Direct Marketing Privacy
How do I get off that list?
Consumers who prefer that their credit record not be used for
marketing purposes can simply contact the three major credit bureaus
with that request. Your name will be flagged in their computer and
automatically deleted from any marketing lists, without hurting
your chances for credit approval. Call Experian at 800/353-0809,
Equifax at 800/685-1111, and TransUnion at 800/680-7293.
The quickest way to have your name removed from many lists is through
the Mail Preference Service of the Direct Marketing Association
(DMA). The service is free. Send your name and address on a postcard
with your request to the Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference
Service, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.
DMA sends a list of the individuals that have requested deletion
to its members four times a year. Your name stays on the delete
list for five years. Whenever you purchase something by mail, you
must specifically state that you do not want your name sold, rented,
or traded. If you don't, your name could go back into circulation.
About 70 percent of national direct marketers subscribe to the
Mail Preference Service. Yet many nonprofit groups, political groups,
and smaller, local marketers don't. If you determine you are still
getting certain mailings three months after you have contacted the
DMA, you will need to contact the remaining companies or organizations
individually and tell them to remove your name from their lists.
If you have filled out and mailed a warranty or product registration
card sometime in your life - as most of us have - you can contact
American Demographics and Lifestyles. Ask to be deleted from all
the lists they sell. Write to American Demographics and Lifestyles
Customer Service Department, 1621 18th Street, Suite 300, Denver,
Colorado 80202.
Before removing your name from the list, remember that you won't
receive mailings about magazines of interest, coupons or catalogs
from your favorite retailers, or offers on new products at special
prices. You could well be cheating yourself of the opportunity to
do all that armchair comparison shopping.
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