No I don't want to buy anything!!

[tijuana taxi]

How did we ever let things get so crazy with advertising and the seemingly never ending quest to sell by whatever means possible

Yesterday it started with the postman delivering junk mail, free wall insulation, didn't read it all. but apr of 9.9% was mentioned so would seem money was involved somewhere. Checked my email and numerous spam from all the usual suspects, why would Ocado think I want to shop when the last order hasn't been delivered yet.
Put the television on and again its play bingo, borrow money or claim for an accident that was more than likely the injured parties fault or at least partially

Now a telephone call, firstly from the subcontinent over an atrocious connection, that just cut off when I asked what they were selling. Second call was from a woman trying to flog me a prepaid funeral, what a crap job that must be and makes me wonder would anyone just say yes ok then over the phone.

Went to bed, opened up a magazine that I bought that morning and a clutch of flyers falls out trying to extract more money for spurious products and services.

What happened to the idea that when we wanted something enquiries were made and if satisfied services engaged/goods bought and payment exchanged. Have to say the funeral one really gave me the hump and maybe its about time all advertising was licensed. Also wonder what the returns are like for all the money spent on the numerous advertising mediums.

Had enough of these scavengers and there will not be a warm welcome for anyone trying to flog me anything today. Admittedly I wasn't too cheery yesterday after getting wasp stings from removing a nest that the council pest controller had sprayed, but that's another story and at least I rang them to request their services.

 

[Cg_Girl]

So i cant tempt you to buy something from my new business then?

 

[viv1969]

So, I can't interest you in a Lottery ticket for last Saturday's draw then? 50p?

 

[DorsetDude]

Rich you missed off: Google something you want to buy/are vaguely interested in, then have adverts plastered all over every web page you ever visit from that moment forth advertising that product. Grrrr!!! You would think there would be some setting somewhere that would let you turn off this "tracking" sheeite, but buggered if I can find it.

 

[chadders]

So, I can't interest you in a Lottery ticket for last Saturday's draw then? 50p?

I'm guessing it's not a winner then?

 

[PaulF]

You should take a look at this thread for some ideas to make the phone calls at least a bit more fun
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/sweet-revenge.555194/

 

[Gremlin]

I've got sign on my post box say "No leaflets of free papers"
We get loads from local businesses etc. so on my walk to work I put them all back through the various letter boxes
enroute, and I mean the whole selection through one letter box
Had a friend who got fed up with all the junk stuff and used to put it all in whatever prepaid envelope came with it and send it to that address

 

[viv1969]

I'm guessing it's not a winner then?

And spoil the surprise? Where's the fun in that?

Re-posting / delivering junk mail?
Life is waaaay too short.
Straight in the bin and forget about it.

 

[Stuart M]

Letterbox ... doormat ... hand ... bin ... problem sorted.

 

[srichards]

I'd ban cold calling altogether. No one wants it. They're just parasites.

 

[tijuana taxi]

Rich you missed off: Google something you want to buy/are vaguely interested in, then have adverts plastered all over every web page you ever visit from that moment forth

I did forget that Keith, bloody annoying I agree. strangely enough the magazine I bought had a big article about Google and how its becoming so powerful, frightening actually

 

[strumstrum]

Rich you missed off: Google something you want to buy/are vaguely interested in, then have adverts plastered all over every web page you ever visit from that moment forth advertising that product. Grrrr!!! You would think there would be some setting somewhere that would let you turn off this "tracking" sheeite, but buggered if I can find it.

this one for me, annoying as hell.

if I am bored and one of the 'have you been in an accident' calls I will talk to them and tell them I was in an accident and tell them about the made up accident for 5 minutes and then end it with 'I have been charged with TWOC but I think I will get away with it, can you help?'

 

[Nod]

Had a friend who got fed up with all the junk stuff and used to put it all in whatever prepaid envelope came with it and send it to that address

Depending on the business, I do the same but make sure it's padded out to a centimetre or so thick to put it in the large letter bracket.

