The dreaded brown envelope

[mobile chicane22]

I've noticed recently that various finance reclaim companies have been sending out addressed speculative junk mail in brown envelopes.

I know its a small thing but it hacks me off.

A recent one had obviously acquired my data in a less than legitimate way as I've never had car finance.

Left a rubbish review online but that's probably just urinating in the wind,

mild rant over

[Countdown]

What's wrong with brown envelopes?

[anonymous-user]

I got one recently where they were telling me about all the money I could claim back. I have not had car finance since 2002

[dundarach]

You need to report it as a breach of GDPR then.

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/report-a-brea...

[alscar]

Isn’t this just a company trying its luck and hoping you may have had finance ?
Not that different to cold call phone calls so assume that lists of both addresses and phone numbers continually get sold on ?

[alscar]

dundarach said:

You need to report it as a breach of GDPR then.

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/report-a-brea...

Do they actually do anything with the complaint especially if just using a bought list of names and addresses ?
I’m struggling to see in this example where the breach has occurred ie OP isn’t a client per se so how has his personal information been leaked ?

[Lotobear]

Countdown said:

What's wrong with brown envelopes?

Nothing if your name is Peter Mandleson

[king arthur]

I think it all needs to be outlawed. Why do we need this? Who actually likes getting junk mail? No-one. So why do we have to be subjected to it? For one thing it's a massive waste of paper, surely? Same with cold calling. Outlaw it, it's a nuisance.

[Bluevanman]

The only brown envelope post I get is council tax and HMRC.....in fact that's about the only post I get

[Dog Star]

king arthur said:

I think it all needs to be outlawed. Why do we need this? Who actually likes getting junk mail? No-one. So why do we have to be subjected to it? For one thing it's a massive waste of paper, surely? Same with cold calling. Outlaw it, it's a nuisance.

Agree totally - it’s an utter waste and then you have the lugging it around, then it goes literally from the doormat to the recycling pile.

The worst have to be those little booklets that come round full of adverts for local shops, hairdressers, taxis etc. Who reads these? I bet it’s not cheap to either advertise or print.

[Rangeroverer]

Not brown envelope but a text from Car Finance stating our records show I was missold carfinance.
Never had finance in my life, thought about request of information as they state I am on their records,wonder what would happen.

[nicanary]

Lotobear said:

Countdown said:

What's wrong with brown envelopes?

Nothing if your name is Peter Mandleson

My analogy was going to be Sam Allardyce.

[Tabs]

When get junk mail with a prepaid envelope in it I enclose a junk mail leaflet from another company and post it to them. Cost them money, that'll learn 'em.

[dundarach]

alscar said:

dundarach said:

You need to report it as a breach of GDPR then.

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/report-a-brea...

Do they actually do anything with the complaint especially if just using a bought list of names and addresses ?
I m struggling to see in this example where the breach has occurred ie OP isn t a client per se so how has his personal information been leaked ?

No idea, however I guess if you don't, they certainly can't!

I'd log it anyway, OP has senders information, who knows, perhaps hundreds more might and they might be doing something dodgy.

It's free to report, probably takes about as long as posting on here, must be worth a shot!

[StevieBee]

Dog Star said:

king arthur said:

I think it all needs to be outlawed. Why do we need this? Who actually likes getting junk mail? No-one. So why do we have to be subjected to it? For one thing it's a massive waste of paper, surely? Same with cold calling. Outlaw it, it's a nuisance.

Agree totally - it s an utter waste

If it were really a waste, the companies that use it wouldn't do it. The same goes for any form of advertising. Just because it's a nuisance to you or you consider it to be a waste of time to you, does not justify why it should be banned.

Direct Mail is a sector I've worked in previously and a pond I still paddle in from time to time. Back in the mid 90s I worked as Marketing Manager at Barnardo's. We used Direct Mail a great deal and it was hugely successful. We only needed a response rate of around 1.5% to justify the expenditure but would achieve at least double that on most campaigns.

[alscar]

dundarach said:

No idea, however I guess if you don't, they certainly can't!

I'd log it anyway, OP has senders information, who knows, perhaps hundreds more might and they might be doing something dodgy.

It's free to report, probably takes about as long as posting on here, must be worth a shot!

Fair enough - yes worth a shot.

[Byker28i]

Lotobear said:

Countdown said:

What's wrong with brown envelopes?

Nothing if your name is Peter Mandleson

Or Lord Archer, or Fifa
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/30/f...

[Warhavernet]

Phew, I thought this was about that fateful day when posting that poo sample to the Doc went awry, been there, done that.

[r44flyer]

We drop it back in the post with 'return to sender - no junk please' or similar. Sometimes, if it's something I remember getting more than once, I stuff the envelopes with other junk mail and they get that as well.

Keeps the recycling box down anyway

[Skyedriver]

ThingsBehindTheSun said:

I got one recently where they were telling me about all the money I could claim back. I have not had car finance since 2002

about 5 or 6 phone calls a week until recently, and a few emails, my last finance was probably about 2002 as well.