9 September 2011

Do I have to have a Chronicle?

| Saintly
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chronicles

I know this topic has appeared before and I am prepared for the comments from those who do not give a dam about The Chronicle being forced upon them but I am really hoping someone can provide me with information that will mean no more Chronicles for me.

I have phoned The Chronicle numerous times, had my details taken and confirmed I have a No Junk Mail sign on the letterbox. Each time I am promised that delivery will now stop.

The deliveries did stop for nearly a year but over the last few months they have started up again and though I have phoned each week to politely have my name and address placed on ‘the list’ they keep coming.

I have no problems with The Chronicle being produced for those who want it but I am sick of the wastage.

Reading comments from earlier posts others are too.

Having a lump of paper, wrapped in plastic, thrown at every property in Canberra seems to be a bit over the top.

Especially when those that take the time and effort to stop it are ignored and it is still enforced upon us.

I know many of you will comment that there are more important issues I could use my time worrying about and once I have stopped plastic and paper being thrown in my driveway, I will move on to stopping world hunger and creating world peace.

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If you don’t wish to receive it, email ccdistribution@canberratimes.com.au and request it stop

I think we should ALL take our skirts off!

Athryn said :

Some people will whine about absolutely anything!! Yes you do have to have the Chronicle so take your god damn skirt off and man up. It’s not that had to put it in the recycling if you don’t want to read it. Canberra really is full of whiny little b*****s!!

Wow, you really missed the point here didn’t you!

Or did you just decide to take your skirt of and Troll Up!

Some people will whine about absolutely anything!! Yes you do have to have the Chronicle so take your god damn skirt off and man up. It’s not that had to put it in the recycling if you don’t want to read it. Canberra really is full of whiny little b*****s!!

The Canberra Weekly and City News deliveraterors are also pretty nasty. They aren’t just lazy, they are actually paid by how many magazines they are able to deliver, regardless of whether they are wanted. I’ve specifically asked a City News man to drop one or two but not a huge pile in my cafe. I told him they were going straight into the bin. Next time, I’ll consider throwing them at him.

It’s s***ty behaviour because the nice people who run the magazines pay the delivery guys on how many magazines they are able to deliver, regardless of whether they go straight into the bin.

Plus the nice advertisers are paying for a circulation figure and it’s rubbish if half the locations have someone who looks over, says “not this crap again!” and throws it all in the bin.

Saintly said :

Now I am awaiting the next delivery – funny if now is the time it stops (but I would be very happy if it does).

Nup, it should come, becase you said you would be happy if it didn’t.

It will probably just be late, so it arrives when you though it had stopped!

Murphy hates us all!

Thanks to Angelina for comment #56 who suggested:
“Write in a ‘thumbs-down to the people who keep delivering this shitty paper even though I repeatedly ask you not to’ and see if that helps.”
If I had actually read the bloody thing instead of throwing directly to the bin I may have noticed this. Now I am awaiting the next delivery – funny if now is the time it stops (but I would be very happy if it does).
Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment and to those who would like the delivery ceased maybe you should try Angelina’s idea too?

There are two types of people in this world, type A and Type B you are clearly Type B
Not sure what the reference to google street view is about ?

cross said :

By the way, did you know about aerial photography and google streetview?

I like the thumbs-up/thumbs-down section in the Chronicle. The thumbs down’s are great sometimes. Like the person who wrote ‘thumbs-down to KFC for not accepting EFTPOS in the drive-thru’. At least get out of the car for your fast food you lazy sod! Or ‘thumbs-down to the person who cut me off on so-and-so road’. Good quality old fashioned ineffective whinging.

Write in a ‘thumbs-down to the people who keep delivering this shitty paper even though I repeatedly ask you not to’ and see if that helps.

Disinformation5:07 pm 12 Sep 11

cross said :

So your just assuming the contractor doesn’t care but asking polity is probably the best option, the crap part is were you can write down someones rego and get their address that’s crap.

I’m assuming nothing. I’m taking action that ASSURES me that he takes notice. In 1996 in Queensland I was able to go into the Motor Registry, supply enough identification, pay a fee and get the last registered address supplied against the car registration. This information was publically accessable at a cost. They recorded the fact that you asked for it, obviously. I’ve just enquired as to if it’s possible in the ACT. There are specific requirements for that information to be turned over, ie being involved in an accident and being first person witness, but it’s available if you’re prepared to tell the world you requested it for a legitimate reason. Regardless, the discussion worked. My front lawn is not befouled by Chronicles. By the way, did you know about aerial photography and google streetview?

