Frequently Asked Questions
Okay, I dislike pages with Frequently Asked Question as much as the next person. Still, I'm hoping the below list with questions and answers will save you time contacting me and save me time replying to your e-mail.
Questions about stopping junk mail
- How do I stop junk mail from…?
- How do I stop junk mail addressed 'To the Occupier'?
- How do I stop junk mail addressed to previous occupant?
- How do I stop junk mail sent to my business / organisation?
- How do I stop junk mail sent to a deceased friend / relative?
- How do I stop scam mailings being sent to a friend / relative?
- How do I stop the Yellow Pages / paper directories?
- How do I stop charity junk mail and charity bags?
- How do I stop spam / junk e-mails?
- I keep getting junk mail even though I'm registered with the MPS!
- Royal Mail keeps pushing leaflets through the door even though I opted out!
- How long does it take before an opt-out expires?
- I asked … to stop sending me junk mail and they're ignoring me!
- My 'No Junk Mail' sticker is being ignored!
- Is my local Council selling my name and address to junk mailers!?
- Can I take legal action against junk mailers?
Questions about Stop Junk Mail
Questions about Junk Buster
- Will Junk Buster stop all that junk mail I'm getting?
- Is Junk Buster not working for the Mailing Preference Service?
- Do I need to enter my e-mail address?
- Why is Junk Buster telling me I should only opt out once?
- I've used Junk Buster… what's next?
- Why is Junk Buster a Flash app? I can't use it on me iPhone / iPad!
- Junk Buster won't accept my zip code!
Questions about stopping junk mail
1. How do I stop junk mail from…?
The short answer is: it depends. How to stop junk mail from a particular sender depends on who the sender is, whether the junk mail is addressed or unaddressed, whether you have - perhaps without realising - given permission for the mailings, and who delivered the junk mail.
That's not very helpful, I know. But… the Wishing Tree should be able to give detailed advice on how to stop the junk mail you want to get rid off.
2. How do I stop junk mail addressed 'To the Occupier'?
Junk mail with a generic addressee, such as 'To the Occupier' or 'To the Pizza Lover' is just about the only type of junk mail that can't be stopped. The reason is that this type of junk mail isn't covered by any junk mail opt-out regime.
The Mailing Preference Service - the opt-out scheme for addressed junk mail - wrongly classifies junk mail with a generic addressee as unaddressed junk mail and signing up to the service will therefore not stop it. The two opt-out schemes for unaddressed junk mail (the Door-to-Door Opt-Out and the Your Choice scheme) classify 'To the Occupier' junk mail as addressed junk mail and will also not stop the junk mail. Similarly, it's not possible to stop the junk mail by sending a Data Protection Notice to the sender; the addressee is a generic name and the junk mail therefore falls outside the scope of the Data Protection Act 1998.
There is one exception to the above. If the junk mail is addressed to a generic addressee and does not include your address the junk mail is unaddressed. If this is the case you can stop the junk mail by signing up to the above-mentioned Door-to-Door Opt-Out (if the junk mail is delivered by the Royal Mail) or by putting a 'No Junk Mail' sign on your letterbox (if the junk mail is not delivered by the postman).
Usually, 'To the Occupier' junk mail is addressed. Junk mailers are well-aware that the Mailing Preference Service makes an exception for junk mail with a generic addressee, and they exploit it big time. Which is why contacting the sender and politely asking to stop sending you the junk mail is also unlikely to do any good. The aim of companies exploiting the 'Mailing Preference Service loophole' is to carpet bomb the nation. They're clearly not interested in carefully 'targetting' advertisements and are unlikely to be interested in people asking them to stop sending junk mail.
So, you're only real option is to send the junk mail back to the sender. It's unlikely to stop the junk mail but at least you'd have tried.
3. How do I stop junk mail addressed to previous occupant?
There are two things you could try. The first is to register the name of the previous occupant at your address with the Mailing Preference Service. This is unlikely to stop all the junk mail. The Mailing Preference Service can only prevent addressed junk mail from senders that are members of the Direct Marketing Association - there are heaps of junk mailers that don't check if someone is registered with the scheme. More importantly, chances are that the previous occupant asked to receive the junk mail, in which case the Mailing Preference Service is also not going to help (junk mail that has been requested can't be stopped by the opt-out scheme). Still, registering the person with the Mailing Preference Service should help at least a little.
A probably more effective way of stopping the junk mail is by contacting the sender directly. Send them an e-mail explaining that the person is no longer living at your address and ask them to take the person's name off the mailing list. Another way of contacting the sender is by returning any unwanted items; simply cross out the person's address details, write 'Return to sender - unknown at this address' on the envelope, and put it back in the post unstamped. Some junk mailers may need a couple of returns but sooner or later they will give up.
