DMA drops fee for mail opt-out service

By Mickey Alam Khan

January 9, 2008

With DMAChoice, the DMA will not keep personal, identifiable information

The Direct Marketing Association plans to let consumers opt out of mailing lists by individual brands for free online through DMAChoice.

The service, available to consumers through http://www.dmachoice.org, will also let consumers select the catalogs they want to receive.

DMAChoice is the latest version of the DMA's Mail Preference Service without the $1 verification fee online. The fee was part of the MPS validation process.

"DMAChoice is the portal for consumer choice," said John A. Greco Jr., president/CEO of the DMA, New York, in a statement. "It is where consumers can go to modify their mail and email preferences.

"Our long-term vision is to build a community where consumers can interact with marketers -- learn about opportunities, offers, coupons and special events marketers develop for consumers," he said.

Consumers will still be asked for a credit card number to validate their identity and mailing address when registering as a no-charge transaction. But they will not be charged.

With this service, the DMA will not keep personal, identifiable information and will not use the information for marketing purposes. The association said the validation process uses a rigorous method to validate an identity and a mailing address in a secure way for consumer preference services.