polk lists and gov't rules

[mark vandersteeg]

does anyone know what the legal restrictions are as far as the use of "polk" lists or lists purchased from the d.m.v. to solicit business for service sales? (i am in michigan).

[MBailey]

Mark,

The laws on this vary greatly state by state. In Texas, the state legislature recently enacted an "opt out" policy whereby consumers can keep their names off all DMV mailing lists. Polk, albeit the biggest and baddest in the land, is notoriously outdated, no matter what the rep who uses their list might tell you. A DMV list which is "cross-referenced" (aka: purged) monthly is the most effective, if you can get it in Michigan. For conquest mailings, TVI is an excellent source for DMV records, and I believe they do business in Michigan. Hope this helps - if you need anything else, reach me at the info listed.

[Derek Vertin]

I work for Polk and I think there needs to be some clarification. Federal legislation was passed in June of 2000, often referred to as the Shelby Amendment, which forbids the use of state-supplied (DMV) registration records for household direct marketing purposes. Unless the data supplied is self-reported (opt in), federal law prohibits the use of DMV data for the service initiative you describe (this includes all states, not just Texas and Michigan).

While the Texas or Michigan DMV may still supply this information to businesses, it is important to know that using it for mailing is in violation of Federal laws. A prospective buyer who is marketed to based upon this type of data can report the mailing party to authorities which can result in stiff fines (or worse).

Polk-supplied lists to dealers are cleansed to ensure only self-reported or "grandfathered" registration data is included. Hope this helps.

[mark vandersteeg]

exactly the information i was looking for.....thanks!!!