How Do I Report a Mail Not Being Delivered?

There could be various reasons for why your mail may not have been delivered, including an overflowing mailbox preventing its access by the carrier, or animals which have scared off delivery personnel.

Find help with your non-delivery report (NDR) by visiting the NDR website. Here you will be provided with information as to why your email was undeliverable, solutions to address this problem and technical details for administrators.

Contact the Post Office

United States Postal Service offers mail and package delivery services throughout the nation. When something goes amiss with this process, such as your mail becoming lost or package being mishandled, it is crucial that you contact USPS customer service immediately so they can assist with finding out what happened – sometimes local postmasters can be of great assistance in helping resolve these matters themselves.

USPS customer service representatives can be reached both by phone and online. Their website also offers helpful links and articles that address frequently asked questions. You can even sign up for Informed Delivery, giving you digital preview of mail arriving and packages being managed by Informed Delivery. When calling them directly be sure to record both dates and times so you have a record of what was discussed during each conversation.

Fill out an online contact form, providing all of the relevant details such as your name, address, phone number and email address; furthermore provide a brief account of what happened as well as remain anonymous if desired; once submitted a USPS representative will reach out within 24 hours to discuss further.

Getting your mail “delivered” could be due to weather or road conditions; or someone else, such as your neighbor or carrier may have picked it up instead of you; in such an instance, try asking around or calling both to try to retrieve your item back.

If the postal service sent you an expensive or meaningful item that wasn’t as advertised, they may offer to replace or refund you money if that item’s return wasn’t successful. If this outcome of contact wasn’t satisfactory to you, if necessary file a complaint with OIG (Office of Inspector General).

If your problem with postal services cannot be resolved through talking directly with an individual, filing a complaint with the Postal Inspection Service could be your best bet. This agency investigates allegations of misconduct or criminal activity at USPS; you can reach them at 1-800-275-8777 for help.

Change Your Address

As soon as you know you’re moving, the best way to ensure you don’t lose mail is to inform the post office as soon as possible and change your address with them – either online or by telephone (there may be a $1 fee if calling), with or without changing services such as clothing stores, online retailers or subscription services that send physical goods directly. Additionally, any company which sends physical products should also change your address accordingly.

Lifehacker recommends writing an informal note to your postman asking them not to deliver it, or trying contacting the person directly with a reminder of their current address and telling them it is incorrect. If this approach fails, you could contact them directly and inform them your current one is incorrect.

As part of your vacation or temporary move, it’s also wise to put a hold on your mail. This will reduce its rate of delivery while still making sure it reaches you, though remember to update any online retailers you use so they are aware of your temporary address. You can do this either online or at your local post office (although photo ID might be required to verify your identity), with some locations offering to forward mail for up to one year – although other posts offer to forward it for up to 12 months as an added option.

Return the Item

Mail is distributed daily to millions of addresses, and sometimes something goes awry during delivery. There are a few easy methods for returning items that do not belong in your mailbox; whether they were incorrectly addressed or you no longer want them there.

One simple option for returning an item to its original place of delivery is placing it back into your mailbox or USPS collection box. No writing is required on the package or envelope, though if necessary a note explaining why should be added. It can help if you cross out your address section so workers at the post office know it doesn’t belong to you.

As another method, placing a return-to-sender label is another good way of ensuring the item reaches its rightful destination. If you can’t find suitable return labels locally, use stamps instead with “Return to Sender” written across them to mark envelopes or packages as being addressed directly back.

Writing to your carrier may also help. This method can be especially effective if the mail comes from former tenants who no longer reside at your address but still deliver mail regularly; writing can simply and effectively inform them that their deliveries should cease.

As well as returning items, there are steps you can take if you receive damaged mail. If any sign of damage appears on an envelope or package, immediately take photos before contacting the company for help – they should provide you with contact numbers of someone who can assist or even offer refunds!

If your mail remains unwanted after taking all these steps, it may be wise to contact your post office and file a formal complaint. A clerk there can offer guidance as to the next steps to take.

File a Complaint

USPS serves approximately 147 million residential addresses, and packages or mail can sometimes become lost in transit. When this happens, filing a postal service complaint gets postal inspectors working to track down your item – doing an in-depth search through every step that it has taken from sending to delivery until reaching your mailbox.

They will inspect each piece of your mail to see if it belongs in their system, whether or not it was scanned at the post office but wasn’t delivered, or whether something somehow “slipped through the cracks” and didn’t make its way to you. Based on what the postal inspector finds, you may be able to retrieve your item back.

If your item was sent back by mistake, report the problem to the federal Office of Inspector General (OIG). This agency investigates issues and complaints regarding Postal Service employees engaging in misconduct or illegal activity; you’ll need to include lots of details with your complaint such as names, dates and any pertinent facts that will help them investigate your claim.