You should have forwarded them to the police.
That is making illegal threats.
As I say, that is irrelevant here. The only sort of situation where I can imagine that happening is where the letters are addressed to somebody you actually know.
I feel that if it is addressed to somebody else, then it is not your mail (and of course, it cannot be inviting *you* to be harassed in your home), and it is just not "right" to open it.
So will it feel that way when they kick in 'someone elses' door which happens to be yours due to their cockup? Sure, there are all sorts of compensation you may get after a shit load of hassle, but personally I'd prefer to avoid that in the first place.
Perhaps so. The police proved quite useless and fortunately, after living here for three years, the letters and visits do appear to have finally stopped.
Of course it is inviting me to be harassed. The addressee is not having to deal with bailiffs and turn away the police; I am. The addressee is not having all kinds of information demanded from them with threats of further harassment if I don't provide it; I am. The addressee does not have to worry about leaving their windows open; I do.
That is only because they are acting stupidly. Giving them evidence, ONCE, that you are not the person the letters are addressed to should have been *quite* sufficient.
No you aren't. The addressee is. If the letters are not addressed to
*you*, then they don't apply to *you*.Only if the addressee lives somewhere other than mainland UK, or is an idiot.
And you don't have to worry about leaving your windows open *any* more than any normal householder does.
Retailers, credit card companies and other financial institutions try to save money by employing idiots. I would not wait until one of these organisations incorrectly affects my credit record. If a letter is sent to my address with a name of someone I have never heard of or who lived at my address over a year ago I would open the letter and take action.
People who lived at my address several years ago were being sent letters from local authority departments despite me previously returning letters unopened. Eventually I opened the letters and phoned the people who were sending them. Local authorities are incompetent too.
A client of mine changed their bank account and sent a letter informing the accounts department of a local authority of their new bank account details so that payment of their invoices could be made into the correct bank account. The local authority sent back the letter with a standard letter saying they only accept invoices and credit notes!
Don't expect organisations to do something even mildly sensible.
Yes, but my point is, it wasn't sufficient at all. Contacting the police didn't help; contacting those responsible at numerous courts and collection agencies didn't help; the only thing that seems to have been of any use is the passage of time.
I think the people I spoke to who said that they could not cease contacting my address unless I gave them my personal details and those of my partner were certainly talking to me. Talking bollocks, perhaps, but talking it to me nonetheless.
Given what I've read about bailiffs having the right to enter a property through open windows, I wouldn't want to put it to the test.
What you say would be correct in a perfect world, but that world doesn't appear to be the one I live in. These are not pleasant people, and if they can get away with not playing by the rules, they will.
One debt collection agency chasing a former occupier of my place tried a new tactic after realising their letters got unanswered.
They addressed their bailiff threat to "The occupier".
When that started happening to me, I just sent their letter back to them, with a covering note stating the individual concerned did not live at this address, and I do not know where they live. I said they could check the electoral register to validate this, and they could call at a pre-arranged time to allow them to verify this. I also said that if they continued to pursue the person/debt at my address, I would sue them for harrassment. Letter sent recorded delivery, and I had a phone call three days later to apologise for the hassle, and never heard from them again.
BeanSmart website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.