Canberra Chronicle - stopping unwanted deliveries

Collect all of your copies of the Chronicle… encourage others who feel the same way you do to do the same… collect any that have been left on the street for an extended period of time and could safely be considered to be “litter”…

Once you’ve got 10,000 odd copies of the chronicle (200 households collecting them for a year), stage a protest. Tip off the local TV stations re: when it’s taking place. Rent a tripper truck and driver, “deliver” all of your collected copies of the Chronicle to the ACT legislative assembly, in the same fashion that the Chronicle is delivered in Canberra suburbs.

housebound said :

You won’t get support against the Chronicle from out our way. It is the nearest thing to independent community reporting that we have (other than WIN TV)
That says a lot in itself

The Chronicle will often pick up community stories (ie media releases or single issue nutbag rants) that the Canberra Times refuses to print.
Running the stories that the CT rejects isn’t much of a selling point, that’s why it’s free

They also include a TV guide
With listings of only 5 of the 13 channels broadcast in Canberra, it may have been useful in 1989 but now, not so much

and their tradies section has been good to us over the years.
Only a matter of time now

quote]

As a kid I used to deliver them and other junk mail, I remember once just as I stuck one in a guy’s letterbox he can running up grabbed me, and was screaming at me about not being able to read. I asked what he was talking about, and he yelled that he had just put no junk mail signs on the box, I couldn’t see any so I asked him to show me and we found them on the ground, he hadn’t stuck them on properly. He didn’t apologise so when it was dark I snuck back and stuffed his letterbox full of all sorts junk mail, new & old Chronicles, and then what I couldn’t fit in I chucked on the driveway, childish I know but hey I was a kid and he started it. Lucky his street only had a half dozen houses in it so I could skip it from then on.

Supersoaker revenge, or those new kiddy paint ball SPLAT guns.

Why whinge about it, turn it into a sport, horde the papers, hide in the front yard, as the delivery guy come round, throw the horded papers back at them, photograph the “surprise” on their face and post it here.

I think this should be a concern directed to Australian obesity. It’s a 3 second walk. seriously

I just love getting the Chronicle and all junk mail.

johnboy
(RiotACT Overlord)
10:30, 06 Sep 10
Waiting For Godot said :

“Boy, this makes floods in Victoria, an earthquake in New Zealand, floods in Pakistan and a hung parliament seem pretty inconsequential, eh?”

On the other hand all those things are beyond the scope of this website.

You said it!

Ryan said :

p1 said :

Back in circa 2001, the princely sum of four cents per paper. Can’t imagine it has hit the big 1-0 since then.

Mmmm, from what I recall about numbers, I would have been getting about 3c a copy in the early nineties.

The home deliveries will stop if they are not supported by an obstetrician

I don’t mind it. It has news and its free. I used the tradie section once for carpet cleaning and I was happy with the job. There are bigger things to complain about such as kids being given syringes that aren’t syringes with the full consent of parents. Outrageous!

Here we go again
http://the-riotact.com/?p=18524

Last time this subject came up, I rang the Canberra Times and asked them not to deliver the Chronicle. They agreed, and for a few months they honored their word.

Now every week, I’m back to my routine of binning the Chronicle as I wheel the bins out. At least they are delivered on bin day!

1st world problem.

I have a no junk mail sticker, works a treat.

What provision of the Trade Practices Act?

p1 said :

I too folded them, and rode my bike ’round the suburb stuffing them in letterboxs for what probably amounted to about $1 per hour (certainly less then $2/hour).

Does anyone know what the rate paid for the delivery of these things in nowadays?

Back in circa 2001, the princely sum of four cents per paper. Can’t imagine it has hit the big 1-0 since then.

I used to work there many lifetimes ago and can guarantee that drivers have been ordered on lots and lots of occasions that if they see a “build up” they are supposed to a) stop throwing to that house b) collect the pile of papers and c) mark it on their runs as a do not deliver. It is a security risk for the people living there as it is usually a sure sign someone is away from the house. I used to drive out to addresses where this was reported to remove collections from the front lawn.

The plastic wrapping amazingly enough is itself recyclable so you can put the whole thing in the recycling bin if you like.

