We are nine months into our odyssey to give consumers choice over what comes in their mailbox. Here is where we stand:
- Consumers trust our service and have demonstrated a significant demand for a free and easy to use way to set their catalog mail preference. Almost 950,000 households have set up an account and opted-out of over 12 million catalog titles.
- Merchants are steadily coming around to accepting requests generated from our service. There are over 250 merchants who have activated their merchant accounts and many others have received their opt-out file and are working on the process. In the past two weeks, we have delivered over 1.5 million opt out requests to several large merchants. More big wins are on the way.
- The DMA continues to persuade merchants to not work with us, introducing unnecessary tension into our merchant outreach efforts. Here is their most recent letter to merchants. This was sent out one hour after I finished a panel discussion on Do Not Mail with two merchants, USPS and the DMA. Without this resistance from the Association, I know we would have made more progress to date. But rest assured we are prevailing despite their propaganda. By the way – we do not and will not rent or sell any member’s name. We have made this clear on many occassions.
- Frustration with unwanted catalogs still abounds. Despite your disappointment when you open your mailbox, your continued support in promoting the service with friends and words of encouragement on the blog and to customer service keep us rolling on our mission.
- We are working on several fronts to improve our service:
- We are making it easier for consumers to support the merchants who are honor your mail preference requests by adding product categories and electronic catalogs to Bravo Merchants.
- We are making it easier for merchants to honor requests by automating the process with their Service Bureaus.
- We are meeting everyone’s desire for more choice by developing a process whereby merchants can offer less frequent catalog mailings – referred to as “opt-down” or mail frequency. Look for more on this topic in the coming weeks.
- We are spending endless hours meeting with executives throughout the mail industry to build trust and partnerships so that your requests will be honored.
Thanks for your continued support.
Catalog Choice Team
CC Org: I’d like to hug each and everyone of you! You’ve finally said it. Haven’t I said several times before that those evil beasties (DMA & USPS) won’t let us consumers have a choice? They need to be babysitted more closely!
I still continue to commend your unending efforts because I really miss Design Toscano and others that did actually respect my phone call to stop mailing me catalogs last Dec07. We want a choice without the “fringe benefits” of selling/sharing or renting of our info.
So far this month: three unwanted catalogs. Got more time to keep the little ladies smiling and also chasing after them(they’re walking)!
Good job working with service bureaus … that makes it even easier for catalogers to work with you.
You guys rock! Thanks for the wonderful service. I just declined dozens of catalogs. My mail person will be pleased.
Let’s give the merchants something that appeals to them. How about a search feature that I can type in my catalog interest and all the catalog companies that have that item/category would be listed. Now, I have to go through the whole alphabet of catalogs to find possible sources. So if I wanted toy trains, a list of catalogs with those would pop up. CatalogChoice could become known as the place to locate catalogs of one’s choice in addition to declining the unwanted ones.
Alright, now that you’ve changed “Refused” to “Not Participating”, how about a list of those company’s who are not participating, so we can know who we need to call.
I can’t thank you enough. I’ve diligently been adding catalogs to the website since last fall and it has PAID OFF. It is amazing how much space magazines take up and what a tremendous service you’re doing to individual homes, merchants and the environment. Keep it up!
I believe Viva Terra and Title Nine are using the same service. Their mailings are arriving simultaneously, or nearly so. This has happened three times in a row now. These two companies alone account for 43% of the catalogs that we’ve received since May 1.
Viva Terra has supposedly confirmed my Catalog Choice opt-out, which was originally submitted November 6, 2007 and which has been re-reported several times. I wish that merchants who’ve enrolled in this program could stay on top of the situation and check that the suppression files are actually being run. If I hadn’t spent several months educating myself about the basics of direct marketing, I would’ve assumed that Viva Terra was blowing off my request. I suspect an outside party is mishandling it for them, though. If someone on the CC staff is in contact with Viva Terra and wants to bring this to their attention, that’d be great.
For Title Nine, I’m probably going to file a PS Form 1500. My experience with Title Nine has been singularly unpleasant, from that last order that was screwed up years ago, to the ongoing refusal to recognize Catalog Choice opt-outs, to the failure to satisfactorily acknowledge the four attempts I’ve made to directly contact the company this year. I’m starting to find those pictures of Title Nine ladies prancing around in their sports bras to be “erotically arousing or sexually provocative.” Yes indeedy.
