Stopping the junk mail

[ikelmay]

HELP!!  Can anyone please suggest a contact number/person or action that I can take to stop the endless junk brochures that keep landing in our mail box?  I phoned Regent's customer service phone number about 3 months ago to stop the advertising blitz and they initially promised a 6 week timeline before the brochures would stop coming.  I've since emailed and protested, but here we are heading towards 12 weeks and still the glossy mail keeps turning up.  Today I had THREE mailshots - worryingly one now from Oceania with exactly the same return mailing address.

 

We loved our first Regent cruise, but it's honestly putting me off sailing again if I keep getting spam mailshots at least once a week.  These things can't be cheap to produce, process and mail.

 

Sorry, environmental rant over.

 

 

 

[Travelcat2]

This has been discussed before.  It is difficult to get off of the mailing list.  I managed to do it a couple of years ago and learned that when you stop the mail, you stop EVERYTHING.  The one thing that we love to receive are the large books that show all of the cruises on a few pages in the back and the descriptions are throughout the book.  I was told that if I resumed getting mail, it was all or nothing.  I decided to resume my mail.  I put the small brochures into the recycle bin before even walking into the house.

[1985rz1]

Mail junk is not as annoying as phone junk (Robo/Scam/You name it).  We too just recycle the mail junk automatically and don't let the it annoy us.  Regent is just a small player in the junk mail.

 

[UUNetBill]

9 hours ago, 1985rz1 said:

Mail junk is not as annoying as phone junk (Robo/Scam/You name it).  We too just recycle the mail junk automatically and don't let the it annoy us.  Regent is just a small player in the junk mail.

 

True, but junk mail is like snowflakes - innocent enough in ones and twos but pretty terrible when they gang up on ya.

 

We, too, get a TON of Regent mailers.  And Oceania.  And Seabourn.  And the occasional Silversea.  And out of all of those we've only ever sailed on Regent.  Put these together with all of the friggin' unsolicited catalogs (that are impossible to stop as well) and my mailbox gets jammed daily with junk, junk, and more junk.  I honestly think it's easier for me to deal with phone junk than mail junk...at least I can ignore any calls I don't recognize and add them to my Spam contact so I don't see them again.  Not so with the mail.

 

And Jackie - you'd think it would be pretty easy for Regent to split out the endless flyers from the big book, huh?  I'd also like to just get the big books and none of the other crap - but that's not an option.  I can honestly say I've never once booked a Regent cruise because of a mailer I've received...but I don't want to lose the big book either.

 

Quite the dilemma...

[DeepFreeze63]

Wow! I agree with all the above threads - doesn't happen often. I suffer through DW getting almost daily Oceania (I tried to stop it) and periodic Regent mailers AND inserts in my newspaper.

I never intend to sail Oceania nor have I ever booked a cruise based upon a mailer.

Please Regent/Oceania heed our cries!

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

 

And Jackie - you'd think it would be pretty easy for Regent to split out the endless flyers from the big book, huh?  I'd also like to just get the big books and none of the other crap - but that's not an option.  I can honestly say I've never once booked a Regent cruise because of a mailer I've received...but I don't want to lose the big book either.

 

Quite the dilemma...

 

I brought this issue up with Regent corporate because I was having such difficulty getting off of the mailing list.  Before they reinstated us on the list we were warned that it was all or nothing.  Agree that it would be easy to split out the flyers from the big book.

 

DeepFreeze63 - in a weird way we would not have sailed on Regent if it were not for flyers.  We used to receive flyers from Renaissance cruises.  I was fascinated by the small ships.  Even though we were not into cruising, those ships stayed in my mind (maybe because we kept getting so much mail from them).  When Renaissance went out of business I started receiving mail from Radisson (now Regent) for the Paul Gauguin.  That seemed to tip the scales for us ........ we had to try to PG.  Once we did (in 2004), we never looked back.

 

I wonder how many new passengers it takes to pay for the advertising (mailers, etc.) that Regent sends out. 

