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Where We Stand

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:
  1. 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.
  2. We are making it easier for merchants to honor requests by automating the process with their Service Bureaus.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pm and is filed under Catalog Choice, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

79 Responses to “Where We Stand”

  1. 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)!

    Yvonne Camesi on July 8th, 2008 at 5:00 pm

  2. Good job working with service bureaus … that makes it even easier for catalogers to work with you.

    Kevin Hillstrom on July 8th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

  3. You guys rock! Thanks for the wonderful service. I just declined dozens of catalogs. My mail person will be pleased.

    Merimee Moffitt on July 9th, 2008 at 7:24 am

  4. 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.

    Lena McCubbin on July 9th, 2008 at 8:13 am

  5. 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.

    Chris on July 9th, 2008 at 8:29 am

  6. 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!

    Lauree on July 9th, 2008 at 9:25 am

  7. 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 Glomski on July 9th, 2008 at 11:03 am

  8. Tracy:

    We will follow-up with Viva Terra.

    Chuck

    Chuck on July 9th, 2008 at 12:38 pm

  9. 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?

    Yvonne Camesi on July 9th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

  10. 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.

    Georgia on July 9th, 2008 at 5:39 pm

  11. DMA = Direct Marketing Association

    Chuck on July 9th, 2008 at 6:03 pm

  12. 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.

    Ingrid on July 9th, 2008 at 6:20 pm

  13. 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.

    Marilyn on July 10th, 2008 at 8:24 am

  14. 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?

    Yvonne Camesi on July 10th, 2008 at 4:53 pm

  15. 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.

    Joe Goodlove on July 11th, 2008 at 3:56 am

  16. 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.

    Karin Roberts on July 11th, 2008 at 9:11 am

  17. 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.

    Richelle Seawright on July 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am

  18. 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 on July 13th, 2008 at 12:59 pm

  19. 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

    Chuck on July 13th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

  20. 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)?

    Eugene Zelenko on July 13th, 2008 at 7:21 pm

  21. 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.

    Tracy Glomski on July 13th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

  22. 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.

    Hilarie on July 14th, 2008 at 9:14 am

  23. Eugene:

    We are working on a page that lists other services like optoutprescreen.com. Thanks for mentioning it.

    Chuck on July 14th, 2008 at 9:24 am

  24. 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.

    Connie Wills on July 14th, 2008 at 9:43 pm

  25. 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

    Lauree on July 15th, 2008 at 6:56 am

  26. 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!:)

    Melissa on July 15th, 2008 at 11:52 am

  27. 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 HARRIS on July 15th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

  28. 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.

    Chuck on July 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pm

  29. 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 HARRIS on July 15th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

  30. 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.

    Chuck on July 16th, 2008 at 9:25 am

  31. 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.

    Polly on July 16th, 2008 at 10:35 am

  32. 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!

    Sarama on July 16th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

  33. 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.

    Nina on July 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm

  34. 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.

    Brenda on July 16th, 2008 at 3:50 pm

  35. 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 on July 16th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

  36. 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.

    Yvonne Camesi on July 16th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

  37. 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.

    Terry Lyle on July 16th, 2008 at 6:54 pm

  38. 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.

    Sarah Wasserman on July 17th, 2008 at 6:52 am

  39. 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.

    Cathy on July 17th, 2008 at 10:38 am

  40. 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?

    Jane on July 17th, 2008 at 11:15 am

  41. 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.

    Chuck on July 17th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

  42. 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.)

    Nina on July 17th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

  43. 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 Laughlin on July 17th, 2008 at 5:36 pm

  44. 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.

    Chuck on July 17th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

  45. 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.

    Jackie G on July 17th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

  46. 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.

    Lori on July 18th, 2008 at 12:44 pm

  47. 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.

    Ingrid on July 19th, 2008 at 7:33 pm

  48. 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.

    Ellen on July 21st, 2008 at 5:33 am

  49. What do you think of ProQuo? Are they legit? I see they have a new competing catalog-choice service.

    Thanks for all your efforts!

    Tom Watson on July 21st, 2008 at 12:59 pm

  50. 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.

    Debbie on July 21st, 2008 at 4:13 pm

  51. 111 confirmed for us is very impressive. Considering over 500+ input = about an average of 2-6 variations logged in. Good Job CC.org for helping on the catalogs! So far this month, we’re doing good.

    It’s quite obvious from some of the above postings that mail suppliers don’t know what they are doing by selling old and incorrect info as well as “expanded” info in changing customer #s and such. It’s also irresponsible to send mailings to relatives that passed away yeas ago when USPS was properly notified by the survivors.

