Losing on Mailing Lists

When my wife and I first got married we bought our first home. It was, by any modest measure, a starter home. It was small and perfect for the two of us.

A few years later, we decided to sell and move up to our second home. Within a couple of weeks, we had a great offer on the table from a couple getting ready to get married. They wanted this to be their first home.

Their last name was Smith. What was more interesting is that her maiden name was Smith as well. So, a Smith was marrying a Smith and they were buying a home from the Smith’s.

For the post office, you have an option to forward all mail or just for individuals. We were very careful about making sure that the post office only forwarded mail for my name or my wife’s name. We knew that the common last name could pose a problem.

After about a year, we would start to get mail for Jeremy Smith. Some we’d return to sender with “does not live here.”

Then we moved to Idaho and lived in an apartment for the first few months. Then we moved to a new home and finally, a few years later, moved again.

So, since that home, we’ve moved four times.

You’ll notice from the picture above that it’s not my name. I’m amazed that now, ten years later, his mail is still following me around. Sure, it’s junk mail. It’s obvious that wherever Banner Bank chose to buy their mailing list from doesn’t understand who really lives where.

Oh, we’ve also received mail in the past with my stepmother’s name and I haven’t live there in nearly 20 years.

The moral: be careful when you buy your mailing lists because you might be sending mail to an address that will end up being nothing but a waste of time and money for you.

But, perhaps that’s how the post office plans to stay in business.