[SIRE1]

You are right, there is a $1 charge to your credit card if you use the USPS.com web site. If you go to the post office and pickup a "Mail Forwarding" card (actually a moving packet), you can fill out the enclosed card and either return it in person to the post office or mail it for free back to the post office. There is no charge for this service and I believe you typically have to get that card from a counter person.

But as a snowbird who has to forward our Michigan mail to Florida and then our Florida mail back to Michigan, I've learned the hard way that the use of the "free" mail forwarding card sometimes has a risk. You are relying on someone else to read your handwriting and then key the address info correctly into their computer. Once, when we used the card, the forwarding address was wrong and once the ending date was wrong. After those experiences I decided that it was worth the $1 to ensure the info submitted to the post office was correct. So I've been using the website for the past several years and I can verify that the info is correct before I hit the ENTER key. I figure that if I can afford to live in The Villages, I can afford the $1 for making sure the mail forwarding info is correct.

You can then either use the website or mail in a HOLD card to have your mail Held in the post office after your forwarding period ends so you pick it up or have delivery restarted after you return home. There is no charge for this service if done on the website. If you want to do it in person, you can go to the local post office and pick up a HOLD card which you will mail to your "home" post office. Usually these cards are in a rack or table so you don't have to wait in line to get one.

One final comment. When stopping your mail being forwarded, be sure to set the Stop Date early enough so that there won't be any mail in the pipeline when you leave. I've always used about 10 working days as my lead time to ensure mail won't arrive after I'm gone.

[davem4616]

Yes, if you do it online it's a buck (but I think that's a one time fee?)....it's easier than going to, waiting a little and returning from the post office and you can log on and accomplish this 24x7

we were 'snow bunnies' then 'snow birds' for years....we switched from delivering the handwritten form at the local PO over to the online approach on USPO.com years ago...much easier (and a few times I had forgotten to get to the PO with the form before we took off and the kids had to take in the mail for a couple of weeks)....

We did try the 'weekly bundled delivery' once....problem was that it's slow...at the end of our stay in FL that year we had to ask a neighbor to send us the final 'bundle' that was due to arrive days after we left town

The local US Postal delivery person that serviced our area in Ft Lauderdale was caught throwing undelivered mail down a sewer...she had a second job and needed to be there for 3pm...anything left in her bag at 2:45pm she threw away so she wouldn't be late.....go figure right?

After that we just tried to bypass the USPO as much as possible on bills and checks coming in ....most of our 'non junk' mail is now electronic and bills automatically hit one of our credit cards or a very few are authorized to be deducted from our checking account (like the utilities and life insurance premiums)....this has made life a lot easier, as we do like to travel a lot and we wanted to avoid any late fees. Plus, a nice bonus is that the credit card we use gives us 2% back on everything...(we have enough miles and hotel points accumulated)

[bpascani]

same here. Everything but "junk" mail will be forwarded for 1 year free of charge. That gives you a chance to remember everyone/business/etc that you need to advise (i.e. some pieces of mail that are actually important don't come but every 6-12 months

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by tenorgirl

When is a rip-off not a scan?

It's a fine line, but I would call it a scam if someone lies or misrepresents something to get money from you, or if they promise something but don't deliver it. A ripoff is when someone overcharges you or provides a product or service that it not worth what you paid for it. Usually, a scam is illegal, but a ripoff is not.

[ProfessorDave]

Lots of these "easy to make a mistake" because of the wording and graphics. Need to be careful. Same goes for automobile titles - registrations - etc.

[allenmo]

Go to USPS.com, click on Track and Manage Mail, Click on Change Address. You can fwd for up to one year, I think 6 months at a time, Cost $1.00. Been doing it twice a year for 12 years. Works perfect.

