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AIBU?

to stick junk mail back in the post box?

28 replies

clam · 01/05/2010 13:29

I am SO fed up with this crap littering up my hallway, for me to sort into the re-cycling, so I've taken to posting it back. More work, to be honest, but I feel the point must be made. If Royal Mail get paid for lumbering us with it, then they can jolly well earn it by taking it away again.

Or am I being unfair to postmen?

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squashedfrogs · 01/05/2010 13:55

I return to sender most of the junk that comes through my door if it has a return address. It has in the past resulted in companies such as sky etc not sending me any more junk. YANBU

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jooseyfruit · 01/05/2010 13:56

oh never thought of doing that.
It pisses me off when postman just delivers junk

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squashedfrogs · 01/05/2010 13:59

Sorry I forgot about the stuff the postman stick through the door with no address on. I hate that, it goes straight into my recycling or the bin depending on what is closest. I'm now tempted to stick it back in the postbox, I hadn't thought of that

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giraffesCANdriveAcar · 01/05/2010 14:01

I'm posting my BNP leaflet back to them, the bastards. I may let the guinea pigs shit on it first.

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Meglet · 01/05/2010 14:03

LOL. Guinea pig poo is the most innofensive poo on earth.

I hadn't thought about posting the junk mail back actually. It goes straight from my letterbox to my re-cycling bin, never looked at a single item.

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giraffesCANdriveAcar · 01/05/2010 14:05

I don't have access to any other poo - I refuse to use my own incase they trace my DNA and then come and eat me or something. Theres lots of dog shit in my street mind you...

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clam · 01/05/2010 14:12

But if you're a scaredycat militant, like me, be careful to scan it in case it has your address on it!

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Meglet · 01/05/2010 14:14

Clam - that's what I thought. What if they have a reference number on each flyer and they will come back and get me .

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Spatchadoodledo · 01/05/2010 14:16

In oz, you can get no junk mail stickers - can you not get something like that over here? Or could you put a little sign on your door asking no junk mail to be delivered, or only addressed mail?

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SE13Mummy · 01/05/2010 14:47

If it's junk mail addressed to me (which it isn't any more as my strategy worked) I write RETURN TO SENDER in big, capital letters and write nearby; Please remove my details from any and every mailing list you hold. Thank you.

Receiving a written request means they have to. It's worked for us and they get the privilege of paying twice for trying to send me rubbish.

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feralgirl · 01/05/2010 15:21

Whenever any unsolicited mail arrives that has a pre-paid envelope with it, I stuff the envelope with junk mail from a different company and send it. I think I'll start doing what SE13Mummy does as well though; that's a damn good idea.

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coveredinsnot · 01/05/2010 15:26

check this out www.stopjunkmail.org.uk/

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HighFibreDiet · 01/05/2010 15:27

I do what SE13Mummy does. If you just post it back with no address on it, it's not very fair on the postmen. If you write Return to Sender it has a bit more chance of being noted, and hopefully the more of us that do that, the more companies will think about their junk mail a little.

If you want to block junk mail with your name and address on, or the name of previous residents in your house, you can register with the Mailing Preference Service here.

If you want to block the unadressed mail that Royal Mail delivers in addition to the normal mail, you have to write to Royal Mail directly. You can ask them to send a form by e-mailing [email protected]

There's other information about stopping junk mail here

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HighFibreDiet · 01/05/2010 15:29

crossposted with coveredinsnot

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SimonCowellIsSatan · 01/05/2010 16:08

I refuse to recycle. Why should I recycle when it's perfectly legal for companies to post junk paper through letterboxes? If it becomes illegal, like I believe it should I'll then start recyclinng.

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jenduff · 01/05/2010 16:12

feralgirl - lol - am going to adopt that strategy

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venusonarockbun · 01/05/2010 16:19

If you think that by returning it all back to sender will upset Royal Mail then your wrong. Royal Mail would love this as they would then get paid for both delivering and returning the said items.

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Effjay · 01/05/2010 16:23

I used to work in a factory that mailed out this stuff. It costs companies money to send this stuff out and they don't want to send it to people who really don't want it, as they are very unlikely to respond. The best thing you can do is join the Mailing Preference Service. Alternatively, write 'Goneaway' on it and send back to the 'return to sender' address. You will be put on a 'Goneaways' list and your data suppressed out of all future mailings. This also works for mail that you are receiving for someone who used to live in your house. If someone has died, then you need to write 'deceased' on the letter and send it back and that address should be added to a national database - The Bereavement Register.

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nickelbabe · 01/05/2010 16:24

being the DF of a Postman, can I just add that they get paid a little bit extra for delivering these.

oh, and they don't get a choice about it.

talk to your postie, he might agree to throw it into the recyclign for you! ;)

think about the general election ones at the moment: a lot of the guys at the PO are very upset at having to post BNP flyers into houses where they know immigrants live (legal). they don't get a choice who to deliver to, if the person accepts leaflets, then they have to deliver all leaflets.

as High fibre says, the only way to stop it is to opt out.

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cornflakegirl · 01/05/2010 16:56

Thanks for the info on opting out - am on MPS but didn't know about the opt-out service. Have requested a form.

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crockydoodle · 01/05/2010 17:10

Why does everyone assume postal delivery people are men?

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nickelbabe · 01/05/2010 17:16

sorry crocky, force of habit.

i'm a feminist, but i can't abide those that have an obsession with changing him to him/her etc. (man to person and such)

it's just easier and quicker to do it this way.

I call the ladies postmen as well: you get postmen and lady postmen in my head

(probably too)

and i hang out with my DF's friends too, so I know at least 11 lady postmen.

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clam · 01/05/2010 17:37

I started that one, crocky, and I thought about it, as my postie is, in fact, female, but thought it sounded unnecessarily PC. To me, it's a generic term, like chairman, and I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist about it.

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PfftTheMagicDragon · 01/05/2010 17:51

I post it back if it is addressed to me. I hope it will stop them sending it, this sort of crap is a nightmare when you move house.

I did send a Conservative one back this week it had " A personal message from David Cameron" on the front and I wrote "A personal message from Pfft - sod off!"

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PfftTheMagicDragon · 01/05/2010 17:52

I should point out, I am on the preference list, I find it stops no-one.

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