My previous comments on this are based on talking to an area supervisor who my son walks a small area for pocket money. He is a very personable guy and suggests that if there is a problem ring the supervisor direct on the number advertised in the chronicle or CT. Area supervisors are usually but not always the contractor as well and are more than happy to oblige civil people.
And by the way they get more grief from people not getting the paper. They are vigilate for No junk mail stickers but they are mostly not immediately apparent to them.

Disinformation said :

cross said :

Did you consider just politely asking the contractor to stop ,If someone spoke that crap to me I,d make sure you got two every week.

I wouldn’t bother. He’s a contractor and wouldn’t give a rats arse what I asked. I learned a very long time ago that if you really want someone to do engage, you motivate them at a very personal level.

For two a week, I’d put tear strips of your address on every public noticeboard in every shopping center for six months and letter drop on my walks around Canberra.

So your just assuming the contractor doesn’t care but asking polity is probably the best option, the crap part is were you can write down someones rego and get their address that’s crap.

Move to New Macgregor (Brindabella).

We’ve been there for two years and have never received a copy of The Chronicle.

Disinformation11:09 pm 11 Sep 11

cross said :

Did you consider just politely asking the contractor to stop ,If someone spoke that crap to me I,d make sure you got two every week.

I wouldn’t bother. He’s a contractor and wouldn’t give a rats arse what I asked. I learned a very long time ago that if you really want someone to do engage, you motivate them at a very personal level. For two a week, I’d put tear strips of your address on every public noticeboard in every shopping center for six months and letter drop on my walks around Canberra.

cross said :

Spykler said :

I can’t believe this still gets printed, with on-line news sites cutting into traditional newspaper readership numbers (incl. CT), why would they bother with the extra cost of printing and circulating this?

Sure along with the paperless office and the cashless society and don’t start on the jetpacks

Jetpacks? I wish, – quickly becoming the only option to get down the GDE at 8.15 on a Monday morning..

gasman said :

The chronicle does keep a “do not deliver” list. Some monthsago I asked to go onto the list and threatened them with littering as per the A.C.T. Littering Act if they delivered any more. Haven’t received one since.

They don’t honour this.

When I posted about this topic awhile ago (see http://the-riotact.com/what-part-of-no-junk-mail-doesnt-the-chronicle-understand/18524), I rang the Canberra Times and asked them not to deliver the Chronicle.

They said they had such a list.
They also said that they were aware of the RiotAct discussion at the time and were receiving calls about it.

I didn’t receive a Chronicle for about 3 weeks…now it’s back to every week.

The Canberra Times do not honor, or enforce this list.

Spykler said :

I can’t believe this still gets printed, with on-line news sites cutting into traditional newspaper readership numbers (incl. CT), why would they bother with the extra cost of printing and circulating this?

Sure along with the paperless office and the cashless society and don’t start on the jetpacks

Squidoo said :

I have done the phone calls, emails, and last time even returned copies to the CT office. I was received rudely by reception, though the ‘editor’ was pleasant enough in the foyer and promised no more copies. It was quite an event for my young kids on ‘daddy’ day off. So far OK, but junk mail stickers do nothing when they throw them from a car. Hasn’t stopped the pile on my neighbours lawns though… They told me an online version is planned (probably released now?). The sheer waste and feuxld-school business practice gets me. I encourage polite visits in person, with chronicles as gifts.

OK I give up what does feuxid-school business mean even google doesn’t know

Disinformation said :

I casually mentioned that now that I had his number plate, I could do a search and find his address. If a chronical ever appeared on my front lawn again, I’d drop letter drop the entire suburb with his name and address so that people could bill him for the removal of his litter.

Did you consider just politely asking the contractor to stop ,If someone spoke that crap to me I,d make sure you got two every week.

I have done the phone calls, emails, and last time even returned copies to the CT office. I was received rudely by reception, though the ‘editor’ was pleasant enough in the foyer and promised no more copies. It was quite an event for my young kids on ‘daddy’ day off. So far OK, but junk mail stickers do nothing when they throw them from a car. Hasn’t stopped the pile on my neighbours lawns though… They told me an online version is planned (probably released now?). The sheer waste and feuxld-school business practice gets me. I encourage polite visits in person, with chronicles as gifts.

