by Roberta Murphy
Perhaps I’d be a bald San Diego Realtor if I pulled hair out each time I have to toss junk mail–or one without a voice if I growled each time this intrusive mail gets mixed in with important envelopes. More than a few times we have inadvertently tossed important mail (and even a check or two) thinking it, too, was junk.
Here’s a little pointer that might save a few trees and the good nature of more than a few San Diego home owners.
I don’t know about you, but there is nothing more aggravating than to have solicitors intruding into your life by telephone. Millions celebrated when Do Not Call lists were instituted and we all reclaimed precious time in our lives by signing up.
(Now if we could just find a way to stop those ill-timed telephone surveys.)
Some think junk mail is not quite so intrusive as spammy phone calls, but think about all the junk mail that clogs our mailboxes, trash cans and landfills. I would be so happy to never receive another offer to refinance my home, buy more insurance, open a Capitol One credit card (few of those these days:-), or save money on San Diego property insurance.
I think most of us are also more than a little annoyed that credit bureaus are allowed to sell our information, FICO scores and other data to these soliciting firms. Were you aware of this practice? We weren’t.
Want to opt out?
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you have the right to opt out from these offers and prevent the credit reporting companies from selling or providing your credit and contact information to these solicitors. Sounds like a winning solution to me.
To do so, just go to OptOutPreScreen and complete a simple form.
By doing so, Equifax, Experian, Innovis and TransUnion will be prohibited from sharing your information for at least five years. If you wish to permanently do so, instructions are provided for doing so by snail mail.