7/23/2008

‘You’ve got (junk) mail!’
By Carol Ann Ellis

It happens to just about everybody on a daily basis.  Mr. or Ms. Postal Patron goes to the mailbox anticipating a letter from a friend or hoping not to find a lot of bills.  And what does he or she get but a mailbox full of "junk mail" hawking everything from credit cards to warranty extensions on automobiles.  Worse still, the senders are becoming clever about the ways they entice the receiver to open these envelopes that in the past would probably have been tossed unopened into the trash.

A sampling of recent mail reveals messages on the outer envelope such as "Extremely Urgent; Please Expedite" or "Notification of Interruption" and "Important: Open Immediately."  The first one was sent from "The Authorized Claims Department" of a car dealership, which is using the gimmick to get potential customers into its showroom.  In the second, the only "interruption" is that the factory warranty on a vehicle is said to have expired and the sender would be happy to extend that warranty; notably there is no indication of exactly how much that would cost, but the owner  must "Reply in the next 72 hours" in order for the offer to be valid.

Inside the third envelope is a further warning: "FINAL NOTICE."   If the recipient does not "comply with the new 2008 requirements," they may incur a government fine of "up to $17,000" for the transgression. The letter explains that all employers must display a State and Federal Labor Law poster, which they will gladly sell in a convenient format for $32.95.  Two problems with this: the recipient is not an employer and at the end of the letter in very small print is a notice that the government provides the required posters free of charge, albeit in a larger format. Two of the letters came in tan envelopes similar to the ones the U.S. Government uses for official business.

If the former come-ons do not get the recipient to at least tear open the envelope, merchandisers have other means of achieving their goals. One envelope arrived with a transparent window with "Due By: 8/22/08" clearly stamped inside.  Is this a premium notice from the auto insurance company?  No, it was sent by a national magazine publisher and makes a pitch for the addressee to subscribe.

Just when Mr. Postal Patron thinks they have at last received a friendly letter, because the envelope is addressed by hand, they are disappointed once more: inside is a bogus newspaper clipping with the caption "Local [car] Dealer Shocks Delmarva."  Attached to the article printed on what appears to be newspaper stock is a real Post-it bearing the note: "Hi [first name of recipient]. Check this out!"  The note is signed "S."  At least one objective was accomplished.  The recipient opened the envelope.

Ken Carter, Postmaster of the Ocean Pines branch of the U.S. Post Office says that he does not receive too many complaints about mail such as this, but cautions people to read this sort of advertising very carefully before responding.

According to Yvette Singh, Communications Coordinator for the Baltimore area of the USPS, the Postal Service must deliver all mail that has been paid for. This includes the customer's private mail as well as that of organizations or businesses. However, there are exceptions as to what can be mailed to postal patrons and there are mechanisms to "opt out" for certain types of correspondence.

Ms. Singh says that federal law gives the Postal Service the "right to help customers curtail sexually oriented advertisements."  Customers may ask their local postmaster for help in filling out Form 1500, "Application for Listing and/or Prohibitory Order."  Completion and filing of Form 1500 will result in the person's name and address being added to a national list that all mailers of sexually oriented items must refer to before sending out material. 

Ms. Singh further advises that customers can reduce the amount of advertising mail they receive by contacting one of the following agencies and requesting removal of their names from mailing lists: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 282. Carmel, NY 10512-0282; Trans Union LLC, Name Removal Option, P.O. Box 505, Woodlyn, PA 19094-0505  www.transunion.com; Experian Consumer Services, 901 West Bond  St., Lincoln, NE 68521-3694  www.experian.com; or Equifax Inc. Name Removal Option, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 www.equifax.com.

However, there is a catch to having one's name removed from mailing lists.  Ms. Singh warns that people who place their name on the Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service listing will lose all direct mailing, including information about "new products, magazines, books and tapes offered at mail order prices."  She also cautions that "holiday catalogs will disappear, as will free product samples." In other words, as Ms. Singh says, "Customers cannot pick and choose which advertising mail they want to eliminate."

It does appear the onslaught of junk mail will cease any time soon. People who do not want their names removed from lists altogether will just have to become aware of the "tricks of the trade" used by direct mail merchandisers and perhaps keep a trash can or recycling container handy when sorting the mail.