Published by Margot January 2nd, 2010
in Advice and Junk Mail Services.
Gidday,
There are lot more very useful Junk Mail services out there to help you stop the catalogs coming to your personal home mailbox. A service such as www.stopthejunkmail.com, 41pounds or greendimes will work for you if you are persistent and stop every catalog that comes to your USPS mail box.
Stopping catalogs isn’t something that happens over night, most direct mail companies will send their catalogs to a bulk mailer up to 3 months in advance of a delivery date. Even if you contact a catalog direct mailer and ask to be removed from their mailing list they will automatically tell you that you may receive 3-4 additional catalogs.
or as Neiman Marcus says”
> We will make every effort to comply with your
> request. Please be advised that the names are
> selected for the mailing list in advance. You may
> receive four to six additional catalogs before
> the removal is complete.”
The second part of the puzzle is to look at the address label carefully each time you stop the catalogs. Your name may appear on the catalog mailing list 3 or 4 times and each time it is spelled differently or has a unique account number. Each of these need to be removed from the list.
A third possibility is that your name was on a rented list. In this case your name will only be added to their private catalog mail preference list if you actually order merchandise.
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot September 9th, 2009
in Advice.
Here is a new concept from The Company Store. The company Store is now offering an option for consumers to Opt-In to a “Reduced Mail Plan” in which you would only receive 4 catalogs throughout the year.
I would advise any of our members to call and sign up for this if they like to still receive The Company Store catalogs.
I would think that this is partially based upon the pressures that the recession is having on the direct mail business. But kudos to The company Store for recognizing that consumers do like to be offered choices.
Published by Margot August 26th, 2009
in Advice and Junk Mail Services.
Well it’s that time of year again, although I have read some recent blogs and articles about how the direct mail industry has been hit by the recession I don’t believe that this year will be much different. I would think they will be trying any method in order to get sales.
So, it is the time to get to work to block those Holiday catalogs coming to your mail box. You already have the “Back to School” Catalogs I am sure and then it’ll be the Fall issues trying to sell you Halloween and thanksgiving items.
Why now? Well most of these companies are already setting up printing for their holiday issues and photo shoots are completed. Catalog companies don’t do their own mailing, they leave it to bulk mailers who will ship on booked delivery date. Catalogs are delivered to bulk mailers well in advance of these dates.
Start making inroads now before it’s too late.
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot August 19th, 2008
in Advice and Junk Mail Services.
Gidday,
How to opt out of fliers from Valpak is not that difficult but you do need to allow 4-6 weeks before the process is complete.
Enter your full address exactly as you see it on the address label when you click here.
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot August 11th, 2008
in Advice and Junk Mail Services.
Gidday,
What happened to ADVO? Well they got taken over by Valassis last year.
You can still go to www.advo.com/consumersupport.html to opt out of ADVO flyers. It will take 5-6 weeks to become effective.
You can also call Valassis’ Consumer Assistance line toll free at 888-241-6760 (8:30am-5:00pm EST) or print this form and mail it in.
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot April 3rd, 2008
in Advice.
Gidday,
Valpak is mailed to 45 million households in North America each month, yes, each month, you didn’t read this incorrectly.
Due to the extensive lead times needed to produce and mail Valpak, you can receive additional mailings for over two or three months until your address is removed from their mailing list.
Valpak mailings are addressed to “Resident” and are updated by their list companies through the United States Postal Service. The USPS you say! How interesting. And they admit to mailing to every home in your neighborhood for greater coverage, which apparently provides a better response rate for local businesses. I’m sorry but every time I get one of these mailings they annoy me immensely and go straight in the recycling bin!
And here’s the best part, in order to ensure your address is removed from their mailing list, you have to return the actual envelope from one of the Valpak mailings to their address with the actual envelope label bearing the standardized address. Wow, they sure do make it hard and we have to pay the postage in order to accomplish this! But we never wanted to receive it on the first place!
Valpak
8575 Largo Lakes Dr
Largo FL 33773
Or you can go to their mailing list suppression webpage and do the same, but be sure it’s exactly as seen on the address label or your won’t be removed!
http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot March 5th, 2008
in Uncategorized and Advice.
Gidday,
I would like to share with you a note that a member received from Lands’ End this week after requesting a catalog opt out.
A stopthejunkmail.com member received a personal hand written note as follows: “Just a note to let you know we have removed your name from our catalog mailing lists as you requested. Please let us know if we may be of further assistance.” It came hand addressed and in a lovely personal Lands End Note card.
It just goes to show that reducing your unwanted junk mail isn’t such a hard task at all!
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot February 3rd, 2008
in Advice.
Gidday,
We just had a brilliant question yesterday at www.stopthejunkmail.com from one of our wonderful members. I love these questions because it means that the system is being used to the 100th degree.
” I received a catalog(West Elm) that I had put a stop order on. Now I have received another catalog addressed to me with a different source code- 58005-44. Should I resubmit with this number?”
The answer to this is YES, absolutely order another opt out for West Elm catalog.
This means that the members name has been obtained from a different source and although it may only be a one time junk mail mailing it is best to be safe and order another name removal for the same catalog with the different codes.
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Margot February 1st, 2008
in Advice.
Gidday,
Just this week stopthejunkmail.com received an email from Abacus that they are no longer honoring 3rd party junk mail opt out requests for individuals. The reason for this is unclear but I would hazard a guess that since they are DMA Mail Preference Service subscribers that they are abiding by the DMA’s new policy to “Just say NO” to 3rd party requests. Wow, the DMA is really flexing their muscles and fighting against 3rd parties such as www.stopthejunkmail.com, www.catalogchoice.org, www.proquo.com and www.greendimes.com.
Does this mean that if Abacus receives opt out requests from the DMA that they will not honor those either? Abacus will receive a DMA MPS opt out file containing a few million names and addresses each month, hmmmm….. isn’t the DMA a 3rd party? In their own words “Epsilon also complies with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail List Preference Service”.
Of course, at the same time, both companies say they are committed to consumers personal choices. You be the judge.
Cheerio,
Margot
Published by Bill January 30th, 2008
in Advice.
Gidday,
The importance of entering your customer or account number when opting out of catalogs is very important as detailed below in email responses we have received at www.stopthejunkmail.com’s customer service department recently for opt outs from Patagonia.
The address label on your catalog contains precise information so the catalog company can locate your personal information in their database. If you do not have your exact name and include the customer number then you will probably not be removed from their mailing list.
Our advice is to make sure that you give the catalog companies as much information as you can so they may find you in their database and successfully make your catalog choice.
*****************************
> Hello,
>
> Is there a customer number on the back of the catalog in a blue box? I
> cannot locate the name or address in our database. If there is no
> customer number or it is all zeroes it was a one-time mailing from us.
>
> Have a good day!
> Skye
> Patagonia Customer Service
>
Another Reply-
> Hi,
>
> Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we were unable to find you in
> our system and if you have a customer number we can then remove you from
> our list. If you do not have a customer number and it’s all zeros, it
> was a one time mailing from us. You can also go to
> http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html to have your name
> and address removed from other mailings.
>
> Thank you and have a good day!
>
> Nikki
> Patagonia Customer Service
>
>
And Another Reply—-
> Thank you for your email.
>
> Is there a customer number on the back of the catalog? If so, we need
> that number to remove you from our mailing list. If not, or the number
> is all zeros, it was a one time mailing from us.
>
> All the best!
>
> Ting
> Patagonia Customer Service
Cheerio,
Margot
