We've tried and tried to stop the flood, but we're still getting a deluge of "To resident" mailers, duplicate catalogs, and other junk mail which goes from our mailbox immediately into the recycling bin. What a waste. So we took notice of a new app which promises to make the process of stopping the flow of unwanted mail a lot easier...
Readabl, Inc.'s PaperKarma app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone takes advantage of smartphone cameras to eliminate the process of filling out "do not mail" form requests and putting the bulk of the process in the hands of PaperKarma.
The process is as simple as taking a snapshot of the offending pieces of mail (you can even take your junk mail haul all together, en masse, as long as the mailing information is visible), uploading it to the app's system, and tapping "Unsubscribe". PaperKarma takes it from there, tapping into their database of companies and sends a request on your behalf to stop any more deliveries.
PaperKarma can stop: - Magazines - Catalogs - Coupon Books - Fliers - Credit Card Offers - White and Yellow Pages - PaperKarma will attempt to stop any mailed correspondence
The app has recently gone from beta to final release, noting the effectiveness of the service will improve with a growing user base reporting offending mailing sources. Disappointingly, the app will not be able to stop zip code carpet bombed mailers which are sent to every doorstep and the most annoying of the bunch (tied with stacks of never used phone books).
The app is currently free and also offers the additional satisfying psychological benefit of going beyond just throwing away junk mail and having an additional agent working on your behalf. We'll find out how effective PaperKarma proves to be in the coming months (usually the time it takes for requests to be processed), making it a daily habit to photo and upload, hoping we'll see a reduction in Mount Mailers' elevation soon.
TRY THESE OTHER ANTI-JUNK MAIL OPTIONS:
- Stop Your Junk Mail with These Great Services!
- MailStop: Stop Junk Mail for Good
- Tips & Tricks to Stop the Spam and Junk Mail
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I've been using Catalog Choice for a few years to try to limit catalogs I don't want or end duplicates of others we get. And even though it works sometimes, the quantity of catalogs has not diminished at all - your name keeps getting sold again and again. And after about a year, the catalogs that complied with your request start sending them again. I've given up.
Does it work in Canada?
CatalogChoiceworks IF the vendor agrees to remove your name. Some don't. I paid $20 to have them go after the recatricamtoffendors and saw a further improvement.
Now my name is getting around again - silly me for buying things from new sites - so backto C.C. I will go.
I've had good results by simply calling the company direct.
I'm going to try this - I moved and I'm getting the junk mail for the last resident which I would really like to stop. My junk mail was pretty limited at my old place, my sister gave me a birthday present from an online co. which managed to get rid of tons of catalogs, mailers, junk for everyone who had lived at my old place fairly quickly. Go to the DMA (direct Mail Marketing Association to get rid of a lot of it in one go.
Like @aceyx I often just call the company direct. Most mailings have an unsubscribe number you can call. Of course, they tell you it will take weeks to months for you to actually stop receiving stuff (as your name and address have already been distributed), but I did this for AARP and credit card offers and it has worked...for now ;)
Another aspect to this problem is the post office is actually not terribly keen on having direct junk or customer-specific marketing mail decreased, much less stopped. This type of excess/junk mailing has become the mainstay of their income. Additionally, printed catalog marketing is still seen by the industry as the most effective kind there is.