I first asked Frank Shaw at Vanguard Realty in Brighton, MA to stop sending me junk mail in January 2008, through a contact form on his Web site. He ignored me.
More junk mail arrived in late March, so I asked him again, this time using both the form and a phone call.
He sent me back a snarky response. I, in term, sent him an equally snarky response. He responded a second time, and this time he was somewhat less snarky and more conciliatory.
Conciliatory though he may have been, he didn’t actually do what I asked. Since then, I have received at least five pieces of junk mail from him, and one from another Realtor in his office.
It seems that refrigerator magnets are Frank’s gimmick, since several of the junk mailings have contained them — the Patriots schedule, the Red Sox schedule, a 2010 calendar, etc. I have no use for any of these, and they are far worse for the environment than simple paper junk mail.
Vanguard Realty is right in my neighborhood. When my wife and I decide to sell our house, using a Realtor near us would be quite convenient both to us and to potential buyers. But we’re not going to use one who ignores the most basic of requests (“stop sending us junk mail!”) from potential customers, and in the process damages the environment.
One cannot help but wonder why Frank doesn’t seem to understand that alienating potential customers is bad for business.
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Form 1500 from the USPS is quite effective to stop junk mail. It basically is a request to the USPS to prohibit companies from sending you unwanted mail. Initially it was meant for sexually offensice mailings, but since a Supreme Court ruling that it is up to the sole discretion of the recipient of the offending mail piece to determine whether or not something is sexually offensive, it can be used for anything. Village Subaru, as well as a number of local realtors, have already been issued prohibitory orders on my behalf. Most have complied, and the one case that hasn’t (Village Subaru) is now being handled by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office.
Complaining on public forums has been quite effective for me as well.
Frank Shaw’s the guy who tried to sell us the house near you — the crooked one? — (the house, not the realtor). High-pressure, high-stress. I’m not surprised (I can’t get off his mailing list either, though I haven’t tried as hard as you).