How do I get Postman to stop delivering junk mail? (merged)

jo_b_2

MPSonline was featured on GMTV this morning. Just tried to register on behalf of my Mum and got a message saying that they were receving an unusually high level of applications at present!!

Ken68

As mentioned before, when I asked for no Royal Mail junk, I reckoned that the ordinary mail was being delayed, so cancelled out and now put the rubbish on the compost heap.
Since then have been told that the sorting offices are supposed to clear the boxes at the end of their shift.
Not sure if this is true, does anyone know?
If so, will opt out again.

FlowerBob

It's worth checking who is sending you junk ... sometimes it comes from companies who know you and you can ask them to stop. For example, I have a credit card from a certain company (paid off in full every month of course) who regularly write to me to offer me other products - loans are their favourite. My own bank write several times a year to ask me if I would like their credit card. A phone call to each organisation opted me out of their other marketing activities and stopped the letters.
Of course if they have any really good offers I will miss out on them but since I dn't want a loan (and if I did I would look for more than a few free bottles of wine and use the MSE guidance to select one) I don't think I've lost much.

Another thing I did, although it's hardly 'junk', was to check how often we get bank statements. We were receiving them every month on our savings accounts, and in one case we get two copies (one for me, one for hubby). Since we don't have a lot of traffic through these accounts - after all we're trying to put money in! - and we have full online banking, we cut the frequency to once every three months.

Quite apart from the environmental aspect (saving paper, ink etc) I figure that basically the bank is spending MY money to send me their marketing rubbish! Not that they've offered to decrease the mortgage rate by a fraction of a % to compensate, although at the moment BT will plant a tree (via the Woodland trust) if you opt to receive your phone bill by email rather that on paper through the post.

Bob

MrB_2

lisyloo wrote:

I wouldn't want to damage my door with any adhesive substance, but I also wouldn't rely on the post people to read it given their record of following instructions.

There also is the fact that Royal Mail do not see door to door mail as junk mail. Junk mail would be classified as only the fliers put through from your local pizza palace and kabab shop.

calamity-jane_2

:wall: :wall: I have returned the form for opt out, but I still continually get unnaddressed junk mail through my letter box. I have e mailed and rung Royal Mail numerous times and still I get piles of junk. I have now started to put all the junk mail back in the postbox, I consider they might feel as fed up as I do when they get it back on their doorstep! If we all did this they might get the message?

Optimist

calamity-jane wrote:

:wall: :wall: I have returned the form for opt out, but I still continually get unnaddressed junk mail through my letter box. I have e mailed and rung Royal Mail numerous times and still I get piles of junk. I have now started to put all the junk mail back in the postbox, I consider they might feel as fed up as I do when they get it back on their doorstep! If we all did this they might get the message?

I think it must depend on your local sorting office/postman. Since I put my form in i haven't received junk from the postman. The postman carries an A4 laminated sheet around with him with the names of people who have opted out and carries it in the position your letters are in his/her pile. That way they know not to put the junk through the box. I know this because my postman once put the laminated sheet through my box with my post lol

SusanCarter

Ken68 wrote:

As mentioned before, when I asked for no Royal Mail junk, I reckoned that the ordinary mail was being delayed, so cancelled out and now put the rubbish on the compost heap.
Since then have been told that the sorting offices are supposed to clear the boxes at the end of their shift.
Not sure if this is true, does anyone know?
If so, will opt out again.

I can't see why it would be delayed as that would require the postman to hold on to the post till later on in his round and then come back specially to deliver it. I suppose they could keep your post till another day to delay it but I can't see it would be worth the postman's effort to bother doing it. A friend of mine once had a summer job as a postman and he said that if you got to the end of your round and found a letter in the bottom of your bag that you'd missed then if it was 1st class you had to go back and deliver it but if it was 2nd you could leave it till the next day.

Our opt out seems to have worked until today when we received a leaflet on...
would you believe it?
...recycling! :mad:

Ken68

My local postie said that the address for opt out 'customers' is flagged at the sorting boxes and if too many ask, it was a nightmare, extra work etc, "could lead to delays" is how he put it.

gromituk

SusanCarter wrote:

A friend of mine once had a summer job as a postman and he said that if you got to the end of your round and found a letter in the bottom of your bag that you'd missed then if it was 1st class you had to go back and deliver it but if it was 2nd you could leave it till the next day.

Nowadays it would just be thrown in the nearest post box/litter bin/gulley/river (delete as applicable).

SusanCarter

gromituk wrote:

Nowadays it would just be thrown in the nearest post box/litter bin/gulley/river (delete as applicable).

I'm not that old-I only graduated 4 1/2 years ago.