Since 1971, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has offered a service called the Mail Preference Service (MPS). The alleged purpose of the MPS is to allow consumers to register which kinds of direct marketing mail they want, or to opt out completely. DMA members are then supposed to scrub their mailing lists against the MPS lists and not send mailings to people who don’t want them.
Why would an association whose members make their money from direct mailings offer a service to allow people to opt out? While they cloak their motives in all kinds of fancy language about consumer choice, protecting the environment by reducing unwanted mailings, etc., the real reason why is to offer voluntary self-regulation to dissuade the states and federal government from regulating the industry. And it works — the mail direct marketing industry is essentially unregulated.
However, as noted, the DMA’s members don’t actually want consumers to opt out of their mailings, so they’ve always made it difficult and annoying to sign up for the MPS. For example:
- Enrolment expires after three years.
- There is no notification from the DMA when your enrolment is going to expire.
- Obviously, the DMA and its members are intimately familiar with utilizing the U.S. Postal Service’s change-of-address lists to update their mailing lists when people move. They could easily use the same lists to update the MPS, thus obviating the need for entries on the list to expire at all, but they don’t do this.
- Long after everybody under the sun was doing things like this on-line, the DMA continued to require people to send in forms by U.S. Mail to enroll in the MPS.
- When they did finally start letting people enroll on-line, they charged a fee, and the enrolment Web site was awful. (I’m not certain, but I think there was a time during which they were even charging a fee for enrolments sent in via the U.S. Mail.)
- They’ve finally started letting people enroll on-line for free, but the (new) Web site is just as awful and doesn’t work, and they don’t care, which is what has prompted me to write this blog entry.
Last year, I enrolled everyone in my family in the MPS using the previous version of their Web site. Yesterday, I tried to use the Web site (http://dmachoice.org/) to confirm the status of our enrolment, and I discovered that they’ve redesigned the site, and my old login credentials no longer work. Clever!
I therefore set out to register with the new site and enroll us in the MPS again, just to make certain we were enrolled. They only allow up to five names to be associated with a single account on the Web site, so to register all seven members of our family, I have to create two accounts on the Web site. Unfortunately, the Web site uses your email address as your username, so if you only have one email address, you can’t register twice on the Web site and therefore you can’t register your entire family if it has more than five people in it. Brilliant!
Fortunately, my mail server supports extended addresses, i.e., messages sent to jik+foo@kamens.brookline.ma.us, jik+bar@kamens.brookline.ma.us, etc., will all be delivered into my “jik” mailbox. Note that “+” is a perfectly legitimate character to include in an email address. Unfortunately, the DMA Web site does not accept email addresses with “+” in them. Amazing!
Fortunately, I administer my own mail server, so I was able to create a new address for myself “jik-dma@…” (note “-” instead of “+”), register on the site using that email address, and use the newly created account to register five of the seven members of my family.
I then attempted to repeat the process, this time with another newly created email address, “jik-dma2@…”. Alas, it didn’t work. I filled out the registration screen completely and clicked the “Submit” button, but instead of being shown a confirmation screen and receiving an account activation email message, I was shown a blank screen (except for the menu bar) and no activation email was sent. Excellent!
I tried clearing my cache and cookies and registering again; that didn’t work. I tried with two other computers, two other browser versions and two other Internet connections; none of them worked. Wonderful!
I sent a request for help through their Web site. A day later, they responded with, basically, “Yeah, sometimes the Web site doesn’t work. Too bad! You’ll just have to print out the form and register via U.S. Mail.”
Isn’t that just so precious?
Great Article! I am buried with “realtor” junk mail due to the number of rental properties I own and a realtor I contacted this morning gave me the DMA website to be “removed”…….
Dont buy the snake oil from the snake oil sales people….people!
I’ve been wondering if the DMA is a scam and funny enough found this related article. They say DMAchoice website hasn’t been updated since OP’s post over 10 years ago! https://www.paperkarma.com/blog/stop-junk-mail/
Why do I have to pay $2 have my name removed from spammers?
Congress should make a law to have the fee removed!
I didn’t do my homework and paid for this for spam email. In a few months I’ve gone from 8 to 70 spams a day, and increasing.
I paid the $2 for the DMA service to opt-out the junk mails. Guess what? right after that, my credit card started to have the fraud transactions. I can’t help thinking the website is not secure and credit card information got stolen. Stay away from this website, and now I doubt if the opt-out mail will work.
They charge $2 processing fee (for 10 years) to take out your name from their database. It’s not much money, but why do I need to pay them to take my name out of something I never signed up for? It’s so frustrating.
I signed up a week ago and paid the $2. Today, I tried to log on and it did not recognize my logon credentials. So. I signed up again and paid the $2 and later on was logged off. I tried to logon again and once again, it did not recognize my logon credentials. This is a total scam!
I just filled out a complaint form to the NY Attorney General, PLEASE everyone do this and hopefully they will be exposed, the form is not long and easy to fill out, please do it !!!!
