Let’s get rid of that junk mail!
Posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 3:36 pmSo you took the pledge to Junk Your Junk Mail at c3.newdream.org but now you’re trying to figure out how to actually get rid of all that mail?
There are two ways you can go about getting rid of your junk mail:1. You can pay a service such as 41pounds.org to help get rid of 80 to 95 percent of that junk mail.
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OR-2. You can do it yourself.Start with our free forms. This will help get rid of all those credit card offers you’ve been swamped with.Now let’s get rid of Val-Pak. You know, those blue envelopes you receive with coupons you never bother taking to the store? Just visit their unsubscribe page.
How about catalogs? Many mail order companies provide your information to Abacus, which is owned by DoubleClick Digital Advertising. To get out of their database, email your name (including your middle initial), current address, and any other address you might still have associated with you (particularly if you just moved) to optout@abacus-us.com
That won’t get rid of all of your catalogs. You may need to start manually calling each company that sends you a catalog. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you ways to get off of the lists of the commonly sent catalogs.
Actually, just visit our blog posting here to learn about Catalog Choice, which ends the need to manually cancel your catalogs.
We’ll also be giving you information about junking of all kinds of other junk mail–get ready to have a much emptier mailbox! (It won’t feel sad, I promise.)
If there’s a specific catalog list that you’d like to get off of but are not sure how, email me at hanaa@newdream.org. Likewise, we’d love to hear of your success stories so please send those to me as well!
googled Val-Pak — unsubscribe page didn’t work as a link.
optout@abacus-us.com is an email address, I pasted it into my email To: window, and did what it waid. Let’s hope it doesn’t get a flood of new email
There are also phone numbers on things like Clipper Magazine. i called. left info, hope it works.
posted on September 19th, 2007 at 10:50 amWhat about political junk mail? 2008 is an election year, and I find that some of the most egregious junk mailers are political parties, campaigning groups, and 527 organizations. As an election draws near, they start sending out mailings on a daily basis, and as a group they tend to be fairly unresponsive to requests that they remove me from their mailing lists. Also, these mailings are so biased that I never bother reading them anyway - I prefer to get my information from a more impartial source like http://www.vote-smart.org/
posted on September 19th, 2007 at 12:04 pmI agree with Kathryn — and would like to add that I also get a lot of junk mail from environmental groups!I could wallpaper my apartment with all the calendars I’ve received. I would rather they spend the money I send them on working for the environment instead of printing millions of calendars that end up in the recycle bin!
posted on September 19th, 2007 at 2:06 pmI had the same problem heather did. I had to gogole value pax and the other link din’t give me instructions so I told them I wanted to opt out. Also, has anyone done this eqifax options. I am kind of nervous because I don’t give up my social security numer. why do they want it?
posted on September 19th, 2007 at 2:14 pmHello all–I apologize for the Val-Pak bad link. Here it is for your cut and pasting pleasure: http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm
(Hopefully I’ll fix the rest of the links soon too.)
I’m with you guys on the emails from charities, 527s, and other similar types of groups. My problems started five years ago when I subscribed to The Nation–suddenly, my mailbox was absolutely filled with asks. I’m trying to figure out how to get off of these such–I’ll post as soon as I have any new information!
Thanks for checking out our blog!
posted on September 19th, 2007 at 3:33 pm“Let’s get rid of that junk mail”
If you are getting offers for new credit cards, contact your credit card company(ies) to request them not to give out any information at all about you (I was told that - even though they don’t give out specific details about your finances - they will give companies “general information about you - so an inquiring credit card offerer could evaluate whether you would be a good “risk.”
I called my credit card company and have since the 1980’s been free from almost all credit card solicitations!
Also, I try to - always - remember to ask whatever company I’m purchasing from to put a “do not sell, rent or trade my name, address or phone number” note with my name. (Sometimes the note can get dropped, or may have been applied to only the last purchase.)
If a new company sends you junk mail - sometimes their customer service can find out for you who they got your info from.
If you subscribe to a magazine - it is necessary for them to have your “do not sell…” at the time you order the subscription - if you wait till you get the magazine - chances are you’re already on “who-knows-how-many” new lists that may also sell their lists.
posted on September 19th, 2007 at 4:05 pmI wanted to thank Susan for pointing out that a lot of non profit orgs use direct mail to build awareness (and raise funds). The Center for a New American Dream WALKS THE TALK! We New Dream NEVER SENDS JUNK MAIL so rest assured that your addresses are safe with us!
posted on September 22nd, 2007 at 2:05 amThanks for being carbon conscious consumers!
Gidday Hanaa,
You may also opt out with the DMA’s Mail Preference Service at www.dmaconsumers.org/offmailinglist.html for $1. The DMA will add your name to their mail suppression list and send the list each quarter to all their subscribers so your name will be removed from about 3600 or so direct mail companies.
For Credit card and Insurance written offers, you can try www.optoutprescreen.com or contact each of Experian, Equifax and Transunion individually.
Additionally, contact ADVO at www.advo.com/consumersupport.html
Good Luck, Cheerio, Margot at stopthejunkmail.com
posted on September 27th, 2007 at 12:14 amGidday,
Sorry the DMA link is www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing
Margot
posted on September 27th, 2007 at 12:33 amOne thing that not only helps stop junk mail, it also helps to get rid of it after you recieve it. When you get mail from a company that sends along a postage paid reply envelope, (in hopes that you order their junk), stuff all of their junk, including the envelope it came in, into that reply envelope, & send it back to them. Be sure to write “NOT INTERESTED, REMOVE ME FROM YOUR MAILING LIST”, on their confirmation form, that has your name & address on it. Not only did they have to pay the postage to send it to you in the first place, but then had to pay again to get it back. They usually don’t send you anymore.
posted on September 28th, 2007 at 4:02 am