4. How do I stop junk mail sent to my business / organisation?
All existing opt-out schemes are for private households and sole traders only. It's not possible to register a business (or any other type of organisation) with for instance the Mailing Preference Service or Door-to-Door Opt-Out.
The only option businesses have is to contact individual senders directly. Ask senders to take your business' details off its mailing list, and at the same time return any unwanted advertisements to the sender.
As an aside, a couple of organisations have considered setting up a junk mail opt-out service for businesses but so far nothing has come of this. Do get in touch if you're interested in a 'B2B junk mail' opt-out scheme - it's something I'd be keen to work on.
5. How do I stop junk mail sent to a deceased friend / relative?
There are quite a few things you can do to stop junk mail being sent someone who has died. Apart from contacting individual senders there are no less than three opt-out schemes you can use: the Bereavement Register, the Deceased Preference Service, and the Mailing Preference Service. None of these measures is guaranteed to work, and it's usually takes up to two or three months before the opt-out schemes start to make a difference.
The Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail includes a page on junk mail and the deceased. It's one of the areas where junk mail industry really could do a much better job…
6. How do I stop scam mailings being sent to a friend / relative?
If you're receiving scam mailings - or if you know someone who is being targeted by scam artists - you should always contact Consumer Direct. This is a Government funded advice service free for anyone to use, and they should be able to give you professional advice. Unfortunately they don't have a website anymore (Consumer Direct is going to be burned in the 'bonfire of the quangos' but the helpline should be open until at least early 2012. The number to ring is 08454 04 05 06.
Another organisation able to give decent advice is Think Jessica. The campaign group is run by the daughter of a scam victim ('Jessica') and is doing a great job helping victims and raising awareness of what is a widespread issue in the UK.
I can't give you professional advice on how to deal with scam mailings. All I can say is that scams have nothing to do with junk mail. Scam mailings are illegal, and people operating scams - often targetting the most vulnerable people - are called 'criminals'.
7. How do I stop the Yellow Pages / paper directories?
The main paper directories in the UK - the Yellow Pages, the Thomson Local directory and the BT Phone Book - all operate an opt-out scheme. Sadly, they don't tell the public that it's possible to opt out of receiving these books, and as a result very few people cancel directories. To help them promote the opt-outs I've created Junk Buster; a simple application that allows you to cancel any of the books in just a couple of clicks. Via Junk Buster you can at the same time you can also cut back on junk mail by requesting opt-out forms for the Door-to-Door Opt-Out and Your Choice scheme.
If you prefer, you can ask the directories to stop delivering books to your address yourself:
-
Yellow Pages
Phone 0800 671 444 or use this online contact form.
-
Thomson Local
Send an e-mail to distribution@thomsonlocal.com or phone 01252 555 555.
-
BT Phone Book
Phone 0800 833 400 and choose option 2.
As for any other paper directories you may receive, it's usually possible to opt out. Just contact them and tell them that the book is not required at your address.
8. How do I stop charity junk mail and charity bags?
Charity junk mail is just like any other junk mail. If it's addressed you can try registering with the Mailing Preference Service and/or sending a Data Protection Notice (the latter option is the better one, as very few charities will check if you have registered with the Mailing Preference Service). If the junk mail is unaddressed you can sign up to Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out and get a 'No Junk Mail' sign for your door.
Charity bags also are just like any other junk mail. They're unsolicited, and pushed through the door because the sender wants something from you. But… charities don't see it this way! Because they're supporting a 'good cause' (which is of course subjective) many charities feel they don't have to adhere to the letter and spirit of the Direct Marketing Association's Code of Practice. Charities have a poor reputation when it comes to preventing that mail-outs are sent to people who have moved house or have deceased. They often try to bribe people into making a donation by enclosed silly gifts with appeal letters (who doesn't know those Cancer UK pens). More offensive, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that people responding to charity junk mail often find that they get heaps of junk mail from all sorts of other charities in no time.
Can you stop charity bags? No, you can't. You can try contacting the sender, or you could even put the bags in an (unstamped) envelope and post them back to the sender-offender. It won't stop bags being delivered - charities don't allow you to opt out of receiving charity bags - but it may make you feel better. Alternatively, use the bags as bin liners.
Finally, you can do your bit by never-ever donating clothes or other things via the charity bag system. If you got things to donate, just walk to your nearest charity shop and they'll welcome you with open arms. It supports your local economy and community, and if enough people ignore charity bags we'll save tonnes of plastic being wasted.
