Re: Loose Cannon: First, Do No Harm. Unless You’re Feeling Lazy , Direct Newsline, March 27, 2006:
Read your column on mailing (as in voting in Chicago, early and often) to the deceased. We experienced much of the same litany when my mother died.
I’d like to point out an inconsistency in first rebuttal letter — they pay a LOT to merge purge but $750/M to get thousands of dollars isn’t too much . . . I don’t know of many non-profits who do a merge purge. . . after all, if the mail is cheap, why bother?
The responses you’ve seen from other readers would indicate that they do (as they did in my case) update name information, but do not delete records . . . and with many non-profits’ demographics, Age 55+, etc. You’d have to ask why not? Simple, n’est pas? It’s all about lucre. Whoops, make that donations!
Sunny Heyer
Media Horizons
Chicago
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My grandmother had her own (unique) solution to unwanted solicitations. After my grandfather died, she received numerous letters, phone calls, etc. from marketers and professional organizations that persisted in trying to sell him goods and services.
Finally, she started telling them that he was no longer at that address, and asked if they would like his new residence. When they said yes, she gave them the name of the cemetery and the plot number.
The calls and letters stopped.
Although, he did get a parking ticket about a year after he died (a very remarkable man, my grandfather).
Jodi Kaplan
Principal
KaplanCopy
New York City
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The deceased story is pretty typical, unfortunately. I have had a somewhat similar experience after going through a divorce. I bought a new townhome and had my address changed.
Somehow the wise database people out there have decided that I should get mail addressed to my ex at my new address, and some have gone so far as to change my name on material I used to receive in my name to his. So I decided that since he isn’t at that address to donate, volunteer, etc., the mail should go in the garbage.
The March of Dimes, for whom I have sent out mailers for in the past, has changed my name to my ex’s. When they solicited me to send the mailings out via the phone, I explained that the person that the mail was addressed to has never been at this address and was not available to do the work for them this time. The person on the phone was quite upset with me and tried to explain that there were two different lists out there and that only the large direct mail list was incorrect. (Hmm — then why did I get a note from one of my neighbors addressed to my ex?)
Don’t you love that householding option where they arbitrarily change your information? I had a similar experience when I asked AARP to take my ex off my membership. Now I get two — one addressed to him and one to me!
Yup, that worked well. If they want me to buy, donate or respond, they’d better address the piece to me otherwise, the recycle pile is going to get larger.
Nancy Engle
Des Moines IA
Network