 

[UUNetBill]

24 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

I brought this issue up with Regent corporate because I was having such difficulty getting off of the mailing list.  Before they reinstated us on the list we were warned that it was all or nothing.  Agree that it would be easy to split out the flyers from the big book.

 

DeepFreeze63 - in a weird way we would not have sailed on Regent if it were not for flyers.  We used to receive flyers from Renaissance cruises.  I was fascinated by the small ships.  Even though we were not into cruising, those ships stayed in my mind (maybe because we kept getting so much mail from them).  When Renaissance went out of business I started receiving mail from Radisson (now Regent) for the Paul Gauguin.  That seemed to tip the scales for us ........ we had to try to PG.  Once we did (in 2004), we never looked back.

 

I wonder how many new passengers it takes to pay for the advertising (mailers, etc.) that Regent sends out. 

 

I'm sure some marketing researchers would tell me I'm wrong but I think once you've gotten hooked on a product you don't need the constant reminders to keep you coming back.  Maybe hounding new (or one- or two-time) cruisers is a sound marketing tactic but by the time you reach Gold or above I think it's pretty safe to assume that we'll be coming back - and if we don't for whatever reason, no amount of junk mail will change our minds.

[wripro]

19 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

This has been discussed before.  It is difficult to get off of the mailing list.  I managed to do it a couple of years ago and learned that when you stop the mail, you stop EVERYTHING.  The one thing that we love to receive are the large books that show all of the cruises on a few pages in the back and the descriptions are throughout the book.  I was told that if I resumed getting mail, it was all or nothing.  I decided to resume my mail.  I put the small brochures into the recycle bin before even walking into the house.

I put it all in the recycle bin without a glance, both from Regent and Oceania.

[Silver Sweethearts]

3 hours ago, Travelcat2 said:

I brought this issue up with Regent corporate because I was having such difficulty getting off of the mailing list.  Before they reinstated us on the list we were warned that it was all or nothing.

 

We try to opt out of all mailings from cruise lines and just have our TA send us the large catalogues we want.

[ronrick1943]

5 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

I'm sure some marketing researchers would tell me I'm wrong but I think once you've gotten hooked on a product you don't need the constant reminders to keep you coming back.  Maybe hounding new (or one- or two-time) cruisers is a sound marketing tactic but by the time you reach Gold or above I think it's pretty safe to assume that we'll be coming back - and if we don't for whatever reason, no amount of junk mail will change our minds.

Yep, you're wrong!😎I'd be that Marketing person----but retired and things havn't changed.

[RachelG]

It all goes in the recycling bin immediately.  What a waste of Money!

[DeepFreeze63]

9 hours ago, RachelG said:

It all goes in the recycling bin immediately.  What a waste of Money!

Yes, and I can't help thinking that it's MY MONEY!

[UUNetBill]

14 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

Yep, you're wrong!😎I'd be that Marketing person----but retired and things havn't changed.

See, that didn't take long!   😂

 

I know there are studies upon studies that break down the cost/benefit on the (seemingly excessive) marketing materials - I'd assume Regent knows whether it's cost-effective.

 

14 minutes ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Yes, and I can't help thinking that it's MY MONEY!

I sometimes feel that way, too - but if they spend X thousand dollars on Y number of mailers and they get X+1 thousand dollars in additional revenue they've come out ahead.  Who am I to argue with the marketing wizards, right, Ronrick?   😋

[fizzy]

It seems a bit hypocritical of ANY company purporting to to be on the "green" bandwagon to bombard us all with this paper waste when it is actually unwanted. It took us forever to get it stopped. Oceania was the worst. How does this square up with the water bottle issues that are being discussed on the other thread? The "do good" approach still seems to be somehow about the bottom line. Plastic waste is bad for the environment and paper waste is OK?.

