Informed Delivery - a free new USPS service

[easysurfer]

I got the invite to join postcard in the mail yesterday. After some thinking, decided to pass on the free offer and just keep the element of surprise when I open up the mailbox.

My thinking is opening an extra email a day over time adds up to a lot of additional mouse clicks or phone taps and swipes which I really don't need .

 

[googily]

Interesting. Keep us up to date if you would if there are any developments.

Will do. Just to tie it into normal ER discussions, it was from Vanguard. I'm in the process of rolling over DH's 401k into an inherited IRA plus getting a lump sum payment of his after-tax monies, so I *really* hope that as-yet-undelivered envelope wasn't a big check.

(This is also why Informed Delivery is big for me right now--so much paperwork tied up with DH's estate that I want all available means possible to let me know what might be coming, in case it doesn't show up.)

 

[googily]

The envelope that was shown in Saturday morning's Informed Delivery e-mail did show up today. Alas, it was not a huge check from Vanguard. I also doubt it was because I checked the box indicating that it hadn't arrived yet--was probably just stuck in the bottom of someone's bag.

Also, I do note that when the e-mail says "there are other pieces of mail not shown here," that does seem to be "real" 1st-class mail that just isn't letter-sized, not catalogs or whatever.

And this morning's e-mail had a big honking ad at the top. Now the truth has been revealed!

 

[Ready]

Today's Informed Delivery email, which I always receive at 8:00am, showed a letter from the IRS. I don't get the mail until 5pm, so that gave me the entire day to wonder, and worry, what it was about.

When I finally received the letter, it turned out to be a form letter letting me know that I had established an online account and would need to use my username and password each time I logged in.

So I spent the day worrying about nothing. I guess there's pros and cons to this feature.

 

[ERD50]

Today's Informed Delivery email, which I always receive at 8:00am, showed a letter from the IRS. I don't get the mail until 5pm, so that gave me the entire day to wonder, and worry, what it was about.

When I finally received the letter, it turned out to be a form letter letting me know that I had established an online account and would need to use my username and password each time I logged in.

So I spent the day worrying about nothing. I guess there's pros and cons to this feature.

Yes, they need the option "open and scan that and email it to me!".

-ERD50

 

[CaptTom]

Yes, they need the option "open and scan that and email it to me!".
-ERD50

I used a service which did exactly that while I was away for three months.

IMHO, that's the way all mail should be. This business of carrying piles of paper around to every house seems so primitive!

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, they need the option "open and scan that and email it to me!".

-ERD50

For a few hours saved?

 

[ERD50]

For a few hours saved?

Well, in the case mentioned, it would have eliminated a day of worry for Ready.

Most of the time, no benefit. But I also saw something that made me wonder, why are they contacting me now? Wasn't that important, but given the choice, I wold have liked to see it now rather than later, it's already on my mind.

-ERD50

 

[MBAustin]

Saw this in Kiplinger magazine today so I bumped this old thread as it appears to be the only place Informed Delivery has been mentioned on the forums:

ID Thieves Exploit Snail Mail

Basically, it recommends to sign up for it even if you don't want it so that an ID thief can't sign up to get your information. I'm seriously thinking about signing up for it now.

 

[braumeister]

Yes, I read that too and signed up about a week ago. It's interesting, if nothing else.

 

[Carpediem]

Just signed up but unfortunately I failed the online identity verification even though I answered every question correctly. Ugh...will try again later. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll head down to the local PO for verification.

Thanks for bumping this thread. Was not aware of this service.

 

[braumeister]

Just signed up but unfortunately I failed the online identity verification even though I answered every question correctly. Ugh...will try again later. If that doesn't work, I guess I'll head down to the local PO for verification.

Thanks for bumping this thread. Was not aware of this service.

They used some pretty oddball questions. One of them I had no idea about and I had to go searching for the answer. They asked the square footage of a home I lived in over 30 years ago. Fortunately, Zillow had the answer!

 

[aja8888]

I've been using it for a month now. It lets me see my junk mail, which is most of what I get these days.

 

[FurBall]

Funny story — i finally signed up a couple of months ago. On my very first email i saw that I had a letter from the IRS. I presumed it would be the clearance letter saying oops, our bad you don’t owe us $300,000 dollars.

