Mail forwarding problem

[vintageogauge]

We have been having our mail forwarded to Ohio for the last few weeks while we came back to load more furniture. Since we will now be full time in TV I am trying to stop the forwarding process while we are in transit so that it doesn't go back and forth. We live in Fenney so I called the Wildwood Post Office and they said to call Lady Lake, that number has been busy since 9:00 AM and still is. I tried to stop it on line but I need the forwarding confirmation number that I cannot find. Does anyone know how I can do this? I also just sent an e-mail to USPS customer service asking for advice, when I clicked send it stated unable to process at this time, try later. I called the USPS customer service number and after going through the entire computerized process was told the hold time is over one hour. I can't believe how hard it is to make a simple change. Please help if you can, maybe one or more of you used to work for USPS. Thanks Nick.

[Villageswimmer]

We have been having our mail forwarded to Ohio for the last few weeks while we came back to load more furniture. Since we will now be full time in TV I am trying to stop the forwarding process while we are in transit so that it doesn't go back and forth. We live in Fenney so I called the Wildwood Post Office and they said to call Lady Lake, that number has been busy since 9:00 AM and still is. I tried to stop it on line but I need the forwarding confirmation number that I cannot find. Does anyone know how I can do this? I also just sent an e-mail to USPS customer service asking for advice, when I clicked send it stated unable to process at this time, try later. I called the USPS customer service number and after going through the entire computerized process was told the hold time is over one hour. I can't believe how hard it is to make a simple change. Please help if you can, maybe one or more of you used to work for USPS. Thanks Nick.


Based on my experience, multiple changes really confuse the system. If I were you, I would do nothing. Ask your Ohio Post Office to hold any mail. After a reasonable time, call them and arrange for someone to pick it up. I've done this to the point that I'm on a first name basis with the old (North) P.O. folks.
If you are expecting something important, call the sender, explain the situation and request it be sent to you via email.

[vintageogauge]

What I'm trying to accomplish is not having my TV mail forwarded to Ohio and then have Ohio forward it back down here. By the time I get my bills I'll be late in paying them.

[rubicon]

We have had similar problems in the past. We drove directly to Lady lake PO and had the corrections made face to face.

[Kathrynsews]

If you can't stop the forwarding before you leave Ohio, go to your Ohio Post Office and ask them to hold your mail for a week or 10 days, and then mail it to you in TV. They will charge about $16-$18. Make sure you have them hold it long enough for you to get to TV and stop the forwarding, and, enough time for the forwarded mail to arrive in Ohio. We have done this successfully from Michigan.

[vintageogauge]

We have had similar problems in the past. We drove directly to Lady lake PO and had the corrections made face to face.

Rubicon. Can you tell me which post office it is in Lady Lake, I believe there are two of them.

[njbchbum]

Main Post Office
850 Teague Trl, Lady Lake
[also known as Rt 25]
352-753-3888
USPS.com® - Location Details (https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?&radius=20&locationType=po&locationTypeQ=po&locationID=1369478&utm_source=website-url&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=yext)

Sub-station by Shell gas station on 441/Griffin Ave
[across from El Ranchito restaurant]
23 Lagrande Blvd, Lady Lake
352-753-9499
USPS.com® - Location Details (https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?&radius=20&locationType=po&locationTypeQ=po&locationID=1433144&utm_source=website-url&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=yext)

[njbchbum]

What I would suggest is that you call the Lady Lake Main P.O. and tell them you want to:
* cancel your forwarding to Ohio on your desired date [approx one week before leaving Ohio - this should avoid the loop effect]
* start a hold mail with Lady Lake P.O. the day after that cancellation date;
* and then select a date to restart TV delivery the day after your return to Florida.

So now nothing is coming from TV to Ohio and your mail should be on hold until the day after you get back.

That is the system I use when traveling back and forth and it doesn't cost us anything. If you processed your forwarding to Ohio via computer you should have received a confirmation email - you would find that elusive confirmation number in it! Search your email for USPS - that has helped me a number of times!

[vintageogauge]

What I would suggest is that you call the Lady Lake Main P.O. and tell them you want to:
* cancel your forwarding to Ohio on your desired date [approx one week before leaving Ohio - this should avoid the loop effect]
* start a hold mail with Lady Lake P.O. the day after that cancellation date;
* and then select a date to restart TV delivery the day after your return to Florida.

So now nothing is coming from TV to Ohio and your mail should be on hold until the day after you get back.

That is the system I use when traveling back and forth and it doesn't cost us anything. If you processed your forwarding to Ohio via computer you should have received a confirmation email - you would find that elusive confirmation number in it! Search your email for USPS - that has helped me a number of times!

I tried calling the number you show above and it has been busy all day long. I did the forwarding via the card rather than the internet so no confirmation number available. I don't have to worry that they would start delivering immediately as in Fenney we have to pick up our mail at the Sales Office as the postal facilities are not yet open. I just thought there would be a way to do this without the confirmation number or a way to get the confirmation number.