[UUNetBill]

1 hour ago, fizzy said:

It seems a bit hypocritical of ANY company purporting to to be on the "green" bandwagon to bombard us all with this paper waste when it is actually unwanted. It took us forever to get it stopped. Oceania was the worst. How does this square up with the water bottle issues that are being discussed on the other thread? The "do good" approach still seems to be somehow about the bottom line. Plastic waste is bad for the environment and paper waste is OK?.

I know - they need to cut down on the paper waste.  What, do they think paper grows on trees?!?

 

😋

 

Seriously, it DOES seem hypocritical - and it underlines the fallacy of a lot of this 'feel-good' stuff.  I'm sure Regent's 'plastic bottle footprint' is minuscule compared to the larger cruise lines (and the world in general)  and there was probably a better, easier solution - but sometimes the optics of doing something seem to outweigh the actual impact of what was done.

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

See, that didn't take long!   😂

 

I know there are studies upon studies that break down the cost/benefit on the (seemingly excessive) marketing materials - I'd assume Regent knows whether it's cost-effective.

 

I sometimes feel that way, too - but if they spend X thousand dollars on Y number of mailers and they get X+1 thousand dollars in additional revenue they've come out ahead.  Who am I to argue with the marketing wizards, right, Ronrick?   😋

And Marketing was may career, and yes I get the mailing from Regent and yes I have booked a Regent cruises after reading one even though I hadn't planned on a cruise for that time period.😂Sad,really🙄

Edited August 15, 2019 by ronrick1943

[TWG_ag]

I am the CFO of a company that spends way too much on advertising. I have never been totally convinced that money spent on marketing is cost justified, except in one area and that is defense. Whether you Regent loyalist believe it or not, much of what they are doing is trying to hold onto you and make sure they stay in the front of the line for your money. Over 90% of the direct marketing I get (and recycle as you all do) is with companies I already patronize.

 

Two other comments would be that like others the only thing I get from Regent I hold onto is the "big book" and all the bulk junk mail does conflict with the "green" message. I would point out that the green message that most companies put out is BS only meant to appeal to those who care about it. Even the recycling we do is window dressing. I live in  Fairfax County Virginia, where we have "mandatory recycling". However, I know for a fact that most of the stuff that goes into my Blue Bin is simply thrown in with the other trash as the county has no market to sell the cardboard, paper, glass and plastic into. So my County's "green" message is BS. That said, I faithfully add my Regent mailers to the Blue Bin and hope for the best. In the end, I just keep booking cruises and enjoying the travel. I know you all do too.

[paratrooper69]

Got off the mail list when we sold our sticks and bricks to full time in our Newmar two years ago.  It helped that we sold the house.  In fact, we manage to get off of all hard mailing lists after much effort, and all of our junk mail is email.  Much easier to dispose, but still keeps us in touch, if we wish.  Our TA can provide hard copy if necessary,

[ronrick1943]

4 hours ago, TWG_ag said:

I am the CFO of a company that spends way too much on advertising. I have never been totally convinced that money spent on marketing is cost justified, except in one area and that is defense. Whether you Regent loyalist believe it or not, much of what they are doing is trying to hold onto you and make sure they stay in the front of the line for your money. Over 90% of the direct marketing I get (and recycle as you all do) is with companies I already patronize.

 

Two other comments would be that like others the only thing I get from Regent I hold onto is the "big book" and all the bulk junk mail does conflict with the "green" message. I would point out that the green message that most companies put out is BS only meant to appeal to those who care about it. Even the recycling we do is window dressing. I live in  Fairfax County Virginia, where we have "mandatory recycling". However, I know for a fact that most of the stuff that goes into my Blue Bin is simply thrown in with the other trash as the county has no market to sell the cardboard, paper, glass and plastic into. So my County's "green" message is BS. That said, I faithfully add my Regent mailers to the Blue Bin and hope for the best. In the end, I just keep booking cruises and enjoying the travel. I know you all do too.

 

But you must remember, for Regent it cost much less to keep customer than it does to get a new one.  Which is why they keep sending you all those brochures, and why you get special incentives among other things.

[Sharle]

I get very little snail mail from Regent, only email (every day). What did I do right or wrong?

