in praise of Taking charge Letter

To the Editor:

Marcia Epstein (“Senior Living,” 12/24) writes, “I wish I could end these fruitless and wasteful mailings.” You CAN, just sit down, grab the phone, call the respective companies, and ask them to take you off their mailing lists. For that you need to tell them exactly how they addressed you, so hold on to the mailing label. Also, ask for the name of the person you’re talking to; that way, they’ll take you more seriously. And so as not to get them angry (because some might), just end the conversation by saying their name and “thank you,”

Throwing the mailings in the garbage is not enough. You have to invest some time and literally call folks. By the way, this also works for catalogs. I receive a single one and am thrilled about it.

We don’t need to become victims of unwanted mail: we should become pro-active instead.

No. 2: Regarding the last paragraph, don’t say “And so it goes.” That sounds like giving up. Instead, keep track of your location and waiting time, and which bus exactly you are waiting for and then CALL THE MTA and complain. You can also do it by email. But don’t just sit there and say “And so it goes.” If things don’t change for the better, call or write AGAIN. Remember: The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

L. Helfer

UWS