How to Remove a Name From Catalogs
- 1). Contact the individual retailer. Locate the customer service phone number for the retailer. Look on the back of the catalog or on the retailer's website to find the phone number. Speak with a customer service representative and kindly ask them to remove your name and address from their mailing list. Submit the request online if the retailer provides the ability to remove your address from the mailing list. Allow up to 90 days for the request to take effect.
- 2). Enlist the help of the Direct Marketing Association. Visit the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) website, DMAChoice.org, and register to begin managing mailings related to marketing activities, including catalogs. Review the list of member companies provided once you register and select the specific retailer you wish to stop sending you catalogs. Use the contact information provided by the DMA to personally contact the company or elect to let the DMA handle the request to remove you from the mailing list. This removes your name and address from selected mailing lists within 90 days.
- 3). Submit a request to the Direct Marketing Association if you can't find the company listed as a member on the DMA website. The DMA will attempt to contact the company in question and ask them to join the DMA so future requests for removal can be handled by the DMA. Contact the company directly and ask them to remove your name and address from the mailing list for catalogs in the meantime.
- 4). Send a letter to each of the three credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Request that they refrain from sharing your personal information for promotional purposes. Include your name, current mailing address, previous addresses, date of birth and Social Security number in the letter.
- 5). Ask retailers to keep your name off mailing lists after future transactions if you wish to refrain from receiving mailings. Opt out of mailings when making purchases online. Ask the customer service representative to keep your name and address off of mailing lists when you place an order over the phone or in-person. Request specifically that companies you do business with refrain from selling your name and address.
- 6). File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission if you continue to receive catalogs after numerous requests. Visit the website for the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint. Understand that the Federal Trade Commission will not resolve your individual complaint; however, they will record the complaint along with those of others and use this information to help identify trends related to marketing abuses.