First junk mail, then a text and phone blitz

[the deliverer]

Daily Mail 22:00, 25 October 2013

First junk mail, then a text and phone blitz... Now Royal Mail plans to swamp you with cold calls

* The recently privatised firm is putting barcodes on letters
* This will tell firms when their marketing messages have been delivered
* Salesmen can then make follow-up phone calls and send text messages
* One mail analyst said the move was an 'outrageous' invasion of privacy

Households face a bombardment of cold calls and unwanted post in a new junk mail offensive.

Royal Mail, which has just been privatised, is putting barcodes on letters, allowing it to tell firms when their marketing messages have been delivered.

Armed with this information, these companies’ salesmen can make follow-up phone calls and send text messages.

Invasion of privacy? Royal Mail is putting barcodes on letters allowing it to tell firms when their marketing messages have been delivered so they can make follow-up phone calls

A bank will, for example, be able to send out a credit card offer and then try to persuade recipients to take it up.

One mail analyst said the move was an ‘outrageous’ invasion of privacy.

It represents a significant escalation of the direct marketing business of 447-page share prospectus.

‘Postman Pat is turning into an accomplice of the people who think it’s okay to bombard us with marketing messages we don’t want to read, see or hear. This is badgering by barcode.’

In Royal Mail’s prospectus, it states: ‘Market Reach is at an early stage of its development but it offers the potential to increase the level of the group’s revenue derived from marketing mail.

‘[It can] also play a part in the group’s ongoing management of the structural decline in the overall letter market.’

In July, Royal Mail revealed it was spending £70million on a system able to put a barcode on bulk mail letters, allowing their progress to be tracked.

The technology will let its customers, such as banks and energy companies, know the precise day on which their mailouts are delivered.

Nearly 50 firms have signed up to take part in the initiative, which starts next year.

Between them they send more than eight million items of mail every day. Mike Jones, of the Local Government Association’s environment board, said Royal Mail should work to reduce junk post.

‘Most people don’t appreciate being bombarded with junk mail on a daily basis,’ he added.

‘Not only is it a nuisance to have to pick up and throw away, but it adds thousands of tons to the amount of waste councils have to collect.

‘Huge progress in recycling in recent years has meant that most of this will avoid being sent to landfill.

‘But Royal Mail and its direct marketing clients need to do more to reduce the deluge of junk mail landing on people’s doorsteps and make sure people are aware of their right to opt out of having unsolicited mail delivered to their homes.’

Last year Royal Mail delivered an astonishing 3.3billion ‘unaddressed letters’ – most of which go straight in the bin or recycling box.

It is relatively easy for companies that send out junk mail to get hold of mobile phone numbers. If an individual is or has been a customer they are likely to have their full contact details on file.

And anyone who has entered their mobile number while registering for a competition or survey may also be inadvertently passing on their details for the use of firms they have never used or dealt with.

Nearly 50 firms have signed up to take part in the initiative, which starts next year. Between them they send more than eight million items of mail every day.

Many of these competitions and surveys exist for the sole purpose of ‘harvesting’ personal data.

Companies are able to sell numbers to each other, unless the individual concerned has ticked a box specifically requesting otherwise.

It is possible to reduce marketing calls by registering both landline and mobile phone numbers with the free Telephone Preference Service.

Last night, a Royal Mail spokesman said: ‘Companies use direct mail because it has proven results. Many households find the information useful.

‘Direct mail accounts for more than £16billion in sales for the UK economy every year and the industry employs 280,000 people directly and indirectly.’

[Danelectro]

does the barcode tell them when its been thrown in the recycling without being read?...

[SpacePhoenix]

Will it mean that d2d boxes will have to be scanned at MCs and every single d2d item scanned at DOs and then scanned when delivered?

Does it also include MS3?

[Hitcher]

In our trials scanning each D2D item didn't take any longer so no extra time needs to be allocated.

[spen]

I thought companies cold calling for business was illegal,,,,and where they getting my phone number from anyway

[wabbithunta]

I thought companies cold calling for business was illegal,,,,and where they getting my phone number from anyway

From companies that have it and then sell it on to others probably?

[PhilthyPhil]

Will it mean that d2d boxes will have to be scanned at MCs and every single d2d item scanned at DOs and then scanned when delivered?

Does it also include MS3?

Its nothing to do with D2D. It is about tracking bulk mail when it goes through the machines at the inward MC so the customer knows the day it has been delivered.

[Darren Bent]

We got enough workload without these gimmick.

[meweavy]

How do companies know that we have delivered the junk mail, surely we don't scan each one?, that would take forever.
And how do they get the idea that people actually want junk mail, let alone a cold call after.
What a monumental cock up of a bad idea.

[rhino49]

Looks like another slow news day at the Mail - It can't get over the fact that we are Royal and they are just the daily !

[PhilthyPhil]

We got enough workload without these gimmick.

How do companies know that we have delivered the junk mail, surely we don't scan each one?, that would take forever.
And how do they get the idea that people actually want junk mail, let alone a cold call after.
What a monumental cock up of a bad idea.

The letters will be scanned by the existing machines in MCs not by delivery staff

[clashcityrocker]

How do companies know that we have delivered the junk mail?

Firstly there is an expected response rate.
I know everyone says it just goes in the bin, but it doesn't and if there isn't the expected response rate it already suggests to them the mail hasn't been delivered to spec.
And they ask people to ensure the quality of service has been met.

[biscuit1957]

Might cut out the thieving

[arnold cheshire]

i just tell them to f off

[arnold cheshire]

hello sir i notice you have received our charity letter have you considered giving ?