[flossie009]

14 minutes ago, Sharle said:

I get very little snail mail from Regent, only email (every day). What did I do right or wrong?

Same for us. Plenty of emails but little or no paper mail from Regent. Must have ticked or unticked the right boxes at some stage.

Edited August 16, 2019 by flossie009

[Travelcat2]

11 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

 

But you must remember, for Regent it cost much less to keep customer than it does to get a new one.  Which is why they keep sending you all those brochures, and why you get special incentives among other things.

 

Very good point.  Plus, I've learned that people can complain about this subject on CC ad nauseam and nothing will change.  Regent is successful with what they are doing and they have no substantial reason to change it.  

 

I do not think that it is hypocritical (sorry Bill) because "plastic" and "paper" are not the same.  I looked up some of the things that they do with recycled paper and found this:

 

"After a recycling plant separates paper by type, it's transported to a paper mill that shreds it and mixes the shreds into a pulp to make new products. Your daily newspapers might become part of the next edition, but they could also come back as egg or berry cartons, paper plates, construction paper, a phone book --- or even kitty litter or Sheetrock. Magazines usually get a second life as newspapers or paperboard packaging. Recycled paperboard is processed into more paperboard, paper towel rolls and even paper backing for roof shingles. The cardboard boxes you recycle reincarnate as paper bags, paperboard packaging and new cardboard boxes. Toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels and napkins are often the product of recycled notebook and computer paper." 

 

Glass, according to the article, can be recycled endlessly.  Plastics can be recycled (but most plastic bags and straws are not put in recycle bins):

 

"Waste facilities separate plastics by resin type and send them off to the recycling plant to be shredded and melted into pellets. Manufacturing companies use the different types of pellets to make new plastic products (see References 2). Laundry detergent bottles might get a new lease on life as buckets, toys or stadium seats, whereas milk and juice containers might become plastic lumber, children's outdoor play sets, or new milk and juice jugs. Your carpet, polar fleece blanket or winter jacket insulation might contain the materials from a recycled soda or water bottle."

[UUNetBill]

50 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Very good point.  Plus, I've learned that people can complain about this subject on CC ad nauseam and nothing will change.  Regent is successful with what they are doing and they have no substantial reason to change it.  

 

I do not think that it is hypocritical (sorry Bill) because "plastic" and "paper" are not the same.  I looked up some of the things that they do with recycled paper and found this:

 

"After a recycling plant separates paper by type, it's transported to a paper mill that shreds it and mixes the shreds into a pulp to make new products. Your daily newspapers might become part of the next edition, but they could also come back as egg or berry cartons, paper plates, construction paper, a phone book --- or even kitty litter or Sheetrock. Magazines usually get a second life as newspapers or paperboard packaging. Recycled paperboard is processed into more paperboard, paper towel rolls and even paper backing for roof shingles. The cardboard boxes you recycle reincarnate as paper bags, paperboard packaging and new cardboard boxes. Toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels and napkins are often the product of recycled notebook and computer paper." 

 

Glass, according to the article, can be recycled endlessly.  Plastics can be recycled (but most plastic bags and straws are not put in recycle bins):

 

"Waste facilities separate plastics by resin type and send them off to the recycling plant to be shredded and melted into pellets. Manufacturing companies use the different types of pellets to make new plastic products (see References 2). Laundry detergent bottles might get a new lease on life as buckets, toys or stadium seats, whereas milk and juice containers might become plastic lumber, children's outdoor play sets, or new milk and juice jugs. Your carpet, polar fleece blanket or winter jacket insulation might contain the materials from a recycled soda or water bottle."

Well, from what I see, paper gets recycled into new paper.  Plastic gets recycled into new plastic.  Regent probably could have taken care of the bulk of the plastic problem just by providing convenient recycling containers.  But the paper advertising is a business decision.

 

Both generate tons of trash - but I'd bet that the plastic water bottles are used by more people than the mailers.  Just my opinion.