What constitutes mail theft?
Discussion
What constitutes mail theft?
I ordered some lego mini figures last week, the sender miss addressed the package so whilst addressed to me, it went to number 4 rather than 14. No effort was made to find the correct owner and the package has been opened and the contents given to their child.
Whilst I feel sorry for the child who would loose the lego if it were returned, you simply can't claim what is not yours without at least trying to identify who it belongs to or returning it to the sender.
Would this still be considered mail theft given it was delivered to the correct address but not the person named on the package.
No idea on the technicalities, but i can tell you this, complaining to RM will get you absolutely no where fast.
We routinely have post stolen and go missing, the last thing was a couple of days ago, empty envelope turned up which had clearly been slit open, they were just a couple of 3D printed items my mate did for me.... Anything other than routine post seems to be fair game. birthday cards go missing every year, as well as ebay purchases.
I live just outside north london and have heard some inside stories that thieving by RM staff is pretty rife around here.
I now don't have anything sent to our home address, pretty much all my post and deliveries go to my work address instead.
Spent months and months complaining and trying to have something done about it, gave up in the end.
We routinely have post stolen and go missing, the last thing was a couple of days ago, empty envelope turned up which had clearly been slit open, they were just a couple of 3D printed items my mate did for me.... Anything other than routine post seems to be fair game. birthday cards go missing every year, as well as ebay purchases.
I live just outside north london and have heard some inside stories that thieving by RM staff is pretty rife around here.
I now don't have anything sent to our home address, pretty much all my post and deliveries go to my work address instead.
Spent months and months complaining and trying to have something done about it, gave up in the end.
Don’t know the legalities either - just had a letter in my mailbox today that was not addressed to me and just left it on top of the mailbox - I am not going to go around looking for the intended recipient
I wouldn’t open (and keep something) not addressed to me though and if I had any inkling who it was supposed to go to, i’d Throw it in their mailbox
Not helpful I know (theft might be a strong word though for something delivered to you without your active involvement though)
I wouldn’t open (and keep something) not addressed to me though and if I had any inkling who it was supposed to go to, i’d Throw it in their mailbox
Not helpful I know (theft might be a strong word though for something delivered to you without your active involvement though)
The Li-ion King said:
Storm round to this person's house and say "LEGO! THAT'S MINE!" 
Being a powerfully built director, I had the frozen sausages out ready to go round & hammer in the lawn.The items have now been returned by the young girl who was given them. She was clearly disappointed, so I let her choose a couple of her favourites to keep, the seller has said he would replace them for the address cock-up.
shep1001 said:
Being a powerfully built director, I had the frozen sausages out ready to go round & hammer in the lawn.
The items have now been returned by the young girl who was given them. She was clearly disappointed, so I let her choose a couple of her favourites to keep, the seller has said he would replace them for the address cock-up.
That's nice of you and them The items have now been returned by the young girl who was given them. She was clearly disappointed, so I let her choose a couple of her favourites to keep, the seller has said he would replace them for the address cock-up.
.I've been getting post for the same house number but a road a mile or so away (not even close in the name either!). RM couldn't care less.
Santander however were very interested when we let them know RM were giving us their customers post (envelope had the bank on the outside, we haven't opened it!).
LosingGrip said:
That's nice of you and them .
I've been getting post for the same house number but a road a mile or so away (not even close in the name either!). RM couldn't care less.
Santander however were very interested when we let them know RM were giving us their customers post (envelope had the bank on the outside, we haven't opened it!).
It's another family signed up to our new build developments facebook page. There is only 120 houses and most are members already but it makes sorting stuff out like miss-directed/addressed mail a doddle. Post their name up if you can't search them on the group and stuff always gets reunited. Before our addresses were registered, the postie & courtiers were just leaving stuff at any address if they didn't know where to deliver it..I've been getting post for the same house number but a road a mile or so away (not even close in the name either!). RM couldn't care less.
Santander however were very interested when we let them know RM were giving us their customers post (envelope had the bank on the outside, we haven't opened it!).
shep1001 said:
Being a powerfully built director, I had the frozen sausages out ready to go round & hammer in the lawn.
The items have now been returned by the young girl who was given them. She was clearly disappointed, so I let her choose a couple of her favourites to keep, the seller has said he would replace them for the address cock-up.
Please don’t tell me your neighbours sent their young daughter round to do their dirty work?The items have now been returned by the young girl who was given them. She was clearly disappointed, so I let her choose a couple of her favourites to keep, the seller has said he would replace them for the address cock-up.
LosingGrip said:
That's nice of you and them .
I've been getting post for the same house number but a road a mile or so away (not even close in the name either!). RM couldn't care less.
