The website, which was launched in March this year, provides a one-point-stop for information about reducing unsolicited mail and makes it possible for householders to contact up to six junk mail opt-out schemes via a single web form. Apart from the Mailing Preference Service, people can contact Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out, the Your Choice Preference Scheme for Unaddressed Mail and the three main paper directories distributed door-to-door in the UK (the Yellow Pages, Thomson Local and BT Telephone Directory). Since the service was set up, more than 12,000 e-mails have been sent to these opt-out schemes.

'Ambiguous information'

The Direct Marketing Association, which operates both the Mailing Preference Service and Your Choice, has confirmed that it feels that Stop Junk Mail gives the public ambiguous information about reducing junk mail and that it would therefore be inappropriate to deal with the e-mails. The industry lobby group also argues that requesting an opt-out pack is essentially the same as registering with an opt-out service.

Stop Junk Mail is not convinced by the arguments. The groups founder said: "I have repeatedly asked the Direct Marketing Association's Manager of Preference Services to let us know what information they find 'ambiguous'. I am always open for suggestions, but to this day they have refused to give any specific examples.

"The Direct Marketing Association's concern seems to be that people who make the first step and request an opt-out pack will also take the next step and actually choose to opt out. They have received a large increase in the number opt-out requests and feel threatened.

"I find it worrying that the representative of the junk mail industry is therefore now trying to prevent being contacted by people who simply wish to reduce unwanted and unsolicited advertising mail. I appreciate they don't like it when people tell them to stop sending junk mail. But in the end it's not up to the Direct Marketing Association to decide what comes through people's doors.

"What the Direct Marketing Association should acknowledge is that Junk Buster is providing the public with a friendly and popular service. We are doing what bulk mailers have failed to do; giving householders wanting to stop unsolicited mail an easy way to get in touch with the services that are supposed to do this. If they are concerned that people contact them via the Junk Buster website, why don’t they set up a similar service themselves? They know full well that there is a great demand for a 'one-point-stop' for impartial information about reducing unsolicited mail and contacting opt-out services."

Preventing people from opting out

Stop Junk Mail is confident that the Direct Marketing Association will sooner or later chance its mind on its refusal to be contacted via their website: "It cannot be denied that contacting up to six opt-out schemes separately is preventing people from using the services available to them. Last year, Stop Junk Mail revealed that less than 0.5% of British households are registered with Royal Mail's Door-to-Door Opt-Out, despite the fact that this is the most effective opt-out service available to the public. What more proof do you need to accept opt-out services only work if they are widely advertised and easy to contact?"

Householders can still use Junk Buster to contact opt-out schemes. However, they are now being advised to send a second e-mail to the Mailing Preference Service and/or Your Choice to confirm that they wish to receive the opt-out pack they had requested. The correspondence between Stop Junk Mail and the DMA can be read in full on Stop Junk Mail's blog.