Requested” under their return address. What is “supposed” to happen in this case is that the post office will NOT forward the mail but will return it to the sender with a notification of the new address.