How to Stay Off Mailing or Calling Lists!!
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 8:53 pmAbout 25 years ago, I took on some marketing responsibilities for my employer, and my company sent me to a several day seminar on direct mail marketing. I learned a lot about how companies get your name, addess, and phone numbers, so thought you might want to know some things to keep your information off their lists:
First, when you subscribe to a magazine, register a product, agree to a grocery store "savings" card, attend a conference, or do a lot of other things, you give someone your name, address, email, and phone number. That information is valuable, and the companies sell it to other companies. Now, they may tell you they never sell your name, but they are probably lying. Also, they may only be renting out your name for a one-time use, but it you respond to the company that rented your name and information, they now own your information.
For example, I used to "rent" the names and addresses of people who subscribed to business magazines. For example, if we wanted to send out brochures, we might buy a few thousand names who had subscribed to Plastics News. We would pay only pennies per name, but if Plastics News sold its subscription list hundreds of times, it added up. And often, subscribers would also have included job titles and the names of their employers. I could also rent membership lists of organizations, most of which were in manufacturing, but organizations such AARP, ACLU, American Cancer Society, and even political organizations sell customer info. (If you know someone who is pregnant, and they subscribe to a baby magazine, you know they will suddenly get stuff from every baby magazine or baby company in the world.)
The names would go directly to the company that was sending the stuff out for us. However, in the back of the magazine, there would be one of those cards where you checked off to get free things from advertisers. Once you did that, we owned you and could keep sending you stuff forever!!
So here are some things NOT to do:
- Never sign up for free anything. This includes offers in a doctor's office and free chances to win something. The latter are often passed around at county or state fairs, or in shopping centers. Examples are for free information, free articles, etc on products.
- Never put a business card into a fishbowl or give it to anyone at a conference or any place else. These are "give us your business card and win a chance for a free vacation to Hawaii." I have even seen these in pizza places, where if you put a business card or your name and address into a fishbowl, they will give you a discount on a pizza.
- You probably don't do this anyway, but never give your phone number out to a store when you purchase something. When you ask why they need it, they will often say it is so they can reach you if there is a recall or it will make returns easier. Ha! Don't believe it!!!
- Skip the grocery store savings cards. The grocery store tracks your purchases and sells your name and info based on whether you buy diapers for babies or adults!! Literally. They will tell you they don't sell your name, but they will not tell you that they might "share" it with "partner" organizations. I stick to shopping only at stores that do not offer such rip-off cards. (When stuck because a store is the only one in a small town, I have occasionally signed up for one of these, but ALWAYS give a fake name and fake address.)
- Don't register products you buy. The warranty is going to be valid without registering a product. Mainly, they want you name and a lot of other information about you, such as where you shop, how much money you make, how old you are, and on and on!!
What is shocking is that even governmental offices sometimes sell your information. I will try to shorten this story, but my parents put my name down as Judith on my baptismal certificate, which I used in 1960 to get my driver's license in Michigan. I found out my legal name on my birth certificate was Judy when I got married, but did not correct my driver's license until the early 1990s. It was the only place, other than my high school records with that name. When I get an advertisement addressed to Judith Bailey, I know that the State of Michigan has sold my name. And would you believe that I got something a couple of months ago addressed to Judith Bailey??? It does not matter that I changed my address multiple times over those 40 years because the people who bought my name could get it updated by the post office!!
Here are some articles to support what I have written:
https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/the- ... rds-940216
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... your-data/
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/30/p ... help-tips/
First, when you subscribe to a magazine, register a product, agree to a grocery store "savings" card, attend a conference, or do a lot of other things, you give someone your name, address, email, and phone number. That information is valuable, and the companies sell it to other companies. Now, they may tell you they never sell your name, but they are probably lying. Also, they may only be renting out your name for a one-time use, but it you respond to the company that rented your name and information, they now own your information.
For example, I used to "rent" the names and addresses of people who subscribed to business magazines. For example, if we wanted to send out brochures, we might buy a few thousand names who had subscribed to Plastics News. We would pay only pennies per name, but if Plastics News sold its subscription list hundreds of times, it added up. And often, subscribers would also have included job titles and the names of their employers. I could also rent membership lists of organizations, most of which were in manufacturing, but organizations such AARP, ACLU, American Cancer Society, and even political organizations sell customer info. (If you know someone who is pregnant, and they subscribe to a baby magazine, you know they will suddenly get stuff from every baby magazine or baby company in the world.)
The names would go directly to the company that was sending the stuff out for us. However, in the back of the magazine, there would be one of those cards where you checked off to get free things from advertisers. Once you did that, we owned you and could keep sending you stuff forever!!
So here are some things NOT to do:
- Never sign up for free anything. This includes offers in a doctor's office and free chances to win something. The latter are often passed around at county or state fairs, or in shopping centers. Examples are for free information, free articles, etc on products.
- Never put a business card into a fishbowl or give it to anyone at a conference or any place else. These are "give us your business card and win a chance for a free vacation to Hawaii." I have even seen these in pizza places, where if you put a business card or your name and address into a fishbowl, they will give you a discount on a pizza.
- You probably don't do this anyway, but never give your phone number out to a store when you purchase something. When you ask why they need it, they will often say it is so they can reach you if there is a recall or it will make returns easier. Ha! Don't believe it!!!
- Skip the grocery store savings cards. The grocery store tracks your purchases and sells your name and info based on whether you buy diapers for babies or adults!! Literally. They will tell you they don't sell your name, but they will not tell you that they might "share" it with "partner" organizations. I stick to shopping only at stores that do not offer such rip-off cards. (When stuck because a store is the only one in a small town, I have occasionally signed up for one of these, but ALWAYS give a fake name and fake address.)
- Don't register products you buy. The warranty is going to be valid without registering a product. Mainly, they want you name and a lot of other information about you, such as where you shop, how much money you make, how old you are, and on and on!!
What is shocking is that even governmental offices sometimes sell your information. I will try to shorten this story, but my parents put my name down as Judith on my baptismal certificate, which I used in 1960 to get my driver's license in Michigan. I found out my legal name on my birth certificate was Judy when I got married, but did not correct my driver's license until the early 1990s. It was the only place, other than my high school records with that name. When I get an advertisement addressed to Judith Bailey, I know that the State of Michigan has sold my name. And would you believe that I got something a couple of months ago addressed to Judith Bailey??? It does not matter that I changed my address multiple times over those 40 years because the people who bought my name could get it updated by the post office!!
Here are some articles to support what I have written:
https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/the- ... rds-940216
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... your-data/
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/06/30/p ... help-tips/