Well hello every one, just found this and would like to share that I have shead many tears and greaf because this company and their MORE than 500 licensed sub. To no telling how many company’s. what up sets me so much is has been selling and making money off my deceased Son for three years and my deceased husband for two years. If this is not against the law I would like to know how. I went to the web low and behold they had an opt out button and report deceased — but guess what the buttons did not work. So. Going to talk to my news paper and all news stations I can find. And share my story.
Just to be clear, the DMA doesn’t rent or sell names and addresses to anyone. They are an industry association of companies that do. So they are not making any money off of your deceased son or husband.
I’m sorry if I’ve misunderstood what you were saying, but frankly, what you wrote above isn’t exactly proper English, so it’s difficult to understand exactly what you were trying to say.
They why does anyone have to pay you – fucking moron.
FUCKING SCAM! This opt-out is a total fucking joke. The law should require OPT-IN with OPT-OUT bith the default and illegal !! FUCK ALL YOU COMPANIES!!!
It has worked pretty good for me about the only junk I get is to Resident.
I was in the mail production industry for 30 years. At one time to use the DMA do not mail list you had to be a member, pay for the data and then pay to match it against your house list. Nobody ever did that on the small level only the big players like Reader’s Digest, Publisher’s etc. At some point in time they added a “flag” to the mandated move update file every mailing was required to be bounced against but again, nobody every requested us to pull Do Not Mail flagged records.
What kills me is I moved recently and filed a moved notice with the USPS. They must have sold my name and new address to every direct mailer in the universe. I’m getting tons of mail I’ve never heard of before.
January 30, 2020
Dear Mr. Roberts,
Your post was seven years ago so you MAY not receive my reply. None the less, other consumers might find my experience of some help.
I did Complete a California USPS card upon changing residences and received the USPS “Change of Address Kit” and I also experienced receiving new unsolicited mail when I moved in 2017. Most of them were invitations for moving into a new neighborhood and might have needs when setting up a new residence. They were to shop for goods with discounts.
Here is why I think. I sold a house in one city and bought a condo in another neighboring city. I do not think the USPS sold or notified others of my new address. Instead, I believe such companies are accessing our new address because Real Estate purchases are Public Record making it FREE for anyone to view and solicit.
In fact the USPS does provide a service which allows businesses to pay to be notified about changes of address by the USPS. While you’re correct that real estate purchases are public records and that notifications about real estate purchases is also something that is available for businesses to subscribe to for money, the USPS actually seems more likely because most people who move are renting rather than owning, so if businesses want to target people who have just moved, whether they own or rent, they’re going to be more successful going the USPS route than the real estate transactions route.
I got USPS Address
DMA Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 282
Carmel, NY. 10512
For the Opt Out Address.
How do I go about stopping junk mail nd catalogues?
Here’s one way: http://blog.kamens.us/2008/08/17/fighting-junk-mail-one-envelope-at-a-time/
You might also want to take a look at this blog and the tactics employed by its author: http://drowndinginmail.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the link! You were one of the sites I used in researching my blog. The short answer is to sign up for DMA Choice, then use Catalog Choice https://www.catalogchoice.org/ or the PaperKarma app https://www.paperkarma.com/ to sweep up the rest. The long answer is to engage in a junk mail battle like I have.
Another option is to sue in Small Claims Court. I believe the limit has been upped to $5000. In Small Claims neither party is allowed a lawyer. They must send an employee to defend themselves. Or default. If the company is out of the court’s jurisdiction you probably won’t see any money. However, they simply can’t afford to send employees to defend every case – travel expenses would hurt them worse than the judgements. If the court can collect for you, fine. If the court can’t collect, the judgement remains on the company’s record. Ten-thousand defaulted claims represents a $50 million liability that is visible to lenders. Assume the Company doesn’t care, they don’t intend to pay. But it also shows to the lenders when Officers and Board Members try to borrow money. You know … when they try to get a credit card, finance a car, buy a house. I’m not a lawyer. I don’t do math. Take my suggestion at your own risk. But I’ll bet a swarm of mosquito consumers can be as terminal as a single government hyena. And I would sue each time your registration expires – that expiration is their doing, not yours.
First of all, in many states the defendant in small-claims court is allowed to send a lawyer.
Second, I’m not sure exactly what you’re proposing to sue for. Sending junk mail isn’t illegal. I don’t advocate filing frivolous lawsuits. And even if the defendant in a lawsuit doesn’t show up, in most states you still have to make at least a modicum of a case to the judge or magistrate that you are entitled to compensation to win a default judgment.
That is the wrong address. They charge you to use their service.
The DMA only charges if you choose to register by mail. If you do it online, it’s free.
I tried to register online and it wanted to charge my card $2 for a registration fee… don’t know how you got it free
*sigh* Because they weren’t charging when I registered. They’ve started charging since then. What assholes.
