Opening mail addressed to someone else

[No User Name]

My lodger moved out 2 weeks ago and since then I have had letters from TEN companies demanding money from him. These range from Jacamo, Next Directory, the Co-Op, and as of yesterday, Cash Generator.

 

Im just ringing them all up and giving them his parents address. Not my problem. I should feel a bit guilty given his mum has just come out of hospital after a double heart bypass op but I dont care, he made his bed and now he has to lie in it.

[WeX]

We still get letters for other people at our address. We gave up sending them back. Now I tear them up and bin them.

[adamf]

If I have to give a phone number when I buy something [online or in a shop] /log on to something on the net or for any other reason I give my 'Skype In' phone number ... which is set to reject all phone calls from people who are not on my contact list ... and it'll be a cold day in hell before I put a commercial firm on my contact list.

 

If you need fake UK phone numbers, here's a list of valid-looking but never-to-be-used ones (intended for use in TV & radio shows).

[biotechpete]

Who will do what? - Sorry Pete, but I'm a cynic and my boringly long experience of complaining to regulators, companies and load of other people, suggests that they will do absolutely nothing.

 

I'm fed up with:

 

Unwanted adverts

 

Unwanted spam e-mails

 

Unwanted snail mail.

 

(and a few other things! [it's because I'm a grumpy old bugger,])

 

If I have to give a phone number when I buy something [online or in a shop] /log on to something on the net or for any other reason I give my 'Skype In' phone number ... which is set to reject all phone calls from people who are not on my contact list ... and it'll be a cold day in hell before I put a commercial firm on my contact list.

 

I bought a domain name. (Not expensive.) If I deal with the ABC Company and they want an e-mail addres, i'll gladly give them one: ABCCompany@mydomain.com.

 

My e-mail client is set up to receive e-mail from all sorts of people [including the 'real' addresses under my domain name] but e-mail from ABCCompany@mydomain.com (along with all other temporary or unknown e-mail sent to that address) is picked up by the 'catchall@mydomain.com' function and transferred to the appropriate folder from there.

 

It works. The ABC Company's e-mail goes into their folder and I see it.

 

But if the ABC Company sells my e-mail address to a spammer and I start getting spam, then I set my e-mail client to bounce all e-mail addressed to ABCCompany@mydomain.com to their customer service address and to delete it before it is downloaded from the server.

 

I don't get mad about spam. I do try to get even, though.

 

As far as junk snail mail goes, I have a large paper recycling bin. Any mail I get which i can't be bothered to read (just because the postman stuck it in my mailbox, that doesn't mean I'm obliged to open and read it) goes into the trash.

 

I'm retired. I no longer have somebody who opens my mail, sorts it and passes the important stuff to me.

 

My time is valuable! (I'm allowed to go fishing and ride my bike from Saturday) and I have no intention whatsoever of wasting my time re-directing mail sent to a previous occupant.

 

It's not so much about what the commissioner might actually do, so much as what the threat achieves.

 

Although their powers are extremely wide ranging (but since I know you ostensibly live in Germany it's perhaps an irrelevant point of discussion for you), and sending people a letter giving them 28 days to correct their records means you might yourself be able to take legal action... if it bothered you that much as to render you so inclined.

 

http://www.ico.org.uk/

[sand_dollars]

I thought opening someone else's mail was illegal

 

It is an offence if caught doing it but who would know unless for example you get a credit card in the post and use it ,but yes your right it is still an offence

[cgksheff]

I thought opening someone else's mail was illegal

 

It is an offence if caught doing it but who would know unless for example you get a credit card in the post and use it ,but yes your right it is still an offence

 

No. It isn't.

 

It is only illegal to open such mail "with malicious intent"

[sand_dollars]

No. It isn't.

 

It is only illegal to open such mail "with malicious intent"

 

The Post Office Act 1953 prohibits the opening of 'any postal packet' which ought to have been delivered to another person. In practice, however, this protection for private mail is limited since an offence only arises if it is opened 'wilfully and maliciously with intent to injure another person'. Needless to say, this can be very difficult to prove

That's of google so yes it is and no its not depends what as you say the intent is and in short very hard to prove ...................

[cgksheff]

Have a look at the Postal Services Act 2000.

 

Opening mail addressed to someone else is not an offence in its own right.

It is only an offence if a packet is opened without reasonable excuse.

If you know the packet is not yours, it is only an offence if you have intent to act to a person's detriment.

 

 

The Post Office Act 1953 prohibits the opening of 'any postal packet' which ought to have been delivered to another person. In practice, however, this protection for private mail is limited since an offence only arises if it is opened 'wilfully and maliciously with intent to injure another person'. Needless to say, this can be very difficult to prove

That's of google so yes it is and no its not depends what as you say the intent is and in short very hard to prove ...................

[gnvqsos]

it is, the royal mail belongs to the queen untill it reaches the addressee, or so i was always led to believe

 

So what happens if it opened in error?Or if the reader is blind?

[sand_dollars]

So what happens if it opened in error?Or if the reader is blind?

 

Tough lolol