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Just signed up for a service that collects and scans my mail so I can view it online

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M0oG0oGaiPan

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2000
7,858
2
0
digitalgamedeals.com
Seems like a waste of money to be honest. Let's say you get 3 bills and 1 package a month. Say you also get junk mail every day. You filter all of those out. You'll basically be paying $5 a month for 3 pieces of mail (with digital backup) and a package pickup. Most of my bills are already accessible online and I just happen to opt in for a paper notice. What kind of bills are paper only?
 

rcpratt

Lifer
Jul 2, 2009
10,433
110
116
Seems like a waste of money to be honest. Let's say you get 3 bills and 1 package a month. Say you also get junk mail every day. You filter all of those out. You'll basically be paying $5 a month for 3 pieces of mail (with digital backup) and a package pickup. Most of my bills are already accessible online and I just happen to opt in for a paper notice. What kind of bills are paper only?
You're not paying to receive the 3 pieces of useful mail - you're paying to never have to see, sort through, and throw away the junk anymore.

Although I agree with the majority, while this is intriguing, I can't see myself risking identity theft.
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
118
116
I get movies by mail; will they load them on a server so I can just watch them from my couch?

KT
 

irishScott

Lifer
Oct 10, 2006
21,562
3
0
What? Yeah, no one's reading my mail but me. Identity theft protection 101 is not giving out personal information. This service puts complete strangers in possesion of everything from tax forms to bank statements to cell phone and credit card bills to other people's personal checks. No thanks.

I'll gladly waste an extra 12 hours (if that) a year just to save $60 and get the corresponding peace of mind.
 

WilliamM2

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2012
2,975
876
136
See the edit I made above. $5 a month to save 72 minutes. Totally worthwhile.

Don't you ever leave the house? I stop at my mailbox when I arrive home from work, about 10 seconds a day. Less than a minute a week.
 
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
91
that's stupid. the same exact thing could happen if you have a normal mailbox.

logic fail.



/doesn't have to worry about his mail being taken. great dane on duty.

Normal mailbox is localized. People have to physically be there.

Internet mailbox is not. Its accessible by anyone incase of a breach, and it is in already easily wide spreadable format.

Extremely different things.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,741
456
126
I agree with you that $5 a month is worth getting rid of the junk mail. However, it's not worth it when that process involves a human being rumaging through balance transfer offers and replacement credit cards.
 

SithSolo1

Diamond Member
Mar 19, 2001
7,740
11
81
OP is actually Outboxmail employ using Leros' stolen identity to promote the service. *points to eyes* I'm watching you...
 

Mark R

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,513
16
81
I can see how this would be useful for someone who works away a lot, especially doing work with long trips. However, it does strike me as a significant risk of identify fraud, so I wouldn't use such a service unless I really was going to be away for long periods of time.

Mail is still considered the most legally robust way of handling communications, and is still the ONLY method of communication used by certain businesses.

For example, a number of years ago, I renewed my car insurance, and paid by CC, shortly before going off on a long business trip. For some reason, the CC payment failed, so the insurance company wrote by mail telling me that the payment failed and to contact them urgently, otherwise they will cancel the policy. I was out of the country for a couple of weeks, so didn't pick up the letter until I got back.

By the time I'd opened the letter and called the insurance company, it was too late. The policy was terminated for breach of contract. My protests that they could have e-mailed me (seeing as they were an "online" compay), or phoned me or SMSed me came to nothing; they just said, mail is the only legally proven way to communicate for important matters. Now, I'm pretty much blacklisted from ever getting insurance again, except via "specialist" insurers that offer super-expensive policies for people with DUIs, previous fraudulent claims, etc.
 
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SSSnail

Lifer
Nov 29, 2006
17,458
83
86
BTW, most anything you do that's worthwhile already has an electronic delivery option, from banking to anything else. I can't imagine anyone getting much more paper mail deliveries. So stupid.
 

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,779
882
126
Do they actually open it or simply scan the front so you can see what it might be?

Last I checked but isn't it illegal for them to open your mail like this even with permission so how would the company be able to do that or am I missing something?
 

darkewaffle

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2005
8,152
1
81
The main problem is that you have no idea who is and can read your mail at their operations site.

You have no idea who you're giving your credit card to when you check out at the supermarket either.

And there's no guarantee someone is handling your mail by hand, except for maybe picking it up at some point I suppose. But opening an envelope, unfolding the paper and scanning are all jobs that could be entirely automated. Put some sort of weight/thickness scanner into the equation to pick out catalogs/magazines/bound documents and send everything else through the machines.

I think it's a good idea for a service personally. I wouldn't use it to avoid the inconvenience of 'walking to the mailbox' but if I was on the road a lot or was at college or something, I'd consider it.

I wonder if it's done by person or by household and how those privacy conflicts are resolved. Like if mom signs up is everything sent to her daughter at the same address scanned and sent to her as well?
 

WilliamM2

Platinum Member
Jun 14, 2012
2,975
876
136
You have no idea who you're giving your credit card to when you check out at the supermarket either.

I haven't had any cashier anywhere scan my card in years. You scan it yourself. Even if they did scan it for you, its right in front of you. If they get out a pen and start writing the numbers down, there may be cause for concern.
 

7window

Golden Member
Nov 12, 2009
1,533
1
0
I haven't had any cashier anywhere scan my card in years. You scan it yourself. Even if they did scan it for you, its right in front of you. If they get out a pen and start writing the numbers down, there may be cause for concern.

some people are using fake scanner to capture your data.
 

Dessert Tears

Golden Member
Feb 27, 2005
1,100
0
76
Has anyone tried a junk mail unsubscription service? I read about Catalog Choice's MailStop last year. There were two ways to submit junk mail: 1) mail them in a special envelope ($8) or 2) photos via smartphone app.