Paper-based spam. Been around for years before the Internet. How can we punish illegal spammers for doing the exact same thing that legitimate companies have been doing for years? Junk mail in the mailboxes, telemarketing calls at dinnertime, LITTER in the form of 'information' dumped on my doorstep. And now even major companies are spamming my mailbox with offers that I don't want.
The opt-out function is worthless. Going to their site to change my 'preferences' is useless; within a month, my 'preferences' have mysteriously changed back. I even get spam from my Internet provider that I've finally taken to just blocking through the spam filter. I have some magazine subscriptions that, only a month or two after renewing, send me notices that my subscription is in danger of expiring and I should renew, apparently hoping that I won't remember that I recently did so, and send them even more money.
A couple years ago, I rented a P.O. box for my business mail, which quickly choked up on junk mail. Asking the post office not to do that was answered that the junk mailers pay to have their mail delivered and so it must be delivered. Personally, it seems to me that my business mail has been paid to be delivered, too, but it can't fit in with the junk mail. That's okay; I can just pick it up during business hours at the clerk's window. One, I'm working during business hours and, two, why can't I pick up the JUNK MAIL from the clerk's window instead?
And, business being what it is in a country of 300 million, one person's threat to discontinue doing business with such offending companies that send out literally tons of crap is met with unconcern. I don't want to hear about Global Warming and going Green and all the other hype about MY responsibilities for the environment until companies are forced to discontinue shipping out thousands of pounds of worthless paper each and every day through the postal system or neighborhood distribution at household doorsteps.
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I agree that mailers need to be held responsible for their damage, but don't agree with you that it's the same as spam. Mailers at least pay for the printing and postage themselves. Spammers don't: they STEAL the bandwidth, and usually the computing power, that they use to send their messages. That's criminal, and should be prosecuted zealously. -rc
Mike from Dallas: The PO clerk was correct. The Post Office MUST deliver all mail on which proper postage has been paid, even if you ask them not to. Congress has passed laws requiring it, and the courts have upheld those laws. The only way to stop it is at the source, by asking the mailer not to send it, and we all know how successful that will be. There is a limited exception for sexually oriented mail, whereby you can direct the post office to put you on a list, which mailers of sexually oriented mail must consult and remove your name from their mailing list. There are two forms for SO mail. One puts you on the Post Office list.
The other (PS Form 1500) is for mail from a specific mailer, and you turn it in to the post office with the objectionable piece of mail, and the mailer gets a letter from the USPS, directing that they remove your name from their mailing list. The kicker is that YOU determine what is objectionable. When I was still working at the post office, we had one customer who submitted the form attached to a Sears catalog. He considered the catalog "sexually oriented" material because it had pictures of women modeling lingerie... and we HAD to accept it, and forward it on to legal. And Sears had to remove his name from their mailing list, or face criminal penalties. He also did it with some other catalogs, none of which had women modeling lingerie in them, but did have kitchen appliances and household items.
So... I guess you could return those credit card applications to the post office with PS Form 1500 and get your name off their mailing list.
When I lived in parts of the country where having a fireplace was a good thing, I loved getting this kind of mailing. With cheap shredders available, it is even better. You can make some decent paper logs for the fireplace or woodstove out of this. http://www.two3five.com/paperlog.htm has some interesting ideas, including the one I used of soaking the paper, squeezing it in a flower pot with drain holes and letting it dry.
I have a friend who runs a debt collection agency and he sends this type of mail back with a note on the agency letterhead signed by his secretary asking to be notified if they find the addressee as they wish to have a word with him. that seems to work as well.
Just write with a bold-tip Sharpie on the face of the unopened envelope "Deceased - return to sender" and drop it in the mailbox.
The sender gets told that the address is no good, and they have to pay a premium for the service (they get charged return postage).
The "Deceased - Return to Sender" thing only works if the envelope either has first-class postage (hardly any of them do) or has the words "Service Requested" along with anything besides "Return Service Requested", which hardly any of them do. I work for the U.S. Postal Service processing returned & forwarded mail. First-Class mail will get returned, but the service has already been paid for with the first-class stamp. Standard mail will get returned ONLY if it has one of the standard endorsements. "Return Service Requested" is a free service that returns the envelope along with forwarding address information. Most of them are now using electronic forwarding info. I know, too much info, but in a nutshell, writing "Deceased" on the envelope won't make them pay a premium.
I recently noticed a huge drop in the amount of junk mail I receive and realized that I was no longer getting solicited by Capital One five times a week (often two offers on a single day!).
Now if my current bank would just stop with the "Steal me" mailings boldly labeled "Account Information Enclosed" which contain "checks" I can use to access the high-interest + high-fee cash equivalent side of my credit card. I keep expecting someone to steal and use those checks which I have no use for.
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Call your credit card company and ask them to stop sending them. Both companies I use got them turned off easily. -rc
Most of the credit card offers I get have a thing on it that mentions something about "Contact here to be removed from these types of offers" or something to that effect. I've never gotten around to trying it, but wouldn't that work?
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That's a positive development. I would think it would work -- for that particular company. But how many companies do you have to say "no" to how many times? -rc
Paper-Based Spam - Comments
Paper-based spam. Been around for years before the Internet. How can we punish illegal spammers for doing the exact same thing that legitimate companies have been doing for years? Junk mail in the mailboxes, telemarketing calls at dinnertime, LITTER in the form of 'information' dumped on my doorstep. And now even major companies are spamming my mailbox with offers that I don't want.