Tracy:
We will follow-up with Viva Terra.
Chuck
CCorg: I also like the change from “Refused” to “Not Participating” so we know who’s DMA Merchants members and who’s not, and Not Participating may be viewed as they have already suppressed my mailing info. Your current posts and reading DMA’s letter have stirred up more than Mama’s chili pot. Thanks!
If those reading my post, please, please go into the DMA letter CC.org mentions and read it. DMA is starting to look like a monopoly and they aren’t the only irresponsible mail suppliers. They’ve been in the business for 36 years and still haven’t gotten it right.
Tracy, I can relate with your unpleasant experiences with “that other catalog” but Viva Terra has not been sending me any since…January. My reasoning, if you called last November, what’s their problem?
What does DMA mean? I’m sorry but I read the above comments and your commentary and may be the only one in America who doesn’t know. Pleae enlighten me.
DMA = Direct Marketing Association
I was stunned to see that one of my “natural fibers” catalogs (can I post the name? Ok – Garnet Hill, which has received thousands of dollars from me) wouldn’t participate in Catalog Choice. CC provided the 800 number (thank you) and the agent told me I needed to go to http://www.dmachoice.org to opt out. On a seemingly antiquated system, DMA Choice requires a credit card number (online) or a check (by mail) in order to opt out! I did put in my credit card number, just to stop the mailings, but really…? Is this a way to treat your customers? Garnet Hill: sorry, but you’ve lost a fairly regular shopper. DMA, you’ve become the Goliath in a bit of a grassroots uprising.
Do some publishers report that they have removed a name, but actually keep it on their records and merely give it a different “customer ID”? I’ve had to opt out of FootSmart three times for the exact same address but each time a different customer ID.
Georgia: In the above CC.org “Where We Stand” writeup, imbedded in the 3rd paragaph from the top is a link -”most recent letter” click it and you’ll get the DMA letter. It comes from the CEO of DMA – one of the biggest suppliers of our mail info to catalogs and merchants wanting to cover an expansion of consumers for all kinds of marketing production. DMA makes $ from selling our names.
If you look at the right hand of this screen, you’ll see a section labled “Archives” and that’s where the education of what the above comments are about. You’ll probably need some time to read all the postings.
Ingrid: That makes us consumers and CC.org – Davids! Let your congress people know what you did because there is a Do Not Mail Bill being kicked around. Do you think DMA has complete control and takes full responsibility for penalizing the offenders who sell our names again after they made money in the first place?
I know you mean well and are trying but these are the problems with the catalog companies:
1. I still get catalogs even from those that have “confirmed.” They change the addressee slightly or the customer number and…..”a new customer!”
2. The customer number and/or key source code is confusing, not given or changes from catalog to catalog requiring me to re-decline each time. More work for you and me.
3. A few “refuse to participate” requiring me to call—more wasted time and not always successful.
4. I’m still getting catalogs from “declines” of over six months ago. Even with updated declines, (and another 10 weeks to process) it appears the companies are ignoring your requests. Or using all of the above tricks to wear us down so they can continue to fill my mailbox (at least four per day!!!).
5. Suggest that you remove statement that you will email me when you have added a new suggested catalog to the list. Hasn’t happened yet.
Any help or ideas on the above will be appreciated.
Ingrid: What do you mean by having to provide a credit card number with DMA Choice? I did not — I just signed up at dmachoice.org with my name and address (although I am not sure it will do any good anyway, but that’s another story.) I did not send any money or provide a CC nubmer.
And could a moderator for CC.org explain what the DMA CEO means when he says of third-party list suppression services (I assume he means you) “Many of them, if not all, have stated that they reserve the right to maintain the names they acquire for fundraising and/or advocacy,” and that none of them have agreed to use their lists of names solely to suppress mailings? Huh? I thought that’s exactly what CC.org was doing. If it’s more than that, please tell us.
Thank you for the great service…I would like to know how we can opt out of credit card solicitations. With three young adult, college age children, my husband and myself, we are getting way too many! We are never going to apply for one, so I would just like to get off their maling lists.
