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One milestone down, many more to go

Today we signed up the one millionth member at Catalog Choice.  When we developed our projections a year ago, we thought it would take 2 years to hit this milestone.  We’ve reached it in 11 months.  I guess the demand for a free and easy to use mail preference service is greater than we thought.

Thanks to everyone who has told their friend about our service.  More and more merchants are coming on board as our membership grows.  That means that more and more of your opt-out requests are getting honored.  As we approach our 1 year anniversary, we are working hard on some great new updates to the service.  Stay tuned …. and until then, thanks to everyone of our members!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 5:21 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.

27 Responses to “One milestone down, many more to go”

  1. Woohoo! Congratulations, Catalog Choice!

    Tracy Glomski on September 10th, 2008 at 5:24 pm

  2. Keep up The Great Work!!!
    I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this website! Feels good to de-clutter my mailbox and home!

    Mrs. Lee M. Berry on September 11th, 2008 at 4:55 am

  3. Congratulations. I hope the numbers pay off at some point. I still get many, many catalogs from merchants who “confirmed” my opt-out last winter. Another annoyance are the merchants who keep sending catalogs with new account numbers. Is it worth my time to keep banging this stuff in? Do you guys follow up on it?

    Keith Couch on September 11th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

  4. No!Thank YOU. You guys are the best. Since I’ve been shopping online, you wouldn’t believe the stuff in my mail box every day and,it all goes in the trash. Most of this stuff I can’t afford. Do they think everyone in America is rich?

    Carol Gagliardi on September 12th, 2008 at 8:16 am

  5. Congratulations and keep up the great work! You are doing an incredible service for which you should be proud and honored. I hope this is the first of many anniversaries and hopefully the national media will provide great attention on such a key milestone.

    David on September 12th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

  6. You are doing one million of us a great service. Hooray!

    Peggy on September 13th, 2008 at 10:04 am

  7. I’ve been persistently entering my catalogues but the majority of them keep coming. In fact, I just seem to keep getting more and more. It’s also very annoying that many catalogues just keep sending them with new customer numbers. I’m getting very frustrated that I’m wasting my time entering catalogues on your web site.

    Kathy on September 13th, 2008 at 1:41 pm

  8. I’ve tried to keep the faith, but I’m beginning to agree with Kathy. I joined nearly a year ago and have only 13 of 67 confirms. The 13 is deceptive, as some catalogs have me under different versions of my name. Hence, my new, and it seems, enduring problem. As catalogs are notified that I want to drop them, they start sending me catalogs with my middle initial — or to my husband. The flow hasn’t stopped or even decreased, but actually increased. Certainly NOT what I hoped or expected when I signed up last autumn. As Kathy said, very frustrating.

    Susan on September 13th, 2008 at 3:31 pm

  9. Kathy and Susan are right. I was a faithful CC user and still got catalog after catalog. Finally I started calling the 800 number of every catalog as soon as it came and asking to be taken off the mailing list. It actually works and it takes about as much time s mucking around on this website!

    I think it is pretty telling that the milestone is about the number of people who have signed up, not the number of catalogs that have been stopped.

    mh on September 13th, 2008 at 4:59 pm

  10. To CC.org: I will congratulate you again. THANKS. You have continued to help. So far I have only 4 accepted catalogs this month and I know it takes time.
    To the above doubters once again, here’s my timeline, I started about a year ago calling catalog companies requesting removal accepting their assurances for suppression. (I was so sure my call would end the mailings) Then, the Name/Cust# musical chairs game started.
    In late December on, I started writing - about some 400 letters (including junk mail).
    Jan 08 I joined CC.org and from there, I have entered over 500 entries to CC.org that not only included me, hubby and passed away in’laws with all our variations (it’s a bunch) - at two addresses.About 26 “Non Paricipating” and that could mean they have improved their Suppression procedures.
    My letters to catalogs are honest, {take me off your mailings}{do not share/rent or sell my mailing info} Many of these request have been honored, but a few multiplied - again.
    Recently I have had to write and call some mailings (including catalogs) stating “the mail supplier is giving out dated info-my inlaws that have been deceased for several years have never, never resided at our address”. To me, mail suppliers have gone too far.
    Delete by address vs name. (Yes, I still want a Do Not Mail List legislation)

    CC.org has a lot more integrity than one thinks. Give them time.

