If you warn them ahead of time, after asking them to stop, that you’re going to start charging them for picking up their unwanted newspapers for them, this just might work (depending on the judge). I like it.
No, I gleefully use the “free” return address labels that various charities send me in hopes that I’ll support their charity.
I didn’t ask for them. They sent them anyway. I will use them.
shrug.
Believe it or not, I had this problem with Playboy. I subscribed for a year at a crazy low rate - like $12 for 12 issues. At the end of the subscription, they skipped the 13th month, then started a full year subscription again. It was not a gift - the only person who knew I subscribed was my wife, and she didn’t renew it. And if it was a gift, it was anonymous, even to this day 5 years later. I was never billed. I didn’t bother protesting much, I just sent a letter saying basically, “Thanks, but I didn’t order this and am not paying.” I got the magazine for 11 more issues.
Joe
If they gave you the name, wait a couple of days and call in saying you’re them. Cancel in their name. Or have a friend do it, if you’re the wrong sex.
Former paper delivery person anecdote…
On at least one occasion, I continued to deliver papers to an address that canceled their subscription months earlier. I missed the update on my stack of papers one morning that they canceled and so they kept getting a delivery. It wasn’t until I self-audited my delivery list that I noticed they weren’t on it any more.
I could have written the OP with only minor changes.
The paper I got/still get is billed quarterly; the due date on the bill is the beginning of the billed quarter. Thus, I figured that by simply not paying the July-September bill (due July 1) they’d stop delivering on or around July 1. Nope. It kept coming until* late October*… until one day it finally wasn’t there.
Then the past due notice arrived for the unpaid July-September bill. Since I hadn’t actually told them to cancel and I did in fact receive the paper for that quarter, I figured it was only fair that I go ahead and pay it. You know, the bill specifically saying “July-September.” In November. After I paid the bill, the papers started coming again!
So this time I actually called and told a real live person that I wanted to cancel my subscription. I hadn’t wanted to do this, because, as expected, I got the third degree about why I was cancelling, and a hard sell trying to keep my business. I made it very clear that I just wanted them to stop sending me the paper. Finally, he agreed to do so.
That was 3 weeks ago and it’s still coming…
We live in a suburb of Toronto. Our local paper is free. Delivered to each and every house (though we are encouraged to tip our delivery boy at Christmas). Not sure if I could stop getting it if I wanted to.
(I love me some flyers, though so I want it. I get pretty peeved if Thursday’s paper is late.)
I hate getting those free newspapers, two or three each week. Every home in our neighborhood gets them thrown in the driveway, so I think it unlikely “cancelling” would do me much good.
I’m peeved enough to stir up some ruckus with the publishers, but it seems recent court rulings have been in publishers’ favor. I couldn’t find a case that was exactly on-point with an individual suing a publisher for “littering” or some-such, but did find a few cases where local ordinances were struck down:
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=10473
You know, they don’t teleport the newspaper to your driveway. If it’s this big a problem, then it’s worth getting up early one morning and actually going out and telling the delivery person “I have asked to not get a paper any more, please stop delivering it, thanks.”
Also, every place I’ve ever lived and gotten a newspaper, the newspaper carrier has marked the mailbox or newspaper box with a little piece of reflective tape or something to make it easier to spot in the dark. Try looking for this and removing it.
I had a newspaper box when I lived in a rural area, but here in the suburbs, you just get it thrown on your front lawn.
Try cancelling Prevention magazine. You cannot talk to an actual person, their voice mail was useless for this purpose, so I went online and found it was a self-renewing subscription that just went on forever unless you went to great lengths to cancel. Somehow. I think I did unsubscribe this time, we shall see.
Lie in wait. Throw it back. If your aim is good, your message will be delivered.
Toss it across the street. That’s what I’d do :o
I have a friend who works at the city police office…he said the code enforcement people would be happy to camp out on my behalf…they’d get paid overtime for the odd hour…and has the added bonus of me not waking up early. <I don’t now what time it actually shows up…>
But I’m actually three days paper-free right now! Sunday was the last delivery. Hopefully it won’t start again any time soon.
-D/A