I’m beginning to despair that the volume of catalogs I receive will be significantly reduced…ever. I was so enthusiastic in 11/07 when I first unloaded (I thought) 45 catalogs. My total is now around 60. Only 9 or 10 are confirmed and one of those is really a duplication. In addition, Land’s End, one of the underwriters of this enterprise, pulled a fast one on me by immediately cancelling my catalog as requested, then sending me another in a permutation of my husband’s and my name. NOT FAIR. And the request for THAT cancellation has been sitting around in limbo since April. I want to believe, but my faith is waivering. Especially when Napa Style informed me that the reason they refused to participate in your program was because Catalog Choice sells names. OUCH! Say it ain’t so.
Susan:
We do not sell names. We will never sell names. We are contacting Napa Style to find out why they are providing inaccurate information to consumers.
In terms of your faith. All I can tell you is that we are not giving up and we hope that you stick with us.
Joe – we are working on a business agreement that will fix the issues you raise. We are slowly adding titles to the database, but I emphasize slowly. That is why you have not gotten an email about this.
Chuck
Richelle:
Try https://www.optoutprescreen.com – it’s official service of credit report companies.
It works for me and several my friends.
Chuck:
Is it possible to add this link to FAQ (or other useful services page)?
Chuck: Thanks for following up with Viva Terra. I hope they can get this issue straightened out. I have noticed that Viva Terra prints on recycled paper with significant post-consumer content, which is a strong point in their favor. I still don’t need or want the catalogs, though. I know where to find Viva Terra online.
Karin: Those of us who registered earlier this year for DMA Choice’s mail preference service were required to provide a credit card number. That policy was immensely unpopular. I believe the DMA has since changed it. You can read more here:
http://blog.catalogchoice.org/2008/04/23/clarification-regarding-dmachoiceorg/
Richelle: OptOutPrescreen.com is working extremely well for me. You might consider that service if you wish to eliminate credit card offers.
The credit card thing on DMAChoice is if you want to opt out of all mail. They say they “won’t charge it”, but WTF??? I wouldn’t give them any more information than absolutely necessary.
Eugene:
We are working on a page that lists other services like optoutprescreen.com. Thanks for mentioning it.
My husband and I got out of most of those endless credit card offers, but could not get out of the ones sent by various airlines because we had a “business relationship” with them by having their milage cards. So we started sending back their In Their Own Reply-Paid Envelopes the reply “application” with “Stop sending this offer” or similar wordings in large writing and signed and dated . It took about half-a-dozen times each for the airlines’ agents to notice, but those credit card offers have now stopped.
Thanks for the credit card recommendation!
Also, I just reviewed Catalog Choice for qwowi.com:
http://www.qwowi.com/2008/07/technology-and-gadgets/web-sites/catalog-choice-changed-my-mailbox
Joe: In the last two weeks I have gotten three email alerts that catalog suggestions I had made were now available. One of the suggestions was from many months ago, one just a few days. Patience!:)
AFTER HEARING ABOUT THIS WEB SITE
ON THE “TODAY” SHOW, I SENT AN E-MAIL TO ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE I KNOW. “SAVE A TREE OR A FOREST” WAS THE TITLE. HOWEVER, MANY PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THAT THIS
SERVICE DOES NOT WORK AND I HAVE
NOTICED THAT I CONTINUE TO GET
CATALOGS THAT I “OPTED OUT” ON
YOUR WEB SITE. PLEASE TELL ME
WHAT MORE WE SHOULD BE DOING TO
ELMINATE UNWANTED CATALOGS!!!!
THANKS, BRENDA HARRIS
Brenda:
We are working hard to get merchants to honor the requests. You can help by telling them that you want them to comply. The service will work if we stand together and insist that the merchants honor the requests.
I WILL CONTINUE TO REPORT THE
UNWANTED CATALOGS TO YOUR WEB SITE. HOWEVER, AFTER 4 MONTHS
I’M STILL RECEIVING ALL THE CATALOGS THAT I SUBMITTED IN MARCH 08. JUST THOUGHT YOU SHOULD RECEIVE
FEED BACK FROM SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO BE A VERY STAUNCH SUPPORTER. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE
SENT AN E-MAIL TO EVERYONE THEY
KNOW INFORMING OF YOUR WEB SITE?
I DID AND PEOPLE ARE STILL SAYING
IT DOESN’T WORK. BRENDA HARRIS
Brenda:
Lots of people invited friends to use our service.
It will work …. it is just taking longer than we had hoped. Hang in there with us and tell your friends to not lose hope.
Thanks for your support.