I can also mention that people have tried to mail in wet papers, deposit them with the girls at reception or just hurled abuse and papers at the girls at reception, throw them onto the canberra times driveway and sent hundreds of letters and emails to politicians, TaMS, Rural Press now Fairfax and nothing has come of it. You can ring and request to be placed as a do not deliver address and steps are taken to punish drivers who continually throw to do not deliver addresses mostly throuh constant beratement but also by penalty pays. Ultimately though, shrug your shoulders, roll your eyes and drop it in the recycling it’s a brand new day and spring is almost here. Or get infuriated, stamp your feet, increase your blood pressure and die young not having enjoyed life and all the free gifts of the world, up to you.

ie chillax

It’s funny i was just walking back home from the shops, and at virtualy every leterbox- not in the letterbox but anywhere from 1-3 meters away, there was a wet inside the plastic, yellowing chronical, dozens of them- people seem 2 leave them there as if 2 say ‘i’m not picking that up’. So much waste.

You won’t get support against the Chronicle from out our way. It is the nearest thing to independent community reporting that we have (other than WIN TV). The Chronicle will often pick up community stories that the Canberra Times refuses to print. They also include a TV guide (removing the only good reason for paying for a CT), and their tradies section has been good to us over the years.

If anything, the only complaint we have is that they sometimes don’t get delivered until Thursday or even Friday.

So possum, all you need to do is make that long trek from the front yard to your bin.

mutley said :

I always have a quick squizz to see if there are any local issues, but I personally feel it went downhill once they canned the “make-a-date” section. That was rolled gold entertainment.

I used to have a bit of a browse, but haven’t for some time, on account of the “it’s always wet inside the plastic” thing that other have mentioned.

“Proof drivers can achieve tight groupings over time”
Your enticing a bored contractor into a challenge what else do you expect.

I always have a quick squizz to see if there are any local issues, but I personally feel it went downhill once they canned the “make-a-date” section. That was rolled gold entertainment.

Our Chronic stash usually gets dumped on our apartment letterboxes. It’s just a simple act of sweeping them into the bin underneath the mailboxes that Body Corp has so kindly provided. Ta ta junk mail.

I have a list of uses for the Chronicle:

-Garden Mulch
-Fire Starter
-Toilet Paper
-Cleaning Up A Mess
-Paper Mache
-Making a pirate hat

These are all much more productive than reading it.

I have a No Junk Mail sticker on my letterbox and it works for 99% of junk mail – exceptions being the political propaganda (which I hate with a passion) and The Chronicle (which I actually enjoy reading!). The only downside with The Chronicle is recently (last few months) they have taken to delivering it in the non-waterproof plastic wrapper and throwing in on the footpath instead of the letterbox. This is fine for days it doesn’t rain, it’s just an unreadable soggy mess on the days it does. May as well leave the wrapper off for all the use it is.

Maybe the OP could package up several back issues of The Chronicle (soggy ones could help get the point across!) and post them back to The Canberra Times (sans stamps of course) with a polite note explaining that you have tried on several occasions unsuccessfully to have delivery stopped.

Can we form a support group, get on twitter and face book, hold counselling sessions, get an ACT govvy grant, etc, etc;

We Agree No Cronicle!

Reprobate said :

I got someone who turned up late…

Sounds like a normal tradie to me.

Reprobate said :

…left a pipecutter in the roof…

At least you got a free pipe cutter.

I wanted to install a fence and gate to seperate my yard into two parts, years ago.

I used the tradies section in The Chronicle and every single person in there promised to come and quote/order (they wouldn’t show so we would call another) and none showed. Finally I rang the one I was happy enough with some phone quotes to just book in the work and he didn’t show either.

Oh well, we used some of the money to try Bark Busters (more for the behaviour side than barking) to keep our washing safe and bbqs more peaceful.. They weren’t that great, I really wish a fencer had shown. So I’ve never used the tradies section since.

** I have no memory of why I wouldn’t have used the yellow pages or something else, maybe same places, I’m not sure. I just remember going down the list in the Chronicle, getting lies at every step.

tommy said :

Tangentially I’ve found the Chronicle a bit hit and miss for tradies in my experience. It’s probably stretching the definition a bit to say they are tradies – typically they are semi-skilled labour.

+1 – the Chronic seems to attract second-tier tradies that either arn’t booked solid through good word-of-mouth recommendations OR who are too tight/not successful enough to afford a proper ad in the Yellow Pages.

