Junk Mail - How do you cope?

[speckled wood]

The other annoyance is that they do not even trouble to push the leaflets and free "rag"right through you letter box and thus heat from the hallway escape through the letterbox, a further problem of course is that a passing burglar sees it and it suggest that you are not in. I have had several run-in with the local free newspapers about this but still they don't seem to get the message, even a panel on the door stating "No Leaflets or Free Newspapers" is ignored.

Even more infuriating was about 1800 one winter evening (when I was in at the rear of the house), I when I went back to the front of the house I found a pamphlet poking out out of my letterbox, the letter pamphlet was from the local police saying the fact that there were no lights on at the front of my house was an "invitation to intruders that the house was empty), I promptly rang the local police and gave they a tirade of my thoughts as to their actions in leaving an item of junk mail sticking out of my letterbox rather than pushing it right through and that this was more likely to be an invitation rather than the lack of lights in the front rooms of the house, and that this matter should be immediatly taken up with the people who had posted the pamphlet. The response I got was not especially re-assuring.

[Owl-Light]

Originally Posted by speckled wood

The other annoyance is that they do not even trouble to push the leaflets and free "rag"right through you letter box and thus heat from the hallway escape through the letterbox, a further problem of course is that a passing burglar sees it and it suggest that you are not in. I have had several run-in with the local free newspapers about this but still they don't seem to get the message, even a panel on the door stating "No Leaflets or Free Newspapers" is ignored.

Even more infuriating was about 1800 one winter evening (when I was in at the rear of the house), I when I went back to the front of the house I found a pamphlet poking out out of my letterbox, the letter pamphlet was from the local police saying the fact that there were no lights on at the front of my house was an "invitation to intruders that the house was empty), I promptly rang the local police and gave they a tirade of my thoughts as to their actions in leaving an item of junk mail sticking out of my letterbox rather than pushing it right through and that this was more likely to be an invitation rather than the lack of lights in the front rooms of the house, and that this matter should be immediatly taken up with the people who had posted the pamphlet. The response I got was not especially re-assuring.

We have a label saying "No free papers or unaddressed mail" I've watched it work with some and I appreciate their respecting that and but others just shove stuff through anyway.

Surprised the Police are doing it too.

[Earth Hart]

Thanks everyone for all the tips. Now I know how to get rid of my old dinosaur of a computer, which weighs a ton. Also I'll check out MPS, never heard of it before.

[carlj]

Mail order and telephone preference schemes stop sales calls/junk mail. However, tps only controls sales calls from the UK, so expect plenty for the subcontinent!

[RogerTheCat]

You can register with MPS at

MPS online

You may also want to read this article about a welsh postman who told his customers about MPS and found himself on the recieving end of a disciplinary

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Postman who fought junk mail loses round