readers digest

[Damien]

and their damned 'sweepstakes'...

I bought a product from a company I found out afterwards were affiliated with readers digest. When I ordered the product I clicked to not be bothered with promotional nonsense - guess what?

3 letters so far about their sweepstakes... I know I can just tear them up and put them where they belong - the bin, but I am doing 2 things:

1. Writing 'refused' and 'return to sender' and sending them unopened back to them...

2. Emailed and requested that they stop sending me promotional nonsense (but being more polite)...

their response was that they do the promotional rubbish 12 weeks in advance and that I "can't be taken off the list for that time" - a list that I never subscribed to!

Today, another letter of their nonsense came in, I have sent it back 'refused' and sent an email for them to close my account and that due to their intrusive behaviour, I will never be buying from them or their affiliated companies again (probably make no difference, but it felt a bit better to get them off my chest).

So, like repeat telemarketers, door-to-door salespeople etc (and by 'repeat', I mean I have already said no to them) I am about to get mildly abrupt towards them - requests become demands etc...

[Aethian]

If the envelope does not have "return service requested" or wasn't sent first class mail... Those envelopes are just being sent to a recycling center.

[Damien]

on these envelopes, there is a "If not claimed, send to.." address

[Aethian]

It doesn't mean a thing. Item must be first class or have, "Return Service Requested" to be returned to sender.

[Damien]

oh well, either way it won't be with me.

[fireheart]

We get those every so often, but my mum subscribes to Readers Digest so that would be why >.> We just ignore them and shred them.

[TheMike]

heir response was that they do the promotional rubbish 12 weeks in advance and that I "can't be taken off the list for that time"

Bullcrap they have to take you off the list if you request it, if not you can write to the postmasters office and they could lose their license to mass market via the post.

[Damien]

i phoned them up and had to demand 3 times for my account with them to be deleted - they kept on trying to placate me (which I hate with a passion).

But I did not yell or swear or anything, I just useed my patented teacher voice.

[trailerparkmedic]

Bullcrap they have to take you off the list if you request it,

Yes, but it does take time for people to stop receiving mail. Husband does some small scale direct mail stuff for his clients. Their stuff is printed up to a month before people get it.

[Solumina]

True but then you would tell someone that you have taken them off of the list but that it will take X amount of time for them to stop receiving mail, and x should not be a year.

[trailerparkmedic]

True but then you would tell someone that you have taken them off of the list but that it will take X amount of time for them to stop receiving mail, and x should not be a year.

They said 12 weeks. I find that to be long but believable, especially with the volume of stuff being mailed.

[Magpie]

If the envelope does not have "return service requested" or wasn't sent first class mail... Those envelopes are just being sent to a recycling center.

That's a regional thing, not every postal service does it. Any commercial package in Canada can be returned to sender (as far as I know this is all mail, no matter who it's from, and definitely letters, but I can only find documentation for parcels that were from a company).