What do you think of junk mail and unsolicited phone calls?

Question

I am asking this question because of the postman who has been suspended because he gave advice on how to stop junk mail being pushed through your letterbox. He could lose his job because the postoffice would lose revenue if it stopped

Answer 1

Junk mail and unsolicited phone calls are an intrusion on my privacy, and I resent the time such phone calls would take and the resources and energy wasted in the preparation and delivery of such mail. Unfortunately, many people must be influenced by these intrusions; otherwise, they would not pay for themselves and Big Business would give up on them.

The world around me is too beautiful; my memories and imagination are too rich; having time to do and say and write and think the things I want to at my own leisure is too important. Junk mail and unsolicited phone calls and television commercials are--well, junk.

Life is short, and time is precious. I do everything I can to maintain my inner quiet. I no longer watch television with commercials (instead I rely upon DVDs, PBS, NPR, and the like, or reading and the internet). I have my telephones protected against unsolicited phone calls. When such a call makes it through (for example, those from non-profit "charitable" foundations, asking for money), I immediately say, "We do not take unsoliticed calls," and I hang up without giving them a chance to reply. Junk mail goes immediately into a carton I keep by my desk for paper to be recycled.

Your telephone company should be able to give you an 800 number to call to stop unsolicited phone calls (that includes cell phones, where otherwise you would be paying for such calls).

Here is one organization's suggestions for stopping junk mail. (Admittedly, I find this too time-consuming and only occasionally follow their advice.)


1. Request that catalogs be sent to you only annually or semi-annually.

2. When giving your name and address to a business or organization, include a note saying: "please do not share my name and address."

3. Return unopened unwanted mail that was sent first class by writing "refused" on it.

4. If you can find a postage paid envelope in the unwanted mail, put the mail in it and write on the outside of the envelope "refused".

5. Use the business' toll-free number, reply card or order envelope to remove your name from a specific list.

6. Ask organizations to limit memberships renewals to one mailing a year or risk losing your support.

You may also use the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service. (See the second webpage address below.) The FDIC also gives advice on thwarting junksters!

If you value your privacy, slam these doors in their faces!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I do not know about the junk mail, or about that letter carrier. I do have experience in the area of unsoicited telephone sales calls. Many people take the calls from salespersons on the phone as being directed personally toward them. The telemarketers work either from a phone book, off of a list that is supplied to them by their manager, or often the calls are made by a computer, and then immediately transferred to the salesperson only when a person answers th phone (vs an answering machine). There is the official 'Do Not Call' list, which is supposed to remove your name and number from most sellers' lists. But - if you do get a sales call that you do not want, simply hanging up will not prevent alls from the same place in the future. Ploitely tell the salesperson on the phone -- "Take Me OFF Your List!" By law, they are then supposed to delte your name from that list, and from any future lists that they may use to make sales calls. Failure on their part to delete the name and the number from their listcould result in huge legal fines to their organization!

Answer 4

Neither of them are wellcome.
I think it's a civil right, to refuse molestation by unsollicited mails, deliveries and phone calls. There is no right to make revenue by molesting other people. So the lose of revenue by stopped molestation cannot be claimed as damage and the postman cannot be fired for having caused damage to the postoffice.

Answer 5

Hate cold callers and telesales? Just remember, they are not allowed to terminate the call without first telling you. So sound interested in what they're offering, then say 'I'm very interested, can you just hold the line while I quickly finish something, then I'll give you my undivided attention'. Then put the phone down and loudly ask everybody in the room if they want a cup of tea. Make loud tea-making noises and occasionally come back to the phone to say 'Are you still there? Good, I'll be with you in a second'. I've kept a telesales guy waiting for over 25 minutes. It's my personal record.

Answer 6

I hate junk mail and telemarketing phone calls. Last week, 'tho, I actually got a sensitive, helpful person to supposedly take my name off the 800 call list. I haven't gotten any calls since, so apparently she did what some others were asked to do but didn't.

Answer 7

I hate both but most of all the phone calls their never seem to understand the word NO or NOT INTERESTED and I certainly don't agree with the postman being sacked it absolutely ludicrous

Answer 8

I get really sick of the phone ringing in the evening when I'm trying to get the kids asleep, only to find it's a damn salesperson on the other end.

And before anyone suggests it, why should I have to put myself out of contact so that I can avoid some ****?

Answer 9

We got the BT privacy at home option, it's free and you get caller display free with it. As for the junk mail we've had survey things through our door from the post office so you only get the mail that interests you.
Her's a link for the BT option.

http://www2.bt.com/static/i/btretail/consumer/btprivacy/index.html

http://www.dma.org.uk/content/Prf-Introduction.asp

Answer 10

I hate junk mail so much I don't even open them right to the trash and soliciting calls I pick up and curse them out.