The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors will file an experimental case with the Postal Rate Commission to launch a negotiated service agreement with credit card direct marketer Capital One Services Inc., Richmond, VA. Capital One is the USPS’s fourth-largest customer and the largest single producer of first class mail.
"I think it's great," said Gene Del Polito, president of the Association for Postal Commerce. "The USPS has made an agreement with a company that uses a lot of first class mail for its marketing and billing and I hope we see more."
He noted the USPS is probably doing this because it wants to help stave off companies from making all their communications electronic.
"We are pleased that the logjam is finally broken," said Direct Marketing Association president H. Robert Wientzen, in a statement. "The Postmaster General is delivering on a commitment made to commercial mailers and the mailing public. This is a good first step toward addressing market demand for both consumers and commercial mailers alike."
Negotiated service agreements are permitted under existing law and the USPS has recently been promoting them (DIRECT Newsline, Feb. 7).
Details of the filing will be made public once the case is filed, in mid-September, according to the USPS.
