Nice little F-you for the credit card companies.

[CleveBucks]

Pay your credit card bill on time and you don't give a flying F about interest rates. My credit card company has never made a dime off me from interest rates (and no annual fee), meanwhile they're giving me an instant 3% rebate on gas purchases and 1% back on everything else I buy. Sure, they make the standard merchant fees, but they're going to get that either way.

And yes, I do drop those postage-paid envelopes in the mail. I never thought of over-stuffing them, but it does sound like a good idea. What gets me the most is when the company I already have a card with still sends me applications for new cards from them at least 2-3 times a week.

Maybe I will stuff the literature I receive from one company into another company's envelope. I think Capital One would love to know about the latest offer for a Citi platinum card, and vice versa.

 

[Misanthrope]

Interesting...let's walk through some of these scenarios.

Put (whatever) into the postage-paid envelope the credit card company sent you, and mail it. After all, it doesn't cost you anything, right? Or does it?

Credit card company sees its cost go up, so it begins charging participating businesses higher fees to process transactions using their cards. Now the business - your favorite store, for example - is paying more for the ability to receive VISA cards as payments for sales. Guess what happens next...

...your favorite store cuts it costs and/or raises its prices, and YOU pay for it in the prices they charge you.

"Businesses" don't pay for ANYTHING - people do. The costs find their way to YOU, in the end. Yeah, you're really sticking it to the credit card companies.

 

[BuckeyeInTheBoro]

Hmmm... seems to me someone at the CCC (credit card companies) should be looking at "cost to send out junkmail" vs. "revenue generated by junkmail". (I said 'should' because it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they had no way to measure this.)

Assuming that there is a CCC bean-counter in charge of junkmail, as long as the costs go up while the revenue remains flat (or ideally drops), then they will be more apt to reach consumers in different ways. Who knows, they could be worse than junkmail, but if the average Joe did what was discussed here... it would change the CCC policy on junkmail.

Your costs going up (either through interest rates or the charges from the CCC to the retailer) is irrelevant. Their costs still go up without increased revenue. There are costs to pay with raising interest rates/retailers fees too... that's why they don't just do it on a whim.

If the goal is to stop/slow junkmail then this as good a way as any... and probably more fun.

Once you factor human laziness into the equation (or the lack of a CCC BC in charge of JM) then it's all pretty darn irrelevant... but they can't take the fun away!

 

[methomps]

I see where this is going. Since the costs of goods go up, the amount of goods sold goes down. Since the amount of goods sold goes down, workers get laid off. Since workers get laid off, they are unable to pay off their cc debts. The new bankruptcy laws ensure that the cc companies still get their money, but I'm sure the cost of collecting that money goes up. That is passed on to the consumer and the small businesses, and the vicious cycle continues. Civilization ends shortly thereafter, all because people returned empty envelopes to the cc companies.

Clearly, there is only one solution: To ensure that cc companies continue to profit wildly (and thus do not crush our economy), we must all volunteer one day a week to work without pay at one of the cc companies. We must also carry a full balance on at least 7 cards and only pay the minimum. Obviously, paying with cash is forbidden.

Fill out all cc applications received, and send it in with your own envelope (not the postage paid envelope that they send you). Include two $1 bills to cover their processing expenses (no coins). Oh wait, cash is forbidden. Instead, send a note authorizing them to charge your cc $5 (up from two since it costs them money to process this new request).



To do otherwise would be unpatriotic.

 

[DCBuckFan]

Hmmm... seems to me someone at the CCC (credit card companies) should be looking at "cost to send out junkmail" vs. "revenue generated by junkmail". (I said 'should' because it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they had no way to measure this.)

I can assure you that these companies have entire teams pouring over data not only from these junk mailings, but additionally TV, Radio, Print, and interactive media as well...

Additionally, these people make pretty damn good money... shockingly so.

 

[Sdgobucks]

I've saved up other junk mail, like catalogs and grocery store coupons to stuff in those envelopes. I should send them pictures of me shitting in an envelope with "postage paid" stamped on it. They might get paranoid that I'm going to shit in their envelope.

I have heard of this before, I read it here http://maddox.xmission.com/junk_the_junk.html

It sounds like a great idea to me.

 

[CleveBucks]

Interesting...let's walk through some of these scenarios.

Put (whatever) into the postage-paid envelope the credit card company sent you, and mail it. After all, it doesn't cost you anything, right? Or does it?

Credit card company sees its cost go up, so it begins charging participating businesses higher fees to process transactions using their cards. Now the business - your favorite store, for example - is paying more for the ability to receive VISA cards as payments for sales. Guess what happens next...

...your favorite store cuts it costs and/or raises its prices, and YOU pay for it in the prices they charge you.

"Businesses" don't pay for ANYTHING - people do. The costs find their way to YOU, in the end. Yeah, you're really sticking it to the credit card companies.