    -Still want a Do Not Mail Law that may impose penalties to those that create a possible environment for Identity Theft as well unwanted waste.

    When I started reading the postings in Jan08, CC.org did not really have anything to say about certain mail suppliers. I really respect them for what they are… very honorable and ethical. Maybe, the first call to merchants (catalogs, charities, miscellaneous) will get the point to suppress by address and not by name.

    Question to all: Are you enjoying your evenings because of lesser calls from solicitors at dinner time? = Do Not Call Legislation did the trick.

    Ingrid: thanks for the info. As far as DMA, they seem to change their rules about what they want (credit card info and $) in regards to membership terms when it suits them. Sounds like a fitness scam I fell for awhile back and lost $. I would say DMAs 36 years is long enough to improve on gaining public trust and to quit bragging about the marketing range they can provide.

    Yvonne Camesi on July 21st, 2008 at 7:53 pm

  52. Tom: We think ProQuo has designed a nice site, but can’t speak to the effectiveness of their model for delivering opt-out requests to catalog merchants. We list all of the merchants that are honoring your requests on the Bravo Merchants page: http://www.catalogchoice.org/pages/merchants

    Ellen: You bring up an important point. It is usually effective to call companies directly and request to be removed from their mailing list. Since it is so time consuming, we built Catalog Choice, and are working hard to achieve greater compliance within the catalog industry. In just 10 short months, we have over 260 catalog mailers using Catalog Choice to honor your requests. When you do call a merchant, please let the customer service representative know that you’d like them to start using Catalog Choice. And, stick with us – the service is only going to get better!

    Lori: stay tuned for news about an “opt-down” option.

    Paul on July 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am

  53. To Joe (July 11) re: point #5, are you sure that the catalogs you requested are actually now on the site? I have received several emails from Catalog Choice regarding catalogs that I requested that are now on the site. (Thank You!)

    It has taken about 4 months, but I am finally beginning to see a marked decline in the number of catalogs we receive. The marketers are crafty; we can see evidence where our name has been “sold” from one to another, and it’s sometimes months between a purchase and the onslaught of new (unwanted catalogs) from the sale of our name.

    Thank You to Catalog Choice for providing an easy way for us to at least reduce (if not completely eliminate) those pesky catalogs.

    Kris on July 23rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm

  54. Thank you so much for this service. I don’t recall when I signed up - probably late 2007. It took a while, but I’ve noticed over the last two or three months that just a few catalogs trickle into my mailbox now. Compared with the deluge we used to receive, this is phenomenal. For better or worse, I refused to call the Speigel companies, since they refused to deal with me via Catalog Choice - they weren’t worth my time, and even those catalogs are no longer coming. I’m so thankful! I just received a huge ABC Distributing holiday catalog, which made me want to gag for thought of the trees hacked down to print that monstrosity advertising what I consider to be junk. Though I brace myself for the coming holiday catalog mailing season, I am not discouraged, because I’ve seen tremendous improvement in my own experience with these catalog companies. Thank you so much, Catalog Choice, for the work you do.

    LMcC on July 24th, 2008 at 11:48 am

  55. I have continually pursued each merchant who “refuses” or “will not participate”. The latest one, NapaStyle wrote an email that said the reason they will not participate is that catalogchoice charges them for each address they deliver. Why should they pay for what they can get for free was their response. Is this true? Would appreciate a speedy answer.

    Sandra Larsen on July 24th, 2008 at 7:34 pm

  56. Sandra:

    NapaStyle is unfortunately misinforming you. We do not charge the merchants for this service. Thanks for your inquiry.

    Chuck

    Chuck on July 24th, 2008 at 9:10 pm

  57. Thanks for the “heads-up” about NapaStyle. I’ve been a customer in their L.A. store and I’d planned to order a couple of items online, but I won’t support a merchant who lies to customers. They won’t get another dime from me. P.S. CC has lessened the stacks in my mailbox, without the tedium of individual phone calls - Thanks!

    Laurie on July 24th, 2008 at 10:25 pm

  58. Thanks. That’s what I told them, even before I got this response. Interestingly, my email keeps being returned! It was a reply from several back and forth communications, so the address is correct….it’s like they won’t accept it! I told them they were going to get alot of bad press in our blog, and now they are getting their wish!

    Sandra Larsen on July 25th, 2008 at 6:32 am

  59. P.S. NapapStyle’s customer service number now has changed so you have to PAY to speak to them, by the minute! AND if you call their other number listed on their site, to place orders, it says it “is invalid…try again”! Great business, huh?

    Sandra Larsen on July 25th, 2008 at 7:02 am

  60. Hi,
    If you can put the catalog companies Customer Service number next to their name.. in case they continue to send catalogs, it will be an easy look up to go through and call each company and tell them to STOP sending us trees in the mail!

