Future Gringo is my phone book hating soul brother in Denver. He’s been covering his frustrations on this topic since 2007 on his blog. Here’s a sample from his latest rant that was inspired by Dex Yellow Pages carpet bombing his 9-unit townhouse complex with 9 sets of four books to each unit (36 books!):

:: future gringo :: » Hey More Phone Books

Before going to work I did some scouting:

Three phone book packages were in the recycle bin, including mine thrown in just after I took this photo.

One bag was in the dumper.

Three were still on the doorsteps. (One unit is vacant, so that counts as trash.)

Two must have been brought inside, because I didn’t see them out back or on the steps.

Maybe the two unaccounted for ended up being hand-delivered back to Dex’s local office? One can hope.

Dex’s Blatant Local Business Abuse

Here’s the deal: James unsubscribed from Dex’s phone books last year (March 2008). He blogged about it.

Even after investing his time into unsubscribing from print directories he never requested in the first place, he received another set.

This is a Local Business Issue

Sure, there is a consumer side to this issue. James is sick of the litter.

Sure, there is an environmental site. Why waste resources printing, delivering, and disposing of products that are not used?

But the bigger issue here is how local businesses are getting screwed by Dex and other yellow pages companies who refuse to honor opt-out lists. Local businesses are covering the costs of printing, delivering and disposal of yellow pages that are never used. That’s money local business could be using to hire another employee, improve their property, or advertise somewhere that doesn’t piss off consumers while hurting the environment.

Yellow Pages industry spokesperson, Amy Healy (who eats yellow pages for breakfast), claims her industry is capable of self-regulation. This is a clear example that proves they’re incapable of doing so. Without a penalty for not honoring do-not-deliver lists, what incentive do yellow pages companies have to treat consumers – and local business’ dollars – with respect?

How Many Phone Books Will I Receive This Year?

It’s probably clear by now that I’m not a fan of print directory spam from phone book companies. I’ve unsubscribed from every phone book company that delivers to my home. I’ve let the industry know in no uncertain terms that I do not find their directories valuable.

My home is “served” by three companies. How many do you think will delivery to my home in 2009? None? 1? 2? 3? I’ve added a poll over on the lower right corner. Share your guess there.

When they start showing up (seriously, I have no faith in this industry to treat their advertisers with respect by only delivering to people who plan to use their directories), they’ll hear about it.