It's actually quite a bit simpler than that. Credit Card issuers send unsolicited junk mail/credit card applications because they receive a nice ROI and because the cost of acquiring a customer is so low. Make it more expensive, and maybe they'll think twice before sending out the same application twice in one week to the same person... for 5 weeks straight. It's a matter of principle.

 

[gregorylee]

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!


We were trying to convey all of the gross and disgusting things we could do to the cc companies and you morons are turning this into a market lecture.




get back with the GODDAMN program!!!!




I could think of some things wrapped in toilet paper in the bathroom trash to send the nice credit card people

and for those of you that still wan't to continue with the econ lecture


.....

 

[Misanthrope]

It's actually quite a bit simpler than that.

Thanks for clearing that up for me. If only I had you around, I could've scored even higher on the CPA exam.

Credit Card issuers send unsolicited junk mail/credit card applications because they receive a nice ROI and because the cost of acquiring a customer is so low.

Again, thanks.

Make it more expensive, and maybe they'll think twice before sending out the same application twice in one week to the same person... for 5 weeks straight. It's a matter of principle.

Principle doesn't feed the bulldog. If it makes you feel better, so be it.

The fact remains, credit card companies make their money from consumers, be it directly (user fees, interest, etc.) or indirectly (merchant fees, which are paid by selling goods and services to consumers). Unless you can drive them out of the business this way, all you're doing is driving up your costs.

I find the best approach is to just tear it up and throw it away. It takes less effort, and it doesn't cost me any money to do it. Anything more is a waste of time...

WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!


We were trying to convey all of the gross and disgusting things we could do to the cc companies and you morons are turning this into a market lecture.

Morons? Hmmm...

Just pointing out the misconception of this entire thread. If anything, you're making the life of some poor sap who opens their mail more difficult, as if they had anything to do with the decision to mail it to you in the first place.

I could think of some things wrapped in toilet paper in the bathroom trash to send the nice credit card people

and for those of you that still wan't to continue with the econ lecture


.....

Adding economics to this string was the only way to make it worth reading. Otherwise, it's pretty fucking stupid...moron.

 

[gregorylee]

Morons? Hmmm...

Just pointing out the misconception of this entire thread. If anything, you're making the life of some poor sap who opens their mail more difficult, as if they had anything to do with the decision to mail it to you in the first place.


Adding economics to this string was the only way to make it worth reading. Otherwise, it's pretty fucking stupid...moron.

Wehehehehell,

Lets see where to begin.

You, are in the retard room so to speak.

If you would like intelligent conversation, you could exit stage left to the political board.

Otherwise, I think Yoda has some wise advise....


shutting the fuck up you must!!

This was a much more fun thread when it was gross and disgusting before you tried to enter logic into it.

and don't even act like you have never hung up on a telemarketer, that parallels the shit in the envelope for the cc companies.

 

[CleveBucks]

Making the mail-opener's life harder? If anything, it helps to keep the mail-opener employed. More letters to open = more jobs. By giving the USPS more business, I'm driving down the cost of a postage stamp. We can all do our part.

 

[bigtenbadboy]

How about filling out applications for competitor's cards and then mail them to the wrong company. (i.e. send a capital one application to chase) Using the prepaid envolopes ofcourse.

 

[exhawg]

How about filling out applications for competitor's cards and then mail them to the wrong company. (i.e. send a capital one application to chase) Using the prepaid envolopes ofcourse.

If you do that be sure to use fake info. Personally I like filling out the CC apps at places like the shoe with fake names. They give you something free and you don't have to worry about getting the CC. I really hope there isn't a 316 Jabroni Dr. in my town or they get a lot of junk mail.

 

[FKAGobucks877]

I see where this is going. Since the costs of goods go up, the amount of goods sold goes down. Since the amount of goods sold goes down, workers get laid off. Since workers get laid off, they are unable to pay off their cc debts. The new bankruptcy laws ensure that the cc companies still get their money, but I'm sure the cost of collecting that money goes up. That is passed on to the consumer and the small businesses, and the vicious cycle continues. Civilization ends shortly thereafter, all because people returned empty envelopes to the cc companies.

Clearly, there is only one solution: To ensure that cc companies continue to profit wildly (and thus do not crush our economy), we must all volunteer one day a week to work without pay at one of the cc companies. We must also carry a full balance on at least 7 cards and only pay the minimum. Obviously, paying with cash is forbidden.

Fill out all cc applications received, and send it in with your own envelope (not the postage paid envelope that they send you). Include two $1 bills to cover their processing expenses (no coins). Oh wait, cash is forbidden. Instead, send a note authorizing them to charge your cc $5 (up from two since it costs them money to process this new request).



To do otherwise would be unpatriotic.

Apparently everybody missed the sarcastic wisdom in this post. Please re-read, then laugh.

Anyone that actually thinks that anything would change, or prices go up, even if every single BP poster starting doing this, is an idiot. Period.

 

[3yardsandacloud]

Anyone have Lloyd Carr's address? Seems like hundreds of credit applications from Lloyd might be funny ...