» Home » Guide to stamping out junk mail
Stop Junk Mail is a self-funded, not-for-profit campaign group giving free and independent advice on how to stamp out junk mail. If you support our cause, or if we helped you stopping junk mail, why not make a small donation to keep us going? Any contribution helps and is much appreciated.
Whenever you give your name and address to a company, for instance when you buy a product or service, always look in the small print and tick the box to say that you don't want any further information about 'other products and services'.
Even more importantly, always tick that second opt-out box asking you if it's alright if your personal details are shared with 'carefully selected' third parties. You should never consent to such use of your personal details; your name and address will be added to numerous mailing lists, resulting in more junk mail.
Although it is only fair that companies try to keep in touch with customers, the problem with tick boxes is that they are usually difficult to find and always too small. As a result many people consent to having their personal details added to junk mail lists without realising it.
The solution is simple; the opt-out box needs to be replaced with an opt-in box. At the moment it is assumed that you want to receive 'further information' every time you sign a guarantee card, register with an online service or donate money to a charity. The only way to opt out is by searching the small print for the opt-out box. This is an aggressive form of marketing that undermines what could be a good system.
If you have registered with the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) and have asked an organisation to send you advertisements, you will receive those mailings from that organisation. Giving permission to an individual organisation overrides a registration with the MPS. This of course explains why there are so many tick boxes around and why they are always so small and difficult to find.
If you receive regular unwanted mail from a specific organisation despite being registered with the MPS, you probably have forgotten to tick a box. To stop such mail you have to contact the sender directly and ask to be removed from its mailing list.
» Tip 7 - Return to sender