How To Stop CanPages Phonebook Delivery?
Try as they might, Canadians cannot stop CanPages from delivering their obsolete advertising product to their homes and offices.
There is no mechanism on the CanPages website to allow consumers to opt out of the delivery scheme.
On Thursday Jan 28th, 2010 two nice people from CanPages visited the 2nd floor hallway of 176 John St and left behind five pounds of rubbish in eight tiny piles outside everyone’s door. I told them to stop and to please remove the debris, and I personally tried to give one unit back - the deliveryman said nothing, smiled and took it down that hall. He left it on a stack beside the stairs. That’s when I vowed to do something about it, and to write this resource page demanding action, and accountability and CHANGE.
CanPages is pollution, and because I have a microscopic carbon footprint I really don’t want to be associated with such waste. So I went online to see if it is possible to opt out of the delivery program, and I discovered that it is not possible – there is no form or web page on the website whatsoever to allow Canadians to opt out of the delivery system. But there is however a place to leave a short message, which I did…
In a section called Book Distribution Feedback, there is a form in which humans can leave suggestions…
While researching this topic and checking the level of societal outrage on this issue, I discovered that I’m not alone. There are other people who have also complained with various amounts of success, but nobody has yet succeeded in making this company listen, or change their evil ways. There is still no ‘opt out’ form on the website.
Darren Barefoot spells out some CanPages abuses in his piece, From The Front Door Directly To The Recycling Bin in which he identifies greenwashing in their marketing messages.
And there’s a Facebook group entitled, Stop Forcing Us To Accept Giant Unsolicited Phonebooks which I joined immediately.
In the group’s desc page I read how the CanPages PR people were quick to quench the fire of the original ‘creative complainer’ and group creator, by rushing a delivery man special to pick-up the offending book. But there are also some details there on how you can write an email or phone CanPages and get them to come pick up your book. PLEASE DO THIS.
Please call CanPages and ask them to come pick up their garbage.
Phone: 604-525-1551
Toll-Free Phone: 866-525-1551
Fax: 604-516-0823
Toll-Free Fax: 877-525-1519
Email (general enquiries): customercare@canpages.ca
Giant yellow books full of alphabetically indexed print advertising are less than useless today, but of course this fact negates the company’s print division business model, which charges money for ads in the tome. Paul Batchelor, the Yellow Pages Group vice-president of sales for the western region is quoted in a CBC article Residents demand companies end unwanted phone book deliveries saying, “About two-thirds of the population still use the printed product on a regular basis,” which is simply not true. I know this convienent statistic isn’t true, and I have proof. Anyone who walks into the lobby of a secure condo building in Toronto will see piles of these yellow books NOT BEING USED. The books are ignored and I suspect that less than 10% are taken upstairs by the residents. These books will sit there for months as every resident passes and does not ‘opt in’ to their old fashion advertising program. Eventually the books end up in the dumpster behind the building. You know that’s true.
CanPages PR trolls, before you leave a comment on my blog saying ‘When your basement is flooded and you need to call the plumber…‘ or something like that, just know that I’ve seen and read all your tricks, and I enjoyed the battle between activitist Ed Kohler and your own PR bot KenC. And Ed Kohler also has a Facebook group, Wasteful Unwanted Phonebook Action Super Society. But I’m not advocating violence or anything… I just want to be able to visit CanPages website and opt out of the phone book delivery scheme.
Tags: Darren Barefoot, Ed Kohler, Facebook change society, how to opt out of Canpages delivery, phone book delivery, phone book waste, stop CanPages pollution, Stop yellow pages delivery
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:19 pm
Hey there, I just did a bit of googling and I found the opt-out page for canpages:
http://www.canpages.ca/wtu/feedback.do?dispatch=init&act=400&lang=0
Hope it works for you!
Good luck!
M
February 3rd, 2010 at 9:47 am
Miguel Can you please tell me what search terms you used to find that page?
