Remove dead people from do-not-call list - for $1

[Champ]

NEW YORK - The nation's largest direct marketing group set up a registry Thursday to remove dead people from its telemarketing, e-mail and direct mail lists - for $1.

The Direct Marketing Association, which has more than 5,200 members in the United States and 44 other countries, said its Deceased Do-Not-Contact list was designed to help families dealing with the loss of a loved one.

"The DMA recognizes how emotionally and logistically difficult the process of handling someone's final affairs can be," Pat Kachura, the group's senior vice president for ethics and consumer affairs, said in a statement.

The organization said the $1 fee was for credit card verification, and was designed to prevent fraud.

"We're concerned people will abuse the list, putting the names of friends on it, that kind of thing," Kachura said in a telephone interview. "So we're very concerned that those who are on the list are those who should be on the list."

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/0721dead-donotcontact21-ON.html

[Gormy Cuss]

1. How kind of them

For $1.00, we'll let you pay for our list scrubbing. Aren't we special?

The justification for the fee, that people will abuse the list, is just precious. The DMA is not a credit bureau, just a marketing group. What harm is done by friends abusing the list, less junkmail?

Opt in, not opt out. Junkmail in all forms places an undue burden on consumers. It's time we put the burden back on marketers. Opt in, not opt out.

For anyone who hasn't done so, go to the DMA site and learn how to opt out from their lists if you find junk mail annoying. It won't stop it all, but it will reduce the volume.


www.dmaconsumers.org