Mail Matters-Illinois

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Mail & Postal Matters

US Postal Information	Unordered Merchandise
Getting Off Mailing Lists	Private Mail Carriers
Scams, Cons & Sweepstakes

US Postal Information

General Info.	Forms
Zip Codes	Relocating (Change Of Address, Moving Tips, etc.)
Rates	Missing Mail
	Complaints

General

Consumer Guide To Postal Services
Their Table Of Contents has all you need.

Finding The Post Office Nearest You

Postal Holidays (No Service)

Sending Mail Abroad

Zip Codes

Look Up A U S Zip Code By Entering The Addreess

Domestic Rate Calculator
Specify the weight and size of what your sending along with source, destination and ZIP code and any special services you want. The site will tell you how much the item will cost along with how many days it should take for it to arrive.

Postal Rates & Fees, International

Choosing The Right Class Of Mail
Choose from Express Mail, Priority Mail, First-Class Mail
Periodicals, Standard Mail (A), and Standard Mail (B).

See General

Forms

Postal Forms

Reverse Address Lookup/Finding Out Who To Contact When You Sent The Letter To The Wrong Address

Using The Post Office To Track Your Letter (Good Luck!!!)

Call The U.S. Postal Service Main Branch
Mail must be missing for at least 15 days before it is traced.

Give them the zip code of the place where you mailed the letter so they know which post office to contact.

Provide the date you mailed letter, its destination and the value of its contents (i.e. $500 check).

If such was a deposit, call your bank and follow line 3.

Then call the person or agency that issued the check to see if the check was cashed. If not, place a stop payment on the check immediately.

Reverse Lookups-Find The Name, Address Or Phone # When You Have Only Limited Information (Consumer-SOS)
Strange # on your phone bill? Find out who it belongs to.
Sent a letter to the wrong address? Find out who got it and call them! Also, good for sending Surprise birthday gifts- You never need to ask them for their address.

If you are unsuccessful with the link above, try the steps below.

1. Call information in the area code where the address is. For example, if your letter was sent to "Colorado Springs, Colorado" dial 1719-555-1212. If your letter went to New York, New York dial 1212-555-1212.

2. Explain to information that you need a name and phone number so you can contact the people at this address and have the package returned to you.

3. If they can't find this address, ask them for the phone number of the local post office closest to this address.

4. Ask the local post office if they can tell you the name of the person or business that resides there. Find out if the address is a valid one. If it is not, it may be that the shipper is liable and should have had the item returned to you.

4A. If you have a friend nearby, have him go to that address and investigate the matter. Or try calling calling the local City Zoning, Property or Tax Commission. These guys usually have a plat or map of all the buildings in the area and who owns them.

4B. Use The Cole's Directory. Through a Cole's Directory you can use the street address and a "reverse directory" to look up the phone number. The Cole's Directory is probably available free at your local library.

5. Once you have a name, use the Internet White Pages or other Telephone Directories to find the phone number. Or find the phone number by dialing information in that area.

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Complaints

Postal Office Consumer Affairs Locator
Got A complaint? Punch in your city and state for the agency nearest you.

United States Postal Inspector
To report any outfits that misrepresent themselves by or through the mail. i.e. insurance scams, lottery fraud, fraudulent promises to repair your credit for a fee, or any dubious offers, advertisements or requests from telemarketers, charities, health clubs or web sites where you either receive literature from them or they ask you to send things via U.S. mail.

Getting Off Mailing Lists

Ever wonder how these junk mail companies got your name and number? Most of this information is obtained from lists which were bought from other companies. Selling names is big business and done all the time. So whenever you apply for a credit card or fill out a questionnaire or contest entry, don't be surprised if your name and other information is sold to the highest bidder.

Unwanted Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls (Illinois)
How to opt out of junk mail and unwanted phone solicitations.

Getting Off Mailing Lists (The Direct Marketing Association)
Once you requests is processed, your name will remain on their "do not mail list" for five years.

The Federal Trade Commission
The FTC web site tells you how to get off credit bureau and direct marketing mailing lists, as well as how to stop your state department of motor vehicles from selling details about you. For more privacy advice, go to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

The Better Business Bureau
To find information about junk mail and getting off mailing lists, got to their search box and type "junk mail"