 

[crofter]

Our post box is out by the gate, I walk past the recycling bin as I return to the house, all the s***e is filed in said bin, simples.

 

[PatrickO]

I'd ban cold calling altogether. No one wants it. They're just parasites.

My son has got a summer job door to door cold calling for a charity. Hearing about the responses he gets on the door step has surprised me. Some just close the door without a word, some are friendly and like to chat, some invite him in for tea and cake. No-one has actually sworn at him (yet).

 

[frank]

I get p!ssed off with all the flyers too, I've often felt like collecting all the advertising leaflets that come through the door from the postie (without my address on) and wait until I have a full bin liner full and take it back to the local sorting office and tell them what to do with it.
If you dump them in the rubbish you have the council complaining to you that your not putting it in the correct bin, Christ I've nothing against recycling but I have two wheely bins, one for landfill type rubbish one for garden refuse, a blue box and red box for papers, cardboard etc, other for plastic bottles, another box for glass. A box for discarded foodstuff and now the council want to give us another box for more recycling. I've nowhere to keep all this crap in the small back garden and I refuse to have them in the front garden under the sitting room windows. The whole lot will end up dumped in the street as the neighbour's are doing making our tidy street look like a slum.

Adverts on the telly, why must they advertise female sanitary towels and various laxatives on tv at teatime, I don't want to sit enjoying my mince and tatties followed by a nice sweet dessert and hear about women can feel more comfortable down below and bleed into to a towel or how someone else can crap easier by taking acme laxatives when I and most of the nation are eating. Do the tv companies do that deliberately?

Get a loan from xx loan company at 2000% interest, Jeez! I'd be cheaper finding a loan shark on a street corner.

I agree Rich the advertising etc has got out of hand, when is it going to stop.

 

[neil_g]

its the hassle you get from the cashiers at the Post Office and Bank that annoy me.

NO I DONT WANT HOLIDAY INSURANCE/CREDIT CARD/MOBILE PHONE TOPUP/LOANS* IF I DID ID ASK ABOUT IT

*delete as appropriate

 

[Steve Smith]

*delete as appropriate

Done.


Steve.

 

[DorsetDude]

its the hassle you get from the cashiers at the Post Office and Bank that annoy me.

NO I DONT WANT HOLIDAY INSURANCE/CREDIT CARD/MOBILE PHONE TOPUP/LOANS* IF I DID ID ASK ABOUT IT

D'you want a bag on your head?

 

[wyx087]

Internet: Router based blanket Adblocker (Highly recommended for technically minded)
Email: Unsubscribe when junk mail gets past Google's filter.
Letters: Straight into the recycling bin!
Landline phone: unplugged after 3rd unsolicited call.
TV: use live pause function or record the shows, then fast forward over adverts.
no radio or magazines.

Never really been that bothered about them myself, I don't really see enough of them.

 

[viv1969]

Adverts on the telly, why must they advertise female sanitary towels and various laxatives on tv at teatime, I don't want to sit enjoying my mince and tatties followed by a nice sweet dessert and hear about women can feel more comfortable down below and bleed into to a towel or how someone else can crap easier by taking acme laxatives when I and most of the nation are eating. Do the tv companies do that deliberately?
.

Should have run a book on when that one would come up

 

[neil_g]

Email: Unsubscribe when junk mail gets past Google's filter.

although to note, often unsolicited mail will use a phoney unsubscribe option to confirm the email address is active and then throw much more at it.

 

[bindex]

Depending on the business, I do the same but make sure it's padded out to a centimetre or so thick to put it in the large letter bracket.

And DON'T put a stamp on it!

 

[Earley Man]

I have a solution which seems to work well for junk postal mail. I write "Unsolicited mail, return to sender" on it and put it back in a postbox. All the junk mail seems to drop off for a time when I do this, I suspect that the Post Office has a list of addresses which do this and put some kind of a temporary block on the junk mail for the relevant address.