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:32 am
google.ca –>
“canpages” “delivery” “opt out” –>
13th hit in the listings
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Thank you Miguel. Although I’m not sure why the form asks for a phone number? and makes it obligatory? and why the form is not part of the Canpages website? and why it is 13th in search…
It is a start, and the only option that people have to send a message directly to the company.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:47 am
The opt out is on their corporate site - under contact us.
Was not hard to find. Surprised you didn’t find this during your research considering it is the main point of your article.
http://corporate.canpages.ca/contact_us/write_to_us/
13th in search on Google - you had better ask Google that one.
February 4th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Jim. Thanks for the link.
I suppose you’re right. I should have checked the corporate site for the consumer opt out form and known enough to click Contact Us and then Write To Us
February 6th, 2010 at 1:09 am
Great summary of the issue. In the USA, I’ve seen quite a few examples of YP companies ignoring their own opt-out lists. I believe this is because they use contract workers who are undertrained and have no incentive to selectively distribute the books to only those who still use them regularly enough to justify the environmental costs.
February 6th, 2010 at 2:50 am
Thanks Ed Kohler. I love your work, and so I’m truly honoured you’d stop by my blog. I guess you probably recognized the last picture as your own creation and something I expropriated… Thankyou.
As time advances and Canadians get better at connecting online and getting the message out, we can force CanPages and YellowBook to adopt change. I like the idea of using blogs and SMM tools to suggest change, and keep suggesting it in a way that eventually cannot be ignored. Corporate PR bloggers like KenC who are paid to use the tools to disseminate their company’s version of events will always fail, as their authenticity is so perishable - its a job for them, and not a passion.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:24 am
The results in the search are liquid as more (or less) people search & click on the link it moves up (or down) accordingly.
I complained to my phone company & YP last year — I got notes back that they were required by law by the CRTC to provide the phonebook to every household. Then I complained to the CRTC and got the same unsatisfactory response.
This opt out by YP is a new thing for 2010, let’s see if it works.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:56 am
Sounds to me like another person looking a purpose in life…save the planet…blah, blah…perhaps he should have noted that not one tree is cut down to produce a Canpages phone directory..it’s all recycled and pulp by-products….as well as the fact that CANPAGES pays BIG money to be a carbon neutral company…but I’m sure the rant is more important to him as he felt he had to take his ‘fight’ online before even doing his homework.
Yes, I am an employee of Canpages and a ton of my work is for online, but I have several of my clients who have become very wealthy from their print ads..and these are clients who didn’t even do any online ads! So..how can that be??? Why is it that customers would lie to these companies when their secretary asks every new customer how they found them? Businesses are not stupid….they will do what works and makes money for them…period! When that doesn’t happen for print then it will be gone..simple as that.
April 23rd, 2010 at 8:04 am
Brett. You are right. Didn’t do homework. I was too busy dumping the Canpages in my recycling box and marveling at the cost in time, diesel fuel and electricity that’s wasted, with more about to be wasted again, converting it to something useful. And its all so Canpages can boast big circulations numbers and remain attractive to investors and advertisers. . I’m sure you would agree that if this product wasn’t FREE nobody would buy it. Well what we all must realize is that it isn’t free… indeed it costs society dearly.
April 26th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
you must have a lot of time on your hands , people still use phone books .canpages uses totally recycled paper, Catalyst mill BC union shop employees approx 750 people , has the best online directory , stop trying to get rid of things before their time , Phone books will not go away too soon. Look at the demographic of the Canadian”s that hold the majority of the money in Canada,,not an I Pod user or teenie bopper texter , its a phone book and canpages.ca user over 50 years of age . Just like the fax many people still use faxes , it’s only 2010 2110 !
user! Why not pick on the oil sands who are really polluting, what is your claim to fame ?
April 26th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
Oh my settle down TV Nancy, as long as Canpages keeps carpet bombing Canada with those yellow bundles of joy and providing NO opt out mechanism on their consumer website, your union job is safe.
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:44 pm
tvnancy - I’ve lived at my address for 3 years, and in that time I’ve been delivered 16 books. 16! It’s a complete waste.
To others: the form will accept fake info, such as
Tel: 416-888-8888
email: no@becauseyoullspamme.com
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