    Pruple on July 25th, 2008 at 7:02 am

  61. Thank you for providing this valued service. My mail has reduced significantly, helping me living a more simple live by not being tempted by all the glossy “must haves”. Keep up the good work!

    Sue on July 27th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

  62. I’ve been doing this since 12/07 and we’ve seen a tremendous drop in the number of catalogs in our mailbox. But I’m wondering if they’ll start up again as the holidays near (gotta hope not).

    I too have experienced the “change the name a bit and assign a new customer number” phenomonon but I keep listing them here too. More work for all of us but you have to figure that, sooner or later, they’ll get tired of all the games and just drop our names.

    And…thanks for finally adding the suggested new catalogs. The broader the list, the better.

    Bravo to CC!!!

    Pat on July 27th, 2008 at 7:39 pm

  63. I have a theory that as soon as I order from a catalog (say it’s Catalog A), they put my name on their “live one” list and sell it to everybody in the world. So if I’ve opted out of Catalog B, they just buy the next “live one” list being offered, and there I am again, with a new customer number and maybe a slightly different name. The only way to break the endless cycle is not to ever order anything from any catalog ever again–and I’m not going THAT far!

    Betty Steckman on July 28th, 2008 at 5:46 pm

  64. Pat: I posted a few months ago that catalog companies will probably start making their lists and checking them twice in July. You can guess what my wish is. Santa will probably throw me off his knee when I tell him. You’ll know sometime around September if you start getting “holiday” catalogs. They don’t get tired of the name change game, they get more creative and print several mailings in advance and put “Or Current Resident” above your name.
    Betty: You’ve got it! (about the sharing of mail info because A got a live one=the great pyramid scheme of marketing) It’s as bad as grafitti on a bathroom wall that say trashy stuff about people and give their phone #s. I still order from a few (four to be exact) that I read them the Do not sell/share or rent act about my info or I’ll stop ordering from them. They’ve really been respectful of my request. But I state my request every time I order.

    Yvonne Camesi on July 29th, 2008 at 7:08 am

  65. At first results were slim, but now I am practcally paperless! I have also cancelled local newspapers, going online or to the gym instead. It is great to help the environment in any way possible.

    Let’s try paper and plastic cups at Starbucks and other coffee chains next!

    Alexis on July 29th, 2008 at 1:43 pm

  66. I just got back from a two-week vacation. There was only one single catalog waiting for me in the mail at the Post Office. The last time I took a trip of this length, I got a stack of books nearly three inches thick.

    Thank you, Catalog Choice. Now I can spend more time bonding with Sydney (our new rescue parrot) and less time sorting through unwanted advertising.

    Tracy Glomski on July 29th, 2008 at 2:28 pm

  67. Yes, it seems like a vicious circle, but certainly worth the effort. I have been emailing/calling the biggest offenders who ignore all requests by CC (Casual Living and Footsmart to name two). I also call customer service. I figure if nothing else happens, I irritate someone as I have been irritated by continually receiving unwanted catalogs in my mailbox. I like the previous post of “return to sender” with no postage. I do that with junk mail - take all the stuff, remove my name/address, put it in the pre-addressed postage paid envelope and mail it back. Someone there will have to open it. Love it!!

    Aimee on July 29th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

  68. just today a friend sent me to your site. i had just put a pile of unwanted catalogs in the recycling bin; determined not to spend a stamp on this junk mail. bless you and my friend. what a great relief to find those who are environmentally concerned. i am going to my post office to give the workers this message. thanks so much.

    margaret Ellis on July 30th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

  69. I want to add my kudos to those Catalog Choice has already received. But (and I’ve e-mailed you about this separately twice already) some merchandisers persist in evading these catalog requests by assigning “new” customer numbers, thereby allowing them to indicate they have honored a request but to still continue to send unwanted catalogs. Home Decorators Collection of Hazelwood, Missouri, is one such malefactor. I have had them on my “remove” list since March and I continue to receive new catalogs from them almost monthly — each with a new and different customer number. It is time to consider sanctioning such unethical business practices. I, for one, will be on the phone with the Missouri State Office of the Attorney General as well as the local Better Business Bureau. Constantly changing a “customer number” to evade a legitimate request to be removed from a mailing list should be construed as a deceptive business practice.