The same is true for charity junk mail. Don't respond to any charity appeal you receive in the post. If you want to support charities - and I hope you do - just support a cause you really care about. Don't just donate money to charities that approach you; choose your own charities instead. Or, if you feel strongly about charity junk mail, donate money to charities that don't use 'direct mail' to raise funds. There are plenty of charities that don't send junk mail. A charity with a very firm stance against junk mail is SOS Children's Villages.
9. How do I stop spam / junk e-mails?
Stop Junk Mail deals with old-fashioned junk mail; the stuff that comes through the letterbox. I'm hoping to add more information about spam to the website (do contact me if you consider yourself to be a specialist in this area and are happy to help with this). For the time being, though, I'm busy enough giving advice on how to stop the type of junk mail that involves chopping down trees.
If you're in the UK, a good place to start finding out more about stopping / preventing spam is the website of the Information Commissioner's Office.
10. I keep getting junk mail even though I'm registered with the MPS!
If you thought that signing up to the Mailing Preference Service would “remove your name from up to 95% of direct mail lists
”, as the Direct Marketing Association used to claim on its website, you're wrong. The scope of the Mailing Preference Service is rather limited, as I've try to explain in the Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail. Sending individual junk mailers a Data Protection Notice is a much more effective way of stopping addressed junk mail.
11. Royal Mail keeps pushing leaflets through the door even though I opted out!
Many people signing up to Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out find that their opt-out request is being ignored. If you're one of them you'll need to remind Royal Mail that you've opted out. You can do so by sending an e-mail to optout@royalmail.com. I'd recommend reading the Door-to-Door Opt-Out page in the Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail before contacting the company, as you may not get the response you'd expect…
12. How long does it take before an opt-out expires?
Registrations with the Mailing Preference Service and the opt-outs for the Yellow Pages, Thomson Local directory and BT Phone Book are valid for five years, while a registration with Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out expires after two years. Interestingly, a registration with the Your Choice scheme never expires. This is probably because the scheme is unlikely to prevent much junk mail in the first place.
It's worth noting that none of the opt-out schemes will tell you exactly when your opt-out runs out, and none of them will send you a reminder when your registration is about to expire. They'll simply assume that you want to 'opt in' again. If you feel I'm implying that junk mailers don't want you to sign up to opt-out schemes, you're right.
13. I asked … to stop sending me junk mail and they're ignoring me!
Presumably, we're talking about addressed junk mail here. If so, send the offender a Data Protection Notice and they'll sit up and listen. Legally speaking, junk mailers are entitled to ignore any informal request not to send you junk mail but they have to respect a Data Protection Notice.
14. My 'No Junk Mail' sticker is being ignored!
Any 'No Junk Mail' sign is no more than a polite request to junk mail deliverers. Because it's not recognised as a formal way of preventing unsolicited leaflets there's usually little you can do. If you're the radical type you may want to consider the Justice for the price of an envelope approach.
Before you do so, please note that it may be the case that the leaflets are being delivered by your postman. Royal Mail instructs postmen to ignore 'No Junk Mail' signs; instead, they want people to register with its (free) Door-to-Door Opt-Out. More information about this can be found on the Stickers page in the Guide.
15. Is my local Council selling my name and address to junk mailers!?
Yes, they are, by putting on sale an 'edited' version of Electoral Register. In fact, Councils are legally obliged to sell your personal details to anyone prepared to pay a small fee - no questions asked. And no, this practice doesn't reduce your Council Tax bill in any way; by law Councils can only charge a fee covering the cost of providing the data.
For more information about how the Electoral Register is used as a junk mail list, please see the Edited Electoral Register page in the Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail. What I should mention here is that you can opt out of being on the edited version of the Electoral Roll. You can do so by ticking an opt-out box on your annual electoral registration form, or by contacting your local Elections Office (which you can do at any time of the year).
16. Can I take legal action against junk mailers?
There's no easy answer to this question. In the case of addressed junk mail it's important to realise that Royal Mail has a legal obligation to delivered all mail with a 'delivery point' (that is, a postal address). However, if you are registered with the Mailing Preference Service you may be able to lodge a complaint with the Direct Marketing Association, which may ultimately result in the case being dealt with by the Advertising Standards Authority. Please note that all this falls within the boundaries of self-regulation by the 'direct mail' industry; the Advertising Standards Authority is a self-regulatory body without any enforcement powers. They may tell the offender not to be so naughty again, and if they really want to be 'tough' they might rule that the offender can't be a member of the Direct Marketing Association anymore. But that's really as good as it gets.
