Mail Box empty
 

We have been away from our home since mid August and just returned today. I went to my mailbox expecting a whole bunch of mostly junk mail. The box was completely empty. I also noticed from Informed Delivery that an attempt was made to deliver a package , but was returned to sender. We are new to the Villages and I guess I should have put a hold on the mail before we left, but I didn’t. My question is how can I get my mail and continue to receive mail? I contacted USPS via email, but I’m wondering if I can square things with the person that services our postal station.

Your only option is to go to or call the Post office that services your mail station. Most mail comes through the Lady Lake Station but not all areas. The US postal service returns mail in boxes as undeliverable after mail is not picked up for a period of time. Not sure how many days. Even if you hold the mail, the maximum number of days is 30 for holding mail! If you are going to be gone for extended periods, either you need to forward your mail OR get someone to pick it up occasionally. Sorry!

By Postal Regulation, the USPS can only hold mail for a certain period of time (I think it's 30 days) at which point, they're required to Return to Sender.

There’s that echo again………

Aren’t you lucky, LOL I would love to have an empty mailbox. As others have said go to your local post office and inquire. It would be quicker than tracking down via email.

If the package was medication out of luck
 

The post office said if the package is medication they are not allowed to hold it. So when I know I am going to be out of town I have to remember to go online and stop any automatic refills. Then order the day before I am to get home and pay the express shipping. Usually comes Fedex next day air from my provider yours may be different.

If you’re not doing so already, have important bills sent to you electronically. Now would be a good time to make sure that none of your credit cards have been canceled or frozen. If a paper bill from a credit card company is returned to the company through the mail as undeliverable, they might suspend or cancel your account as a fraud prevention measure.

Key
 

[DID YOU CHECK YOUR BOX FOR A KEY INSIDE IT FOR AN OVERSIZED BOX AT THAT LOCSTION







QUOTE=Berferful;2463832]We have been away from our home since mid August and just returned today. I went to my mailbox expecting a whole bunch of mostly junk mail. The box was completely empty. I also noticed from Informed Delivery that an attempt was made to deliver a package , but was returned to sender. We are new to the Villages and I guess I should have put a hold on the mail before we left, but I didn’t. My question is how can I get my mail and continue to receive mail? I contacted USPS via email, but I’m wondering if I can square things with the person that services our postal station.[/QUOTE]

Just knock on the door at postal station and they will take care of it. I do it every year when I return to TV.

We had the same problem when we moved here. Our postal carrier informed us if mail is not picked-up in 28 days the mailbox is considered abandoned/not-in-use/deactivated. Have to go to the main post office to get mail re-started. We never did receive a piece of mail from the bank. We had informed delivery which showed which pieces of mail was being delivered, but never a notification our mailbox was going to be deactivated.

So, still having two houses we have to use mail forwarding and mail holding for each and needed to set up two separate email addresses to have two separate accounts, one for each house.

See your carrier. If you did not submit paperwork to hold or forward your mail, the P.O. presumes you have died and will return the mail after 30 days.

Junk mail return
 

If junk mail gets RTS and the sender has to pay or deal with the volume that’s a good thing
In the old days when they included a business reply mail card or envelope some folk we know wrapped a brick or bag of rotting food and taped the envelope or card to it.

Unless you provide for a mail hold, forwarding or pick up, they will return or toss. The postal service is barely okay at delivering mail and is terrible at reading minds.

I was told that after 30 days, they will throw out your mail. I always do a hold or temporary change of address when we are gone for an extended period. You can try calling the Lady Lake post office or whichever post office services your village.