Within an hour you can
drastically reduce the amount of unwanted mail from your life. We believe the
biggest reduction in junk mail was to be unlisted in the telephone book. There
are many days we do not get mail! Of course the first thought is did someone
swipe it?
For ideas on reducing junk email, click
here.
For ideas on reducing unwanted telephone calls, click
here.
Though we all despise junk
mail, a potentially dangerous problem exists with unwanted credit card
solicitations. They can be used to steal your identity since many of them have
personal information on them. A good
locking mailbox helps mitigate this problem.
U. S. Postal Service
When you fill out a change
of address, the forwarding information is rented to "too many to count" private
businesses licensed by the U. S. Postal Service. This is how list brokers,
credit bureaus and others get your name in the first place. You might consider
not filing a change of address form when you move. Instead, send out your own
postcards to those whose mail you want to receive, and ask the post office to
hold your mail for pickup until everyone knows your new address.
If you are interested, go to
U.S. Post Office and read
their privacy statement on 'Change of Address' page. In it is a URL that
directs you to several lists of licensed businesses that will get your address
information. There were so many we did not bother to count them.
Credit Bureaus Main
Opt-Out Line
Call 1-888-567-8688 and
talk to the automated voice response system to opt-out of all credit-related
offers for two years, or permanently. You can also call back later and opt back
in if you want the credit offers to start coming again.
Opt out of preapproved and prescreened credit and insurance online either
for five years or permanently from Experian, Innovis, TransUnion, and Equifax.
If you choose to opt out permanently, you will receive an additional form in the
mail. Fill out this form and return it! If you don't, your lifetime opt out is
reduced to 2 years.
Using this service will remove you from all pre-approved credit-related mail or
phone offers coming from the credit bureau lists.
Experian Consumer
Services
Call 402-458-5247 to
removes your name from non-credit offers coming from Experian lists. That means
stuff like samples, coupons, catalogs, and local or national promotional flyers.
Once again, the call will take about 30 seconds as you talk to the automated
response system. You just have to tell them your name, address, phone number and
whether you want to opt-out of mail offers, phone offers, or both.
Send complete name
(including any name variations), mailing address and complete telephone number
(including area code) to:
Experian Consumer Services
901 West Bond Street
Lincoln, NE 68521
Please specify if you wish to be removed from mailing lists or telemarketing
lists.
Direct Marketing
Association Opt-Out
To remove yourself from
the mail preference service (MPS) use the
DMA Mailing List to make your request over the Internet or via mail.
Send your name and address to:
DMA Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
The DMA is an industry organization for the more reputable direct mailers belong
to. One service they provide to member companies and others, is to distribute a
list of people who want to opt-out of mail campaigns. The DMA updates the list
every month or so, but a company might not update their list for up to three
months. In other words, it's going to take a while before you see a big decrease
in your junk mail.
List Brokers
These companies sell mailing
lists to businesses and organizations. Write all of them and request that your
name be removed from all their mailing and telemarketing lists.
Dunn & Bradstreet
Customer Service
899 Eaton Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18025
Experian Consumer Services
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521
Metromail is now Experian and has a National Consumer Database with information
on everyone.
R.L. Polk & Co. - Name
Deletion File
List Compilation Development
26955 Northwestern Hwy
Southfield, MI 48034-4716
Database America
Compilation Department
470 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff, NJ 07677
What to Do With Incoming
Mail
First, directly contact
those companies or organizations that currently send you junk mail using one of
the following ways:
-
Write to the company and ask that your name and
address be removed from their mailing list.
-
Mail that displays the message "address-correction
requested" or "return postage guaranteed" can be returned unopened to the
sender by writing "Refused - Return to Sender" on the envelope. However,
writing "Return to Sender" on mail without this message will not work as the
post office will not return it to the sender.
-
If there is a postage-paid return envelope inside the
solicitation, detach your mailing label from the envelope, attach it with a
note asking that your name be deleted and mail it back to the sender. (They
have to pay for the postage). Do the same with a postage-paid return
postcard, by taping the mailing label to the card and asking that your name
be deleted.
-
Some of your junk mail (most catalogs) may include a
toll-free number. Call and ask that your name and address be removed from
their mailing list.
Credit Cards
For American Express card
holders, ask AMEX to remove your name from its direct marketing lists. You can
be removed from their in-house lists, outside company lists, or both. Contact:
Customer Service - American Express
200 Vesey St. Tower C
New York, NY 10285
1-800-327-2177
For all others, call or write to the customer service office for each credit
card you own asking them not to sell, trade or lend your name and address to any
organization for its mailing lists. You must do this for each card so that if
you have three Visa cards with different banks/institutions, you would have to
write each one individually.
Phone Books
Many organizations use
phone books as their national database. You may consider having an unlisted
number, or list just your name and phone number, not your address. Note that if
you are listed in a phone book your phone number is probably available on-line
since it is considered public domain.
Warranty Cards
It isn't necessary to
complete warranty cards to be covered by a warranty. Most warranty cards request
demographic information which is used to add your name to various organizations'
mailing lists. The only reason to return a warranty card is to find out about
product recalls. If you want to return the card for that reason, only provide
your name, address and product serial number.
Write to National Demographics and Lifestyles to be removed from the lists
created from warranty cards especially if you know you have filled one out in
the past.
National Demographics and Lifestyles
List Order Department
1621 18th St. Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202
