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junk mail & what to do with it.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:54 am
by barrie
>HOW GOOD IS THIS ?
>
>REVENGE ON THE TELEMARKETER
>
>Three Little Words That Work!!
>
>(1) The three little words: "Hold On, Please..."
>Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off ( instead of
>hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more
>time-con su ming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.
>
>Then when you eventually hear BT's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's
>time to go back and hang up your handset .... you have efficiently
>completed your task.
>
>These three little words could help eliminate telephone soliciting.
>
>(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other
>end?
>
>This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone
>calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.
>
>This technique is then used to determine the best time of day for a
>"real" salesperson to call back and get someone at home.
>
>What you can do after answering: If you notice there is no one there, is
>to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as
>quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialled the call and
>it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to
>have your name in their system any longer!!!
>
>
>3: When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything
>from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away
>the return envelope.
>
>Most of these come with postage-prepaid return envelopes, right?
>
>It costs them more than the regular postage "IF" and when they are
>returned. It costs them nothing if you throw them away! In that
>case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these
>cool little, postage-prepaid return envelopes.
>
>Send an advert for your local chimney sweeper to American Express ... they
>might need one!
>Send a pizza coupon to HSBC ... in case their canteen packs up. You get
>the idea.
>
>If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them back their
>blank application form ... after all, it is their form!
>
>If you want to remain anonymous, just make su re your name isn't on
>anything you return.
>
>You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them
>guessing! It still costs them, and it is their envelope after all ...
>you are just returning it!!!!
>
>The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their
>own junk back in the post, but folks ..... we need to OVERWHELM them, in
>order to stop them.
>
>Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail,
>and best of all they're paying for it ... Twice!
>
>Let's help keep Royal Mail busy. Since the Royal Mail are saying that
>e-mail is cutting into their business profits, let's help them so they will
>not need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea!
>
>If enough people follow these tips, it will work ---- maybe you'll get very
>little junk mail anymore.
>
>THIS JUST MIGHT BE ONE E-MAIL THAT YOU WILL WANT TO FORWARD TO YOUR
>FRIENDS!!!!!!! :oops:

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 12:31 pm
by Vic
Registering with the Telephone Preference Service helps cut down on the junk teklephone calls but not it seems those that come from overseas.

You can do it on line at http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/

The Mailing Preference Service is less effective but cuts some of it out

http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/

There is also a sevice used by the Royal mail to control the unaddressed mail that they deliver but I dont have a url for an online registration. Trouble is that is can cut out info from local authorities etc.

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:02 pm
by 40TPI
Vic wrote: There is also a sevice used by the Royal mail to control the unaddressed mail that they deliver but I dont have a url for an online registration. Trouble is that is can cut out info from local authorities etc.
A little OT for here but a fav pastime of mine too......apologies in advance to all Posties, the Colonies and other non UK readers.

The Royal Mail's own junk mail service called "Walksort" & "Door to Door" has its own optout as you say.
Check out:
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/prin ... aId=500081

"If you wish to opt out of receiving Door to Door mail items, please send or email your name and address to the address below:

Freepost RRBT-ZBXB-TTTS
Royal Mail Door to Door Opt Outs
Kingsmead House Oxpens Road
OXFORD OX1 1RX

or email: We will then send an opt-out form to your address, which you must sign and return. "

(Email address is optout@royalmail.com)

They don't make it easy do they !! And they try and frighten at every stage that you might miss something you really want such as local authority info etc. Load of codswallop. What they don't point out is that Royal Mail have to deliver by statute any item which is fully addressed (but not necessarily descriptively named). Councils and statutory undertakers (water, gas & sparks) are fully aware and only send addressed circulars. The only person who suffers eventually if this folds is the Postie since he gets paid extra if he does the extra junk delivery as part of his round! If Royal Mail persist in delivering their junk after you opt out you can always get a human to moan at on 08457 950950 and have an official complaint registered. (number good May 07) They really don't like that since it does cost somebody butt pain and paperwork to clear it....

Extra tricks?

1. "I'm busy right now; give me your private number so I can call you back later. No? Why ever not.....????? Well if that's your tack then.... ")

2. Always remember that if you've had a really bad day this is a Monty P chance to give somebody both barrels and have a full 15 minute argument if they will stay that long!

3. Or recall that a Freepost sender has to take and pay for ANY reply post they get. Paste the small Freepost card/envelope to any sized box or jiffy bag you have to hand and fill with helpful and informative local freebie newspapers /junk etc. The Post Office are only too happy to take your parcel! Or simply take a note of the Freepost address to handwrite on a letter/crate next time. ... We here are fully registered and opted out of anything going so if we do happen to have somebody litter our doormat they get it back in spades even if the return goes unstamped and becomes "postage due" at the other end!

Peter

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:36 am
by chris
you evil people
I love it :twisted: :twisted: :roll:

Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:24 am
by CatiGull
I have always enjoyed sending the junk post to other junk posters...some day I hope to make a profession of it.

Sending the Mothers Day Guild a free trial subscription to Ozzy Osborne's blog mag just tops the week..

Junk Mail

Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 7:14 pm
by John@sos
Barrie, I have been doing this for years, keeps my postie in a job! thought I was the only one!

John
SOS