Junk Mail With Money In It-Can I Keep Without Responding?

W

WhatInThe

SF VIP
Keep on getting junk mail from a survey from a survey company. By the third mailing they were up from 5 to 10$. They also started saying 'Or Resident' on the mailing envelope. Get calls shortly after if not mailed in, they insist someone agreed to take them. No one in the house does unsolicited business or agrees to anything from a phone solicitation. For specific charities we might say 'Send me more information in the mail and we'll think about it'. There is also a message in some of the envelopes saying they will send another $25 if we complete the survey.

To top it off I can't believe people actually fill those things out. They are the size of a small phone book, they literally will have book on you when they are done. Did some research and seems there are professional survey takers saying they average $130 per survey. I don't think they realize how much information they are giving up about themselves.

One of the mailings is a year old. No bill collection letters yet so I would assume it's safe to pocket the money and trash the paperwork. Some are telling me don't do anything with the money or paper(with a due date by the way) I always heard one can keep unsolicited cash or prizes sent in the mail?
 

I often receive junk mail "checks" from loan companies etc that look like a check, walk like a check, and quack like a check...but is NOT a check. More than likely, if you read every little line of 6 point type on the check, you will find where it even says, "This is not a check".

If it IS a real check then, rest assured, you must earn it some way some how. How else would a company stay in business?

EDIT: I see now above you have said it's CASH. Take the cash to the bank and ask them to check to see if it's counterfeit.
 
About 15 yrs ago I got a survey request from Nielsen with $30 cash enclosed. It was strictly limited to questions about which TV shows I watched in a particular week. I filled it out and mailed it back. Easy $30, took only a few minutes. Then a few yrs later (I'd moved) they upped it to $35 cash. What the heck, :shrug:
 
If it's legitimate cash then do whatever you feel is right. They probably factor in the loss for those who keep the money but don't do their part.

The company must be making money or they wouldn't be doing it. They probably target people who have a record of responding to this sort of mail...and therefore minimize their losses.

This is what I would do. If it's worth the money to do my part then I would do it and keep the money.

If It's not worth the money (you said a 30-page survey??) or I didn't want to do it or didn't have the time to do it, then I guess I would have to keep the money without doing anything because otherwise I would be spending my own time, money, and aggravation to mail it back which only encourages the company to continue this solicited mail into the privacy of our homes.
 
Last edited:
I realize this is from a Minnesota Law Firm; however they reference Federal Law. Also this refers to packages.


https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/publications/UnorderedMerchandise.asp

"Under state and federal law, recipients of unordered merchandise may keep the goods and are under no obligation to pay for or return them."

I agree take the bills to the bank and have them checked; but I can not see how the sender would know if you even opened the mail. Some people just pitch all junk mail.
 
Any unsolicited items sent to me in the mail are gifts to me, as far as I am concerned. I've never gotten cash, certainly not on the order of what is described here. Now and then I'll get a pitch from some charity or other,
with a nickel in it, probably just to get my attention.

I do get a lot of return address stickers printed with my name and address, note pads, calendars, etc. None of it is needed or has been asked for; some of it gets pitched, but I do keep some of it. Once I felt guilty enough
about using all the junk they were sending me to induce me to send them a small donation, about $10. This just encouraged them to step up the mailings and uninvited gifts. I decided that although their cause sounded
like a worthy one, they were probably spending most of the donations on providing people with more junk!
 
Even more frustrating is they found who else is or has lived at the address and demands to have them put on the phone when they call. They've gotten indignant if not aggressive in trying to get anyone to take their survey.
 
Legally, I was told, that anything they send you that you did not order is a gift.

If you do respond put bogus data any place that they want private information. Tell them you were born in 1904, etc.
 
WhatInThe said:
Even more frustrating is they found who else is or has lived at the address and demands to have them put on the phone when they call. They've gotten indignant if not aggressive in trying to get anyone to take their survey.
Click to expand...


I got a call one day from a branch rep, of the Fed student loan program......He informed me that i was in the rears on my 'student' loans for my grandchildren?...I have no kids..grand or otherwise. Bla Bla back & forth, he says that if I do not settle this soon....it could result in an agent showing up at my door..I said OK , sounds good...now is a good time for me, I'm just sittin' here sippin whisky , cleanin' my guns....click..:)
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top