When I went against common sense earlier this year (and had forgotten my last Chronicle tradie tale) and picked a plumber from there, I got someone who turned up late, punched a hole through a plasterboard wall, set fire to that same area, left a pipecutter in the roof, and scratched a new sink. Oh, and not using gas thread sealing tape on a new connection causing a gas leak, which despite 2 revisits he did not manage to fix – so I did it myself with 20cm of a $3.00 roll of the right tape from Bunnings. Never again!!!

Tangentially I’ve found the Chronicle a bit hit and miss for tradies in my experience. It’s probably stretching the definition a bit to say they are tradies – typically they are semi-skilled labour.

About half of them I’ve engaged are just moonlighting and take a sickie from work if they get a “hit” from the Chronicle – usually with borrowed with/without permission tools from work or a mate.

Quality can be fairly poor, worse case one was threatening if we didn’t pay even though he hadn’t done the job properly. Don’t expect receipts, warranty, personal safety etc from so-called tradies hired from the Chronicle.

Your mileage may vary…

I just throw it in the recycling bin (I think they hand process all recycling anyway so they can take off the wrapper there).

I’m guessing it’s hard to see “no junk mail” signs from a moving car! Same goes for not delivering to certain houses when you’re spraying them everywhere.

People complaining about free toilet paper – Gripe, gripe, gripe.

I was a Chronic deliverer a few years ago. I needed the exercise, but it was also hard work.

We were told not to deliver them to dwellings with No Junk Mail sign on them. So I didn’t deliver them where I saw the sign. But I can imagine that not all deliverers care too much. Not for the $25 per 500 papers delivered that we were paid. I’m not sure what the current rates are. And you had 2 days to get them out. I’m sure some deliverers just want to get it done as fast as possible and without caring too much about where they go.

I too folded them, and rode my bike ’round the suburb stuffing them in letterboxs for what probably amounted to about $1 per hour (certainly less then $2/hour).

Does anyone know what the rate paid for the delivery of these things in nowadays?

Rollersk8r said :

…….On a per hour basis the money was a complete insult but at least it was outdoors – and I still think it’s a good job for a young teenager to do. Believe it or not it actually teaches you how to manage a workload and how to plan your route etc; how many papers you need to finish a certain street vs how many you can carry. Plus you quickly learn every street in your suburb.

Sounds like the beginning of conscription to me….facists are everywhere 🙂

We have the no junk mail sign and don’t get any chronicles either – I am the only person I know who actually wants to get it and doesn’t.

It isn’t classed as junk mail as it relates to a specific area (northside, southside etc). Same for election material.

For news purposes I imagine they like to get them all out on the same day.

I agree they make a mess, especially when people can’t be bothered picking them up…

What I’m more concerned about is that they’re delivered by adults in cars these days?? Don’t kids need jobs – or is the insurance too much if they fall off their bike? About 20 years ago I delivered them by bicycle and on foot in Weston. Used to take all week before and after school – I’m serious! I actually folded them up and put each one in the letterbox too.

On a per hour basis the money was a complete insult but at least it was outdoors – and I still think it’s a good job for a young teenager to do. Believe it or not it actually teaches you how to manage a workload and how to plan your route etc; how many papers you need to finish a certain street vs how many you can carry. Plus you quickly learn every street in your suburb.

nhand42 said :

Advertisers should know they’re wasting their money.

Most people I know go to The Chronicle as a first place to look for tradesman. It’s quite logical… if they’ve paid to put an ad in, they obviously want/need work and are more likely to turn up.

I have No Junk Mail, and the Chronicle doesn’t come. It will of course depend on the deliverer.

I did get plenty of Green’s fliers at election time :\

I think the delivery guy is getting RSI, i’m lucky if the Chronicle has reached my driveway.. usually it’s sitting in the gutter or out on the road so I can drive over it when I arrive home.

Soon they will be dropping them from planes on palettes and we will be expected to go pick it up from the drop zone.

I wish they would just deliver them straight into my bin when it is out on the street, would save me a lot of effort.

johnboy said :

Waiting For Godot said :

Boy, this makes floods in Victoria, an earthquake in New Zealand, floods in Pakistan and a hung parliament seem pretty inconsequential, eh?

On the other hand all those things are beyond the scope of this website.

aww, i dunno, pro’ly one or two canberrans have been to new zealand..?

This is a chronic problem. I hate any articles being left on my front lawn. Really clogs up the lawnmower.

I hate it. I’ve often thought about collecting 12 months’ of the Chronicle and then dumping them back on the front lawn of whoever publishes it. But, as with a lot of things, I couldn’t be bothered.

