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.

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.)

Re: Resistance is Futile

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

but when the internets and power goes out and your cell phone is dead.. which is rare I know..

[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).

Re: Resistance is Futile

[ron_newman]

facebook has phone numbers?

And 411 is an expensive habit -- I think you get charged after the first 10 calls each month.

I find Switchboard.com (which is really Verizon) more reliable than Google for this purpose.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I guess it depends on what you are looking up. If all you are doing is looking up your dentist's number, whose name you already know, or the number for the pizza place down the street, you don't need switchboard for that.

Yes, facebook has phone numbers.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Then I doubt I'm calling anyone at all.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[overstim.livejournal.com]

when your cell phone is dead and you really need a phone number?

Re: Resistance is Futile

[overstim.livejournal.com]

Actually, how many people come to the davis_square community instead of going to Google first which is what they should have done becuse then they'd find 634,000 results for stop "receiving phone book"

Re: Resistance is Futile

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

you might need an address.

I'm in no way advising the keeping of phone books. I've already recycled mine.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Well, at least one, but fewer than five? :P

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: Resistance is Futile

[ron_newman]

No, I mean that when I look up someone in Google, hoping to find a residential white-pages listing, Google often doesn't deliver, but Switchboard does.

Facebook befuddles me. I have no clue how I'd look up a phone number there.

[ron_newman]

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

Re: Resistance is Futile

[ron_newman]

My first call in that case is usually to NStar ... but I get that number from my electric bill when I need it.

One thing I like about Verizon landlines: they generally keep working when electric service has failed.

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: 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.

Re: Resistance is Futile

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

The question is has anyone in our neighborhood done anything that works with Verizon, and the answer, in less than half-an-hour appears to be no. Thank you very much.

Re: Comparing 2008 and 2009 phone books

[ron_newman]

Yes, and if you re-read what I wrote above, you'll see that I mentioned "paid advertising".

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: Resistance is Futile

[ron_newman]

It's not just davis_square. This has been a hot topic at UniversalHub.com for several years now.

Re: I get those bricks too...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

I had NO idea they actually had a database version of their books. Not that I use the books, anyway. Thanks!

Re: Comparing 2008 and 2009 phone books

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

No, I meant, are there ads in the White pages? Have not opened one in a long time...