Community Forums

TandW · 04-21-2006, 10:47 AM

After receiving piles of junk mail these last two weeks, I finally called one of the funeral homes and asked where and how they got our full names and address. To my surprise! I found out the post office sells mailing lists. For anyone wanting to get off this list you need to write a request of not to sell you information to:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Assoc.
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

TandW · 04-21-2006, 10:47 AM

After receiving piles of junk mail these last two weeks, I finally called one of the funeral homes and asked where and how they got our full names and address. To my surprise! I found out the post office sells mailing lists. For anyone wanting to get off this list you need to write a request of not to sell you information to:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Assoc.
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

TandW · 04-21-2006, 12:12 PM

Sorry if I put this under the wrong forum topic.

Grumpy9 · 04-21-2006, 12:29 PM

That makes sense. It would increase their volume, hence their revenue would go up.

Rich & Zara · 04-22-2006, 03:55 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by T&W:
After receiving piles of junk mail these last two weeks, I finally called one of the funeral homes and asked where and how they got our full names and address. To my surprise! I found out the post office sells mailing lists. For anyone wanting to get off this list you need to write a request of not to sell you information to:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Assoc.
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512 </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It might be true that you may be able to come off some mailing lists by a request through the address you provided, however, it IS NOT true that those lists are being sold by the U.S.Postal Service. They ARE NOT allowed to do so in any circumstances.

Zara - a USPS employee

TandW · 04-23-2006, 05:23 AM

Rich, Zara, friends and comrades,

After talking to the funeral home I called my local postmaster. He said, "I did hear something of the kind" and so he referred me to customer service at the district office in Harrisburg, Pa.( 717-257-2100 )

I spoke to a very kind lady who said "I just found out about this two weeks ago, and yes they do provide these lists to a marketing company".
YES IT IS TRUE!!! I completely understand your feelings of doubt. That was my first thought! They are not allowed! Customer service at the post office said they are, and do. Why would the post office tell me something that is not true? No government entity should be providing anyone with any information at all about me to any one without my express permission.

I reiterate; the post office gave me an address for getting off their mailing list. There is no phone number so you must write. The address is as follows.

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Assoc.
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

Let's think about this. Heard 10 years ago the post office wanted to tax e-mail. Perhaps they are just trying to be inventive in increasing revenues. It doesn't bother me if they need to increase postage. I am not going to be passe about this issue and I am contacting my law makers.

doc · 04-23-2006, 06:32 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Let's think about this. 10 years ago the post office wanted to tax e-mail. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry, that is just an Urban Legend. Please see Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/business/taxes/bill602p.asp

"The whole thing is bunk. There is no Congressman named Tony Schnell; no Bill 602P (Congressional bill designations begin with either H.R. or S., depending upon whether they're House or Senate bills); no law firm of Berger, Stepp and Gorman; no such address as 216 Concorde Street in Vienna, Virginia; and no editorial in The Washingtonian. This hoax actually began with a Canadian version that was later Americanized: "

AKO · 04-23-2006, 04:13 PM

Of course the USPS sells address lists.

Mailers who want the low "presort/bulk" rate must buy the latest update.

Presort, means the mailer sorts his mailing to the correct route; and the pieces for each route are sequenced to the order in with the carrier delivers that route. This means the mailer delivers their mailing to the PO and it requires no further sorting by either clerk or carrier. The tray of mail for each route goes directly to the carrier's case (or may even just be pulled off a rack by the carriers as they leave on their route). This saving of labor cost is what allows the low rate.

The information that enables a mailer to know the route and DPS (delivery point sequence), comes, of course, from the Postal Service.

Now that the lists are "computerized", it is possible/easy to cross reference with other commercially available databases to mine various information.

The Direct Marketing Association is a private organization to allow mailers to pare their mailing lists of "realy poor prospects". It is not associated with the USPS.

PostMan · 04-28-2006, 05:46 PM

As AKO suggests, we sell address lists to keep from being bombarded by non existant addresses. We keep no records of names to go with those addresses.

John · 04-29-2006, 05:37 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">asked where and how they got our full names and address. To my surprise! I found out the post office sells mailing lists. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No. The USPS does not sell your name/address. The address list? - Yes. The name? - NO.