Why Can’t AT&T Leave Me And My Mailbox Alone?

AT&T just loves you so much.

(Thanks, Memegenerator)

Tonya has had it. She makes a habit of contacting companies that send her junk mail and asking them to stop, because she’d rather not have anyone kill trees to tell her about products she didn’t want in the first place. Most companies have been very good about this, but there’s one notable exception. She’s been fighting with AT&T to be removed from the U-Verse mailing list for a year and a half now. They won’t leave her alone. She wrote to the CEO, who passed her on to her very own executive customer service representative. This person hasn’t been able to stop the mail, either.

She sent this letter to us, to CEO Randall Stephenson, and to the executive rep who’s been trying to help. She heard back that that person is currently out of the office, and that she would hear back from someone after Thanksgiving. She hasn’t heard back yet.

Dear ATT,

I have been trying to get off the ATT/Uverse Snail Mail list for 1.5 years now (at least).

After a year of dealing with first line customer service, I finally emailed Randall Stephenson, CEO of ATT back in July of this year, and my case was assigned to [C]. C has been extremely nice & trying to be helpful, but ultimately completely ineffective as I continue to receive your junk mail to this day. Today I received yet another one. It’s an enveloped advertisement/letter regarding “an ATT $200 back via ATT reward Visa Prepaid when you add qualifying Uverse.” The code in the bottom corner is: [redacted]

You’d think I would just give up.. just throw them in the recycling bin, except ATT is infuriatingly relentless about sending these advertisements every 10-14 days and (sometimes weekly) without fail. You are the Overly Attached Girlfriend of Junk Mail. Why don’t I give up? Because, you see, I am on every “do not market” list available and I stop any and all junk mail I receive at my house as I don’t wish to be a part of ‘dead tree’ marketing methods. I also recycle, compost, take public transport, reuse & re-purpose items, buy 2nd hand instead of new, freecycle where ever possible, carry my own fork/spoon set so I don’t use plastic, buy food in bulk so I don’t overuse packaging & I even save rainwater to water the garden. It BOTHERS ME DEEPLY to keep receiving this unwanted junk, knowing you are killing trees FOR NO REASON. I’m never, ever going to get Uverse TV – even if were *Free*

No other company has had an issue taking me off their list. It just gets done. I’m asking such a small thing. I’ve spent so much of my time on this issue and I am asking that you resolve it. No more “wait 30 more days” — just get it done.

There is one trick that might help stop AT&T if they aren’t able to get it done: the prohibitory order, or U.S. Postal Service form 1500. It’s intended for “pandering advertisements” or unwanted pornographic materials in the mail, but that’s been extended to mean anything that the recipient finds offensive. Sounds like Tonya finds these letters pretty offensive, and that should count. The only problem will be getting the USPS to enforce the order if AT&T violates it.

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