Intro:
Before you begin
Step 1:
Understand the origin of the system
Step 2:
Contact a direct marketing association near you
Step 3:
Contact the companies you do business with
Step 4:
Contact the major list sellers (USA)
Step 5:
Contact the credit bureaus
Step 6:
Be patient

A list of companies and their addresses that sell or distribute direct mail (see step below)

Stationery

Envelopes

Stamps

Optional:

Blank postcards--available at the post office for the cost of a domestic postcard stamp

About 30 minutes to do the basics; a couple of hours to squelch all sources.

Don't be cruel: There's no need to become angry or abusive to the senders of unwanted mail. Think about it: the person who handles your "no mail" request is probably not the person who organized the mailing. Why take it out on them? Instead, be polite--and unmistakably clear.

2torial #0514: Learn2 Avoid Junk Mail "Junk mail! Be gone!!!" Unfortunately, it takes more than an enthusiastic shout to rid your mailbox of unwanted, unsolicited offers for credit cards, record clubs, magazine subscriptions, and requests for contributions. But here's the good news: with a little work, one can severely limit those bothersome mail items. Following the steps of this 2torial will leave you with more time to read what YOU want to, as well as the knowledge you're conserving valuable natural resources. Decide how complete you wish your anti-junk mail campaign to be. If you merely wish to limit your exposure, you may contact the services that rent or sell your name and address. Or, you can wage a very direct campaign, contacting catalog companies directly. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. If you contact the services, you may miss out on an opportunity that you might have participated in. But if you contact each company directly, you may spend the time writing letters that you used to waste opening junk mail. Understand the origin of the system Any number of otherwise harmless actions will cause piles of junk mail to be sent to your door. For example, if you've ever ordered anything from a catalog subscribed to a magazine or newspaper listed your telephone number filed a change or address form filled out a warranty card you've no doubt been put on a mailing list. In many cases, there's not much you can do about it. But knowing where you're vulnerable will reduce the problem before you have a paper mountain in your home. Contact a direct marketing association near you This is the quickest and most effective method of eliminating junk mail. It'll get you on the "Don't mail to me" list of many companies, including ones you've never heard of. The result: You'll only receive catalogs and offers that you have requested yourself. Send a letter to the Direct Marketing Association's Preference Services. Include your name and address, and clearly state that you do not wish to receive any direct mail from its members. The addresses are: In the U.S.A.: Mail Preference Service Direct Marketing Association P.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008. In Canada: Mail Preference Service Direct Marketing Association of Canada 1 Concord Gate, Suite 607 Don Mills, Ontario M3C 3N6 In the U.K.: Mail Preference Service 1 Leeward House Plantation Wharf London SW113TY England Note: The DMA also has a telephone preference service that will remove your name from telemarketer's lists--hooray! No more evening telephone calls. Just send your name and telephone number to the DMA, care of the Telephone Preference Service. Contact the companies you do business with   This insures that you remain on the lists you choose to be, without being added to those you don't. The next time you order from a catalog, send in a warranty card, or fill out and send any form that includes your name and address, include a note that clearly states, "Do not rent or sell my name." Request that, in the future, a company include the "Don't rent or sell" option on all order forms. Some progressive companies are already doing this. Contact the major list sellers These are only some of the organizations who get your name from one source, put you in a database, and resell your name over and over again. Write a letter, as in Step 3, to:   Metromail List Maintenance, 901 West Bond, Lincoln, NE 68521   RL Polk and Co. List Compilation, 6400 Monroe Boulevard, Taylor, MI 48180-1814 Database America Compilation Department, 100 Paragon Drive, Montvale, NJ 07645-4591 Donnelly Marketing Inc. Database Operations, 1235 North Avenue, Nevada, IA 50201-1419 Contact the credit bureaus A lot of direct mail consists of offers for loans or credit cards (there are now something like over 7,000 cards available). Credit bureaus are the main culprits for this source of mail. Write them as above, also stating you wish not to be contacted, but know you will probably need to furnish your Social Security number. You can always call first to double-check the procedure. Equifax, P.O. Box 105873, Atlanta, Georgia , 30348 (1-800-685-1111) TRW, P.O. Box 949, Allen, TX, 75002-0949 (1-800-422-4879) Trans Union, P.O. Box 390, Springfield, PA, 19064-0393 (1-800-521-4019)ound. Be patient It often takes 2-3 months to have your requests processed and put a stop on the mailing. Alternatively, your request is processed and put on a dusty shelf or buried in some computer file. In this case... If it's been three months you see no positive change, re-send your letters to the appropriate agencies, return receipt requested. This is a certain type of mail service available at your post office. A postcard is sent along with your letter, and the postcard is returned to you as a guarantee that the company received your request. Try a combined attack--if you keep getting a certain catalogue, for example, send them a letter. But also call them on the phone--most direct-mail companies have a toll-free number, and their customer service staff is sometimes able to take your name off their mailing list right then. -end- Learn More!