Don't Call. Don't Write. Let Me Be.

[Eagle43]

Direct Marketing Defense from the NY Times. Do Not Call Lists, Junk Mail, credit card offers, etc are mentioned in this piece.

Useful info. I think this has been mentioned here before, but here's a piece of the article. Quote--------------

OTHER OPT-OUTS Your personal information is accessible in less obvious ways. For instance, your computer tracks where you have visited online. DoubleClick, a company that collects data for online advertisers, offers a way to prevent your computer from giving it information at http://www.doubleclick.com/us/about-doubleclick/privacy/dart-adserving.asp.

But again, it is only a piecemeal solution. Other online advertising companies will still put “cookies” on your computer to collect the same data. So the next-best solution is to frequently run software that cleans out cookies. You can get Spyware Blaster, Spybot, or Ad-Aware at www.download.com free.

Your personal information, including parts of your Social security number, are available in publicly available data bases that you may never see. The most common ones offer a way to opt out of a listing. Nexis, one of the biggest, says you can opt out of its people-finding lists by going to www.lexisnexis.com/terms/privacy/data/remove.asp. Nexis does not make it easy because it requires that you prove you are a victim of identity theft before it will consider your application.

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[dex]

When I get unwanted snail mail I take the response card and send it back with the words "delete from mailing list". It works. companies don't like paying the mailing costs.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Or when you get a bunch of junk mail and some of it has a return envelope, stuff all the other junk mail into it and send it back.

I really solved this by taking a few hours and a proactive support. Put myself on the do-not-call list, went to the web site sponsored by all three credit bureaus and filled out the form that requires them to not sell or give my information out to 3rd parties, called the banks and credit card companies and told them to stop selling or sharing my information with affiliated and 3rd parties.

The calls and mail all but stopped completely. Occasionally I'll get a call from one of our magazine providers wanting to sell me something extra or extend my subscription. Thats it.

 

[Nords]

I really solved this by taking a few hours and a proactive support. Put myself on the do-not-call list, went to the web site sponsored by all three credit bureaus and filled out the form that requires them to not sell or give my information out to 3rd parties, called the banks and credit card companies and told them to stop selling or sharing my information with affiliated and 3rd parties.

Here's a tough one. I'm hoping to learn the answer (or at least some good tactics) before I take on the bureaucracy.

Our property ownership and our mortgage are recorded with the county files and presumably are publicly accessible. Every few days we'll get a different mailer from any of a dozen different mortgage brokers who (I can tell from the addressing) are using the record databases.

Is there any "DO NOT MAIL" way to shut off that information?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Once I told the bank holding my HELOC and the credit bureaus to stop sharing information, the mortgage requests stopped. And I got a shitload of them.

I dont think they bother scanning the public records. I think they just buy the info from the banks holding the mortgages and the credit bureaus. Cheap fast and easy.

 

[laurence]

The junk mail doesn't really bother me, sometimes it's even fun to look at. When done, they just fly through the shredder. I do feel guilty about the dead trees though.

Funny, since I got on the "do not call" list, my phone has been blissfully silent. Like CFB said,, just contact from existing relationships, about once a month. Are other people having less success with the do not call list?

 

[Leonidas]

Funny, since I got on the "do not call" list, my phone has been blissfully silent. Like CFB said,, just contact from existing relationships, about once a month. Are other people having less success with the do not call list?

The phones have been blissfully free of cold callers. The local power company hired a firm to push their ripoff "lock in a guaranteeed rate NOW!" program, and they were calling three times a day. Complained to the utility and they shut them down. Still got a dozen mailings a month from them.

I dont think they bother scanning the public records. I think they just buy the info from the banks holding the mortgages and the credit bureaus. Cheap fast and easy.

I think that's generally the case, but I noticed when I took advantage of a law that allowed public safety employees to remove personal information on RE tax records, that some of the mailings changed also. The taxing entities would send the bills to "occupant", and soon after that, some of offers that had been addressed to me or DW, were now addressed to "occupant". They came with an offer available only to someone with "occupant's" wonderful credit record. Either they're buying it from the tax assessor or off one of the groups that tax me.

 

[Alex]

I love getting stuff in the mail. If I get junk mail - EASY- I just throw it away. With the telephone - EASY- I never talk to solicitors, I let the machine answer the phone for me. As soon as they hear that metallic computer voice they hang up. If its a freind or family - EASY- they start to leave a message and I pick up. Or - EASY - I call them back. Life is - EASY - if you have an Easy button!

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

When I get unwanted snail mail I take the response card and send it back with the words "delete from mailing list". It works. companies don't like paying the mailing costs.

i also do this and does seem to work

Or when you get a bunch of junk mail and some of it has a return envelope, stuff all the other junk mail into it and send it back.

i used to do this but then my mail carrier told me it's a form of mail fraud. don't know if true or not so now i just "return to sender" and sing some elvis on the way to the mailbox.

Life is - EASY - if you have an Easy button!

does that button work on those little green creatures hawking girlscout cookies at every store entrance?

 

[Texas Proud]

Here's a tough one. I'm hoping to learn the answer (or at least some good tactics) before I take on the bureaucracy.

Our property ownership and our mortgage are recorded with the county files and presumably are publicly accessible. Every few days we'll get a different mailer from any of a dozen different mortgage brokers who (I can tell from the addressing) are using the record databases.

Is there any "DO NOT MAIL" way to shut off that information?

Probably not... here in Texas it is considered public information and they can get it by asking... now, they did limit getting information from drivers license and license plates, but you can still get them with some effort..

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yeah that easy button works friggin great when you're holding a six month old who took 30 minutes to get to go to sleep and then the phone rings and wakes him up and its the third guy that day to call and offer you a better rate on the mortgage you dont have.

 

[Alex]

Childfree and lovin' it!!! - Easy -

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I cant imagine why.

 

[Alex]

I cant imagine why.

Oh, sure you can. I am sure you are happy with the choices you've made. I know that I am. Lets leave it at that. Cheers!