Santander however were very interested when we let them know RM were giving us their customers post (envelope had the bank on the outside, we haven't opened it!).
Triodos bank sent us statements, card and pin number to someone using our address. Also had court summons, pay cheques, solicitors letters and debt collection letters. Tried returning them unopened as not known, also opening them and speaking to the companies directly. Now any post not for us goes straight in the shredder..I've been getting post for the same house number but a road a mile or so away (not even close in the name either!). RM couldn't care less.
Santander however were very interested when we let them know RM were giving us their customers post (envelope had the bank on the outside, we haven't opened it!).
roadsmash said:
Please don’t tell me your neighbours sent their young daughter round to do their dirty work?
No, her dad came too, said they didn't know many people on the development and with no way of working out the correct address simply gave them to their child rather than binning them. Not sure they tried very hard but at the end of the day it all got resolved sensibly and we have captured another family into the growing social circle we have on the development. As with all lost property.... you should do your upmost to find the owner and return it. In the case of finding £1 in the street it is unlikely that you would have a chance of finding the owner.
If you found £100 then the law would expect you to hand it into the Police.
The finder has rights to the lost property but not more than the owner of it.
In this case the person who received your property should have taken the package to the post office and said it was a mis-delivery or marked the package not known. It can then be returned to the sender. If there was no return address The Post Office could then hold it until the owner claims it. In the event the owner does not claim it the post office can dispose of it.
If the person opening the package saw a return address and did not return it or did not make attempts to find the owner it could be construed as dishonesty. Therefore it could have been dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently keeping it.
This might be theft but proving it is another matter.
If you found £100 then the law would expect you to hand it into the Police.
The finder has rights to the lost property but not more than the owner of it.
In this case the person who received your property should have taken the package to the post office and said it was a mis-delivery or marked the package not known. It can then be returned to the sender. If there was no return address The Post Office could then hold it until the owner claims it. In the event the owner does not claim it the post office can dispose of it.
If the person opening the package saw a return address and did not return it or did not make attempts to find the owner it could be construed as dishonesty. Therefore it could have been dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently keeping it.
This might be theft but proving it is another matter.
Regular occurance round my way every so often. Seems we have a post person who gets the houses out of sync. On our side of the road houses are arranged in even numbers ansd it's regular when this post person is on duty to get mail for a house either side ( usually 20 gets 18's mail etc). As those of us close by are on good terms we usually deliver it ourselves, although I'm tempted to return stuff to RM marked " not for 24 - please deliver to correct address at 26. ". But I was brought up in the faith-dad was a postman ,and they can make mistakes.
Reading the Op it was received at the address it was addressed to, the supplier needs to replace it, The position for the recipient is it was correctly address haw does he know it wasn't a gift? Hi obligation would be to put it back in the postal system not check if it is No 14, 44, etc, improperly addressed mail would be different you could reasonably expect him to walk round to 14, but then if you denied receipt he could be liable to the sender and you could get two lego sets. (Not to say you would do this but to look at a more complete legal scenario)
shep1001 said:
What constitutes mail theft?
I ordered some lego mini figures last week, the sender miss addressed the package so whilst addressed to me, it went to number 4 rather than 14. No effort was made to find the correct owner and the package has been opened and the contents given to their child.
Whilst I feel sorry for the child who would loose the lego if it were returned, you simply can't claim what is not yours without at least trying to identify who it belongs to or returning it to the sender.
Would this still be considered mail theft given it was delivered to the correct address but not the person named on the package.
They admitted swiping your kids Lego. My daughter would fight you for Lego. Worst neighbours ever. Lego thievesI ordered some lego mini figures last week, the sender miss addressed the package so whilst addressed to me, it went to number 4 rather than 14. No effort was made to find the correct owner and the package has been opened and the contents given to their child.
Whilst I feel sorry for the child who would loose the lego if it were returned, you simply can't claim what is not yours without at least trying to identify who it belongs to or returning it to the sender.
Would this still be considered mail theft given it was delivered to the correct address but not the person named on the package.
Grahamdub said:
Our neighbour used to regularly get stuff sent to our address (long story short, we are xx they are xxA and they didn't think they should have been). I took it round to them to start with, then got fed up and just binned it.
My parents had something like this many years ago. When they moved into their place back in the 80's they regularly got mail for someone round the corner. It turns out that about 10 years earlier additional houses had been added to the estate and quite a few houses were re-numbered. Rather than letting everyone know her new number, this person simply relied on the postman knowing who she was and delivering her mail to her instead (small village). Obviously when the postman retired the new one (understandably) didn't know/care...After a few years of politely asking her to let everyone know my parents stopped taking it round for her and just binned it.
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