After opening my mail this morning, I was annoyed enough to fire off an e-mail to the Quality Paperback Book Club. (They don't normally annoy me; in fact, I usually enjoy browsing their catalog over breakfast, but not this time.) Then it occurred to me: not only could I e-mail them but I could post the e-mail here, giving anyone else this may have ticked off the opportunity to copy and paste (and modify as you see fit, of course), send off your own e-mail, and join me in my joust with this particular windmill.

The letter:

I enjoy QPB. However, I was quite irked when I opened my latest catalog to find emblazoned across the front, "We're killing more trees to bring you a BIGGER, BETTER CATALOG!" Perhaps this was an attempt at levity, but I don't see the humor in destroying more trees, especially at a time when we should be making every effort to become more environmentally responsible.

I neither needed nor wanted a "bigger, better catalog," and while I can only speak for myself, I'm sure that others might also welcome the opportunity to have less paper involved in interactions with QPB.

You offer the option of responding to this month's main selections online, yet the catalogs go out to everyone regardless of whether or not we've already responded. Why not offer members the option to not receive the catalog mailings if they prefer to enjoy QPB online? At least one music service does this type of paperless monthly selection process, and it works quite well. I would imagine it also saves a great deal of postage and printing costs for the company.

How about it?

Labels: Subversive Ideas

13 August, 2006