Reducing Junk Mail
How did I get on these lists
in the first place?
What we call junk mail is
actually the result of direct marketing campaigns designed to get you to buy a
product or service. It’s called direct
marketing because it attempts to match you and your buying preferences with
offers that are likely to make you buy a product or service.
When you purchase a product
or service and give the company your name and address, the chances are you are
being added to one or more mailing lists used for direct marketing. This is true when you buy a car or a house,
use a shopping card, sign up for a credit card, subscribe to a magazine, buy
something from a catalog, give money to a charity, or fill out a product registration
form.
How can I get off the lists?
Mailing lists of major
national marketers
·
Register on
line. You may also sign up online at the
DMA’s website for a $1 fee charged to your credit card at: www.dmacomsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist. DMA says this option is quicker than by
postal mail.
Catalogs,
mail order lists and magazines
When
you buy something from a mail order catalog, your transaction is likely to be
reported to Abacus, owned by DoubleClick Digital Advertising.
There
are two ways to opt out of the Abacus database.
·
By e-mail: optout@abacus-us.com
·
By mail:
Abacus,
Inc.
Pre-approved offers of credit
Many of the companies you do
business with provide data to credit bureaus about how much you owe and how
promptly you pay your bills. The four
credit bureaus are Equifax, Experian, TranUnion, and Innovis.
For more information on credit reporting, see Fact
Sheet 6, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs6-crdt.htm.
(888) 5OPTOUT (888-567-8688)
is a single number you can call to opt-out of Innovis and the three major
credit bureaus. It is available in
English and Spanish.
Charities and nonprofits
Charities and nonprofit
groups often rent or exchange each other’s lists.
When you fill out the form
that goes with your donation, look to see if there’s a box to check indication
you do not want your name sold or rented.
Checking that box will reduce similar solicitations. If you don’t find an opt-out box to check,
enclose a note requesting that the organization not rent, sell or exchange your
name and address with anyone else.
Product registration cards and consumer
surveys
Be aware that warranty or
“product registration” cards have less to do with warranties than they do with
mailing lists. These cards often ask you
about your hobbies, the number of people in your household, your income, and
other information the company obviously does not need to guarantee the product.
What if I only want to stop part of my
“junk” mail?
Junk mail is only junk when
you don’t want to receive it. You may
want to be on some mailing lists. If you want to receive some of this mail, do not contact the Direct Marketing
Association’s Mail Preference Service.
Rather, notify companies individually and tell them you want y our name
removed from their lists. Also, tell the
companies you do business with to keep your name and address private. A growing number of businesses that rent
their mailing lists are including statements in their literature to let you
know you have this option.
For more detail information:
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm