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How to Remove a Name From a Rented List

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Consumers, who wish to receive less commercial mail, telephone calls and email, have options for removing their name and addresses from rented lists.  The following is a guide to removing a name or email address from the lists available for rental. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has provided three services, for the removal of names from direct marketing lists: The Mail Preference Service, Telephone Preference Service, and the E-mail Preference Service.

When signing up for removal, it is important for the consumer to understand that putting a name on a do-not-mail or do-not-call list will not eliminate all possibilities receiving direct marketing advertisements and sales calls. The consumer may continue to receive mail and telemarketing calls from companies with which they have previously done business and from non-Direct Marketing Association organizations which do not use their removal service. In addition, consumers may continue to receive calls from local merchants, professional and alumni associations, political candidates, and office holders. Direct mail, email and calls from these individuals and organizations are not against the law.

 

How to remove a name from mailing lists

The Mail Preference Service allows consumers to register for a do-not-mail list. The DMA does not provide marketers with consumer information nor do they carry-out consumer mailings. The information provided will be available to companies for the sole purpose of removing names from their lists. A consumer remains on the do-not-mail list for a period of five years, during which time the file will continue to be updated monthly and distributed four times a year — January, April, July, and October. Usually, a decrease in unsolicited mail will be seen after three months, or by the end of the quarter. It is possible to speed up the process by registering online. Also, registration must be direct; one cannot register through a second party or register for someone else. Following are the two ways to register for the do-not-mail list:

  1. Mail-in Option – There is no charge for registering by mail; however, registering by mail may delay inclusion in the Mailing Preference Service file for at least 30 to 60 days because data is manually added to the service.
    There are two ways to mail in the registration. They are:
    1. Postcard or Letter Mail-in Option — The consumer mails in their own personal letter or postcard that includes the consumer’s name, home address and signature.The MPS Mail-in registration (either letter or postcard) should be mailed to the following address:

      Mail Preference Service
      Direct Marketing Association
      PO Box 643
      Carmel, NY 10512

    1. Online Mail-in Option — The consumer completes the information on the form found at http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist. One all information is entered, the consumer then selects the “Register by Mail” button. Once the “Register by Mail” button is selected, a unique tracking number will be generated. Print out the completed form and mail it to the address listed on the form(Please note: This address is different from the address listed above)
  1. Complete Online Option – By using this option, the consumer’s information is electronically added to the MPS file — this option is the quickest method to enter information on the MPS file. There is a $5 processing fee for registering with the Complete Online MPS Service.

As with the Online Mail-in Option, the consumer completes the information on the form found athttp://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist. Once the form is completed, the following steps are taken:

      1. Select the “Register Online ($5 fee)” button.
      2. A second screen will prompt you to enter your valid credit card information.  The site is secure.
      3. Select the “Charge Credit Card” button.
      4. Print out the confirmation for your records.

 

How to remove a name from telemarketing lists

Being removed from telephone marketers’ and their service providers’ lists can be done through two registries: the Federal Trade Commission Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry and the DMA’s Telephone Preference Service (TPS). To register with the Federal Trade Commission DNC Registry, please go to https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx or call 1-888-382-1222 and follow the telephone prompts.

To register with the DMA’s Telephone Preference Service, do the following:

  1. Mail-in Option — There is no charge for registering by mail; however, registering by mail may delay your inclusion in the TPS file for at least 30 to 60 days because your data is manually added to the service.There are two ways to mail in your registration. They are:
    1. Postcard or Letter Mail-in Option — The consumer mails in their own personal letter or postcard including the consumer’s name, home address, home telephone number (with area code) and signature.TPS Mail-in registration (either letter or postcard) should be mailed to the following address:

      Telephone Preference Service
      Direct Marketing Association
      PO Box 1559
      Carmel, NY 10512

    2. Online Mail-in Option — The consumer completes the information on the form found at http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offtelephone. When all information has been entered, select the “Register by Mail” button. Once the “Register by Mail” button is selected, a unique tracking number will be generated. Print out the completed form and mail it to the address listed on the form(Please note: This address is different from the address listed above)
  2. Complete Online Option — By using this option, the consumer’s information is electronically added to the TPS file — this option is the quickest method to enter information on the TPS file. There is a $5 processing fee for registering with the Complete Online TPS Service.

As with the Online Mail-in Option, the consumer completes the information on the form found athttp://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offtelephone. Once the form is completed, continue with the following steps:

  1. Select the “Register Online ($5 fee)” button.
  2. A second screen will prompt you to enter your valid credit card information.  The site is secure.
  3. Select the “Charge Credit Card” button.
  4. Print out the confirmation for your records.

 

How to remove a name from e-mail lists

Registering for the E-mail Preference Service is a simple process and is used by many companies. The DMA does not send e-mails with this opt-out address nor do they send e-mails to consumers. Instead, they require e-mail marketers, who have the DMA’s e-mail opt-out address in their marketing message, be a subscriber to The DMA’s e-mail preference service and first obtain permission from The DMA to send out the message.

To use the DMA’s e-mail opt out address the marketing message must follow this format:
“The Direct Marketing Association did not send this e-mail to you. The sender of this e-mail,[Company Name], warrants that it subscribes to The Direct Marketing Association E-Mail Preference Service and adheres to the policies and restrictions of that service. Consumers who have requested through the DMA consumer opt-out service [And Others] not to receive unsolicited commercial e-mails are removed from this company’s contact lists under this agreement. Consumers who wish to add their names to The DMA opt-out service can do so athttp://www.dmaconsumers.org/optoutform_emps.shtml[Company Name] can be contacted directly at [Legitimate Company E-mail Address].”

Some companies have listed the E-mail Preference Service Website as a way to unsubscribe from their mailings, even though they do not use the service to clean their lists. If a consumer registers their email address through another company’s website and is redirected to the link shown above, without seeing the aforementioned format, the sender has used the link without permission. Further, the E-mail Preference Service is a free service. Any company that charges for this service has done so without permission.

According to DMA guidelines an unsolicited e-mail message should have two opt-out options:

  1. Consumers may choose to opt-out of receiving e-mail from a specific marketer.
  2. Consumers may opt-out of having their e-mail address rented or shared with other marketers.

Registering email addresses for inclusion on the Email Preference Service can be done at:http://www.dmaconsumers.org/optoutform_emps.shtml. Once at the webpage, the consumer may enter up to 3 email addresses, and then click on the register button to complete the process.
To confirm a submission, an e-mail will be sent to each e-mail address submitted. The consumer must reply to each e-mail within thirty days to complete the registration. If a reply is not received, the addresses will be deleted from the file. Registration must be completed with e-MPS directly; third party requests cannot be processed.

An additional email will be sent when the two year subscription expires. The e-mail will contain a link that will allow the consumer to subscribe for an additional two years.

 

How to remove your name from ANS managed lists

A name can be removed from an American Name Services managed file in one of two ways: by mail or email. Either way, the following information is needed:

First Name, Last Name
Address
City, ST, Zip
Email Address

A written request can be sent to the following address:

American Name Services
774 South 400 East
Orem, UT  84097

A valid email address is required to receive notification that the removal request has been processed. Alternately, removal requests can be sent toremovemyname@americannameservices.com. This process takes about 10 business days and the consumer will be notified of its completion.

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