[StilettoMum]

Ok, a letter arrives in your postbox, the address panel was upside down, you only notice address as yours and in innocence you opened it up.

The letter is addressed to your landlord (specifically the landlord's wife by name) and the contents of the letter detail that her husband should cease sexually harrassing women or a collective of women would take action.

To complicate the matter you know wife as she is a friend.

What would you do?

Added to clarify no return address provided.

This post has been edited by StilettoMum: 12/11/2012, 08:35 PM

[PatG]

Seal it back up and return to sender

[kriattica]

Return to sender or forward on, they wont know you opened it and know about it if you return to sender though.

[Ehill]

. That is terrible.

Do you know the landlords address? If so you could re-envelope it, correctly address it and post it as though nothing ever happened! Throw away the other envelope.

[Ehill]

Seal it back up and return to sender

Yes but then the OP could get in trouble for tampering with mail. It would be obvious she opened it.

[mum201]

. That is terrible.

Do you know the landlords address? If so you could re-envelope it, correctly address it and post it as though nothing ever happened! Throw away the other envelope.

This!!!

[Frau Farbissina]

I would return to sender (give them the correct address if you have it) and advise it was opened accidentally. I don't know what happens to people who accidentally open someone elses mail. Probably nothing.

ETA - if there is no return address I would do the new envelope thing

This post has been edited by Frau Farbissina: 12/11/2012, 08:15 PM

[casime]

Yes but then the OP could get in trouble for tampering with mail. It would be obvious she opened it

Yes, because there's a group of prosecutors just sitting around waiting to pounce on people who accidently open a letter delivered to their mailbox.

[kahm]

Well, first I'd post a question on the web...

But seriously, you've made an honest mistake and stumbled into something that isn't your business. The way I see it, you've got two options:

1) Reseal, write "not at this address, return to sender" on it, which is true and pop it back in the post.

2) Reseal, cross out old address, write real address if you happen to know it, pop it back in the post.

I think that the first option is your best bet. I don't imagine that writing to someone's wife about that person's alleged sexual harassment speaks of a particularly professional attempt to resolve a problem. Awkward, sure, but your business? Not really.

[StilettoMum]

I'll clarify a few things.

- Wasn't me who opened letter, asking on behalf of a friend
- No return address and no identifying details in letter, so cannot return to sender