The chronicle does keep a “do not deliver” list. Some monthsago I asked to go onto the list and threatened them with littering as per the A.C.T. Littering Act if they delivered any more. Haven’t received one since.

proofpositive8:46 am 11 Sep 11

Simple solution.

Take said article, add an address label:

The Canberra Times
9 Pirie Street
Fyshwick ACT 2609

Drop in nearest post office box ensuring that you don’t attach postage.

Ceej1973 said :

There is no legal right.

http://www.privacy.gov.au/faq/individuals/q7

should stop those realestate agencies, works for us

[
I am sure you are in your legal right to demand they respect your ‘No junk mail’ request. Google let me down when I tried to find out how to enforce this though.

I did come across this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8326992@N08/2763560787/

There is no legal right. I wrote email after email to several of those damn Real Estate Agents about the junk I was getting despite the “no junk mail” sticker. I gave up and wrote to the Ombudsman inclusive of the emails, and there was not a thing they could or would do for me!

Best you can do is out smart them. The latest I have taken to, is writing to the pesky real estate agents….” I have continously written to you requesting you acknowledge the no junk mail sticker on my letter box. I am actually considering renting out my property next year, but as you do not seem to grasp simple instructions (i.e no junk mail), I have little faith in you being able to manage the lease of my property or any issues that may arise.Therefore, I will find an agent with better communication skills”

Disinformation8:16 pm 10 Sep 11

I’ve rung them, to no avail. I emailed them and it stopped for about six months. Then started again. While building again to the peak of my annoyance, I was lucky enough to walk across the road and catch the contractor stopped as he prepared to throw one onto the neighbors lawn.
I casually mentioned that now that I had his number plate, I could do a search and find his address. If a chronical ever appeared on my front lawn again, I’d drop letter drop the entire suburb with his name and address so that people could bill him for the removal of his litter. I haven’t seen one since.

and here’s another tip large black and yellow NO Junk Mail Stickers that can be clearly seen from a car works best

Here’s at tip, if you demand the driver returns to pick it up delivery will stop very quickly, if you threaten to report it to the city rangers you’ll find the whole street won’t get one for weeks

I can’t believe this still gets printed, with on-line news sites cutting into traditional newspaper readership numbers (incl. CT), why would they bother with the extra cost of printing and circulating this?

audacity of hope2:23 pm 10 Sep 11

Rawhide Kid. How did you do that? Tell us if it works.
Sure guys it is easy to pick them up and put them in the bin, but surely that just encourages more waste as the Chronicle reports its huge inflated readership

milkman said :

The Chronicle is easily the best source of news in Canberra.

Ummm….. RiotACT??

It gets delivered the day my bin goes out, so when I collect the bin, the chronicle, plastic, paper and all, goes into the bottom of my garbage bin, an makes a great bin liner.

Rawhide Kid Part312:16 pm 10 Sep 11

molongloid said :

Chronicle want to quote a large circulation to advertisers. Deliverers want to get their job done quickly without having to refer to a list. It’d probably take regulation and enforcement of such.

Just sent the Canberra Times aka The Chronicle a Cease and Desist request.

gentoopenguin11:34 am 10 Sep 11

Hubby just had a good idea – write “return to sender” on the plastic with a marker, then put in the nearest Australia Post Box. Chronicle doesn’t care about little people it annoys but it might care if Australia Post comes knocking.

gentoopenguin11:27 am 10 Sep 11

Agreed. I don’t read the damned thing but they get chucked in the bushes out the front and I have to go fish them out. We have a “no unsolicited mail” sticker on our postbox but this does nothing. We also get dominos pizza flyers too.

Saintly said :

As the OP I would like to make it clear that the photo shown is not my property (as acknowledged by JB #3). Due to a few of the comments I feel the need to explain that my issue is not with The Chronicle as a printed publication or the effort it takes to bin it.

I have taken the time (again and again) to ask for it not to be delivered to my property. I personally try to create as little rubbish as possible and I find throwing out paper and plastic that not only have I not asked for, but have repeatedly asked not to have, is a little frustrating.

I have a battleaxe property with the end of the driveway between two street frontage houses and the neighbours use my driveway getting their cars in an out – so by the time I get to The Chronicle (so I can bin it) it has often been driven over a few times and if we have had rain you can imagine the sodden mess that is left.

