I recently helped someone with a parking ticket. They offered a response to the parking ticket which was issued in error, and the local authority responded in such a way it was clear they hadn’t even bothered to read or review the evidence put forward in the person’s response. I attempted to reply and was met with an email saying the mailbox is invalid; effectively, it was an email address you couldn’t reply to! When we responded to the confirmation of receipt of representation email, another automatic email was immediately received saying the mailbox is unmonitored and to contact “parking services” at Leicester City Council! So we googled parking service at Leicester City Council we couldn’t find an email address or phone number, and there wasn’t a means of contact in the automated email either. The email basically said “not our problem, talk to someone else”.
So we called the local council and asked for the email address, they didn’t know it either! Several hours later, we finally managed to find an email address and emailed them. A couple of days later, a reply was received which asked a question, for clarity, and upon replying, we were met with the same email that said the mailbox was invalid! So then we had to go to our sent emails and fetch the email address to email them again – for anyone who doesn’t store sent emails, they’d be in trouble! It shouldn’t be this way.
It’s crazy when we receive an email from the local authority, from the bank or debt collectors using no-reply email addresses to send important correspondence which, to reply, requires significant action from the recipient, often searching a website for a contact form to receive a reply from another no-reply email address.
Organisations do this to disrupt your ability to maintain an evidence trail. If you reply to a no-reply email address, they can claim they did not receive your important reply.
This causes delays, and in case of parking fines, debt and other incidents which could lead to litigation in the court, I propose that no-reply email addresses should be abolished so that communication is made accessible to all. Their use not only makes it difficult for the average person but it also discriminated against those with conditions which require the use of technological aids to be able to use electronic devices and communication methods effectively.
Whilst there is always a valid reason to use no-reply email addresses, especially for unmonitored email addresses used to send automatic documents, such as bank statements. However, even these should have a valid reply-to address, so that if any discrepancies are realised, the customer can easily refer to the document and the error, without having to waste time looking for a contact method to notify the organisation.
Alternatively, organisations can set up catch-all email addresses so that any no-reply or invalid email addresses are forwarded to a “switchboard” to be redirected to the relevant party much like call centre switchboards have operated for decades.
For too long, organisations have been able to cause unnecessary inconvenience to stakeholders by making it increasingly difficult to speak to a person. Often, we battle pages of frequently asked questions and speaking to chat bots begging to speak to a real person.
It is true that we should all have the freedom to decide how we want to be contacted, but in matters which are important, such as financial matters, where fraud or other crime is taking or may have taken place, where there is an error or where there is any reasonable expectation that the person receiving the no-reply email may wish to respond, refusing or otherwise making it more difficult than hitting the “reply button” simply shouldn’t be allowed in law.
Therefore, I think we should write to our local MP asking them to consider raising the issue in parliament; at the time of writing, this isn’t possible as the government has been dissolved ahead of the general election on 4th July 2024 but when we vote, we should consider voting for a party that is committed to our best interests as individuals because it is only with a majority government that cares about us that organisations will be prevented from taking advantage of us.
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Email is not responded to by Leicester City Council
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