    Erin Moore on August 1st, 2008 at 1:48 pm

  70. Erin: I’m with you on the practice that catalog companies change our names and customer number (and print Or Current Resident) to keep catalogs coming.
    Catalog companies are actually encouraged by their marketers to do whatever they can to “broaden” their range of attracting consumers -including changing names/customer info/printing “We Occasionally Exchange Your Mailing Info”(It’s already been done 10 fold before you get the chance to protest). Do you think that catalogs companies should be in the mail supplier business? They get away with this because there is no penalty.
    Unless the State Attny Gen has several similar complaints, they will not respond. I wish you the best- I am still trying but the last time I wrote an SAG - Florida, they responded stating that my complaint was forwarded to the USPS postmaster general’s office. USPS strongly supports DMA and catalog practices-a match made in wasted paper.
    I’ll say this about Florida, forestehtics.org’s Do Not Mail legislation petition shows that Florida has a great deal of consumers signing up. More that most states.

    Yvonne Camesi on August 1st, 2008 at 3:44 pm

  71. What can CC do about a Bravo Merchant who says they won’t mail you, then does? I’m so frustrated because I did everything right with Meduri World Delights: I chose them because they were a Bravo merchant; after I made the purchase, I e-mailed them that I didn’t want to get any catalogs, didn’t want them to share/rent/sell my name, didn’t want e-mails from them — and they responded that they wouldn’t do any of those things. So what shows up in my USPS box yesterday but a Meduri catalog!

    Debra Kelley on August 3rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm

  72. Debra, I don’t work for CC.org. It does sometimes takes the 1-2 mailings because they print in advance. So it may be due to the timing of your order and request for removal. Don’t know for sure but look at the back label for a requested mailing date. Evidently, USPS has room to store catalogs before they need to be mailed. Does this storage of pending catalogs cost the consumer or the merchant?

    Also, it may be due to the catalog co buying a new mailing list. As said before, their printed “We occasionally exchange” has already been done ten fold before the consumer knows it’s happened. (mail & run!)
    I know the frustration, I just “dismissed” one major company because of their constant errors in several shipping orders being either delayed or damaged and yet, I got a catalog after I requested deletion.
    Just be patient.

    Yvonne Camesi on August 3rd, 2008 at 4:05 pm

  73. What is odd is that organizations that are supposedly the most responsible and caring and make a huge deal out of their environmentalism and responsibility towards the public can be the most resistant to cooperating. For example I think Patagonia is truly a good outfit but they’ve actually developed a policy against accepting input from catalog choice. What gives? PBS Video I have refused to business with for the last 5 years, I have called them more than 20 times, yet I can’t get off their catalog list. However since using your service, I think the number of them has dropped but only the last 3 months. What a strange situation.

    Al on August 5th, 2008 at 4:28 am

  74. Yvonne,thanks for your response. I’m just frustrated because a large part of the reason I chose Meduri was I had never before received a catalog from them. I had no idea they existed. I know that in the few minutes that elapsed between placing my first — possibly last — order and completing all the opt-out functions, they could’ve given my info to other companies, which gives the lie to any company who says “we can’t cooperate with CC because we don’t have the technology” b.s.
    And to Al: What a “strange situation” indeed! I admire your restrained language…when it comes to this topic, I’m afraid I can only think in terms not fit for this forum.

    Debra Kelley on August 11th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

  75. I would like to catalogchoice take a stronger position with retailer who do not cooperate. Why not organize a boycott of one of the larger retailers? It woudl garner some interesting publicity, and flex a little muscle. Retailer can ill afford to have bad publicity in this environment.

    G. Jundanian on August 15th, 2008 at 5:35 am

  76. Reading others’ comments here makes me understand my own misadventures in getting deleted from some mailing lists. I have abided by my threat to no longer purchase from those companies. Thanks CC for all you do, regardless of the success we may or may not enjoy.

    Ann Werner on August 16th, 2008 at 10:10 am

  77. Has anybody else been told by a customer service rep. that ordering from a company’s web site means they will automatically start sending/continue to send you catalogs, despite the company having promised to honor your explicit opt-out request? That was my experience with Pottery Barn customer service this morning.

    Debra Kelley on August 17th, 2008 at 10:03 am

  78. I believe that Catalogchoice doesn’t give our names out to marketers. But cheeze, I’ve been getting catalogs lately that are so “not me” I can’t IMAGINE where they got my name. Like today’s prize: Budk Catalog, apparently for people who like to kill people. I’m a 63-year old Quaker woman, for heaven’s sakes! I feel like every time I open my mailbox there’s a whole new pile of obnoxious catalogs I’ve never heard of and wish I’d never seen. Where are they coming from??

    Betty on August 30th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

  79. [...] readers (Fred B, Jim Wiggin, and Al) have commented about the fact that Patagonia was not participating in Catalog [...]

    Catalog Choice - Paperless Blog » Blog Archive » Merchant Update on January 5th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
 

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