    Yvonne Camesi on September 13th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

  11. Kathy, Susan, Mh and any other frustrated Catalog Choice Member:

    We understand your frustration and we are doing our best to make this voluntary model work. We have been working with leaders in the direct mail industry to come up with some clear rules by which this mail preference service can work. Everyone is aware that the process is still not working at the level we all demand.

    On behalf of the small and dedicated team working on the Catalog Choice member’s behalf, we ask for your patience and support as we increase the adoption of our non-profit mail preference service. There are lots of great merchants honoring your requests today and many more are joining the service every month.

    mh - we recognize that membership is not the only milestone and number of opt-out requests that are confirmed and honored is also critical. We will report on this shortly.

    Thanks,

    Catalog Choice Team

    Chuck on September 14th, 2008 at 11:14 am

  12. I’ve been using Catalog Choice since November of 2007. For the most part the service seems to be working. My “opt out” list probably has 150+ entries with different name, address, and customer number combinations. For a few merchants, I’ve had to resort to calling them. I keep notes to this effect using the Catalog Choice site. I probably only get 2 - 3 catalogs a week now - and from time to time I’ll have to add something new to Catalog Choice or will call the particular company’s “800″ number to request they stop sending catalogs. Once the flow of catalogs has been reduced to a trickle it takes only minimal maintenance. (Yes, it would be better if the catalogs just stopped completely.) On a 1- 10, I think Catalog choice has achieved a “9″.

    Jeff in Boston on September 14th, 2008 at 11:50 am

  13. I am also very discouraged, but I will keep checking in…I started on here a year ago, and really still get the same amount of catalogs….my requests have been ignored by all but Title Nine, and I had to call them…
    Yes, this is a very, very good idea, but so far is not working at our house…..

    Catherine on September 15th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

  14. I would like an addition to the reasons for declining a catalog. My 88-year-old Mom is moving into assisted living soon. She frets “What are we going to do with all these catalogs?”
    I have also retired this year and am trying to get rid of my vast collection from the last 40+ years.
    Could we have the option of “I am downsizing” to signal the companies that we are not very likely to buy, even if the catalog keeps coming.
    Yes, some of the companies just vary my name/address and keep sending to me, too. Now our daughter who has never lived at this address nor used her maiden name for 20 years is getting mailings here!
    CatalogChoice has helped. It is just a big problem.
    Hats off to Vermont Country Store who send a letter to see why I declined from them. We love the catalog but not the multiples. They are now back to just one.

    Lena McCubbin on September 16th, 2008 at 8:58 am

  15. Unfortunately I’m another discouraged user. I am surprised to see there are people who have been at this for a year and are still receiving the same amount of catalogs. I’ve only been at it a few months and already have 100 entries, some of which have been confirmed yet I’m still receiving. Now with the holidays approaching I’m sure there’s no point in wasting my time. Instead I’ll just give my garbage man a nice tip this year.

    Linda on September 16th, 2008 at 12:52 pm

  16. Lena, I can certainly relate to you on the name/address swap as well as “downsizing” After dealing with my mother-in-laws house that took several two week trips cross country to go through - floors/drawers/closets covered with books/catalogs/magazines - I thought going through our stuff would be a piece of cake. Wrong… Over 12 yrs of marriage and 21 yrs together and a new house, our basement has over 200 boxes to go through. Last week I went through about 50 and got rid of 30. I thought retirement was supposed to be fun. I still have hope. I also probably need to get hubby and I into “Packrat” therapy.
    PBS Home Video still has no clue on what “take me off your mailing lists” means. They refuse to provide me with the origin of the mail supplier and they just don’t care about consumers. Their response has been, “well let me take you off our list again” and again and again……
    I miss Vermont Country Store and other honorable merchants, but at the moment it’s relaxing to not have to shred new stuff so I can concentrate on the nightmare downstairs.

    Yvonne Camesi on September 16th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

  17. Catalog Choice WORKS! I’ve subscribed for almost a year and about 4 months ago, catalogs practically disappeared from my mail. There are still some repeat offenders, like Sierra Trading Post and all its bizillion annoying sub-catalogs, Home Decorators, and Crate & Barrel, but that’s about it. My junk mail is now limited to bank/credit card offers, grocery store fliers, and political causes begging for money. This summer I was able to have a neighbor collect my mail when I was on vacation because I knew the junk mail pile wouldn’t be unmanageable–and it was almost nothing after two weeks! Catalog Choice has reduced my monthly trash by 50 pounds (and my blood pressure by 50 points). Now I actually laugh at the rare errant catalog, because I can log in and sock it to ‘em. Thank you for this wonderful service.