[Mohawksin]

Originally Posted by jdgerman

I was attempting to forward my mail. I followed a link on search and found a form. They wanted to charge $59.95 for forwarding. I know that the USPS only charges about $1.00. Did a search and found out there are a bunch of scams out there dealing with this.
If you are going to do online forwarding for you mail, make sure you to to the official USPS site. Then to to Track & Manage to find the forwarding form.
Hope this helps someone else from getting scammed.

In this case, using my browser, the word 'Ad' appeared in the first four entries before the correct link was given.. An ad is usually put there by someone who wishes to take your money. I never follow links with 'Ad' ad the opener.

[Baywayric]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I recommend that you go to USPS.COM and set up an account with a user name and password. Then, you can log in any time to do just about anything related to the Post Office and your mail. The website you found was probably not a scam, but it was a ripoff.

Another great benefit of having a USPS account is the ability to enroll in Informed Delivery. Every morning you get an email with images of the letter mail you will receive in your mailbox later that day. Junk mail and catalogs are not imaged. Also if you are expecting a package (like Amazon) the system will text you the status of that package all along its route. When it finally hits your mailbox the system will send you a “delivered” message so you know when it’s time to go to your mail station.

[Curtisbwp]

Originally Posted by jdgerman

I was attempting to forward my mail. I followed a link on search and found a form. They wanted to charge $59.95 for forwarding. I know that the USPS only charges about $1.00. Did a search and found out there are a bunch of scams out there dealing with this.
If you are going to do online forwarding for you mail, make sure you to to the official USPS site. Then to to Track & Manage to find the forwarding form.
Hope this helps someone else from getting scammed.

Just go to tht PO. Or your local mail center.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by bonrich

For those of us who do not want to travel to a PO and then stand in line for a half hour, doing it online and being charged a dollar in order to identify the person making the request, then getting an email to let you know it has been received and set is a deal. Do this every year, easy-peasy.

I have never had to stand in line a half hour at the post office. Not even during "tax week" or the week before Christmas.

At the one on 441 near the Silver Lake part of the Villages I was there two weeks ago to return something to Amazon. There was one person at the counter, I was next in line. Less than 5 minutes later I was finished with my return and in my golf cart again.

Even in Connecticut we never had long lines. But - I never went during the busy time of day or on Saturdays or Monday mornings. I prefer to do most of my business in person. Keeps people employed, and I get immediate satisfaction knowing what I intended to do, is being done.

[marymarie]

Originally Posted by dwsommer330

While “normal” forwarding, if you sign up at the Post Office, is free, the USPS does now have a service where they will bundle up your to-be-forwarded mail once a week and send it along as Priority Mail. I don’t recall the exact price but when I looked into it I thought it was pretty pricey. Problem is that regular forwarded mail can take a long time to get to its destination and if you have monthly bills being forwarded it can be tight to make due dates. I went ahead and set up auto-pay on everything except credit cards and check those every week online.

The service referred to here is United States Postal Service “Premium Forwarding Service.” Our mail carrier in Maryland told us about it. It is a little pricey, but totally worth it - we used it this past winter. As others described, sign up online. There is a one time set up fee of $21.10 which lasts year after year I believe, then a weekly charge of $19.35 for the time you want it forwarded. Because our MD local postal branch is abysmal and you have no idea if you’re going to see your mail ever again or not with regular forwarding (a problem for many in our area), the process of collecting and bundling all of the mail weekly and sending in one envelope was much more reliable. We found it worth the money. And as mentioned by others, the daily email showing a scan of what you’re receiving is nice info to have (especially during tax time when you’re looking for important docs.) Highly recommend.

[Tom W]

I recently fell for this scam. What happens is if you use your smart phone and search for change of address, the scammers have a website that looks exactly like the official USPS site and it looks like you are being charged the customary $1.05. Then you see a charge for $59.95 on your credit card later on. The scammers also wait to process the charge so you don't see it for a while. I currently am arguing with my CC company about the charge. They claim since I authorized the charge it is not fraud. It is still being investigated. The tip off something is wrong is when you start getting all sorts of spam emails about moving services and you do not get the official confirmation email from USPS about your move.