It was the ONLY letter that did not show up that day or the next day. It finally showed up the third day after I spent yet ankther 2 hours on hold wih the IRS to verify that all was good before the deadline for a response.

 

[Sunset]

Funny story — i finally signed up a couple of months ago. On my very first email i saw that I had a letter from the IRS. I presumed it would be the clearance letter saying oops, our bad you don’t owe us $300,000 dollars.

It was the ONLY letter that did not show up that day or the next day. It finally showed up the third day after I spent yet ankther 2 hours on hold wih the IRS to verify that all was good before the deadline for a response.

I had a special letter from a foreign gov't sent to me, we were on vacation, so I saw the USPS email after we got back.
The letter was not in the bundle of mail.
I went to the post office, they tried to blow me off with "often there is a delay after you cancel forwarding of up to 10 days" , but that didn't hold since the letter was supposed to be delivered 3 weeks earlier !!

I never got the letter, had to phone the foreign gov't and explain about my lazy dumb post office and letter carrier, and have them send me the letter again.

By the way my previous letter carrier was terrific, but now we are suffering with an idiot.

Whew... I feel better

 

[Sunset]

Saw this in Kiplinger magazine today so I bumped this old thread as it appears to be the only place Informed Delivery has been mentioned on the forums:

ID Thieves Exploit Snail Mail

Basically, it recommends to sign up for it even if you don't want it so that an ID thief can't sign up to get your information. I'm seriously thinking about signing up for it now.

Thanks for telling folks the USPS single email signup rule, everyone should sign up even if they don't read the email it will stop a scammer or package porch pirate from getting inside information.

 

[GrayHare]

I don't know that sending this info around the interwebs is going to stop prying eyes. Is there a way to opt out entirely, that is, have USPS not gather such info in the first place?

 

[audreyh1]

I don't know that sending this info around the interwebs is going to stop prying eyes. Is there a way to opt out entirely, that is, have USPS not gather such info in the first place?

No, it’s done anyway as part of their delivery, they just gave the addressees a way to see what they are scanning anyway.

 

[GrayHare]

OK, if we can't stop the USPS from gathering it, what about opting to make it inaccessible? That's safer than letting someone else sign up for it as well as safer than xmitting it via email.

 

[Jerry1]

I've been using it for a month now. It lets me see my junk mail, which is most of what I get these days.

Does it allow you to tag the junk mail and not let it be delivered?

 

[Sunset]

It is strange that USPS does not make it somewhat hard to sign up, and make it cost money payable only by credit card, so that they could at least rely on the credit card authenticating the person.

So if you were going to scam someone, first you would have to get their CC info, and at that point, is more scamming needed as you can shop or sell the CC info.

 

[steelyman]

I signed up yesterday (wasn’t aware of this service and appreciate the post).

I also wasn’t aware of an upcoming price increase in first-class stamps ($.50 to $.55) so picked up some forevers.

 

[googily]

It is strange that USPS does not make it somewhat hard to sign up, and make it cost money payable only by credit card, so that they could at least rely on the credit card authenticating the person.

So if you were going to scam someone, first you would have to get their CC info, and at that point, is more scamming needed as you can shop or sell the CC info.

I know some people have to go to the post office to set it up. Maybe it's easier to set up if you have a long standing USPS.com account that you have shipped through or ordered stamps, etc with?

 

[Sunset]

I signed up yesterday (wasn’t aware of this service and appreciate the post).

I also wasn’t aware of an upcoming price increase in first-class stamps ($.50 to $.55) so picked up some forevers.

Some years ago, I stocked up on stamps to avoid the price increase in future years.
I just checked my stash, and realized I have 1,500 stamps !! A lifetime supply.

As an investment it has worked out pretty well, over the past 10 years, the annualized increase in value has been 3% per year and it's tax free.

 

[sengsational]

Yesterday was the first day where I DIDN'T get essentially what was reported in the USPS email. I've had it for a year or more. I don't read the email every day, but most days. Yesterday I only had a delivery from Hong Kong...no flat envelopes at all, which is strange, so I looked, and I was supposed to get a few other things. I've decided not to check the "did not receive" box unless they don't show up on Monday.