Legal Definitions - nixie

A nixie refers to a piece of mail that cannot be successfully delivered to its intended recipient. This typically happens because the address provided is incorrect, incomplete, or the recipient is no longer at that location.

• Example 1: Incorrect Address

  A university sends out acceptance letters to prospective students. One letter is addressed to "456 Oak Avenue," but the student's actual address is "4560 Oak Avenue." When the postal service attempts delivery, they cannot find a matching address for "456 Oak Avenue" and return the letter to the university.

  Explanation: This acceptance letter becomes a nixie because the incorrect street number prevents it from reaching the student's correct mailing address.

• Example 2: Recipient Moved Without Forwarding

  A magazine publisher mails the latest issue to a subscriber. Unknown to the publisher, the subscriber recently moved to a new state and did not set up mail forwarding with the postal service. When the mail carrier attempts delivery at the old address, they find no one by that name and return the magazine to the publisher.

  Explanation: The magazine is considered a nixie because the intended recipient is no longer at the provided address, making delivery impossible.

• Example 3: Incomplete or Non-existent Address

  A government agency sends a tax refund check to a citizen. Due to a data entry error, the mailing address on the envelope is missing the apartment number, reading only "789 Pine Street, City, State, Zip Code." The mail carrier reaches "789 Pine Street" but cannot determine which specific apartment unit the check should go to, leading to its return to the agency.

  Explanation: This refund check is a nixie because the incomplete address prevents the postal service from identifying the precise delivery point, rendering it undeliverable.