When you opt out of receiving junk mail from a company, you might think that this is the last time your mailbox will be filled with that particular business’s unsolicited offers. But no, as some companies put time limits on how long you can stop them from wasting time, paper, and money to send you things that go straight into the shredder.

Consumerist reader Jeremy recently found this out when he received a letter from Bank of America, even though he’d opted out of BofA’s promotional mailings years ago.

But this wasn’t just the usual “0% APR Credit Card” or “Refinance Your Mortgage” nonsense. Instead, it was a letter telling Jeremy that his promo-mail opt-out was about to expire and he “may be missing out on valuable offers.”

Of course, the notice doesn’t point out what these offers could be in any attempt to lure him back into receiving mail. Instead, it tells him that, even though he hasn’t been a BofA customer in years and even though he specifically opted out of receiving junk mail from the bank, he will be automatically opted-in starting in August, unless he tells BofA otherwise.

We’re sure that BofA isn’t the only company to do this, but the most-hated bank in the country isn’t going to win over the court of public opinion if it puts expiration dates on something as simple as a junk mail opt-out. If someone disliked your company, or was irritated by the volume of junk mail, so much that he actively asked you to stop contacting him, you should honor that request, and not just for five years.

The first step toward swaying public opinion is to not annoy the public.

FYI, if you want to opt-out of BofA’s mailings — even if it’s only for five years — you can do so by filling in the form here.

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