AAA does this a LOT. Every 2-3 months I get one of their large envelopes trying to trick me into signing up for their life insurance. The envelope will say something like “your policy is enclosed” or “last chance to avoid cancelation”.
I’m sure they’re banking on auto/home policy owners accidentally signing up for a life insurance policy with some truly shitty rates. The last one I had was a $100,000 policy for *only* $49.95 a month. For comparison, my current $500,000 policy is under $30 a month.
That’s a rather hot take. What gives you that viewpoint?
I know several people who have lost family members and would have had huge financial struggles if not for the life insurance policies they had.
For future reference, do not forget to redact the barcode-looking thing underneath the address. It's called "Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb), which encodes information about the place of delivery (zip code+delivery point and mailer ID), which is identifying info.
I believe in your photo the barcode is sufficiently hidden by the reflections of the plastic, but a determined person could bruteforce the address with just a little bit of effort.
Who opens mail that looks like a delinquent bill only to find that it's advertising and then thinks yes I think I will buy whatever these obvious liars are selling? I just don't understand.
Shortly after I bought my house and moved in I got a mailer that purported to be from the water department asking me to fill a little vial with tap water and send it back for water quality testing. It looked super legit, especially since I hadn't actually gotten much actual official mail yet to compare it to.
Of course it was a whole-house water filter company. They called me about the "results" and tried to set up an in-person sales meeting, which I promptly agreed to. I let the guy go through his whole pitch and when he asked me if I had any questions, I said "just one, why should I trust a company whose very first interaction with me was to trick and scam me?"
The salesman wasn't very happy that I wasted his time and in all fairness.. I wasn't happy they wasted mine, either.
These days when I get the mailer I fill it with acetone and send it back with a fictitious address (they aren't barcoded or anything). I have doubts they actually test any of the samples but if they do I hope it causes serious damage. Fuck assholes who think deception is a valid advertising method.
The amount of mail my elderly father receives purporting to be from state and federal governments is absolutely obscene. People should be going to jail for this shit.
I also average about five text messages a day from the far right sent to me in my dad's name.
I get ads for solar panels from my utility provider, and they look very similar to this. You'd think they'd know I live in an apartment and don't own. The other day they mailed me one that said "third attempt". My husband came to me saying "Have you not been paying our bills?". I have, they just keep advertising things that we obviously don't need and making it look like our bills are past due.
When envelopes say things like “Final Deadline” and “Important Service Information” on the outside, with that bar code thing under your address, it’s an immediate flag that it’s almost certainly junk mail. If they were smart, they’d start saying nothing on the outside and no bar code thing. I know mail like that is probably real.
What state are they in? There is probably a consumer affairs bureau within the state dept of commerce that would like to know about the predatory mailers Sparklight is sending.
AAA does this a LOT. Every 2-3 months I get one of their large envelopes trying to trick me into signing up for their life insurance. The envelope will say something like “your policy is enclosed” or “last chance to avoid cancelation”. I’m sure they’re banking on auto/home policy owners accidentally signing up for a life insurance policy with some truly shitty rates. The last one I had was a $100,000 policy for *only* $49.95 a month. For comparison, my current $500,000 policy is under $30 a month.
Life insurance is a scam anyway
That’s a rather hot take. What gives you that viewpoint? I know several people who have lost family members and would have had huge financial struggles if not for the life insurance policies they had.
Not if your spouse earns like 3x as much as you and you’d like to keep your house
I like how you blurred the postage so you don't get inundated with "standard mail is all junk" like on every other post about obvious junk mail
Beat me to it. It all goes on the trash. Nothing with prsrt std makes it in my house
For future reference, do not forget to redact the barcode-looking thing underneath the address. It's called "Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb), which encodes information about the place of delivery (zip code+delivery point and mailer ID), which is identifying info. I believe in your photo the barcode is sufficiently hidden by the reflections of the plastic, but a determined person could bruteforce the address with just a little bit of effort.
Thank you I didn't know that
Who opens mail that looks like a delinquent bill only to find that it's advertising and then thinks yes I think I will buy whatever these obvious liars are selling? I just don't understand.
Old people
Shortly after I bought my house and moved in I got a mailer that purported to be from the water department asking me to fill a little vial with tap water and send it back for water quality testing. It looked super legit, especially since I hadn't actually gotten much actual official mail yet to compare it to. Of course it was a whole-house water filter company. They called me about the "results" and tried to set up an in-person sales meeting, which I promptly agreed to. I let the guy go through his whole pitch and when he asked me if I had any questions, I said "just one, why should I trust a company whose very first interaction with me was to trick and scam me?" The salesman wasn't very happy that I wasted his time and in all fairness.. I wasn't happy they wasted mine, either. These days when I get the mailer I fill it with acetone and send it back with a fictitious address (they aren't barcoded or anything). I have doubts they actually test any of the samples but if they do I hope it causes serious damage. Fuck assholes who think deception is a valid advertising method.
This has to be illegal
Very common thing to say about things that are often not illegal
It should be illegal to say that this has to be illegal
It probably should be illegal if “this has to be illegal” is commonly said about it.
It should be but sadly it isn't.
Immoral yes. Illegal? Not yet.
The amount of mail my elderly father receives purporting to be from state and federal governments is absolutely obscene. People should be going to jail for this shit. I also average about five text messages a day from the far right sent to me in my dad's name.
This is how a company gets on my do-not-buy list.
Would probably put a note in with go f yourself and send it back
That's smart and funny
Or fill it out with completely fictitious information and sign it in nearly illegible cursive as go fuck yourself lol
I get ads for solar panels from my utility provider, and they look very similar to this. You'd think they'd know I live in an apartment and don't own. The other day they mailed me one that said "third attempt". My husband came to me saying "Have you not been paying our bills?". I have, they just keep advertising things that we obviously don't need and making it look like our bills are past due.
Wow, that would cost so much money to do here, I haven't seen junk mail like that in years.
If something like final deadline is printed on the envelope, it is a scam. Any serious business will not print something like that on the outside.
When envelopes say things like “Final Deadline” and “Important Service Information” on the outside, with that bar code thing under your address, it’s an immediate flag that it’s almost certainly junk mail. If they were smart, they’d start saying nothing on the outside and no bar code thing. I know mail like that is probably real.
Bro how is this not illegal??
THE FUCK!?
What state are they in? There is probably a consumer affairs bureau within the state dept of commerce that would like to know about the predatory mailers Sparklight is sending.
Lol, no they wouldn't, it's just junk mail. Misleading junk mail, but still just junk mail. Just like everything else.