On Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:53:40 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

If you are not going to communicate with a person before next
Christmas, I really don't see why you would want to receive their
Christmas card.

Because they often include a "family newsletter" that's our main way of
keeping in touch. It's also a common way for them to tell me about a
change of address.

How many of your "hundred or so" people and organisations that you
claim communicate with you by snailmail (seems extrordinarily high) do
you actually *want* to receive mail from?

Pretty much all of them. I can think of one catalogue company that won't
take "no" for an answer, but the rest are quite welcome, albeit often
only an annual statement of some kind.

Mail redirect only operates for a couple of months or so, so you still
have to actually inform all those people of your change of address.
Seeing that you have to inform them anyway, it is just as much effort
to inform them *before* you move as afterwards.

I've substituted email for snailmail whenever possible, and find it a
heck of a lot better. Albeit I was pretty much forced to do so
because I was living on a boat (not having a letterbox). Most bills
and statements can be switched to email these days. Consequently I
don't get any more than 1 personally addressed letter every two weeks
or so. It helps save trees as well (not that I care).

--
Cynic

On 23/02/2012 15:04, Cynic wrote:
On Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:53:40 +0000, Roland
wrote:

If you are not going to communicate with a person before next
Christmas, I really don't see why you would want to receive their
Christmas card.

Because they often include a "family newsletter" that's our main way of
keeping in touch. It's also a common way for them to tell me about a
change of address.

How many of your "hundred or so" people and organisations that you
claim communicate with you by snailmail (seems extrordinarily high) do
you actually *want* to receive mail from?

Pretty much all of them. I can think of one catalogue company that won't
take "no" for an answer, but the rest are quite welcome, albeit often
only an annual statement of some kind.

Mail redirect only operates for a couple of months or so,

Rubbish!

You can do to for twelve months and then renew it. However, given the
gross incompetence of Royal Mail, they may not bother to redirect your
post even when you've paid for the service!

so you still
have to actually inform all those people of your change of address.
Seeing that you have to inform them anyway, it is just as much effort
to inform them *before* you move as afterwards.

I've substituted email for snailmail whenever possible, and find it a
heck of a lot better. Albeit I was pretty much forced to do so
because I was living on a boat (not having a letterbox). Most bills
and statements can be switched to email these days. Consequently I
don't get any more than 1 personally addressed letter every two weeks
or so. It helps save trees as well (not that I care).



--
Moving things in still pictures

FastStone - Infinitely Flexible Photographic Fixing - For Free!

www.FastStone.org

In message 4f465398.188383281@localhost, at 15:04:50 on Thu, 23 Feb
2012, Cynic remarked:

Mail redirect only operates for a couple of months or so,

You can start off with a year, and extend it for a second year. Once
upon a time you extend it further, but they don't allow that any more.

so you still
have to actually inform all those people of your change of address.
Seeing that you have to inform them anyway, it is just as much effort
to inform them *before* you move as afterwards.

I think you might be saying "why don't you inform them before you move".
That's easy - yes you can tell the more prolific ones but they won't
necessarily action it immediately. And then others crawl out of the
woodwork.

I've substituted email for snailmail whenever possible, and find it a
heck of a lot better.

I've swung the other way. Too many online accounts are very difficult to
manage, and far too often they delete old statements too quickly.

--
Roland Perry