The fount of my house faces a walk way and large grass area where there is often discarded litter which I also pick up and place in my bin. I do not see a lot of difference between the littering of lazy pedestrians to the Chronicle deliver throwing paper wrapped in plastic on my driveway especially since I have taken the effort to explain that the delivery is not wanted.

I like the idea of being able to confront the person doing the delivery but as I don’t have a porch facing the street where I could sit on a rocking chair with a shotgun across my lap waiting for the next Chronicle to come flying through the air, I guess I can only hope that the system The Chronicle has put in place will work one day. Or legislation is changed and they are fined for littering but that could end the publication, which is not what I am seeking – just to end it at my place.

I am sure you are in your legal right to demand they respect your ‘No junk mail’ request. Google let me down when I tried to find out how to enforce this though.

I did come across this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8326992@N08/2763560787/

As the OP I would like to make it clear that the photo shown is not my property (as acknowledged by JB #3). Due to a few of the comments I feel the need to explain that my issue is not with The Chronicle as a printed publication or the effort it takes to bin it.

I have taken the time (again and again) to ask for it not to be delivered to my property. I personally try to create as little rubbish as possible and I find throwing out paper and plastic that not only have I not asked for, but have repeatedly asked not to have, is a little frustrating.

I have a battleaxe property with the end of the driveway between two street frontage houses and the neighbours use my driveway getting their cars in an out – so by the time I get to The Chronicle (so I can bin it) it has often been driven over a few times and if we have had rain you can imagine the sodden mess that is left.

The fount of my house faces a walk way and large grass area where there is often discarded litter which I also pick up and place in my bin. I do not see a lot of difference between the littering of lazy pedestrians to the Chronicle deliver throwing paper wrapped in plastic on my driveway especially since I have taken the effort to explain that the delivery is not wanted.

I like the idea of being able to confront the person doing the delivery but as I don’t have a porch facing the street where I could sit on a rocking chair with a shotgun across my lap waiting for the next Chronicle to come flying through the air, I guess I can only hope that the system The Chronicle has put in place will work one day. Or legislation is changed and they are fined for littering but that could end the publication, which is not what I am seeking – just to end it at my place.

milkman said :

The Chronicle is easily the best source of news in Canberra.

My guinea pig reads it avidly in his cage, every week.

The Chronicle is easily the best source of news in Canberra.

Rachie303 said :

I know I’m probably missing the point, but every thursday when I bring the empty bin back in, I pick up the paper in pop it in. It really is quite simple.

Its also quite simple to just hit ‘delete’ when you see a viagra email or someone offering you a $1200 saving on photoshop. The fact that some people speak out actively against spam while others simply accept it and delete it, doesnt mean that the first group of people should just give in and follow the masses.

Wait for me to walk past with the dog and I’ll pick them all up and put them in your bin. Lazy messy work shy are words that come to mind when I see that.

LSWCHP said :

Hey Watson, you remind me of me! There I was only yesterday morning, barefoot and clad in my bathrobe frantically wheeling the bins down the wet and freezing driveway so that they’d make it to the kerb before the trucks.

I’m glad I”m not the only one. Maybe we should start a club. 🙂

That would require way too much organisation!

(And my apologies for misspelling kerb! NESB is my excuse as always.)

Innovation said :

00davist said :

johnboy said :

viewed in a certain way it is a breathtaking act of littering.

Yep, especially when the delivery kid decides to throw a wad of them in the scrub, to save time having to deliver them!

Don’t you live in Braidwood? Isn’t it called the Canberra Chronicle? I was going to suggest moving over the border but it looks like that doesn’t work either?

Mate, Been here for 6 months, came from Canberra before that!

Not to mention 5 days a week I walk through Braddon to get to work, and see enough bloody chronicles left lying around to build a paper make ark!

screaming banshee8:53 pm 09 Sep 11

You could always take the delivery job and not deliver one to yourself…sounds like it could be easier than trying stop it by contacting them.

Watson said :

Always love the comments of The Organised. Sure, I could and possibly should pick them up and bin them when I put the bins out or in. But that would only work if I remembered to put the bins out the night before instead of racing out – half-dressed and barefoot – when I hear the truck pass in the early morning….

Hey Watson, you remind me of me! There I was only yesterday morning, barefoot and clad in my bathrobe frantically wheeling the bins down the wet and freezing driveway so that they’d make it to the kerb before the trucks.