Waiting For Godot said :

Boy, this makes floods in Victoria, an earthquake in New Zealand, floods in Pakistan and a hung parliament seem pretty inconsequential, eh?

On the other hand all those things are beyond the scope of this website.

Boy, this makes floods in Victoria, an earthquake in New Zealand, floods in Pakistan and a hung parliament seem pretty inconsequential, eh?

Education, helthcare, traffic, increase in property crime, slipping family values, monopolistic national and multi-national companies, censorship, workplace safety, taking responsibility for one’s own action in an increasingly litigious society…

International financial meltdown, depletion of oil reserves, ‘war on terrorism’, attacks on civil liberties, excessive whinging about attacks on civil liberties…

Abortion, religious freedom, religious oppression, holy wars…

On-going delivery of the Canberra Chronicle.

“one of these things is not like the other”

I would have thought there were enough storms about this weekend without having them in our teacups as well!

As much as I admire your chutzpah, and agree with the reasons for your it, I don’t think it’s worth that much angst. There are a few homeless kids on our streets and in our refuges, costing the city millions of dollars and wasting other non-renewable resources. Lifeline are always looking for volunteers for their counselling services. And if litigation is your thing, I’m sure you could find a worthy recipient of your enthusiasm.

These would be slightly more worthy causes for the time you save by simply unwrapping your Chronicle and depositing it in the recycling bin like the rest of us. What the CT and their customers choose to waste is their own problem.

I hate my “free” copy of the Canberra Chronicle too … make it stop!

nhand42 said :

Advertisers should know they’re wasting their money.

In your case that is a true statement. Across Canberra though it falls a bit on the flat side.

I don’t bother with the Ch-ronicle myself (it doesn’t make it to my unit complex), but I have a few friends who do get their fill of community information and often get quotes for work from the tradies section.

Actually come to think of it on the odd occasion I am looking for a tradie I’ll knock one off from a driveway down the road and see if there are any that fir the bill. My experience with the ones who advertise in that trades section is they are often good value and more likely to be a keen self-starter (and finisher) than some of the ones in the old yella pages.

When I last lived in a house I treated the unwelcome arrival of the freebie papers as little different to the leaves and branches falling off the tree out the front, I just picked them up and dealt with them as part of the gardening. It wasn’t a big deal.

I completely agree with you, Andrew. We have a no junk mail sticker which does do its job, however the Chronicle continues to deliver to our building. We live in a block of 12 apartments, and we get a pile of Chronicles (wrapped in plastic no less!) in front of the letterboxes, which NO ONE picks up.

It’s massive waste of resources, and it ends up creating a big mess every week!!!

Not to mention the fact that the paper is dire! It just indicates to me how desperate the paper is to up their ‘readership’ and circulation numbers to justify to advertisers why they should not pull their advertising dollars…

Rural Press doesn’t own The Chronicle because it was bought out by Fairfax.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_Press

I don’t mind junk mail per se, I am fine with removing it from the mailbox and having a look through then recycling it when I am finished. The Chronicle is a different story though, I never find it anywhere near my mail box let alone in it. When I do find it for that week it is usually browned from the sun, dirty and wet. At this point I remove it from the plastic and place each part in the appropriate bins. I have seen the people who deliver it in my street, the process consists of driving slowly whilst driver and passenger haul them out the window in the general direction of the homes. Unlike getting the newspaper delivered there is no weight to the Chronicle so my copy never makes it further than the gutter. So yes, I would rather not receive it at all given this.

If I drove around in my car throwing a thick wad of advertising wrapped in plastic onto every driveway, i’d be charged with littering. Is there some law or exemption that allows them to do this? If I incorporated about 2% editorial material into my advertising, would I be allowed to do this as well?

nhand42 said :

Advertisers should know they’re wasting their money.

Well not with me they aren’t! I love the Chronicle for the local stories and action it delivers. It also provides cost effective advertising for the trades. I love to support locals and the best way to contact them is via the Chronicle.

You whingers need to get a job so you don’t have to think up things to complain about.

I’ve got a No Junk Mail sign on my letterbox and despite having no legal enforcement it does a pretty good job. I very rarely get junk mail.

Except for the @^%$*! Canberra Chronicle. Every bloody week there’s another sodding mess of water-soaked plastic-wrapped newspaper sitting on my driveway. It always goes straight into the bin. Advertisers should know they’re wasting their money.