 

[Dave *]

Landline phone: unplugged after 3rd unsolicited call.

Buy yourself a CPR Callblocker or Truecall, that way they only get one chance to get through, hit the ban button and they never get through again .

 

[gramps]

Truecall, Truecall, Truecall

Nobody rings us now ... I think it's Truecall

 

[MartynK]

although to note, often unsolicited mail will use a phoney unsubscribe option to confirm the email address is active and then throw much more at it.

Agreed, I only use this to unsubscribe from legitimate senders if I no longer want to receive mail from them. I don't get very much unsolicited mail, but I imagine you could just create a rule to delete it on receipt if the identifiers are constant?

 

[wyx087]

although to note, often unsolicited mail will use a phoney unsubscribe option to confirm the email address is active and then throw much more at it.

That's true, luckily Gmail seems to do a good job of sorting spammers and genuine Emails.

 

[Strapps]

Rich you missed off: Google something you want to buy/are vaguely interested in, then have adverts plastered all over every web page you ever visit from that moment forth advertising that product. Grrrr!!! You would think there would be some setting somewhere that would let you turn off this "tracking" sheeite, but buggered if I can find it.

I always use the incognito window when looking at special interest websites to avoid having an ad for penis enlargement pills a new camera pop up at a bad moment.

You can try not accepting cookies, though that'd mean you'd need to log in to forums, shopping sites, etc. each time you visit. The other option is to run an ad blocker in your browser, though then you won't see ads where the revenue supports sites like this one.

 

[Nod]

I have a solution which seems to work well for junk postal mail. I write "Unsolicited mail, return to sender" on it and put it back in a postbox. All the junk mail seems to drop off for a time when I do this, I suspect that the Post Office has a list of addresses which do this and put some kind of a temporary block on the junk mail for the relevant address.

We get a fair bit addressed simply to "The Occupier". That gets sent back with "Not known at this address, return to sender" scrawled on it.

 

[viv1969]

Call me old fashioned, but it just occurred to me that there may well be a very good reason for the OPs empassioned cries of dispair........

............Went to bed, opened up a magazine that I bought that morning and a clutch of flyers falls out trying to extract more money for spurious products and services.

A collection for a wipe clean tablet device shall begin forthwith, my friend!

 

[tijuana taxi]

Well if Wonderpedia does it for you that's great, only thing naked was a bloody great Walrus

 

[Stuart M]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the Jehovah's Witnesses yet.

 

[Cobra]

Well if Wonderpedia does it for you that's great, only thing naked was a bloody great Walrus

It take it that wasn't a euphemism?

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the Jehovah's Witnesses yet.

Ah yes, I had a couple of those knock on the door the other day.
I invited them in, sat them down with a cuppa and a few biscuits,
and said "right what would you like to talk about"?

After a few seconds of embarrassed silence of looking at each other,
the elder one turned and said "God knows, we've never got this far before"

 

[tijuana taxi]

It take it that wasn't a euphemism?

Nope, it was the big old sea dwelling creature, very interesting article it was too

 

[viv1969]

Nope, it was the big old sea dwelling creature, very interesting article it was too

Well, I've heard it called some things in my time......

 

[mindcrime]

Rich you missed off: Google something you want to buy/are vaguely interested in, then have adverts plastered all over every web page you ever visit from that moment forth advertising that product. Grrrr!!! You would think there would be some setting somewhere that would let you turn off this "tracking" sheeite, but buggered if I can find it.

There's a small program you can add to Chrome or Firefox which hides all ads....Adblock Plus. It's free and does a great job of snuffing the ads out.

 

[Jjm]

I just wished that last person who hasn't yet claimed there PPI would hurry up the ads are getting on my tits

 

[archangel]

A great tip for postal stuff is to stuff one of the pre paid envelopes with all the other leaflets and return to the post box.....it costs the company money and will keep them guessing as to who is sending them advertising

 

[viv1969]

Naughty Archangel didn't read all the replies.
He must sit on the step for ten minutes!