Same here. Also, can’t help it that I’m leery of giving my credit card info to them. This whole junk mail thing is so ridiculous.
Not Free ! Wake Up!!!
No, no, no! Not today (1-30-2020) Just before I was to insert my credit card number to pay $2 for ten years, I Googled “is DMAchoice.org” legit and I selected your post.
Overall, I am pleased with your reporting that DMAChoice.org is a deceitful project.
You got it backwards. And it’s $5 now.
It is still $2 for 10 years,
If you do it online, it’s still $2.
P.S. THAT’S RICH!
THE USPO WILL NOT DELIVER OUR OPT-OUT NOTICES *TO* THE DIRECT MARKETING PRIVACY VIOLATORS!
P.S. THAT’S RICH! THE USPO WILL NOT DELIVER OUR OPT-OUT NOTICES *TO* THE DIRECT MARKETING A-HOLES!
DMA and all the other CON ARTISTS (credit bureaus, insurance companies, banks, etc.) are ARCHIVING ALL OUR DATA IN GIGANTIC DATABASES, MERGING THEM WITH OTHER COMPANIES’ DATAMINING SERVICES, AND USING OUR OWN INFO AGAINST US.
And our GOVERNMENT is in on it!, especially the USPO and the FEDERAL “INTELLIGENCE” (hah!) services. DO NOT USE THEIR ONLINE OPT-OUT SERVICES EITHER, because all you are doing is giving them your email address & IP number, so they know (harvest and share) EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.
What we have to do is VOTE WITH OUR $$$$; if a company sells your name/address/info, CANCEL ALL BUSINESS WITH THEM & BE SURE TO TELL THEM WHY.
Whenever I get junk mail with a return post paid envelope, I stuff it with all the crap they sent plus whatever other junk paper, food wrappers, etc. I can fit into the envelope so that it bulks up and the junk mailer gets hit with the increased postage. Helps reduce the federal debt and sends a message to the Sphincter ani externi.
It doesn’t have anything to do with the federal debt. The postal service is an independent financial entity. It does get some money from the federal government, but that money is for particular services and would not be reduced by doing what you propose with junk mail.
Which is not to say that I don’t think it’s a good idea. 🙂
Me too.
MPS/DMA is just another scam! My sympathy to those of you who followed their instructions in good faith. They are dishonest bloodsucking scumbags.
P.S.: Olav, I adore you! 😆
well then since the postal address is no longer then where do we send the mail to,or are they actually legal???
“Fortunately, my mail server supports extended addresses, i.e., messages sent to jik+foo@kamens.brookline.ma.us, jik+bar@kamens.brookline.ma.us, etc., will all be delivered into my “jik” mailbox. Note that “+” is a perfectly legitimate character to include in an email address. Unfortunately, the DMA Web site does not accept email addresses with “+” in them. Amazing!”
I’ve noticed the same thing trying to use such addresses with my Google Apps mail accounts – the plus sign isn’t accepted by most sites. Then again it’s my experience that not only do some poorly-written (and standards non-compliant!) sites reject legitimate things, they can also allow things that go against the standard and can sometimes do genuine damage.
I agree that DMA is a joke. There was a time when you HAD to provide a credit card to “allow” them to put a “zero” ($0) charge. They “claimed” it was to “verify” your “identity.” Can you say…. IDENTITY THEFT???? During that time, it was more worth it to me to register by snail mail. And you are right, they don’t notify you when it expires. But when it does, YOU GET FLOODED!
JJ
I sent a letter to: DMA Mail Service
Preference Service
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale NY
11735 9008
It was returned as “Not deliverable unable to forward”
then what is the legal mailing address????.
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I like the dmachoice site. It solves almost half of my junk mail problem.
It’s so good that I’m telling all of my reps that I want a mandatory government run do-not-mail list to get rid of the other half of my junk mail problem.
I can see why junk mailers would want such a list. Send junk mail to people who don’t want it, and some of them you’ll lose as customers.
The companies that don’t use the list are just stupid. Lots of companies use market techniques that annoy people and cause them to lose their business.
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This is why mail preference service should be run by an independent company that knows what they are doing. Take a look at our service – http://catalogchoice.org. Free to consumers … Free from merchants to get the opt-out names. Secure, well-designed. A non-profit dedicated to connecting consumers and merchants to reduce unwanted mail.
Chuck
catalogchoice.org is no longer free, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse…
I can’t find anything at http://privacyrights.org/ or http://catalogchoice.org/ indicating that the latter is no longer free. There is a service there that’s only offered to people who donate to support the site, but (a) that’s a new service, not the original, free one, and (b) it’s a tax-deductible charitable donation, which isn’t exactly the same as fee for service.
Your article inspired me to have a look at how good the DMA’s namesake on the other side of the Atlantic is at running opt-out services. I reckon ‘our’ DMA is even worse: http://stopjunkmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/your-choice.html.
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