UKC

I had an item of correspondence in the post today. It was a brown window envelope and the way the address appeared in the window, along with the size of the envelope and the way the return address was printed on the back it looked deceptively like a communication from a government department.

It was, in fact, a letter trying to persuade me to take out an extended warranty on my pc.

Anyone else had similarly deceptive envelopes?

In reply to mypyrex:

Yes I have. It was clearly from a running magazine, I could tell from the frank. But then I looked again, and I realised it was stationary.

In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:


I would get your coat if I were you.

In reply to mypyrex:

Just every bit of junk that comes through my door from Virgin. Sometimes 2 or3 a week.

In reply to mypyrex:

Yes, especially before I went on the mail preference service thingy. Sadly it's one of those devious little things that sellers do to get their promotion in front of your eyes and this is because of the "cost to acquire" of any new account or service. In order to get one person to sign up they have to post out many dozens of promotions to other people and it costs money.

The % of people who open junk is already very very low and so companies will try anything to get you to at least consider their offer and the fake-official envelopes are one of them.

Gladly it only takes moments to dismiss it and throw it in the recycling.

In reply to Rampikino:



Bit like the tactics Readers Digest Prize Draw (used to) use. Not seen them around for years. Did they get rumbled?

In reply to mypyrex:

Thing is, these companies (including banks) send this official looking crap to vulnerable people who don't know it's junk. I'm forever explaining to my girlfriends Gran that she doesn't need to worry about a 0% balance transfer, a new boiler, or a new gas supplier.

I think all junk mail, by law, should have 'UNSOLICITED MAIL' printed in bold letters on the envelope.

In reply to JMGLondon:

Are there regulations on this? I'm not sure. I think it's OFT territory ie:

An advert is misleading if, by its words or image, it deceives or is likely to deceive and so persuades, or is likely to persuade, you to spend your money or to change how you spend your money (for example, by persuading you to change from one credit card to another). Misleading adverts may: contain lies; leave out or hide important facts; make a promise which will not be carried out; or create a false impression - even though everything in it may be true.

What the law says

One of the duties of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is to help control all advertising, except that on TV and radio and for certain types of financial investments. They can ask the courts to stop any misleading advert. OFT can only act if they get a complaint about a particular advert. They have no power to get compensation for anyone who may have lost money as a result of a misleading advert

In reply to mypyrex:

Not sure - not seen them in ages. I think it was a marketing ploy where very, very few people actually won and was bordering on scam.

In reply to mypyrex:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8520243.stm

Interesting - seems to suggest to prize draw was genuine!

In reply to mypyrex:

I once received an envelope marked Parcel Force and, quite understandably, assumed that it was my conscription papers for a newly-formed branch of the armed services.

Fortunately, a quick call to the Ministry of Defence was able able to put my mind at rest.

In reply to Rampikino:


Found this:
http://www.cap.org.uk/Advice-Training-on-the-rules/Advice-Online-Database/E...

In reply to mypyrex:


I hope they didn't get rumbled, I made it through to the final stages of the draw

In reply to wilkie14c:


Ten years ago?

In reply to mypyrex:

BT are the worst for this. I get endless junk from them, masquerading as relevant mail. As I'm a customer I'm a bit nervous about automatically recycling it all unopened. For a while I sent it all back marked return to sender, but it didn't help.

In reply to Hooo:


Too right. I once ripped up an envelope that contained a cheque for me in my name (I realized too late - I thought it was junk mail), to the watching baby Abseil's great amusement. I had to get a replacement cheque.