How to Write a Letter Refusing to Accept Mail
According to the U.S. Postal Service, every citizen has the right to receive and refuse mail. There are several ways to refuse mail through the post office, but there are also effective ways of altering what mail you receive through other sources. So-called mail preference services allow consumers to decide what types of mail they want to receive. To entirely avoid junk mail, employ all of these methods.
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Instructions
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Refuse an individual piece of mail by returning it to the sender. Write "refuse" in big letters on the front of the envelope and put it back in your box.
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Find your local post office and postmaster's address. Write a succinct letter to your postmaster explaining that you would no longer like to receive junk mail.
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Send the letter to your local post office. Alternatively, you may hand deliver it and speak with your postmaster. Unfortunately, the post office is under no obligation to honor your request unless you fill out an official form.
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Request or download Postal Service Form 1500 from the post office if the junk mail you no longer wish to receive is offensive or sexually explicit in nature. Currently, the U.S. Postal Service does not offer a way to avoid receiving general forms of mail.
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Contact a mail preference service such as the Direct Marketing Association. For a small fee, these services allow you to choose what sort of advertisements, if any, you'd like to receive. According to DMA, "Any choices you make [about mail preferences] will be effective for five years from the date you make them" (see Reference 1).
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Write directly to Direct Marketing Association at:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
Post Office Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512-0282.
Alternatively, you may employ their services online at DMAchoice.org.
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Tips & Warnings
Filling out the Postal Service Form 1500 is the most direct, cheapest and effective way to avoid receiving sexually offensive mail.
References
Resources
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