(Note: click on chart for larger version)
This past summer, Unjunk Mail’s research team did its best to analyze all of the services out there that help consumers stop receiving direct mail.
We signed up for the Do Not Mail lists you can join for free and reviewed the services that charge fees. We found that some of the tools are easy to use while others were more time-consuming: they demanded lots of personal information and had clunky interfaces. However, the services that ask for more information often provide consumers more control over what flows into their mailboxes. So if you really want to battle the junk in your box, you need to be willing to invest a little time in the fight.
In order to determine effectiveness, we read user comments, researched the services’ sponsors, and compared their approaches. But determining effectiveness is an imperfect science. Right now, there isn’t one perfect solution that will stop all direct mail. And it can take months for your do not mail preferences to start working. If any of you have used these services over a long period of time, please share your experience with us in the comment section.
This chart aims to provide a starting place for consumers to compare the Do Not Mail services out there and to talk about which services have worked for them, and which services have not. This research served as the foundation of our Unjunk Mail filter on the right, which features our three favorite free unjunk services.
And again please let us know if you agree, disagree, or have more to add to our ratings and reviews of these junk mail services. We’re all in this together.
Thanks,
the Unjunk Mail team
Note: This post was revised and updated on 09.11.09. The chart was re-organized to better represent the differences in types of do not mail services and lists and to reflect additional research.
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