Misaddressed post

[jack]

Does anyone happen to know what one can/must do with misaddressed post? Googling says

1. The only views commonly advocated are included by:

(a) You may cross your address and write "return to sender" when the post office will if they can (empirically works)
(b) You may cross your address and write the correct address, and the post office will redeliver it (empirically works)
(c) You must do (a) or (b)
(d) You may not open it (I think this is supported by the law below)

2. The only relevent statue a cursory search found was Postal Services Act 2000, Section 84. Including:

(1) A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he- (a) intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or (b) intentionally opens a mail-bag.

(3) A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person's detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.

It seems blessedly free of any jargon and reasonably complete. I haven't much practice at reading statutes. I don't know:

(a) If transmission by post stops when it hits letter bix
(b) If you are safe to act without detriment OR with detriment but also a reasonable excuse?
(c) If this act is superceded by anything else.

If I cared, how *would* I find out?

3. I think I can do what I like with it.

(a) Was I ever obliged to return it? If so can I send 100k parcels eg. masks misaddressed to my enemy?
(b) If not, but I've collected a too-big pile of mostly mundane letters to previous tennants, is it possible to bundle it up in any way, or must I throw it away or write return to sender 50 times (that's a slgiht hassle)? The postman suggested not.

Comments

[aldabra]

OMG, illegal to *delay* redirection of mail?

I've got some labels printed with their new address on, and about once every three or four months I go through the pile of accumulated mail and stick labels on the ones to them and repost them.

I throw away and/or open stuff to people I don't have addresses for (it's typically evangelical catalogues and I sit in the bath and giggle at the enclosed apology that the bobbies have asked them not to send out their usual Lenten ash this year in case it's mistaken for anthrax; I don't open personal letters).

OMG, illegal to *delay* redirection of mail?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

(a) I think that might only apply in transit in the post office system, not once you've got it. (b) You have to do it intentionally and without reasonable excuse. "I forgot" might be enough if you're not a postman :)

the bobbies have asked them not to send out their usual Lenten ash this year in case it's mistaken f

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Eek.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I think it counts as unintentional if you're just disorganised and don't do it for a few months. Opening their junk mail counts as illegal though, I'm afraid.

Opening their junk mail counts as illegal though, I'm afraid.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought, but the consensus above seems to be that the PSA 2000 act superceded the previous one which said that, and this one may but it isn't clear. You don't know any more, do you?

Re: Opening their junk mail counts as illegal though, I'm afraid.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I just got told that as a "by the way" when I was being trained at the Post Office in 2003; the training guy didn't give a source, and I'm not sure whether he knew.

Re: Opening their junk mail counts as illegal though, I'm afraid.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah. I mentioned my pile to the postman before doing anything else, but he didn't know or have time to think about it. Which is fair enough, I can't expect postman pat :( But not veyr helpful.