What You Can Do to Stop the USPS' Appeal of the Exigent Postage Rate Increase
I don’t know how much more I can do or say about the U.S. Postal Service and its stupidity. I've made all kinds of suggestions on how it can increase its revenues, incentivize companies to try mail and win back customers who have abandoned the channel.
I even wrote a fake testimonial letter from an online marketing company thanking the USPS for helping it build their business.
And yet the madness continues …
Not happy with the Postal Regulatory Commission's (PRC) rejection of an exigent postage rate increase of 5 percent-plus, the USPS is back to its dirty, old tricks. It's filed an appeal to have the PRC's decision overturned. It's unbelievable how our beloved Post Office consistently bites the hand that feeds it.
But there isn’t much more I can say on the matter. I need your help. Specifically, here are a few ways to join the fight:
Get involved. One organization that's working on the behalf of the catalog industry is the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA). "The real harm this does right now is it creates uncertainty for mailers when they're trying to make crucial mailing plans and need predictability," says Paul Miller, deputy director and vice president of the ACMA. "But it's a legal matter at this point, and we're working closely with the Affordable Mail Alliance and other groups to determine what our next best steps should be." Also working on your behalf is the Direct Marketing Association. Get more info on its government affairs mission here.
Of course you can lobby directly to the Post Office. Contact the Postmaster General by writing here:
Jack Potter
475 L’Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, D.C. 20260-0010
Well, that’s it for me this week, short and sweet. Make contact, do something.
And feel free to post a comment below with your opinion about this postage rate increase debacle, as well as any ideas or suggestions to help.
- Categories:
- Shipping
- Companies:
- Direct Marketing Association
- People:
- Jack Potter
- Jim Gilbert
- Places:
- SW Washington, DC
Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing. Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is President of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.