I’ve been sold on your services after failing with a few others. I am trying to convince my whole office to join up. Already I notice a huge decrease in catalogs every week. Mother Nature is smiling on you. Keep up the good work.
We hardly ever get any credit card solicitations any more though we used to get a half dozen or more a week. I started sending back all the accompanying papers in the enclosed envelope – with no comment at all and nothing deleted. Sometimes I would put in an extra piece of totally irrelevant garbage mail. I guess they got tired of paying postage for all this junk!
I have faithfully added names and updated information to my account on catalogchoice.org for months and have seen almost NO ACTION taken by companies and NO DECREASE in catalogs. I have, in fact, grown tired of entering information for no purpose. I certainly am not in a position to recommend this service because it hasn’t resulted in any benefits.
On the positive side, I learned that to get off Title Nine and one other catalog that I had to contact them directly which I did. Those are probably the only ones that have respected my request!
Two others have contacted me to inquire as to whether I was serious about my request to be removed rather than just trusting Catalog Choice….but at least they asked me and that says a lot about their customer service. (Unfortunately neither company’s website included the alleged information on making opt-out or pruning choices.)
Otherwise CatalogChoice.org has proven to be utterly useless. (I have also done DMA Choice and the federal opt-out for credit card solicitations.)
I don’t blame you but I think you need some ways of ramping up the pressure.
Just entered my first set of catalogs (8 from just the last three days alone!) – so I’m hoping it works. Thanks in advance – this is a great and desperately needed service.
Just to add to my earlier comments. I looked at the “Bravo” section and there I see lots of companies that have “confirmed” the receipt of my opt-out but continue to send me tons of catalogs. I also see many to which an opt-out has been “delivered” but they have not confirmed receipt for it for over 4 months. I’m at a loss as to understand the point of the Bravo program if it rewards companies that are NOT doing the right thing.
Nina: CC.org is doing the best they can. I congratulate them in their efforts, it’s working for us. In case you did not read DMA’s letter, DMA is trying to discredit CC.org by asking why they ask for mailing info needed to send to catalogs our opt outs to get us removed from catalog mailings that we choose.
My questions to DMA is why they think it’s ok for them to continue to ignore the consumer and let catalog companies sell/rent/share our info without the consumer’s permission? and… Why join them and they really don’t not care to fix the mess? It’s irresponsibility and creating a smoke screen to prevent a Do Not Mail Law.
What does DMA have to fear? Are they afraid of a Do Not Mail Law because they have may have a nasty big secret?
In case you did not know, I’ve done the contact catalog companies, charities, credit card offers since late Sept07-400 letters and over 300 calls some 4-5 times each. Great idea if catalogs would honor their Mail Preference Clause and thoroughly suppress info by address and not by name.
I got the impression when I first read DMA’s letter to merchants that they want catalog companies to impress on the consumer to second guess their decision to opt out of the catalogs they want to opt out – wonderful customer service to do that.
In response, DMA is useless because once they sell your mailing info and profited they really don’t care what happens to the consumer. DMA has had 36 years of freedom in making a disaster for wasted paper and potential identity theft issues. A good probability the recent mailings I got from solicitors for my late inlaws recently were provided by DMA and they never lived at the address sent to. When my mother in law passed, we did contact USPS years ago and filed the proper info.
I’m still dealing with mailings with my past names because catalog companies are being sold old listings and they don’t care.
CC.org is just trying to make a difference in the environment.
I’ve had great success with catalog choice and almost all of the ones that I’ve opted out of have stopped. One or two exceptions but my mail box is wonderfully empty of unwanted catalogs.
I was just about to post a comment similar to the one posted yesterday by Sarama. I have opted out of 153 catalogs starting last October, and so far, there are 42 “confirmed” opt-outs, and some of these are still coming, especially after you order something.
Every time I hear the ad on NPR I sort of mutter to myself about how CC seems to be overstating its effectiveness.
For the companies that aren’t acting upon my request, I email their customer service that I will NEVER CONSIDER ordering again if they don’t discontinue sending their catalog. Both your service and this action have helped tremendously! Thanks.
I first started visiting over 6 monhs ago and got very little response. Called a few and said I would order online but NOT if I got any more catalogs. Some worked and I didn’t get their catalogs… but suddenly I got a whole slew of new ones I’d never received before. Did they sell my info as “revenge?” Also, if I do order on line guess what I get in my package?.. a catalog and wham I’m back on the mailing list. How about some government action in this age of GREEN?
