Neighbor who thinks you don't exist?

[fortyfeetunder]

I believe this is my next door neighbor because our house numbers are off by one digit. Our houses are not that far apart, not miles, only about 20 feet apart.

Last year, we got this e-mail addressed to us that had been previously marked up with the comment, "No one lives at this address, and never has lived here."

So around Christmas time, this next door neighbor's letters ended up in our mailbox, addressed to someone else, and I recognized the return address handwriting from the marked up letter we received recently. I graciously went next door to my neighbor's house and gave her the letter.

A day ago, I get a phone call from my utility company asking me if I still live at the residence, and I confirmed such. Then the agent said the bill had been returned to them with the statement that no one lives at this address, and had never lived there. I said, it must have been delivered to another house, and the utility company had returned the bill to me. Unfortunately I didn't get the original envelope the bill came in, but I am suspicious my next door neighbor is the one who did this....

When we get mail addressed to the wrong house, we just return it to the mailbox without a note or give to the mail carrier.

Our house numbers are marked prominently on our house, and we are listed in the phone directory, so it's not like we are invisible. We have met in social gatherings and have been civil. No other stuff I can think of...Not sure what burr is up their keister.

Words of wisdom anyone?

[theorist]

1. I was confused by this part:

Last year, we got this e-mail addressed to us that had been previously marked up with the comment, "No one lives at this address, and never has lived here."

It took me a minute to figure out it was actual mail. I'm not sure what to say, though. If you ever get his mail, bring it directly to him. Maybe he'll change his current method.

[fortyfeetunder]

4. That's exactly what I did with the Christmas card

I personally took it to them....guess being a good neighbor doesn't count!

[LisaM]

2. How strange

I presume you mean you got mail (not email) that had been addressed to you and mis-delivered to them?

Sometimes people have just been taught to do strange things. For instance, when I dial a wrong number, I was taught to say, "I'm sorry, I must have dialled the wrong number." But when people call me having dialled the wrong number and I tell them so, they just hang up!

So maybe someone taught her to do something like this and saying "no one has ever lived there" is just a grammatical lapse. Did she seem stupid and mean when you took the mail over to her? I think she is trying to say something that's different from what came out (what she may be trying to say, is, "No such person lives at this address and never has") though it's clearly a confusing way to put it.

[fortyfeetunder]

6. When I returned the card..

the neighbor was nice about it and thanked me for returning it. This was after the first piece of mail of mine she had returned.

Suburban living, wonderful....

[The empressof all]

3. Postal Anger

He may think that doing this is "fixing" the post office. Perhaps he thinks "they" shouldn't get away with making mistakes and is operating under a belief that this is their "just punishment". It may all be hostility directed towards Post Service not towards you.

People get really really weird about their mail.

Why don't you just ask him about it next time it happens.

[fortyfeetunder]

5. I was thinking the same thing, postal retribution

I guess for some of those living in the suburbs, expect perfection from civil servants.