You're in a much stronger position if a junk mailer is ignoring a Data Protection Notice. In such cases you can complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office, the body enforcing the Data Protection Act 1998. Ultimately, you could apply for a court order against the junk mailer in question under Section 11 of the Act. See Contact the sender for more information about this.
So what about unaddressed junk mail? If you'd push litter through my letterbox I'd probably shout some vile Dutch expressions at you. Next, I might report you to the police, who will probably agree that your actions constitute littering and harassment. Yet, if you push tens of leaflets through my door your actions are suddenly considered to be quite normal - even if I have a sign on my door saying 'No Junk Mail'. Isn't there room for legal action here?
I reckon the answer is 'no'. There's an Offence of Leaving Litter (Article 87 of the Environmental Protection Act), which states that you're not allowed to “throw down, drop or otherwise deposit […] anything whatsoever […] as to cause, or contribute to, or tend to lead to, the defacement by litter of any place to which this section applies.
” However, the places to which the section applies are “public open spaces
”. It's alright then, it seems, to thrown down, drop or otherwise deposit litter in a private space.
For about a year a company called Jo-One used contact law to take legal action against junk mailers ignoring requests not to deliver junk mail. It all looked quite promising, until a judge ruled the contract the company was working with wasn't legally binding. Jo-One ceased to exist that same day.
Questions about Stop Junk Mail
17. I got a suggestion for you.
Yes please… you can contact me via the Contact page. Do note though that I'm generally speaking not very receptive to people trying to sell me something. Suggestions for the Stop Junk Mail campaign are very much welcome but if you want something from me you probably won't get it.
18. I've spotted an error on your website.
Please let me know. It's pretty much unavoidable that this website contains typos, dead links and even statements that are factually incorrect… I need you to point them out to me!
19. Are you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc?
No.
20. Can we swap links?
No. But if you run / know an interesting website, do suggest it to me. I'm keen to promote good causes and websites that offer decent information. I don't expect a link in return (nor do I feel obliged to link to websites that link to this site).
21. What's your problem (with junk mail)?
It's an environmental hazard and I can't stand people trying to sell me stuff. If I want to buy a product or service (or donate money to a charity) I'm perfectly able to go out and check what's available, thank you very much.
What made this website grow from a couple of pages with basic tips for reducing junk mail to what it is at the moment is largely because I found that reducing unwanted advertisements is not at all as straightforward as the Direct Marketing Association would like you to believe. Apart from providing independent and objective information, as opposed to information from an industry lobby group, I feel it's important to suggest ways that would make reducing junk mail easier for its targets (that's you).
I should probably point out that Stop Junk Mail is not in any way aiming for a ban on junk mail. Stop Junk Mail is about giving practical advice and pointing out that preventing / stopping unsolicited mail is a lot more difficult than it needs to be. In short, I don't want to prevent you from receiving as much advertising mail as you like. I just don't want to be 'force fed' junk mail.
22. Are you trying to getting more people on the dole?
The assumption in arguments along these lines is invariably that any decline in the volume junk mail is directly proportionate to a decline in advertising in general. This is not only complete nonsense; it's pretentious in the extreme. It simply doesn't follow that there'll be less advertising if more people take action to stop unsolicited junk mail. Rather, there would be shift from junk mail to other forms of advertising. This can only be good news, as sending people junk mail happens to be the most environmentally damaging form of advertising. Sure, jobs would be lost, which is always sad. But at the same time new jobs would be created elsewhere in the advertising industry.
I'd go further than this. A move from junk mail to other forms of advertising would be good for society at large. Advertising using the junk mail medium is the 'cheap and nasty' option for advertisers. Think about it, junk mailers don't have to take into account any cost associated with the environmental damage caused by junk mail (it's true that junk mail is made of trees) and they don't have to pay anything towards the disposal of all the unsolicited rubbish pushed through the door. Conveniently for the advertiser, it's the tax-paying recipient who foots the bill.
Plus, junk mail has economic benefits for a comparatively small group of people. Money spent on junk mail tends to stay within the industry. An advertisement in a newspaper provides revenue for that paper. A local business sponsoring a local football team directly benefits the community. Not so with pushing advertisements through door; this only benefits the people directly involved in the dubious practice.
23. Every time I phone you I get an answer phone!
I know… I'd love to have a dedicated phone line that is manned during normal office hours. Unfortunately, I have to go out and earn a living. Do leave a message though.
Questions about Junk Buster
24. Will Junk Buster stop all that junk mail I'm getting?
No, but it's a decent start. Requesting an opt-out form for Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out alone will roughly half the amount of leaflets you get through the door (provided that you complete and return the opt-out form to Royal Mail, of course). But if you really want to get rid off junk mail there are a couple of other things you'd need to do.