The opt-out function is worthless. Going to their site to change my 'preferences' is useless; within a month, my 'preferences' have mysteriously changed back. I even get spam from my Internet provider that I've finally taken to just blocking through the spam filter. I have some magazine subscriptions that, only a month or two after renewing, send me notices that my subscription is in danger of expiring and I should renew, apparently hoping that I won't remember that I recently did so, and send them even more money.
A couple years ago, I rented a P.O. box for my business mail, which quickly choked up on junk mail. Asking the post office not to do that was answered that the junk mailers pay to have their mail delivered and so it must be delivered. Personally, it seems to me that my business mail has been paid to be delivered, too, but it can't fit in with the junk mail. That's okay; I can just pick it up during business hours at the clerk's window. One, I'm working during business hours and, two, why can't I pick up the JUNK MAIL from the clerk's window instead?
And, business being what it is in a country of 300 million, one person's threat to discontinue doing business with such offending companies that send out literally tons of crap is met with unconcern. I don't want to hear about Global Warming and going Green and all the other hype about MY responsibilities for the environment until companies are forced to discontinue shipping out thousands of pounds of worthless paper each and every day through the postal system or neighborhood distribution at household doorsteps.
---
I agree that mailers need to be held responsible for their damage, but don't agree with you that it's the same as spam. Mailers at least pay for the printing and postage themselves. Spammers don't: they STEAL the bandwidth, and usually the computing power, that they use to send their messages. That's criminal, and should be prosecuted zealously. -rc
Posted by: Mike from Dallas | March 27, 2008 12:57 PM
Mike from Dallas: The PO clerk was correct. The Post Office MUST deliver all mail on which proper postage has been paid, even if you ask them not to. Congress has passed laws requiring it, and the courts have upheld those laws. The only way to stop it is at the source, by asking the mailer not to send it, and we all know how successful that will be. There is a limited exception for sexually oriented mail, whereby you can direct the post office to put you on a list, which mailers of sexually oriented mail must consult and remove your name from their mailing list. There are two forms for SO mail. One puts you on the Post Office list.
The other (PS Form 1500) is for mail from a specific mailer, and you turn it in to the post office with the objectionable piece of mail, and the mailer gets a letter from the USPS, directing that they remove your name from their mailing list. The kicker is that YOU determine what is objectionable. When I was still working at the post office, we had one customer who submitted the form attached to a Sears catalog. He considered the catalog "sexually oriented" material because it had pictures of women modeling lingerie... and we HAD to accept it, and forward it on to legal. And Sears had to remove his name from their mailing list, or face criminal penalties. He also did it with some other catalogs, none of which had women modeling lingerie in them, but did have kitchen appliances and household items.
So... I guess you could return those credit card applications to the post office with PS Form 1500 and get your name off their mailing list.
Posted by: Larry, from SF Bay Area | March 28, 2008 11:42 PM
When I lived in parts of the country where having a fireplace was a good thing, I loved getting this kind of mailing. With cheap shredders available, it is even better. You can make some decent paper logs for the fireplace or woodstove out of this. http://www.two3five.com/paperlog.htm has some interesting ideas, including the one I used of soaking the paper, squeezing it in a flower pot with drain holes and letting it dry.
Posted by: Bill from Phoenix | March 28, 2008 11:43 PM
I have a friend who runs a debt collection agency and he sends this type of mail back with a note on the agency letterhead signed by his secretary asking to be notified if they find the addressee as they wish to have a word with him. that seems to work as well.
Posted by: Ernest Junee, NSW, Australia | March 29, 2008 12:19 AM
Just write with a bold-tip Sharpie on the face of the unopened envelope "Deceased - return to sender" and drop it in the mailbox.
The sender gets told that the address is no good, and they have to pay a premium for the service (they get charged return postage).
Posted by: Mike, Arcadia, Calif. | March 29, 2008 10:24 PM
The "Deceased - Return to Sender" thing only works if the envelope either has first-class postage (hardly any of them do) or has the words "Service Requested" along with anything besides "Return Service Requested", which hardly any of them do. I work for the U.S. Postal Service processing returned & forwarded mail. First-Class mail will get returned, but the service has already been paid for with the first-class stamp. Standard mail will get returned ONLY if it has one of the standard endorsements. "Return Service Requested" is a free service that returns the envelope along with forwarding address information. Most of them are now using electronic forwarding info. I know, too much info, but in a nutshell, writing "Deceased" on the envelope won't make them pay a premium.
Posted by: Lynn, Salt Lake City, UT | April 1, 2008 3:26 AM
I recently noticed a huge drop in the amount of junk mail I receive and realized that I was no longer getting solicited by Capital One five times a week (often two offers on a single day!).
Now if my current bank would just stop with the "Steal me" mailings boldly labeled "Account Information Enclosed" which contain "checks" I can use to access the high-interest + high-fee cash equivalent side of my credit card. I keep expecting someone to steal and use those checks which I have no use for.
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Call your credit card company and ask them to stop sending them. Both companies I use got them turned off easily. -rc
Posted by: Roy, Wichita Kansas | April 5, 2008 10:31 PM
Most of the credit card offers I get have a thing on it that mentions something about "Contact here to be removed from these types of offers" or something to that effect. I've never gotten around to trying it, but wouldn't that work?
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That's a positive development. I would think it would work -- for that particular company. But how many companies do you have to say "no" to how many times? -rc
Posted by: Jenna, Michigan | April 11, 2008 10:57 AM
Read the article that everyone's commenting on, or post a comment about it.