who to turn to?

hl_tree

hl_tree

Location
New Fairfield, CT
I am not sure whom to turn to here, so I am hoping maybe you guys can advise me.

Over the last almost 2 months I sent out about 15,000 pieces of direct mail through 2 different direct mailing companies. 1 company sent out 10,000 tri-fold pieces, and the other has sent out 5,000 post cards.

There's one little problem I am having. The mail isn't being delivered! Some is, but not much. I've recieved a whopping 5 calls as a result of 15,000 pieces of mail. 4 were job leads, got 1, but that one I think I'd get burned on. Obviously it's not the fault of the direct mail companies, it's the fault of the post office. Whom should I turn to? A lawyer? Attorney General? Postmaster General?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Why are you assuming this is not the fault of the direct mail companies? They may have sold you a list of contacts that is long outdated and not even remotely accurate.
 
Some of the areas where my pieces are supposed to be delivered are areas where I already have customers. I've checked with these customers each time a round goes out, and none of them have seen anything.

Rich, I don't know how this mailing list stuff works, but I'm dealing with 2 different companies, each with their own lists. I don't get anything back in my mailbox saying "return to sender" or anything of the sort.

I had sent out 2500 mailings last fall (a poor time to advertise) and I still got a .5% response. This spring (ideal time to advertise) I get a response rate that is lower than I can even fathom. 5 calls from of 15,000 pieces? That's 1 per 3,000.
 
Direct mail is based on high volume out and low volume in. I'll bet that a google search would show some industry statistics.

You could request an audit from the two companies. Have you looked over their mailing lists to see if your clients are on their lists?

Several years ago I got a phone solicitation from a company. After listening to their spiel I knew that I didn't want to hear from them but I played along. I asked them to mail the info to me. They said that they would so I asked them what address they had for me. It turns out that the address was about six years old and four moves previous. I laughed and told them that I hoped that the company didn't pay much for the mailing list since it was so inaccurate. No...I didn't give them my current address :)

Another audit option is to contact the local Postmaster. Find out where the mailing companies post the mailings and see if the USPO has a record, they should for large mailings.
 
The direct mailing companies have had reciepts saying that the post office took delivery of my mail. These guys also have lists which are updated every few months. Besides, I think they just say "Mr. & Mrs. Dunlap or Current Resident". Something is going on at the post office I think where my mail is just being lost.
 
I would stop in and see your local postmaster and talk to him/her directly. If you don't receive any satisfaction from him then politely ask for the name of his supervisor and let him know that because of the expense involved you're going to persue the matter until you find out where the problem is. Most postal workers are pretty decent people stuck in a bad system. We've found they respond to pressure from above. We've done a couple of mass mailings that were church related and some of the flyers weren't delivered for months. Who knows where they were. Here's a free postal service tip that we learned when selling on ebay. If an item is "lost in the mail" it's usually sitting at the destination post office but undelievered. We solved at least 20 "lost in the mail" situations by having the buyer go to the window at his local PO and asking them to check the undelivered packages.
Phil
 
Well that's a great expense and I'd be at the post office with the receipts from the mailer or maybe better yet, go to the USPS site and get some info to talk to a postal inspector. I'd be a bulldog for that amount of money.
Good luck,
Phil
 
The USPO is one of the most efficient systems in the world. The myth and rumor about lost mail is just that compared to how many pieces of mail are moved. Of course none of this matters when the one piece that is missing is important to you.
 
I'd have to agree. We sold about 12,000 items on ebay and the USPS was far and awy the best. UPS and Fedex were both nightmares.
Phil
 
Just curious, are these direct mailing companies sending your pamphlets out solely, or are they in a bunch of other advertisements?


Down here, I use a service called Money Mailer, and it comes to a home in an envelope, and has about 30 different advertisers in it, from pizza places, to oil change places. They go out in blocks of 10,000 in designated areas.

I get surprisingly good results from this company, and I have tried many other direct mailing options.


Don't know if you are working with a Money Mailer franchise already, but if not, I recommend giving that a try.


Good luck!


SZ
 
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