Have you ever sent something in the mail and it came back to you, emblazoned with a big yellow sticker? Have you ever wondered what exactly that yellow sticker is?
Covered in a lot of cryptic code with little to no information on how to proceed, few things are more frustrating than undeliverable like addressed mail or uaa. uaa mail has been a constant problem for consumers, but an even bigger problem among businesses that rely on direct mail.
With 17% of Americans changing their address each year and only 40% reporting that change to the United States Postal Service® (USPS®), it’s no wonder UAA Mail can spell trouble fast for businesses. businesses that depend on accurate direct mail. . in 2013, 4% of mail was not delivered, which is equivalent to 6.7 million pieces of mail.
To combat this, many mail carriers look to resources like usps postalpro (formerly known as ribbs® usps), or expert data quality services like ncoalink®, acs™ and a dozen other processes to stay ahead of wrong addresses. .
Today, it’s easier than ever to determine the cause of bounced mail or uaa: In many cases, uaa mail will be sent back to you with a nixie or uaa code, which represents the various reasons why a piece mail might not reach the desired location. Knowing what each code means and how it could have happened goes a long way in reducing or even eliminating uaa mail.
There are over 20 possible uaa codes that can be displayed in returned mail and while some are self explanatory others are confusing and unusual. below, we’ll break down each uaa code, share what it means, and how to fix it.
uaa code: cannot be delivered as indicated or cannot be forwarded
Possibly one of the most common bounces, this means the recipient of the mailing has moved or the data doesn’t match the address on the mailing. For various reasons, this correspondence cannot be forwarded. this should be represented by a return code of 23 or 27 from cass or ncoalink.
uaa code: insufficient address
this uaa code means that something essential is missing. it could be a P.O. Box™ or mailing address without a number, a missing or missing city, state or ZIP Code™, a missing route, or other essential address information. To avoid this, avoid postal addresses that receive a return code of 10-17 from Cass or NcoaLink.
uaa code: attempt – unknown
This means that the recipient of the correspondence is not known and does not reside at the address in question. this is one of the most difficult uaa codes to predict, as neither ncoalink nor cass can guarantee that a specific recipient resides at a specific address. it can be determined if residents have moved from that address, but if they never lived there, no movement will be found. the only way to work to eliminate these errors is to make sure your data comes from trusted sources.
uaa code: no mail receptacle
address does not have an official usps acceptable mailing receptacle. for example, some gated communities have a mail center instead of having a mailbox in front of every house. in this case, the 123rd street door cannot be delivered because there is no mailbox; instead you would have to go to the gate 123 mail center. these are usually marked by the usps with a ghost route (crrt of r777) or another more obvious problem return code.
uaa code: no such number
The exact number on your correspondence does not exist for this street. the most likely cause of this is bad data. the number is outside the range of numbers for this street, in which case you will receive a return code of cass 21, or the number may be within the range of the street, but the exact number listed does not exist.
uaa code: returned for a better address
The address on your correspondence is insufficient for delivery and, generally speaking, there is a better address for this recipient or location. this is indicated by having an unwanted return code after cass and ncoalink processing.
uaa code: unreadable
The way the address appears on the mail makes it unreadable to postal sorting machines and/or USPS personnel. for this, it is essential to look at the design and printing of the label, and work to produce a piece that can be read accurately.
uaa code: out of delivery limits
The Post Office™ to which this mail was sent for delivery does not cover this location. your next step? check the previous classification tables and tagging lists to see if this work was classified with those that are no longer valid or are in their second month of being valid. The USPS updates this information every month, so it is possible that the post office that covers the address in question has changed. this can also be the case for an incorrect city: in some areas, even though the residence is technically located in a city, its mailing address (and therefore the post office) is different.
uaa code: returned by postage
no postage present on the correspondence and no indication that postage was present. using printed directions should solve this, as long as you don’t have production issues that prevent the directions from printing. the usps should only return it if there is also no indication that the postage was posted and then removed.
uaa code: moved, without leaving address
the recipient has moved but has not filed a change of address (coa) order. the usps knows the person does not live here, but without information on where to send mail and how to update the address, ncoalink processing, they will not be able to return a move/new address. For this problem, PCOA, Data Marketing Services’ proprietary change-of-address tool, would be the best option, since the recipient has likely updated his address with multiple businesses he frequents.
uaa code: temporarily absent
recipient is not present, but is generally counted as a residence. on top of that, any temporary forwarding or mail hold orders have expired. ncoalink may report this as a temporary move depending on the exact situation.
uaa code: rejected
the recipient refused the mail outright or refused to pay any additional postage due. You can combat this by making sure enough postage is put on the mail, but even that can’t stop someone from accepting mail they don’t want.
uaa code: vacant
no person currently occupies this address. must be marked in the dpv® vacant field when returned from cass and/or ncoalink.
uaa code: box closed – no order
The PO Box in question was closed and no forwarding information was left, which could be due to non-payment. this should provide a return code of 26 from ncoalink.
uaa code: unclaimed
mail was not removed from the receptacle on time, causing the carrier to pick it up again. this could be a matter of poor data quality, incorrect postal data, or something more recipient-specific.
uaa code: deceased
This uaa code is simple, since the recipient is deceased. This type of undeliverable mail can be remedied by using bcc software’s suppression services process to mark records as deceased and then remove those records from your lists.
uaa code: returned to sender due to recipient violation
There are several variations of this, but in all cases, the recipient violated a postal order or rule, which generally implies a misrepresentation. for this bounce, no mail action can be taken beyond removing the recipient from future mailings.
uaa code: disputed
There is some disagreement among postal officials regarding the delivery of mail to this location. Usually this means that the local authority has some reason not to deliver that has not been fully confirmed and fully entered into the cass system. this is not yet reflected in the cass or ncoalink tables, so there is no remedy other than making sure your encoding data is up to date.
uaa code: there is no such office in the state
This means that the post office that would handle the shipment based on its classification does not exist. The most likely cause of this uaa code is outdated taglists or taglists in their second month of validity when another set of taglists has already been published.
uaa code: there is no such street
The street listed at this address does not exist. the return code would be 10 or 17 after cass.
Now that you have more information about what each uaa code means and how we can eliminate these issues, you can start getting better results from your submissions. Please note that this list does not cover all possible return codes or the reasons for them, but it does cover the basics and help point you in the right direction if you run into return mail issues. If you have any questions, please contact our knowledgeable customer service team at 800.624.5234.