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is the
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Privacy Rights
------------------------------------------------------------------------Fact
While
Clearinghouse
SheetJunk
#4 Mail: How Did They All Get My Address?
private,
your mother
in thismay
dayhave
of told you that a person's mail is
computerized
address
certainly
mailing aren't.
lists, your
Chances
name and
are,
"overflowing
your mailbox
with catalogs,
is
sale notices, prize offers and other
deals"
If
youwhich
do not
youwant
neverothers
requested
to have
and may not want.
accessbuying
and
to your
habits,
name,oraddress
if you are tired of throwing away
mail, there
unwanted
lists.
You must
are several steps you can take to get off mailing
But
be persistent,
you can substantially
and you won'treduce
get ridtheof it all.
How
receive.
amount
didofI get
junkonmail
theseyou
lists in the first place?
Every
off?
or
How can
timeIyougetprovide your name and address to receive a product
more
service,
mailing
there's
lists.
a good
Whenchance you are being added to one or
purchase
you buy afrom
car,ahave
catalog,
a baby,
give money
make toa a charity
aproduct
or fillregistration
out a
card, your name is likely to be entered into
computerrecords.
Public
data base.When you make virtually any major
change,
are
lifestyle
opena togovernment agency records the event. Many such files
the public,home
licenses,
including:
sales records,
birth certificates,
and the
marriage
address
Post Office's
form. Public
changerecords
of
are one way companies selling baby
items,after
days
forthe
example,
birth of
can mail advertisements to new parents just
records
a child.
Mail-reduction
about
tips. You usually cannot have government
you kept confidential.
individually
when theyTherefore,
put you oncontact
a
companies
public
mailingrecords.
list compiled
For example,
fromif you buy a house and receive
improve-ment
home
do
three things:
and insurance solicitations you do not want, you can
(1) Write
its
mailing
to thelist.
company
(2)andEnvelopes
ask to bewith
taken off
Requested"
"Address orCorrection
"Return Postage Guaranteed" can be
unopened
returned
The
companybywill
writing "Refused--Return to Sender" on the envelope.
ahave
postage-paid
to pay thereturn
returnenvelope,
postage.put
(3)all
If there is
return
of the envelope
informationwith
in athenote that you wish to have your
removed
The
namePostfromOffice
the mailing
makes its
list.
change of address file
major
aimed
available
atmailing
to list companies. To avoid receiving solicitations
whom
"new you
movers,"
do business
contact friends,
directlyfamily and companies with
Office's
Mail
and order,
do not
change
credit
fillof cards
out theform.
address
Post
list
and magazines.
of one mailIforder
you are
company,
on theyou
mailing
are likely
ofto several.
other
be on theMost
listmail order firms "rent" their mailing list to
mailing
businesses.
lists,Many
as docredit
magazines.
card companies also rent their
cooking
Therefore,
magazine,
if you subscribe
you may find
to yourself
a
receiving
catalogs
mail Mail-reduction
order
for kitchen supplies and food specialties.
tips. Write to(DMA)
Association's
the Mail
Direct
Preference
Marketing
Service,
Farmingdale,
P.O. Box 9008,
NY 11735. Tell the DMA you do not want to
catalogs
will
receive
put and
youother promotional material through the mail. They
into theorganizations
member
"delete" filefour
which
times
is asent
year.
to the DMA's
Companies that
Association
program
do not participate in the Direct Marketing
company's
must be customer
contactedservice
directly.
department
Notifyandthe
request
and
address
that your
not be
nameprovided to other companies. Be sure
to
nonprofit
contact magazines to which you subscribe as well as charities,
organizations
either
donatedand
money
community
or joined.
groups to which you have
Many rent
they
credit
andcard
sometimes
companies will delete your name from the lists
own
even promotional
from the listmaterials
they use totosend
their
theircustomer
s. (They continue
however,
service
will, to send you your bill.) Write to the customer
lists
department
they rent
andtorequest
othersyour
and from
name be removed from the
Credit
their "in-house"
bureaus. Companies
mailing list.
with whom you do business
information
you
provide
pay yourto credit bureaus on how much you owe, how promptly
many
billscredit
and thebureaus
types ofrent
purchases
lists, they
you make. While

