Who Says You Can't Get Rid Of Junk Mail?
You Won't Eliminate All Unwanted Mail, But You <I>Can</I> Reduce Flow
That's a lot of unsolicited paper creeping into your life. Most of us don't read it or respond to it, but we do have to dispose of it.
If you're like most of us, you'd love to decrease the barrage of junk that monopolizes most of our mail.
Before trying to reduce it, first look at why it's getting through to you.
Why You're Getting So Much Junk Mail
If you've bought anything (of course you have) with or without a credit card in the recent past -- in person, by phone, by mail or through the Internet -- your name is on a wide number of mailing lists. It's downright spooky when you think about it. When you bought a sweater from a catalog or signed up for new telephone service, you may have inadvertently given away personal and demographic information to those who buy lists.
So what's wrong with that? Well, if your name is Anna Olsen, for example, and you're using credit cards to buy a professional wardrobe, airline tickets (for solo travel) and designer dog accessories, you're telling direct marketers of America that you're probably of Scandinavian heritage, are a professional woman (probably on your way up the corporate ladder because of your age, if known), are single, and have a significant amount of disposable income (because of the dog treats).
Pretty soon you're going to start getting other catalogs and direct mailings oriented to what is assumed to be your income and lifestyle.
Oh, and by the way, even if you haven't been spending freely, marketers can guesstimate statistics about you from your address and ZIP code.
Private Sources Of Information
Naturally, some of the mailings that you get may interest you. Most direct marketers, though, are guessing what you'll buy based on whatever information they have about you. So the flood of unwanted paper probably includes an exorbitant number of offers and advertisements of no interest to you.
To "cast a wider net," savvy marketers may ask you to fill out surveys so that they can send mailings customized to your lifestyle. The request may be in exchange for a free product, but not necessarily. They're counting on you to dutifully return the surveys completely filled out.
When I see these surveys, I always wonder why people fill them out. To me, they're an invasion of privacy. Just because you bought a new camera, why should you feel obligated to divulge your income bracket, how many trips you take in a year, or how many bathrooms you have in your house? Incidentally, those surveys are widely distributed in targeted spots like magazines and attached to products.
You'll also find them in envelopes containing free coupons (which regularly arrive at my household via unsolicited mail). If you return these surveys filled out -- guess what, you've now expanded the number of lists you're on.
List brokers, the people who sell information for marketing purposes, and are themselves listed in the Yellow Pages, are in business to sell names and addresses of residences and businesses.
The first time I contacted a list broker, I was amazed at how the process works. You tell them what type of profile you're after. For instance, let's say you're going to send out a mailing asking for a contribution to the expansion of your local humane society. You're targeting women ages 35 to 55, those who have contributed to a charity in the past year, and are pet owners.
Each "select" or category will cost you a predetermined amount of money. In this case there are four categories: women, age, those inclined to donate and pet owners. You could also narrow down your prospects, depending on your budget and your list broker's available statistics, by range of income and ZIP codes.
The idea is that the more you know about someone, the better you can cater to their wants. See, that's why you're getting so much junk mail. There's a growing amount of information on file on all of us through private and public agencies.
Public Sources Of Information
When direct marketers don't have a lot of information about your buying power and habits, they can access general information about your household from the U.S. Census Bureau and its databases.
Sometimes marketers obtain information about you because the Department of Motor Vehicles sells information from its database. Check with the Federal Trade Commission to see if your Department of Motor Vehicles sells your name and address.
How To Take A Stand
The problem with getting rid of junk mail is that it's difficult to track down who sold the list and who maintains it. You probably have no idea how diligent you're going to have to be to get your name removed from multiple sources.
The process is also frustrating because lists are set weeks in advance of mailings. So even if you contact the right sources, it can take months for your name to be removed from a list.
When you contact the following sources, always make your request to opt out of their mailings in writing. Then, if they don't abide by your requests, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission and file a complaint.
Contact the Direct Marketers Association and ask them to stop sending unsolicited mail. Contact the big list brokers, like Donnelly Marketing, Inc. at Data Base Operations, P.O. Box 3502, Ames, Iowa 500010-3502, (515) 382-5441, or Database America at Compilation Department, 100 Paragon Drive, Montvale, NJ 07645-4591, (800) 223-7777. Or contact Metromail Corp. at Consumer Services, 901 West Bond, Lincoln, NE 68521, (800) 228-4571. Request that your name be put on their "do not contact" list.
Contact individual organizations or companies that repeatedly send you unwanted mail. Tell them to take your name off their "to rent" or "share" list.
Contact the big three credit reporting agencies and tell them to stop renting, selling or sharing your name and their assumed knowledge of your financial picture. Outfits that mail preapproved credit cards are some of the vendors that use credit bureaus to buy names. Write "take-me-off-your-list" letters to Trans Union, Experian, Equifax.
If you don't want your credit made available on the Internet, tell them to stop providing that accessibility too.
Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles and ask them to delete your name from the list that they rent, share or sell.
If you're getting a ream of catalogs and unwanted sales promotions, look for the company's fax number on their mail. Fax them a letter saying that you want them to stop sending you unwanted mail.
To get really tough about stopping the flow, contact your post office and ask for Form 1500 or 2150. You can use these forms for non-governmental organizations or businesses. Attach the form to each mailing that you want to stop, and then give this to your post office to keep on file.
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