How To Stop Junk Mail and Phone Calls Cold!
by Roy Primm
Getting junk mail I'm often told
Is an intrusion that can get old,
It can be overwhelming
When telemarketers start selling
You need ways to stop them cold.
With banks and other business
getting more competitive by the day, if you're like the average
consumer, I don't have to tell you about the amount of mail you get
each day.
Catalog offers, department store
offers, consolidate your credit card offers and more. For awhile 80% of
the mail I was receiving each day was direct mail sales offers and most people I know have the same stories ... and worse.
If you're into the global warming
philosophy this thought alone has to make you steaming mad. What a
waste of trees when you look at the amount of paper, envelopes and
brochures you toss in the trash each day.
Here's some sobering facts from the U.S Environmental Protection Agency you may find interesting:
It's estimated that we destroy hundreds of thousands of trees each year to manufacture junk mail brochures, sales letters, envelopes and other items.
We waste 2.8 billion gallons of water each year for the manufacturer of paper for junk mail paper products.
On average we toss out over 97% of our junk mail ... most without reading.
These are just a few examples of
how wasteful producing junk mail can be from an environmental
standpoint. So you can see how stopping junk mail from coming to your
home can help the environment.
And what about the telemarketing
phone calls you get, don't you just love them? It's funny how they
always know when you're about to sit down to eat, in the middle of
watching your favorite television show or in the middle of a romantic
encounter.
You always recognize them when
they call when you hear the familiar "how are you today?" So you brace
yourself for a sales pitch while your dinner gets cold and you either
listen or you hang up. Either way you feel intruded upon.
So what can you do? A short time
ago most people would just have to grin and bear it. But now you can
take control of your phone and your mailbox. To take back control of
your mail box...
Contact the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS).
Register for the Mail Preference Service by mail. Send a letter plus a $1 check or money order to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
Or Register online. You can sign up online at the DMA's website for a $1 fee charged to your credit card at ... www.dmaconsumers.org
To take back control of your telephone go to www.donotcall.gov
and register on the Do Not Call List
Telemarketers should not call your
number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you
can file a complaint at the donotcall.gov website.
You can register your home or
mobile phone free of charge. Your registration will be effective for
five years. Now you can take back control of you mail box and you
telephone. Now you can finally enjoy a peaceful dinner and eat while
it’s hot.
