GLENDALE, AZ — Carol Atwood has lived in her Glendale home for years. In that time, she received a few mis-mailed items and never thought much of it.
"I just thought it was a mistake and that someone maybe slipped in a wrong number on the address or wrong street," explained Carol.
But in the past few months, she said it's happening more and more.
"I started getting Glendale Custom Decks' mail. I gave it back to the postman and told him that this was a residence, not a business," said Carol.
It started with one or two mailers addressed to businesses but with Carol's address. However, Carol said she soon started receiving more mailers with other business names sent to her address.
"...then when this FedEx package came, I really got concerned," she said.
A family member of Carol reached out to Glendale Custom Decks and other businesses to let them know what was going on. But her address was still listed at the bottom of their website. So, she contacted the Let Joe Know team.
"What if they have an irate customer?" Carol asked, worried about her address being so visible.
We called Glendale Custom Decks and days later, they removed Carol's address from their website. They had already removed it from their Google listing.
In a phone call, a representative for the company called it a "frustrating misunderstanding" stating they believed someone had given them permission to use the address. Carol and her family say they've never done that.
The company says no customer mail was ever sent to Carol and they're working with her to contact any third-party and marketing companies that may be sending mail to her address.
We're still reaching out to the other businesses Carol's receiving mail from.
What if something similar happens to you?
A spokesperson with the United States Postal Service tells us if you receive unwanted mail, you have three options:
- Refuse it to the carrier
- Keep the item(s)
- Throw the mail away.
A tip for all consumers.
You may want to search your address online periodically. If you believe it is incorrectly linked to a listing, you can start a dispute with online search engines.
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