1. Mail Preference Service (MPS)
Many charities and companies use Direct Mail lists from MPS to
send their marketing material out to people, this prevents them
from targetting households who have opted to not receive this type
of mail.
Choose to be added or removed from the Direct Mail lists of
companies and charities by
registering with MPS. Registration is free and
can remove your name and address from up to 95 per cent of mailing
lists within four months of signing up. However this doesn't stop
companies who don't check with Direct Mail sending you mail or
letters addressed to "the occupier". For further information and to
register:
- Online - www.mpsonline.org.uk
- By phone - call 0845 703 4599
- By mail - write to Mailing Preference Service (MPS), DMA House,
70 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8SS
2. Royal Mail Door-to-Door Opt-Out Service
You can also sign up to Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out
Service. This will reduce the amount of unaddressed mail sent to
your letterbox within six weeks. However it will not stop mail
addressed to the occupier from being sent to your letterbox.
Visit Royal Mail for further information on the
Royal Mail Opt-Out Service.
To register for the service, send your name and address to Royal
Mail and they will send you a form to fill out:
- By email -
optout@royalmail.com
- By mail - Freepost RRBT-2BXB-TTTS, Royal Mail Door to Door Opt
Outs, Kingsmead House, Oxpens Road, Oxford, OX1 1RX
3. Get a No Junk Mail sticker
Place a No Junk Mail sticker on your letterbox to indicate your
preference not to recieve junk mail from local businesses
delivering pamphlets.
4. Don't join new mailing lists or take the email option
instead
When completing new forms, remember to tick the box to say you
don't want to recieve any further marketing material.
Alternatively, many companies are now using email to contact
customers with marketing material, so use this option instead. You
can also often opt to receive electronic bank statements, credit
card statements, bills etc via email.
5. Leaving mailing lists
Are you still continuing to get marketing material from
companies you are no longer using? Ring, email or write to them to
request to be removed from their mailing list. Also writing return
to sender on the envelope and posting the letter back to them will
remove you from the list.
6. Complaints about junk mail
Once you've tried all of the above options and you are still
getting junk mail, the Information Comissioners Office (ICO)
recommends to firstly complain to MPS, secondly complain to the
company sending the mail and if these do not work to
complain to the ICO.
To find out more information on getting rid of unwanted
mail:
Visit: www.stopjunkmail.org.uk |