[JoMar]

What I'm trying to accomplish is not having my TV mail forwarded to Ohio and then have Ohio forward it back down here. By the time I get my bills I'll be late in paying them.

Another reason for online payment.

[retiredguy123]

Do you have an online account with USPS? If not, set one up and do all of this online. Calling the Post Office on the phone is about the worst way to get anything done.

[vintageogauge]

Another reason for online payment.

Not everything can be paid on line, we have other properties with HOA fees that have to be mailed, property taxes, annual insurances, event notices, etc. We still haven't completed a list of address changes that have to be made, our life and businesses are a little more complicated than the average. It's not as simple as "online payments"

[vintageogauge]

Do you have an online account with USPS? If not, set one up and do all of this online. Calling the Post Office on the phone is about the worst way to get anything done.

I do have a USPS online account however I explained above that the mail forward was handled via paper in this case and I most likely have the confirmation in our bank security box but I'm not there to get it.

[Villageswimmer]

Another reason for online payment.

AMEN! That was my best advice. We've been going back and forth for 8 years now. Dealing with the Lady Lake PO is spotty. Sometimes you get lucky. Not always. Nothing beats online bill pay for a multitude of reasons. Good luck with your new home and your mail.

[Villageswimmer]

Sorry...I didn't see your post #12, OP. My bad. As a matter of fact, I have a couple of tax bills I'm tracking down myself. Again, mail forwarding is never reliable.

[redwitch]

Go to the post office on Teague. I've found the folks there to be very knowledgeable and helpful. Beats the heck of trying to get an intelligent answer on the phone.

[njbchbum]

I tried calling the number you show above and it has been busy all day long. I did the forwarding via the card rather than the internet so no confirmation number available. I don't have to worry that they would start delivering immediately as in Fenney we have to pick up our mail at the Sales Office as the postal facilities are not yet open. I just thought there would be a way to do this without the confirmation number or a way to get the confirmation number.

Calling the P.O. without the confirm number is the way to go...if the main number is busy - call the sub-station. You can trust that they will notify the Main P.O.

[Davidjr113]

After years of frustration with USPS, this Summer I just bit the bullet & paid nearly $20 a week for the Premium Forwarding. Couple of weeks ago my weekly package included all of some other family's mail & none of ours. After several days a postal rep called me with apologies and advice what to do with the other guy's mail, but no ideas on where mine went. Told her OK, can you stop my Premium Forwarding now, I will be back in Florida in less than a month? Sure she said, I can do that. Two weeks later I got a new package. What else can I say? I do as much as possible by electronic mail, but you can't do 100%. Hopefully I will get the $20 back for the shipment of the other guy's mail.

[Carla B]

Once, when we lived aboard our sailboat, I called our mail forwarding service and asked that they send our collected mail via Priority Mail to Georgetown, Great Exuma, Bahamas. It didn't come. One year later, the package showed up back at our service. It had been sent to somewhere in Germany.

[johnboy]

Leave a note with your carrier at your mail station to stop forwarding your mail.

[asianthree]

What I'm trying to accomplish is not having my TV mail forwarded to Ohio and then have Ohio forward it back down here. By the time I get my bills I'll be late in paying them.

You can go online or call each company get balance and pay. I don't forward any mail. Our up north mailbox is metal, mail drops in to a storage area, that stays dry and unless you drive a big truck over it mail is safe. I do use online checking, and 60% of our mail is paperless. Some things I still want in hand

[charmed59]

Mail that is forwarded takes about 10 days depending on where the weekends fall, to get to the new site. Assuming you are forwarding from location A to location B only for the month of October. A letter reaches location A on Oct 1st, at that point the post office sees the forwarding request before sending it out for delivery, and sends it on to location B. Bills sent out on Oct 2nd reach location A Oct 4th and now are sent back out for delivery reaching location B the 9th or 10th.

Similarly, you get the lag at the end of the month, so mail sent the 27th of October won't be back to location A until around the 6th or 7th of Nov.

Then you have the mail that slips through the cracks. When we bought our second home here in TV mail was getting returned to sender because the guy in the villages sorting mail didn't recognize the last name.

Friends who need important mail to get there timely had someone check their mail, and then FedEx them an overnight envelope with important mail every few days. That way they can track it and it gets to their doorstep. That said, online, if available, definitely works the best.

[justjim]

First, the pony express is not what it use to be. We have been fighting USPS for several years. Trust me---there are no good anwers to the forwarding mail problem. Some years all goes well, others, not so much. No need to bore you with lost mail including 1099's at tax time , etc. We do find it best to use the computer to iniate and stop our mail forwarding. You can do that by simply going to their website and follow instructions. Note: only cost 1.00 but when things go as they should, you would gladly pay more. Finally, it's the USPS electronic system and almost never the fault of your mail carrier.

[Radioman41]

Certain items won't be forwarded such as credit cards. If I am expecting a new credit card to replace an expiring card, I call the bank or credit card company and give them my temporary summer address. Remember to call and change it back upon return.