Phone books = do not want

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

So Verizon (with whom I have no business relationship at all) just dumped several pounds of dead tree on my doorstep in the form of phone books for which I have no use at all. I'll recycle them, but if anyone knows how to keep them from delivering the phone books in the first place, that would be even better. I looked in the book itself, but there was no obvious place to call to "unsubscribe". Any ideas?

Thanks

Comments

[aimeedonofrio.livejournal.com]

I hope someone has good and proven advice on this subject. How about Yellow Book too? I feel like I JUST recycled those dozen+ books.

As a side note, I saw the Verizon book drop off this year, unfortunately 2 blocks too late. It was an unmarked, ie not Verizon, pick up truck filled with books with a team dropping off stacks of books at each porch. I'd be shocked if they were working off of a list which makes me wonder if 'unsubscribing' will really result in anything positive.

[ron_newman]

Here on Day Street, I've seen only Verizon books this year, no Yellow Books.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

the delivery of phone books isn't done by the phone company directly -- they hire folks to delivery them, not unlike the folks who leave menus on your doorstep. except with a van or truck or big car because phone books are larger.

i know a guy who did that for quick cash back years ago. i assume the process hasn't changed much. i think they may have a list of how many phone lines are at an address, but they may not even have that and just go by how many mailboxes at an address.

Resistance is Futile

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

I went through a whole rigamarole with Verizon and the other phone book company last year trying to get our house off their lists. I finally got a person by calling each of their "send me more phone books" lines. Those people can usually unsubscribe you. That said, it doesn't appear to work. We got phone books from both companies this year despite my efforts. My understanding is that their delivery folks don't actually deliver by address. . They just blanket a neighborhood wholesale. So, just an FYI before you spend a ton of time trying to make them stop.

I hate to say it, but recycling them may be your only option.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

Edit to my own comment: The other phone company I called was Yellow Book. That also did not work. Although the nice lady on the phone swore I was unsubscribed, I got more books anyway.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Which if you think about it is just awful. How many people go to a phone book first anymore and not google or facebook or even 411? This should be an opt in service, and the companies would probably save money by not printing so many (though, lose money on the ad revenues.)

[upsidown.livejournal.com]

I used to know a guy who delivered company phone books. Phone book deliverers get paid crap, usually like $.17/book (which doesn't include the gas that they use and don't get reimbursed for). So I imagine that even if they were given a list (which I'm doubtful about), they wouldn't necessarily use it (or want to, given that they're being paid per book).

Comparing 2008 and 2009 phone books

[ron_newman]

I still occasionally use phone books, so I don't mind having one of each delivered. But I suspect my 50-unit apartment building just received many more than it needs.

The 2009 Verizon Yellow Pages ("BOSTON Cambridge Edition") is quite noticeably thinner than the 2008 edition. The 2009 book actually has more business white-page listings (400 pages, up from last year's 362). But Yellow Pages, which are mostly paid advertising, have drastically dropped, from 1345 last year to just 941 this year.

Residential white-page listings are surprisingly longer this year, 631 pages compared to 572 last year. I would have expected the prevalence of cellphones to seriously cut into the number of listed residential landlines, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Re: Comparing 2008 and 2009 phone books

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Aren't there ads too? I suspect that is why they really want to deliver these phone books.

I get those bricks too...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Frequently, for some reason. Why don't they just send a DVD or just have an online database?...

Re: I get those bricks too...

[ron_newman]

I think SuperPages.com is Verizon's online database. I like the idea of a DVD, but they'd have to ensure that it worked equally well on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Re: I get those bricks too...

[rmd.livejournal.com]

because everyone has a computer and is comfortable enough with technology to use a dvd search?

a lot of the older folks i know can't really handle anything more technical than a hardcopy phone book.

the only good use for a phone book, as far as i'm concerned...

[ser-pez.livejournal.com]

you could replicate this experiment from mythbusters: http://www.sidereel.com/MythBusters/_season/6/_episode/12/_search
they alternated (interleafed, whatever) the pages of two phone books and then tried to pull them apart. the force of friction between the pages was so great that a truck couldn't even pull them apart. cool stuff.

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

I would really like to see this, and all other unsolicited leaving of paper on my property, treated as littering.

[jodi.livejournal.com]

Agreed!
If you aren't sending me mail, then you are leaving garbage on my property!

[sammka.livejournal.com]

I'm considering just leaving a note on our mailbox saying "please no phone books." It may not work if the phone book deliverers just want to unload their books, but it seems better than trying to get off a central list.

You could also have a sign saying

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

"Phonebooks here =>", where the arrow points to your recycling bin.

Opt-In list

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

hopefully,eventually, what will happen will be an opt-in list rather than an opt-out one. I almost did not move mine off the porch because I knew I didn't need them.

[joylewis.livejournal.com]

Apparently phone books can be used as building material... Is there a way to find out if any local architecture school would like donations of them to use for projects?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/12/recyclicitynets.php

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

well, what you need to do is form a neighborhood watch... and have a possee, and sit around, drinking beer and polishing your supersoakers... and wait for them trucks to show up with those gosh darn phonebooks and tell them criiters you ain't wanting none of it. go home yankee!

or you could take the phone books, and march down to the local phone office, drop them on their counter, and walk out. now, if 2 people did it, there'd be a nice stack. but if 4 people did it... or 8! you'd have a movement! or 16 people! and so on, and so on...

oh, and for numberlogical amusements: rip out page 42, and mail those to the head office ;>

#

[trtls.livejournal.com]

I love this idea! I'm SO gonna do it!

[m-b-w.livejournal.com]

I used the opt-out form available here:
http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.com/index.html
But, I'm still getting all of the phone books.

[panterka37.livejournal.com]

This is a very good concern that you brought up.

There is a petition here that might be worth signing: http://www.paperlesspetition.org

[ocschwar.livejournal.com]

Think of it as carbon sequestration.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

You might ask an artist or crafter if they could use your phone books. I use mine for projects that involve applying glue (for collaging) or cleaning ink off brayers and glass, and other stuff-- basically any project you'd want newspaper for you can use pages from these books. Granted, the pages are small but still, the pages come in handy in small-size projects. (Note: I'm not looking for more; the number of books I get from Verizon and YellowPages annually is enough for me.)

[overanalyzed.livejournal.com]

Alternative things to do with unwanted phone books:
1. Booster chair
2. Wrap gifts
3. Fuel for fireplace
4. ?...

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

use them to mark parking spots, or, alternatively, damage the cars of people who park in spots they didn't shovel!

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

We left the last batch to rot on the front porch as a message that we did not want any more phone books.

It didn't work. They just came around a week or so ago and left us even more phone books than they did the last time.

[ron_newman]

Same company, or different one? (Verizon vs Yellow Book)