information
do not disclose
such asspecific
what you owe or to whom. Rather, they
lists ofbased
compile
list
people
on consumer characteristics. An example would be a
credit
who havecards
an income
and pay
of their
over $30,000
bills ona year, use
category
time. Ifsuch
you asfall
this,into
you may
a receive "pre-approved" credit
offersMail-reduction
card
in the mail. tips. The three major credit reporting
are:
removed
firmsEquifax,
from Trans Union and TRW. Write to each and ask to be
theiromarketing
Equifaxmailing
Options,
lists.Equifax Marketing Decision
Systems,
o
Inc., P.O.
Trans
UnionBox- 740123, Atlanta, GA 30374-0123.
555 West
o Adams
IL 60661.
TRW,
St.,
Target
8th Floor, Chicago,
Marketing 901
Services
Preference
N. Division,
Service, Attn: Mail
Registration
75081.
International cards.
Parkway, Be
Suite 191, Richardson, TX
aware that warranty
registration"
cards haveorless"product
to do with warranties
with
have,
than mailing
they do lists. These cards may ask you what hobbies you
income--information
how many people arethe
in your household and your household
companyregistration
guarantee
Such
obviously
the product.
does
cardsnot require to
that
are generally
manufactured
not the
mailed
product,
to thebutcompany
to a post
office boxDemographics
National
This
of the and Lifestyles Company in Denver, Colorado.
other
company
companies
compilesforbuyer
marketing
profiles and sells the information to
the
purposes.
product
Mail-reduction tips. When you buy a product, don't fill out
that
registration
you are covered
card. Inbymost
the warranty
cases your receipt ensures
Ififyou
thedecide
producttoissend
defective.
the registration card, include only
information--name, address, date of purchase and product serial
minimal
number.
record
(For some
of your
products
purchase
you in
maycase
want the company to have a
Also,
therewrite
is a to
safety
National
recall.)
Demographics and Lifestyles and ask
tothem
Lifestyles,
delete you from their mailing lists: National Demographics and
Denver,
Price
List Order
Colorado
Department,
80202. 1621 18th Street, Suite 300
scanners.isA through
profiles
new way price
of compiling mailing lists and buyer
scanners.
track
of Scanners
their inventory
help businesses
and speed
keepservice at
counter.
purchases
the check-out
They can also be used to link your name to your
, especially
When
card.
this card
if is
you"swiped"
are using the store's "buyers club"
out
through
stand,
theyour
cardname
reader
andataddress,
the checkstored in the
strip,
card's are
magnetic
matched against a record of the scanned items.
generally
Stores
The
card.
store offer product discounts as an incentive to use the
special
may useoffers
this information
to you andtoshare
mail coupons and other
the informationSo,with
manufacturers.
for example,
product if you buy one type of
soda grocery
the
drink
at
company
store you might receive coupons from a rival soft
to induce
Mail-reduction
you to switch
tips.brands.
If you do not want information
about
scanners,
compiled
yourdon't
personal buying habits through the use of price
also
participate
want toin pay
the cash
store's
at businesses
"buyers club." You may
technology
which use scanners,
may allow the
sincecompany to store your name and
if you books.
address
Phone
pay by check
If you
or credit
are listed
card.in the
White Pages
telephone
book,ofyour
thename, address and phone number are, for
practical
all
this
information
purposes, public record. Mailing list companies collect
marketing
and sell firms.
it to Inmailaddition
order tocompanies
the
and
company
White Pages,
and other
the companies
phone
compile directories organized
address
in
bythe White
and phone
Pages,number rather than by name. If you are listed
address
you Mail-reduction
aredirectories."
also in one or more of these "street
tips.and
name
If address
you are private,
concernedconsider
about keeping
havingyour
an
unlisted that
request
number.
the local
Or
phone company publish just your name
phone
company
and number
to and omit your address. In addition, ask the phone
remove your Also,
directory."
listingwrite
fromtoits
the "street address
majorodirectory
request
that
Haines
yourcompanies
listing beand
removed:
& Co., Criss-Cross
Ave., Fullerton,
Directory, 2382 East Walnut
CA 92631.
o
R. L. Polk & Co., List Compilation & Development, 6400
Monroe
o Blvd.,
RuebenTaylor,
H. Donnelley
MI 48180-1814.
Corp., 287 Bowman Ave
., Purchase,
Mailing
list
NY 10577.
companies. There are a number of companies
purchase
telephone
which
and
books,
collect information from government records,
sources.
association
They compile
membership
mailing
rosters
listsand
and sel
other
l themMail-reduction
purposes.
for marketingtips. To be removed from the lists
major
of othe
companies
R.L. that sell mailing lists, write to these firms:

Polk & 6400

Company,
Monroe
ListBlvd.,
Compilation
Taylor,& Development,
MI 48180-1814.
o
Donnelley Marketing, Inc., Data Base Operations, 1235
"N"oAve.,Metromail
Nevada, IACorp.,
50201-1419.
List Maintenance, 901
West oBond,Database
Lincoln, NEAmerica,
68521. Comp. Dept., 100
Paragon
o
Montvale,
Dunn
Dr., & Bradstreet,
NJ 07645-0419.
Customer
What
Svc.,if I899only
Bethleham,
Eaton
want to
Ave.,
PAstop
18025.
part
Junk
want
of mymail
junkismail?
only junk when you don't want to receive it. You may
Ifto you
be onwant
some to
mailing
receive
lists.
some of this mail, do not contact
Direct
lists.
the Rather,
Marketing Association and ask to be taken off all mailing
notifyyour
want
companies
name removed
individually
from their
and lists.
tell them you
you
Also,dotell
business
the companies
with to keep your name and address private.
including
growing
A
number
statements
of businesses which rent their mailing lists are
in their
this
For
Join
more
option.
theinformation
catalogs to let you know you have
list
Stop name
Junk deletion
Mail Association.
service for
The SJMA provides a mailing
its postal
of
membersprivacy
and lobbies
rights.
on For
behalf
more information on SJMA
write to: 3020 Bridgeway #150, Sausalito, CA 94965. (800) 827services,
Order
5549.
the informative
sending
$2.00 to16-page
Good Advice
booklet "Stop Junk Mail Forever" by
The
12523.
Press,
Direct
P.O. Marketing
Box 78, Elizaville,
AssociationNYhas free
brochures practices.
marketing
on direct Contact the DMA at 11 West 42nd St.,
York,
For
New more
NY 10036-8096.
information on junk mail and other
issues,
privacy-related
contact the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse hotline
1-800-773-7748.
at NOTE: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse does not rent,
sellorganization
or trade oritscompany.
mailing list with any other
Your completely
......November
......
name and address
1992
confidential.
are kept
Revised Feb. 1993