Sarah:
Compliance with the requests depends on the merchant. There are no laws that govern mail preferences. We are trying to make our approach work. It is taking time, but progress is being made. We are confident that in time the effectiveness will meet your expectations. Thanks for your support.
Just to be clear about my comments. I am not criticizing CatalogChoice for something that it does not control (although bragging about its effectiveness is not warranted). Any nonprofit can only do what it can do (I know, I work in this field) so I don’t need to be chastised for not understanding or being supportive. But the problem is that this system, although ever improving, is NOT working very well. That should mean that rather than just have thousands more frustrated users of this website, it’s time for CatalogChoice to organize us frustrated users to do something more, whether that’s in Congress or something else in the nature of collective demands.
Individual efforts are fine but the entire point of CatalogChoice is that we are banded together and the organization needs to take advantage of our rage and determination to take this a step beyond opting out since opting out is not working. (One thing that our opting out efforts and reporting if they work or don’t work could do is create data to demonstrate the need for federal legislation.)
I started fprwrdomg names of catalogs in December of ‘07. Just in the last week I have begun getting confirmation of catalogs that weren’t in your list of Catalogs. Wonder why it took so long?
David:
It has taken a long time to work through the unlisted catalogs because the service became so popular that we had to focus our resources on getting the existing merchants to comply. We now have someone working on the unlisted catalogs.
We are a not-for-profit service with limited resources. Thanks for you understanding and support.
Just a few comments – one to Joe – it’s nothing new that companies keep issuing new customer numbers – I’ve opted out of Brookstone and updated info 6 times already since that’s how many new customer numbers they have issued me – other comment is about Shades of Light catalog which was “confirmed” by CC – just received another catalog with the following statement printed right on the back of catalog next to my name/address – “DEAR VALUED CUSTOMER; TO CONFIRM YOUR CATALOG CHOICE OPT-OUT REQUEST PLEASE CALL 1-877-288-5029″ – which I promptly just did and guess what – Tracy in customer service took all my info again and took me off the mailing list – however, will take up to another 60 days to remove – oh well, hopefully it’ll get done – and btw thank you CC for e-mailing me with the names of 4 catalogs that have now been added to the list for which I had suggested you add.
I really love the idea of an ‘optdown’ option. So often there are merchants whose merchandise I like and purchase but from whom I don’t want a catalog every week. We have to make them listen.
Karin: the dmachoice.org website required a credit card number for me, but they may have stopped that requirement.
Yvonne: I don’t know about the Do Not Mail bill, but it was interesting to see that the bill to stop email spam exempted some pretty big emailers.
All: if you do want to contact your Member of Congress about this issue, you can go to http://www.congress.org to find out how to email, phone, or fax your rep.
Just checking back in after giving up several months ago, to see if things have improved. Based on the comments and questions here, it looks as though the same problems are continuing – merchants not honoring, or saying they will but then sending catalogs anyway. I have managed to get rid of virtually all catalogs by taking the time to call them. Interestingly enough, most now have an option in the phone menu for “press XX to be removed from our mailing list” and I am seeing that option on websites, too – but I would rather call to avoid having them capture my e-mail address. It has been a time-consuming pain-in-the-rear, but it seems to be working great. I now get 1 or 2 catalogs per week, at most, and they are “new” catalogs – i.e., not from companies I’ve asked to stop sending catalogs. So as much as I admire your effort, it just wasn’t working and I wanted people to know that it is worth taking the time to do this by phone instead. By the way, when you call to cancel, they say you may get 2-3 more catalogs because they print and label months in advance. But I’ve been impressed that I rarely get more than one more catalog after I’ve cancelled.
What do you think of ProQuo? Are they legit? I see they have a new competing catalog-choice service.
Thanks for all your efforts!
I have seen a slight decrease in the catalogs coming in. Some companies seem to not give up. I have had to make phone calls. Most of my opt-outs went out 4/29/08 and now, as of 7/21/08, I am still getting their catalogs (FootSmart, Woman Within, Walter Drake being a few), they claim the catalogs are preprinted. Wow, aren’t they efficient? Hopefully in 2 more months, I will be catalog-free. Otherwise, I am wrapping them in brown paper and cutting out a space where their return address is and writing in bold letters, RETURN TO SENDER! And, no, I am not putting postage on it.