    Mark on September 16th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

  18. Mark:

    If you wan to get rid of credit cards offers, you could try http://www.optoutprescreen.com - it’s official site of credit report industry. Works for me and my friends.

    Grocery stores ads are more complicated: http://proquo.com and request on bulk mailer site (Valassis in my area) solved problem.

    Eugene Zelenko on September 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

  19. Catalog Choice is at least a starting place to get off lists. I have married children who for various reasons have needed to use our address to have things shipped stateside. This almost always means a new catalog comes to them here. I then Opt out for them and slowly the number of catalogs does go down. The holiday season will be the real test!

    Pat K on September 17th, 2008 at 5:12 am

  20. It was amazing, in just a matter of weeks I saw a great reduction in catalogs delivered to my snail mail box. I am using the service for both my home and work address, here’s to another tree left standing!!!!!

    Barbara Ziemba on September 17th, 2008 at 12:09 pm

  21. I have been receiving several catalogs for over a decade that I have NEVER purchased from. This is an example of the corporate mismanagement and waste that has been rampant for years that effects our daily lives, not just the stock market. I worked for a large corporation for many years and saw it firsthand. THANK YOU Catalog Choice for giving the people a convenient and easy way to fight back!! Keep up the good work!

    Barbara B on September 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am

  22. Love Catalog Choice, congrats on the millionth member and even bigger congrats on the trees you have saved. I just called Garnet Hill, which CC notes as “not participating” in the opt-out service, and asked to be removed from their list, and they were very nice about it. Keep it up!!

    Evelyn on September 18th, 2008 at 12:28 pm

  23. I, too, still receive just as many catalogs. Even the “confirmed” ones keep sending under new customer #’s or variations of names. In my frustration, I’ll go 2 weeks without entering on CC, then spend 2+ hrs re-entering or adding new catalogs….. I’m up to over 350 entries and still counting. I’ll be bracing for the Christmas season crush of catalogs!! I have a 13 gal. garbage can next to my computer and it fills up every 2 1/2 weeks (catalogs only), I can hardly lift it. I will hang with CC thru another year to see if this Company really can make a difference in my life and all of you.
    Thanks, Eugene Zelenko for your info.
    As frustrating as this seems, I think we owe CC to keep this “machine growing”, they’re a new company and they need all our support to help them help us!! Congrats on your millionth+ member and will be looking forward to the # of catalogs actually stopped being mailed out. Now THAT will be a Grand Milestone to Celebrate!!!! We all just need to plug away ine entry at a time, collectively we CAN make a difference!! I’m still very opptimistic it will eventually work. NEVER GIVE UP BOYS & GIRLS!!!

    Katia Arquette-N. Idaho on September 18th, 2008 at 11:57 pm

  24. I just received my first holiday (Christmas) catalog! I’m appalled. It’s only mid-September. This came from a company I actually like, but I do not want catalogs for the holidays, especially this early. It’s going to the recycle bin right away, unread.

    I wish we could convey this sort of thing to these merchants through your site. I’m going to contact this particular business directly, but would love to be able to get off ALL “holiday catalog” lists, even for companies I generally like dealing with.

    Liz on September 19th, 2008 at 6:02 am

  25. Liz, that’s a really great idea!! The holidays are busy enough without having to deal with mountains of catalogs piling up!

    Barbara B on September 19th, 2008 at 8:11 am

  26. Catalog Choice has made a difference in my household’s mailbox. Over the past 6 months, we’ve received a lot fewer catalogs. My catalog-removal arsenal also includes having an unlisted address, signing up on the DMA list, and calling individual catalogs (and other junk mailers) to be removed from mailing lists permanently. What a waste of time to deal with all this, but finally, my catalog problem is no longer a problem.

    Calvera on September 28th, 2008 at 7:27 am

  27. Saw this site advertised on tv (I believe it was the TODAY show). Great idea !!!

    Ann T on October 15th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
 

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