The most effective ways of reducing junk mail are all described in detail in the Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail. I'll mention two top tips though… First of all, get a 'No Junk Mail' sticker. Signing up to the Door-to-Door Opt-Out and getting a sticker will reduce unaddressed junk mail to just a handful of leaflets per year.
Secondly, use Data Protection Notices to stop addressed junk mail from individual organisations. True, sending such notices can be time a bit consuming but they are a very effective way of stopping unsolicited mail.
25. Is Junk Buster not working for the Mailing Preference Service?
Unfortunately, the Direct Marketing Association, which runs the Mailing Preference Service, is of the opinion that the information on this website is so “ambigious
” that it wouldn't be “appropriate
” to allow you to ask for a Mailing Preference Service opt-out form via Junk Buster. Some background information, as well as a link to the full correspondence I've had with the representative of the junk mail industry about this issue can be found on the Junk Buster page in the Guide to Stamping Out Junk Mail. I reckon it gives a nice insight into how prepared the industry is to make reducing unsolicited mail a little easier…
If you choose to contact the Mailing Preference Service via Junk Buster the application will not send an e-mail requesting a Mailing Preference Service opt-out form. There'd be no point in doing so; your request would simply be ignored. Instead, Junk Buster will send an e-mail to you to explain the situation, and advising to register with the Mailing Preference Service via stayprivate.org. This website was set up by Consumer Focus with the same aim as Junk Buster - making it easier for people to register with various opt-out schemes. Fortunately, Consumer Focus is a bit too powerful for the Direct Marketing Association to ignore.
26. Do I need to enter my e-mail address?
Yes, you do. In the first version of Junk Buster this wasn't necessary. However, the Direct Marketing Association objected to the fact that all the requests for opt-out forms they received originated from an @junkbuster.org.uk address. They argued that it were therefore third-party requests, and that such requests are completely outrageous (although the Mailing Preference Service does accept third-party registrations from other organisations). To take away this concern the current version of Junk Buster sends e-mails from the user's e-mail address.
The application doesn't verify your e-mail address. If you really don't want to provide your e-mail address you can therefore enter a dummy e-mail address. However, you'd be shooting yourself in the foot as Royal Mail is likely to send you the opt-out form for the Door-to-Door Opt-Out attached to an e-mail.
I never ever use anyone's e-mail address for marketing purposes. Only once have I contacted people who used Junk Buster via e-mail, and that was shortly after I found that the Direct Marketing Association had started to ignore e-mails send via Junk Buster. I've no reason to believe that any of the opt-out schemes that can be contacted via Junk Buster misuse people's personal details for marketing purposes. However, if you are concerned about this you can always contact the opt-out schemes individually via telephone or in writing.
27. Why is Junk Buster telling me I should only opt out once?
All the opt-out schemes that can be contacted via Junk Buster are household opt-outs. If you cancel the Yellow Pages then the book will no longer be delivered to your address. Cancelling the directory more than once for the same address is a waste of everybody's time, which is why Junk Buster tells you not to do so.
Normally, the Mailing Preference Service would be an exception; this scheme registers individuals rather than households. However, as the Mailing Preference Service is currently refusing to co-operate with Junk Buster there should never be any need to register your address more than once.
Of course you can use Junk Buster to request opt-out forms / cancel directories for any other address you may have. If you're lucky enough to have a second home then there's nothing that will stop you from registering both addresses.
28. I've used Junk Buster… what's next?
All the opt-out schemes have different procedures:
- The two opt-out schemes for unaddressed junk mail - the Door-to-Door Opt-Out and Your Choice - will send you an opt-out form. In order to register with the schemes you need to complete and return the forms.
- The three paper directories - the Yellow Pages, Thomson Local directory and the BT Phone Book - will all mark your address as 'opted out'.
- The Mailing Preference Service will do nothing (see question 25 above).
Note, as an aside, that none of the opt-out schemes is likely to confirm that you have opted out. You may want to contact them and ask for confirmation.
29. Why is Junk Buster a Flash app? I can't use it on me iPhone / iPad!
Junk Buster was developed before the iPhone became popular (the iPad had yet to be invented). Now that Steve Jobs has started a crusade against Flash I'm considering rebuilding Junk Buster using another technology. This will take some time.
30. Junk Buster won't accept my zip code!
Good! I spent quite a bit of time developing ways that would stop people living in the United States trying to contact opt-out schemes in the UK. I'm glad it's now working properly :)