Is The Junk Mail Opt-Out Process Just A Myth?

I’ve opted out of unsolicited mail numerous times, yet I continue to receive credit card applications and bulky mailings the size of a 1977 Sears Roebuck catalog. You remember those, the kind of catalog that substituted for a booster seat at the holiday table.

The folded pages marked everything from lawn equipment and sewing machines to jewelry and children's clothes. The models resembled human mannequins; white teeth and creased corduroy blazers staged in unnatural settings.  

In very small text, some mailers include the opt-out information. I’ve called the numbers, listened and followed the directions. Requests are supposedly processed within five days. Even though you opt out, a clause reminds consumers that it may take up to 60 days before you stop receiving “prescreened offers.”  

I’ve called the companies that send unwanted items. I request to be removed from their lists, but the thick catalogs keep coming.  

Thursday's mail consisted of a Bon Appetit renewal form, boldly marked "DO NOT BEND." But wait! If I act now I’ll receive professional discount savings – 78 percent off the cover price – plus a free gift. Subscription reminders are brutal. They're like the uninvited guest that keeps popping in. Didn’t I just pay for this? After checking my subscription status online, I confirmed that my account is paid in full through the next presidential election.

Also included in the massive, colorful pile were Target coupons, a New Yorker magazine, a thank-you note, a cruise line postcard and an AARP renewal envelope. There was even a Rent-A-Center advertisement for “worry-free” approval, pricing and delivery. I’ve never even been to Rent-A-Center.  

Since the household bills are paid online, the days of paper bills (and paying bills by personal check) are in the past. I recycle about 90 percent of my delivered mail. I don’t want any credit card promotions. I don’t want insurance gimmicks.  I wish that the desirables – handwritten notes, the occasional reminder for a doctor's appointment, my car registration renewal and the always sought-after birthday goodies – made up most of my mail.

It takes less than a minute to open an account or order something online but 60 days to remove your name? With each online purchase, is my information continuously sold? Is the opt-out feature rerouted, delayed and circumvented? It seems the information age is selective with its ability. Maybe the opt-out feature feeds into a pile of junk mail, buried under bulk copies of the 1977 Sears Roebuck catalog.   

For more information on consumer protection, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Web site.