Rid Yourself of Junkmail and Pesky Telemarketers
The Federal Trade Commission's national telemarketing Do Not Call list is live!
Junkmail and telemarketing is mostly a waste of time and resources. About 62 million trees and 25 billion gallons of water are used to produce a typical year's worth of junk mail in the United States. Worst of all, it puts you at greater risk for identity theft because each pre-approved credit offer that's sent to you is another invitation for someone to open a credit line in your name.
Here's how you slow the flow of junkmail and telemarketers:
Credit Bureaus
Main Opt-Out Line
888 567-8688
This call will
only take you about 30 seconds and it's well worth it. Just call
and talk to the nice automated voice response system (they don't
want you to talk to a human, it's too expensive!) and you can 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 flowing again.
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. The form is unmarked
and looks really generic. Don't let that bother you. Fill it out
and opt out of these offers permanently.
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
402 458-5247
This is a service unique to Experian (as far as I can tell) that 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 nice 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.
DMA - Direct Marketing Association Opt-Out
Mail Preference
Service
P.O. Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512
Or you can use
the DMA
Mailing List web form.
They charge $1 to send your request over the internet or to use
their form and mail it in.
Telephone Preference
Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 1559
Carmel, NY 10512
Or you can use
the DMA
Telemarketing web form.
They charge $5 to send your request over the internet, or it's free
to use their form and mail it in.
The DMA is an industry organization that 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 or telemarketing campaigns. The DMA updates the list every month or so, but a company might not update their list for three to six months. In other words, it's going to take a while before you see a big decrease in your junkmail.
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. You're going to have to mail them by hand, but we've provided some labels to make it easier.Dunn & Bradstreet
Customer Service
899 Eaton Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18025
Metromail Corporation
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521
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
Opting-out with the credit bureaus, DMA, and list brokers is a great start. It'll take a few months, but you should see a lot less mail and telemarketing calls before long. Here's what to do to stop the rest of the mail and telephone calls:
What to Do When a Telemarketer Calls
You must remember eight very important words. Write them down and stick them next to your phone.
"Put me on your do-not-call list."
Federal law requires telemarketers to keep a list of of consumers who don't want to be called. Confirm that the caller has placed you on this list each time you get a telemarketing call and you should reduce your calls over time. If you're even more serious about reducing your telemarketing calls, we've provided a script you can follow.
What to Do With Incoming Mail
First, directly contact those companies or organizations that currently send you junk mail. We've outlined four simple ways to do this:
- Write to
the company and ask that your name and address be removed from
their mailing list. (print junkmail
labels)
- 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 an 800 number. Call and ask that your name and address be removed from their mailing list.
More information on reducing junkmail.
