I expect that you get frustrated when you pick up the daily mail and find unwanted catalogs you have requested to no longer receive at Catalog Choice. We live your frustration. Our team works tirelessly everyday to get more merchants on-board with our free secure mail preference service.
We know the system is far from perfect. But it is significantly better than what existed a year ago. If you want background on exactly how difficult it is to get off a mailing list, head on over Jonny Hal’s Off the List blog. Make sure you watch this video, it documents the state of the art as of 2007.
So, what should you do with your frustration? You can focus it on the companies that keep on sending you unwanted catalogs or you can direct it to us, the non-profit working to give consumers the ability to choose what enters their mailbox.
If you believe that respecting the customer’s choice is paramount, then we need you to join us to let the non-participating companies know that you want them to honor your request entered in your Catalog Choice account. We have added phone numbers for every non-participating merchant. If you have a free moment, give them a call. Your efforts will help our team who are on the phone with merchants every day, your fellow Catalog Choice members and those who will join the service in the future.
The Catalog Choice community is effectively changing the way mail preference requests are handled throughout the United States. Over 300 merchants are using our service, the DMA has launched a brand new mail preference service, DMAchoice.org, and more merchants are adding mail preference forms to their websites. A major catalog trade association has endorsed us, leading companies are speaking out in support of our service, and the DMA has stopped their campaign against us.
But our job is far from done and we need your support to carryout the mission. Follow the example of fellow Catalog Choice members like Julie who only shops with Participating Merchants, or Yvonne and Tracy who have both been long-time supporters of our service and work continuously to stop unwanted mail, or Sue who uses My Choices to manage her 240 catalogs opt-out requests, of which she says over 180 no longer arrive.
Together, we are improving the direct mail world so consumers can have a choice. This is not a simple, short-term initiative. It requires time, patience and your continued support.
Hi Sophie and Patricia:
You may be getting more catalogs because companies are already starting to mail for the holiday season – please enter the unwanted ones here and we’ll continue to communicate your requests. We’ve also begun listing contact information for each company if you’d like to contact them directly. If you email me at paul@catalogchoice.org, we can go through the catalogs you are still receiving and I can give you specific advice about each one.
Debora, thank you for the insightful comment above. Our merchant license states that we provide participating merchants with our members information solely for the purpose of fulfilling and confirming your mail preference request; and merchants are not allowed to rent, sell or trade the names we provide. We DO instruct participating merchants to add names that are not on their house list (prospects) to a Do Not Mail list.
Please stick with us as we work to fulfill your requests!
I will a couple of other thoughts and strategies here. For the folks that are getting repeat catalogs after an initial request.
Studies have shown marketers that they get a “lift” in response if they repeat an offer in a given amount of time I think its two or three weeks). So if you saw an offer and set it aside thinking you would get around to ordering it eventually, you’re more likely to remember if you get the offer again. So DMers sometimes purchase a list for “unlimited” mailing. They pay a multiple of the list rental to mail the list as many times as they want within a given time frame. I suspect a lot of the holiday period mailings employ this strategy. You will not be removed from the stream once the names are added to the file. So be patient.
Second, if you suspect a cataloger got your name from a rented list, it’s worth a phone call to find out where it came from and contact the renting party. If you call the Marketing Manager’s office with the key code from your catalog, they can tell you where they rented from. You can then call the source of the list and ask them to remove your name from their rental data, and then ask for the name of their list manager. Contact the list manager and tell them you have instructed x, y and z to remove your name and have them confirm that its been done from their data as well.
There is a lag while information is transmitted and updated and the best thing you can do is try to get off a list BEFORE it gets sold. Mention that you are on the DMA’s mail preference list, since most reputable mailers and list managers DO want to comply with the DMA program, this may help.
I am giving up on CC. I received 7 more catalogs yesterday, some of which I had used CC to opt out of 5 months ago. For every catalog I seem to avoid, another one or 2 takes it place. It seems like I am merely pushing dirt from one of the street to the other and then pushing it back.
As of last night, I have started paying my 12 year old $1 per catalog to call companies and ask to be removed from the mailing list. That can not be any less effective than my experience here.
Jay: I’m not employed either with CC.org or anyone else – but I started my “real job” late Sept 07 with getting off 100 catalogs per week. (The amount of time, and postage is something else and your child would probably be paying for his college tuition!) I joined CC.org in late Jan 08 via the Today Show minutes after their viewing of Catalog Choice. (CC.org, you need a sequel on Today)
I still get the oddball catalog because the catalog industry is in dire straits too and it’s a hard pill. Occasionally, I will send them a letter including my rants about their “privacy policy they print” and their “occasionally we exchange mailing info”. But I always update my info with CC.org.
Be patient, and maybe, catalog companies will really see the vast advantages of online shopping.
If you allow your child to make these calls, please make sure he/she understands to be nice to the customer service rep.
Good luck!