Informed Delivery by the USPS

[LordMortis]

...is kinda awesome. My daily mail (of which I still get important stuff almost weekly) can arrive anytime between 08:00 and 19:00 and I have no idea how to tell when or why. So when I'm expecting mail I check the mailbox all day long. I recently signed up for informed delivery and at around 07:00 the USPS send me a scan of all of the mail I am supposed to receive on any given day. Still no guideline to timing, but now I know if I should look to expect stuff and if stuff goes to the wrong house and if that stuff is important.

In a world where I get so much junk email, email about snail mail works for me.

[Exodor]

I somehow signed up for this when we moved last summer and it's surprisingly nice. Most of the time it just lets me know beforehand what junk mail is on the way but a few times it's let me know something important is due.

Of course there was the day it told me something important was on the way that didn't show up in the mailbox that day. It arrived the next day but it makes me wary of the whole system.

[YellowKing]

Yeah I've been signed up for this for years and it's a godsend. Our neighborhood has a centralized mailbox that is either a 20 minute round-trip walk or else I have to drive up there. It's nice to be able to see each day whether it's worth my time or not.

[telcta]

I think I'll give this a try. I'm reading up on it now and the service is available at my address and appears to be free. I can see this being useful before I trek to the mailboxes.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, when we moved years back I think we were automatically enrolled as well. It's great.

[Scuzz]

My wife and daughter are both plugged into this. My daughter cares as she belongs to two book clubs and one of them comes via USPS.

[Default]

...is kinda awesome. My daily mail (of which I still get important stuff almost weekly) can arrive anytime between 08:00 and 19:00 and I have no idea how to tell when or why. So when I'm expecting mail I check the mailbox all day long. I recently signed up for informed delivery and at around 07:00 the USPS send me a scan of all of the mail I am supposed to receive on any given day. Still no guideline to timing, but now I know if I should look to expect stuff and if stuff goes to the wrong house and if that stuff is important.

In a world where I get so much junk email, email about snail mail works for me.

You either have no regular carrier ( in which case, the route gets chopped into pieces and distributed ), or the route is overburdened ( and the carrier gets help everyday).

Informed delivery has an issue in that the mail is scanned in at the plant, before processing and sometimes it doesn't get into the days delivery mail.

Just something to be aware of.

[LordMortis]

Changing my mind. I got an email at 0700 informing me the IRS is sending me mail with a notice of "official business" and a "penalty of $300 for private use" on the front, and with mail still not delivering early in the afternoon, I'm getting anxious for what it's going to say.

[Carpet_pissr]

Changing my mind. I got an email at 0700 informing me the IRS is sending me mail with a notice of "official business" and a "penalty of $300 for private use" on the front, and with mail still not delivering early in the afternoon, I'm getting anxious for what it's going to say.

Get your bug out bag ready

[Isgrimnur]

USPS

Official Mail (also known as Penalty Mail) is sent by U.S. government agencies, relating solely to the business of the U.S. government, which is authorized by law to be carried in the mail without prepayment of postage.
...
"Penalty for Private Use $300" refers to the use of penalty envelopes, cards, meter stamps, etc. by any private person, concern, or organization or for matter not relating exclusively to the business of the United States government.

[LawBeefaroni]

It's just a notice that the sender can used the government mail for private use. It doesn't indicate in any way what is inside nor does it prove it's from the IRS or any government agency.

If it is from the IRS, it could be something missing/wrong with a filing, an adjustment notice, or bad bank info for a refund or something. Not always an audit.

[Carpet_pissr]

You know it's an audit. RUN!!!! Cuernavaca has wonderful weather!

[Daehawk]

I always wondered how this worked. Seems helpful. I get zilch most days but i still have to go look cause Im curious plus something may come that I dont want stolen out of the box.

Even with this Id probably wonder if something was there even though it said nothing and id have to go look anyways

[LordMortis]

...And related to discovery from my accident...

[hitbyambulance]

i frequently use this for mail hold while on vacation (since, as of some years ago, they require you to sign up with usps.gov for that ability, so i just enabled informed delivery as well)

[YellowKing]

Even with this Id probably wonder if something was there even though it said nothing and id have to go look anyways

I've found it to be pretty accurate, though the most common discrepancy is that it shows an item is coming and then it doesn't actually show up until a day or two later. It also will occasionally say "an item is coming today that could not be scanned" or something to that effect. Which is like getting a special surprise.

[Daehawk]

Well I signed up and made an account. But right after that it wants to verify identity...it goes to 99% and stays there. Ive refreshed and it just does it again.

Found a post online that says it used info from credit bureaus to verify ident..so it never will as I locked all mine. Wish id known that before i gave them all my info.

[Daehawk]

Tried it just now on tablet and it instantly verified me.?shrug.

Well it seems I have to be verified each time I want to use it and it only works on my tablet. If I verify there then i can also use the pc...until i want to check again. Annoying.

[Daehawk]

Hmmm..it shows no mail or packages today. I went anyways because me and my little dog go almost everyday to get outside and its nice today. Sure enough 2 letters in the box. wth.

[LawBeefaroni]

Hmmm..it shows no mail or packages today. I went anyways because me and my little dog go almost everyday to get outside and its nice today. Sure enough 2 letters in the box. wth.

If you just signed up it's not going to be accurate for a day or two. What you received today woild have been scanned before today and probably not picked up by your account.

When it says you have something coming, expect it over the next few days, not exactly that day.

[Daehawk]

Oh I thought one of its points was it would show if you got mail that day.

[ImLawBoy]

For us it's usually same day, although sometimes a day behind.