Dear Good Sam

[Ray,IN]

Actually, if it not for "junk" mail the USPS could not stay in business, under present conditions there is not enough regular mail revenue to support keeping the doors open.


Wayne, have you "opted-out" of receiving promotional mailings on the GS website? I did right after we joined; it took several months to see any results, but now I only receive snail mail from ERS and medical assist, gonna drop medical assist as it is included in the dues for FMCA for much less money.

[Wayne M]

Ray,
Not yet. Only mail I get from them is their ESP (which I already have) and Medical Assist and insurance. I just tear them in half without opening and toss them. I'll look into opting out. Thanks.

As for FMCA Assist - it works. Friend had heart attack in FL. FMCA Assist provide Medical Equipped Lear Jet with medical personnel and flew him (and wife) back to Arkansas.Then the provided transport of MH and puppies. Not a penny out of their pocket.

[Ray,IN]

Wayne, i just discovered one cannot opt-out of snail-mail on the GS website now. You must call. "To unsubscribe from postal mail solicitations, please contact Member Services at 1-800-234-3450."

[Wayne M]

It's their stamp if they want to waste money. Unfortunately we pick up the cost in other areas.
I'll give the call a try.

[Superslif]

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

I've done that with all junk mail. Stuff the postage paid return envelope with their (& others) propaganda & send it back to them.

L-

Never thought about that one.

[hoosierrun]

In our County (Pinellas County in Florida) we have a waste to energy plant. They burn waste to generate electricity and sell it to the power company (Duke Energy). My understanding is that 85% of all the waste collected and delivered is some kind of paper/cardboard product.... and it burns good.

Dear Good Sam... thank you for providing the fuel to create electricity.

[RVPioneer]

Originally Posted by Superslif

Never thought about that one.

It’s unlikely to be effective. Call them and ask them to remove you from the mailing list. It’s the direct approach and it works.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

It’s unlikely to be effective. Call them and ask them to remove you from the mailing list. It’s the direct approach and it works.

I agree, it's ineffective, but it makes one feel good knowing they just doubled the USPS profit from that mailing.

[RVPioneer]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I agree, it's ineffective, but it makes one feel good knowing they just doubled the USPS profit from that mailing.

When you consider that the bulk rate for an envelope is .18 and the PO can barely make ends meet at .55, an increase it the amount of bulk mail returned could have a negative impact on profits. I believe it makes one feel good when the envelopes stop arriving, that’s why I pick up the phone.

[Wayne M]

Post office does not return bulk mail so 18 cents is 18 cents in their coffers.

[RVPioneer]

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Post office does not return bulk mail so 18 cents is 18 cents in their coffers.

What I was referring to as returned bulk mail is the “postage paid return envelope “ included in the mailing to make it easier to sign up for that canine dental program or other irresistible offer. Returning that envelope with a note indicating that you are dead, or some other language attempting to discourage future correspondence, means the PO now has to do more leg work than if the envelope had been deposited in the recycling bin.

There probably aren’t enough people engaging in such behavior for the PO to even notice. All the best in your efforts to reduce unwanted solicitations in the mail.

[NRR]

I am a Good Sam lifer. It cost me a $34 onetime fee when the man was here.



I suspect I will get less mail after I went to FMEA for roadside assistance.


Now days I get mail from “Gander RV” in Madison, WI. They changed their name up here!


No more “Camping World” on the east side of Madison, WI. It is “Gander RV”.


Just an fyi….

[rmcb]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

It's unlikely you'll get a response from GS by posting on this forum. E-mail them directly for best results To answer your question, it is called marketing. It is no different from the messages and full page ads that appear in FMCA's monthly publication.


The most effective method I have found for reducing this type of mail is to call the phone number on the paperwork and ask to have your name removed from the mailing list. It may take more than one call. The great part is that if this is our biggest concern in life, we're doing pretty good.


Happy New Year.

Doesn’t work. I have been trying to turn off Good Sam SPAM for a month and if anything, the mailings have increased. I have called “Marcus”, emailed him, tried to turn off mailings on their web site, and have been corresponding with their customer service. No luck.
This started after I got a solicitation from them that looked like an invoice. It was very deceptive. I wrote Marcus to complain about it and asked to be removed from their mailing list. Almost immediately, the SPAM volume increased and now I get mailings from them almost daily. I called Marcus’ office. The SPAM keeps coming. I don’t want anything more to do with them.

[n2zon]

Originally Posted by AnotherMike

You are not the only one that does that. Unfortunately these days the responsible parties never see it, just some contract mailing service has to handle it...

But there are good stories out there... About a decade ago I saw a gentleman in the post office with a cardboard box in his hand, and a return envelope taped to the top... the envelope was a return envelope from the most recent democratic party fundraiser mailing. I asked him what it was and he said "about two pounds of their stuff".

A friend used to mail them bricks. They he became the radiation safety officer for his university, and switched to lead. It made him feel better, but I'm not sure it reduced his junk mail by much.