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Strangers often promote themselves by contacting me personally. I am thinking of junk mail, junk e-mail, calls from telemarketers, visits from door-to-door solicitors, handbills left at my door. When I reflect on this, I realize how much my time, my money, and my environment are wasted.
I sift through the daily mound of junk mail chaff to find a kernel or two of wanted mail. Junk mail is a significant contributor to waste disposal, so I pay more for garbage hauling than I would without it. Included in the price I pay for the products I buy regularly is the cost of writing, reproducing, stuffing, and mailing the junk that I throw away. Forests are cut down faster than they would be otherwise. Landfills grow faster than they would otherwise. I stop whatever I'm doing to walk to the door, only to receive a solicitor. Or it's the telephone, and I listen as I'm greeted and then asked to pay attention to an unwanted sales pitch -- or I buy the expensive monthly service and expensive telephone which save me the trouble of listening, but not the trouble of walking to the telephone and reading the name of the caller. I spend time every day identifying and deleting junk e-mail. If I spend time and money to install junk e-mail filters, the problem is reduced but still does not go away. The fees I pay for phone service and e-mail service cover the costs of building and maintaining networks, so I pay more due to the volume of telemarketing and junk e-mail than I would otherwise.
I have some strategies for minimizing the time wasted by these unsolicited contacts.
I register my address with the Direct Marketing Association. This has led to a reduction of junk mail. For example, I do not receive the weekly "ADVO" packages (known as ShopWise in my area). Registration is good for five years, and takes three months to take effect, so the best plan is to register every four years. Mail your name, home address, and signature in a letter to:
I call junk mail advertisers to have my name unlisted, and I trace the listing to the source. I take notes. Companies often make (presumably good-intentioned) promises to "take down your information and have someone call you back." In reality, they forget to call, or they don't get all the information I provided. If I don't keep the mailing label and any identification number such as a "preferred customer number," and the name and number of people I've spoken to previously, I'm generally out of luck when they call back without a clue or when I have to call them again.
I'm persistent, but cordial. Advertiser representatives with whom I'm friendly often volunteer information and go out of their way to help me find the right person to help.
Two of my mailboxes are on UNIX systems, and I've been able to install a procmail filter which sorts out most of the junk. Another is a business mailbox, and I never give out the address except for business purposes, so it doesn't get into the hands of spammers. Another is one of those "free e-mail" services, which supplies its own junk mail filter that works some of the time. I have also heard of Internet service providers who filter your e-mail for you.
I pay for call waiting caller ID, and I generally do not take calls unless I recognize the caller. I've been told I could take these calls, tell the callers to place my number on their "do not call" list, keep call records, and if a caller is persistent, use this information to sue for up to $1500 per call.
These days I am not at home much during daylight hours when these people call. Should this change, my first strategy will be a simple "No Handbills / No Soliciting" sign.
Here are some contacts for dealing with specific companies that do direct marketing, from my own experience.
| Company | Notes | Contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Acxiom Corp. | sells names to SAM's Club, Sears, and other retailers |
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| Advo | sends coupon packages with post card bearing the delivery address; if your address is removed the mail carrier will still often deliver the coupon packages (see U.S. Mail) |
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| Allen Advertising | sends coupon envelopes; gets names from Lee Data |
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| American Research Group | sends brochures; gets names from SCOworld |
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| InsureDirect | sends letters; gets names from TransUnion Corporation |
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| Intelliguard | sends brochures |
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| KIDS"R"US | see TOYS"R"US | |
| Lee Data | sells addresses to Allen Advertising |
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| Levy & Son | Sends brochures. They have their own database but also use a direct marketing service. Jamie contacted the marketing service and added my name to a "do not mail" list. |
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| Professional Tree Care | leaves handbills at residences |
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| Progressive Insurance | sends letters |
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| REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) | sends catalogs allow 8 weeks for change to take effect |
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| Sam's Club | sends cards and catalogs; gets names from Acxiom Corp. |
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| SCOworld | sends magazines; sells names to American Research Group |
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| TOYS"R"US | sends catalogs |
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| Tuesday Morning | sends catalogs |
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| TransUnion Corp. | provides names for mailings by Equifax, TransUnion, Experien, and Consumer Credit Associates, such as credit offers |
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| U. S. Mail (U. S. Postal Service) | delivers Advo and other coupon packages (weekly junk mail packages); not supposed to deliver either the coupon package without the accompanying post card or vice versa |
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