I’m glad I”m not the only one. Maybe we should start a club. 🙂

The Antichrist said :

Rachie303 said :

I know I’m probably missing the point, but every thursday when I bring the empty bin back in, I pick up the paper in pop it in. It really is quite simple.

Exactly. How hard can it be ? I cannot believe the laziness of some punters, who would rather sit at a keyboard and spend 5 minutes typing up a whinge, instead of just throwing the damn thing in the bin.

I don’t think the issue a lot of people have is the effort it takes to put it in the bin, but that there would be literally tens of thousands of unread copies of the Chronicle being dumped every week. That’s a hell of a lot of waste.

Always love the comments of The Organised. Sure, I could and possibly should pick them up and bin them when I put the bins out or in. But that would only work if I remembered to put the bins out the night before instead of racing out – half-dressed and barefoot – when I hear the truck pass in the early morning. It usually continues with me having to drag the bin to the other side of the street to leave it on the neighbour’s curb when I realise the truck has already done my side of the street. Where it then stays for the next 24hrs until I finally remember to get it back and praise myself lucky that the neighbours didn’t confiscate it. And you think I’m going to remember to pick up the Chronicle?

Or drops the whole lot at the paper recycling depot at Philip.

Felix the Cat7:14 pm 09 Sep 11

I’ve got the opposite problem! I like reading The Chronicle but it never gets delivered, presumably because I have a No Junk Mail sign on my letterbox. I can’t be bothered ringing up to ask if I can be put on the list, when I remember I just pick one up when I go shopping.

The Antichrist6:42 pm 09 Sep 11

Rachie303 said :

I know I’m probably missing the point, but every thursday when I bring the empty bin back in, I pick up the paper in pop it in. It really is quite simple.

Exactly. How hard can it be ? I cannot believe the laziness of some punters, who would rather sit at a keyboard and spend 5 minutes typing up a whinge, instead of just throwing the damn thing in the bin.

You could move to my house. I haven’t had one delivered in about 6 months, and I didn’t have to even ask!

00davist said :

johnboy said :

viewed in a certain way it is a breathtaking act of littering.

Yep, especially when the delivery kid decides to throw a wad of them in the scrub, to save time having to deliver them!

Don’t you live in Braidwood? Isn’t it called the Canberra Chronicle? I was going to suggest moving over the border but it looks like that doesn’t work either?

Just put up a big sign that says “NO Chronicle or I WILL HURT YOU”

grunge_hippy4:42 pm 09 Sep 11

our delivery guy doesn’t even pause, let alone stop to see if there is a no junk mail sign. Just tosses it from the window of his car as he screams past.

Rachie303 said :

I know I’m probably missing the point, but every thursday when I bring the empty bin back in, I pick up the paper in pop it in. It really is quite simple.

Yep you are.

johnboy said :

viewed in a certain way it is a breathtaking act of littering.

Yep, especially when the delivery kid decides to throw a wad of them in the scrub, to save time having to deliver them!

viewed in a certain way it is a breathtaking act of littering.

Chronicle want to quote a large circulation to advertisers. Deliverers want to get their job done quickly without having to refer to a list. It’d probably take regulation and enforcement of such.

Some mischievous part of me likes the idea of a mass dumping of chronicles on their doorstep (a facebook group and event called “dump on your doorstep day” or something). But really, I’ll just bin it and move on. Bigger worries.

I know I’m probably missing the point, but every thursday when I bring the empty bin back in, I pick up the paper in pop it in. It really is quite simple.

Our Chronicle is conveniently delivered on the day the wheelie bin goes out.

James_ said :

I paid the kid delivering it $10 once and it stopped untill a new kid started.

That’s the thing – it depends on the deliverer and how much notice they take of the signs on the letterbox and the instructions from the Chronicle.

Thoroughly Smashed2:54 pm 09 Sep 11

I was going to suggest maybe collecting them for a year and then dumping them on the Chronicle’s office door.

But that would require you to pick them up.

Photo added by me.

I find spring to be the worst time for Old Lawnkiller as you head out with the mower after winter to realise you’ve got 20+ papers piled up.

I can sympathise with you, that looks like the front of my yard

I agree – i have attempted to do the same jumping through every hoop they put infront of me, plus im getting sick of unwrapping the dam paper from the plastic to seperate it in the recycling.

I paid the kid delivering it $10 once and it stopped untill a new kid started.

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