BULK RATE MAIL and THE POST OFFICE

[LBC111]

Spam email is one thing - frustrating, but at least it isn't filling up landfills! But what about "bulk" or "presorted" junk mail that you receive in your little metal mailbox at home (and work)? Bulk mail is nothing more than SPAM endorsed by the good old federal government, via reduced rates, and delivered to your hard mailbox every day (for some people).

For credit and other offers that have postage-paid return envelopes, I just bundle what was sent (leaving the page with my name and address, so they know who's sending it), and shove in what other junk mail might be lying around, tape the letter shut, fold tape over all sides of the envelope, and mail it back to them. This way, they waste time and money getting my return junk mail, and if they are intelligent enough, they will see my name and address and add it to their "do not contact" list. I think this has worked for the most part.

For "bulk" or "presorted" mail, I simply write "Junk (or Spam) Mail - Delivery Refused", and drop it in a mailbox. I know the Post Office just throws out returned or undelivered mail, but the more people that do this, the more it will affect their bottom line, and maybe someday, either bulk mail rates will become cost-prohibitive, or they will just stop encoraging and selling spam.

Any other ideas?

[25psi_Elise_Killer]

Good luck, the bulk/presorted mail is a juicy source of revenue to the post office and i doubt they'll let that go anytime soon.

[LBC111]

Originally Posted by 25psi_Elise_Killer

Good luck, the bulk/presorted mail is a juicy source of revenue to the post office and i doubt they'll let that go anytime soon.

Yeah... just basically dreaming. But imagine if just half of what they send out gets returned. Overstuffed mailboxes, additional processing for employees and systems... added costs. Hmmm... now that I think about it, all they'd do is raise individual postage rates again! Do-oh!

[25psi_Elise_Killer]

In my apartment complex, when they tape up menu's/coupons to local stores to the apartment doors, i just collect a bunch of them from me and my neighbors. THen if i'm in the area, i just dump all the paper at the store's front doors and walk away...

[wildwhl]

LBC -

not to argue with you (I'm a printer and make a living off of printing some bulk mail now and then - also am a partner in a mailhouse). The reduced rate comes from the *presort* - aka part of the work has been done for the USPS - and is not, to my knowledge, endorsed by the government.

We encourage much more targeted mailings, and rarely, if ever, actually produce *bulk mail* as it quite frankly doesn't work. Intelligent design and proper project management can go a long way to directing the offers to the addresses where someone actually might care or benefit from the advertisement.

However, a certain satellite provider still spams me - 3 times a week - and I'm already a customer. That is poor management and I cringe, knowing that I ultimately pay for their poor judgement. I also receive no less than 2 direct mail offers from them per week...go figure.

No soapbox...just another viewpoint.

The truth is, without direct mail, there would be no need for the USPS (IMHO). I believe it represents something like 80% of their business today (also why better rates are offered - but I digress).


WW

(PS - I bet we'd all be shocked at the CO2 footprint of spam email....I cannot begin to fathom the server power utilized to direct, redirect, delete, archive, etc. the spam constantly rotating throughout the *intrawebs*, lol. Wired recently had a quick comment on what an avatar in an online videogame burns up - I forget the details - but it surprised me. Power burned is, well, power burned - regardless of how it is utilized.)

[Serebo1]

Originally Posted by LBC111

Spam email is one thing - frustrating, but at least it isn't filling up landfills! But what about "bulk" or "presorted" junk mail that you receive in your little metal mailbox at home (and work)? Bulk mail is nothing more than SPAM endorsed by the good old federal government, via reduced rates, and delivered to your hard mailbox every day (for some people).

For credit and other offers that have postage-paid return envelopes, I just bundle what was sent (leaving the page with my name and address, so they know who's sending it), and shove in what other junk mail might be lying around, tape the letter shut, fold tape over all sides of the envelope, and mail it back to them. This way, they waste time and money getting my return junk mail, and if they are intelligent enough, they will see my name and address and add it to their "do not contact" list. I think this has worked for the most part.

For "bulk" or "presorted" mail, I simply write "Junk (or Spam) Mail - Delivery Refused", and drop it in a mailbox. I know the Post Office just throws out returned or undelivered mail, but the more people that do this, the more it will affect their bottom line, and maybe someday, either bulk mail rates will become cost-prohibitive, or they will just stop encoraging and selling spam.

Any other ideas?

The LA Times puts out a junk mail "magazine" called "Shop Local." I have a mail slot that it doesn't fit into, so every day I was coming home to this P.O.S. littering my entranceway. Finally, a couple of days ago I called the well hidden number at the bottom - 800 528-4637, ext. 72655 - to opt out. From that number, you have to call another to leave a message. What a PITA. It IS spam.

[wildwhl]

and of course, the banner ad spam at the bottom of the page right now is VoloMP's Mailing Delivery Solutions (request for proposal)

[Chris Mackey]

Nothing is worse than the parasites that call my business, wasting my time and money offering me services and products I don't want.

Do Not Call is only for residences. Telemarketers can still call businesses. Asking a telemarketer to take you off the list is a waste; often, the lists are rented and they'll just find you on the next one they rent.

My strategy for dealing with it is a bit like LBC111's for dealing with junk mail. If I actually have a little time, I might do one of the following:

1) Let them tell their spiel, ask a lot of repetitive questions and act a bit stupid. When I detect frustration, I inform him or her that "I simply don't do business with telemarketers". The idea is to waste a lot of time (money) and aggravate the caller.

2) Scream obscenities into the phone, occasionally directed at the individual making the call. I've only done this a couple of times, and I felt pretty crappy doing so. Still, I want to increase their costs of doing business and encouraging turnover will do that. Also, it's good if I am in a hurry. AT&T gets the real hatred.

3) Reason with the person and encourage them to "do better for themselves". I've been surprised at how much time I can absorb this way. Of course, I spend a lot of my own, too, and it isn't very amusing. Still, some folks are pleasant to talk to.

4) Pretend to go along with it, but make up fake information for them to record. For example, I like to tell them that my name is Mike Hunt. If they stick around, I explain that the business they thought they were calling is no longer around. They have now reached Phil McKraken's Prostate Massage Parlor. I get some laughs out of this one.

I absolutely hate these people. My business relies on the phone to get new customers. Putting a real customer on hold to answer one of these scumbags really grates on me.

As I said AT&T is the worst; there was a 3 month period last year where they called 4 times a week. Repeated requests to "be taken off the list" was met with "We have many call centers; I can take you off mine but others will call." Complete Douchebaggery. AT&T doesn't have a computer to handle this?!?!?

[wildwhl]

C.M. -

don't get me started on TM's (lol)

WW

[- Jeremy -]

In Germany, we put a note on the mailbox that says "No Advertisements, please" (translated).

It's very nice. I'm so tired of mailbox spam in the U.S.

- Jeremy -