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Guide to stamping out junk mail

Step 3 - Register with the DMA's 'Your Choice' scheme

The 'Your Choice Preference Scheme for Unaddressed Mail' was launched in 2008 to help householders reduce unaddressed junk mail delivered by members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). If you've no idea what junk mail is and isn't delivered by members of DMA, don't worry; nobody knows. What we do know is that 'Your Choice' will do very little to reduce junk mail.

Still, registering with the opt-out is free and it might make a difference, however small. Using Junk Buster you can ask the DMA to post you an 'information pack and opt-out form' and at the same time contact more useful opt-out services, such as the door-to-door opt-out and MPS.

You can also ask for an opt-out pack via e-mail or post:

yourchoice@dma.org.uk

'Your Choice' Preference Scheme
Direct Marketing Association
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
LONDON W1W 8SS

Customer unfriendly and ineffective

The Your Choice scheme was introduced as a result of the Waste Strategy White Paper published in May 2007. In the White Paper, the Government more or less ordered the DMA to set up an opt-out scheme for unaddressed mail. The result is an opt-out service that is neither customer-friendly nor effective.

The Your Choice scheme is hardly being promoted by the representative of bulk mailers. The DMA has included some information about the service on its website but one will note immediately that the DMA does not in any way encourage householders to use the service. In particular, it is strange that the DMA does not give householders the opportunity to register online. Whereas the MPS does allow people to register via its website, householders can only ask for an 'information and opt-out pack' in writing or by phoning 020 7291 3300.

The opt-out pack contains three pages with information about the blessings of unaddressed mail and the limitations of the Your Choice scheme. A pre-paid return envelope, something which bulk mailers usually enclose if they want a response, is not provided. And after the form has been returned it will take no less than twelve weeks before your opt-out becomes 'fully effective' (exactly twice as long as Royal Mail's door-to-door opt-out). It just goes to show that this service has not been set up because the DMA thought it was a great idea to give householders the chance to opt out of receiving unaddressed mail.

More importantly, for householders it is impossible to know whether or not an unaddressed item has been delivered by a member of the DMA. The DMA advises householders who continue to receive just as much junk mail as before to check a list with DMA members on its website. However, because junk mail never includes information about the door-drop company responsible for its distribution this is of no use whatsoever. In effect, you therefore have no way of knowing how useful Your Choice is. It also means that you cannot complain should your registration be ignored.

Image: Was this delivered by a member of the DMA?

Question: can you tell which of these three items was delivered by a member of the DMA?

Exceptions

As said, Your Choice should stop unaddressed items delivered by members of the DMA. Householders should note however that there are some major exceptions to this rule:

Free newspapers do not come under Your Choice. Many people don't want to receive leaflets but do want to read their free local paper. If you want stop free newspapers, get our 'No/No' letterbox sticker and/or write to your paper.
Registering with the Your Choice scheme does not automatically register you with Royal Mail's door-to-door opt-out. Royal Mail is a member of the DMA but the two opt-out services operate completely independently. From a consumer point of view this is a rather poor service; it would have made sense to combine the two opt-out services for unaddressed mail.
The Your Choice opt-out does not cover unaddressed items that are not delivered by members of the DMA. This might be stating the obvious but it is important to note that even if you register with Your Choice and the door-to-door opt-out, you will still receive some 100 pieces of unaddressed junk mail per year. To reduce unaddressed mail to just a couple of leaflets per year, get one of our No junk mail signs.

Some other things to note when expressing Your Choice

Your Choice is a household opt-out. If you opt out, your whole household is opted out. The Your Choice rules state that you must seek the approval of all adult members in your household before returning the opt-out form. The rules also state that if you share your front door / letterbox with other households you cannot register.
Although we strongly feel that Your Choice has been set up solely to create the impression that the DMA is at least doing something to reduce unaddressed junk mail, there is one good aspect about the opt-out; it does not expire. If you opt out, your address will be opted out for life. We reckon that this was simply not considered when the opt-out was set up. Another sign that this is not a scheme to be taken too seriously.
Businesses are not allowed to express Your Choice; you can only register your personal address.

Complaints

It is unlikely that anyone will ever make a complaint about the Your Choice scheme, as it is next to impossible to establish whether or not an unaddressed item you have received was delivered by a DMA-member. However, there is a Your Choice complaints procedure. If you do have a complaint, contact the DMA either in writing or via e-mail:

DM Commission
70 Margaret Street
LONDON
W1W 8SS
yourchoice@dma.org.uk

What's next?

» Step 4 - Register with the Mailing Preference Service