File this under... OH NO here he goes again...
Let me start by saying first off - I am NOT against going green, I am NOT against saving trees, and I am NOT against increasing productivity and time. With that said, lets review this brand new service...
It's called Zumbox. You can find it here:
http://beta.zumbox.com/home
The premise of this service is - that we can save money, time, trees, etc. by sending all of our "regular" US Postal mail by computer. In their "ingenious" business plan - since everyone (presumably) has a mailing address, and not everyone has an email address - they will accept your mail for you. All someone needs is your physical mailing address. They send it to the Zumbox server, to your mailing address. Then you can log on - and check your mail. That is the stuff that usually comes in your physical mailbox.
A quote from their homepage:
"If all U.S. households received and paid their bills electronically, the country would save 16.5 million trees annually. That’s the amount of the lumber needed for 216,054 single-family homes."
This may be a true statement... however...
Where the fuck do I start shooting holes in this stupid idea?
Idea: everyone has a mailing address, but does not have an email address.
Granted this is true - but think about it for a minute...
In this day and age, if they do not have an email address - odds are - THEY DO NOT HAVE A COMPUTER. So how are they going to get their mail? Go to the local library and use a public computer? Well that is much more convienient than going to your front door. Also, I would love to drop into the local Kinko's, paying by the minute to get copies of all of my bank statements, credit cards bills, etc. – one nice little cache pull by any employee with half a brain - could wipe me out in less than an hour. That’s secure.
Speaking of secure – my mail is sent to Zumbox, and it sits on their server… They want everyone to get their bills and statements sent to Zumbox… How long do you think it will take before the hacking community figures out that getting into one server is a goldmine? It makes them a huge target - I hope their biggest expenditure is SECURITY.
Idea: a convienient way to get mail and help the environment.
How is this convenient? It is basically ANOTHER email address I have to check. Someone sends me something – in my Zumbox. I have to GO TO THEIR SITE to get it. Also, anyone you send something to must have an account. So I can send them something, but then I have to follow up with a phone call, or A LETTER or AN EMAIL – to tell them that they have mail in their Zumbox.
Idea: you do not have to track email addresses, you just use the mailing address you already have on file.
Well, I for one WANT to track email addresses. Let me ask you what is easier to keep track of? Joe Schmoe, 123 anywhere drive, apartment 15, anywhere, XX 12345 – OR – Jschmoe@email.com? What is faster to type? What is easier to remember? I for one, know my major clients email addresses off the top of my head – their mailing address…. I have to look up. Now granted, I am not a huge corporation with thousands of clients. So ask the lowest level customer service representative for any company: Would you rather type or verify a mailing address - or an email address? I bet the shorter one wins.
Idea: get everyone to go paperless.
Quote from their site “Helping our environment, by transitioning to a paperless postal system.”
Directly below this line on this page:
“What Are the Best Ways to Tell my Recipients?”
“Place a Zumbox tag-line or logo on your invoices, statements, and other documents.” You know the items you already send them BY MAIL OR EMAIL.
“Place a Zumbox tag-line or logo on your envelopes.” Umm.. those things you mail stuff in?
“Send a letter, via the U.S. Postal Service, announcing the new paperless mail option to your mail recipients.” So MAIL A LETTER telling them they have the option to NOT GET A LETTER?
The long and short of it…
If a company does business with me on a regular basis – I am more than happy to provide them with my email address, just ask. If a company does not have my email address, it’s because I don’t want them to have it! If I do not want their email – I don’t want regular mail from them either! Every single one of my statements come digitally now anyway.
Let me clue this company in on something. Their idea has already been done – IT’S CALLED EMAIL!
So this is a method for someone to get me information who: 1. Cannot call me, 2. Does not have my email address, 3. Only has a physical mailing address, to send me their information… This too already has a name – it’s JUNK MAIL.
There is one thing I think this compnay is good for… I think that all companies who do not have a DIRECT relationship with an individual – should be FORCED to send their mail through this method. It will save a million trees with Bullshit Credit Card offers, life insurance, or magazine subscriptions to MY SINGLE ADDRESS ALONE!. I think any company that is sending UNSOLICITED mail – should be MANDATED to send it through this service. And heavily fined for violations of the mandate. I’ll intro it as the Mailing Environment Saving Statute Assesed Tariff - United States Postal Service (the MESS AT USPS). Save the trees, or pay extra for it! The government needs money – here’s a way to get it.
I keep my fireplace going all winter on just junkmail (ask anyone who knows me, I have not burned more than 5 pieces of wood in my fireplace in over a year…I have a fire going twice a week in the winter).
I think the best thing about this site is the signup… I figured ‘what the hell’ – let’s see if anyone “mailed” me anything. On the page you enter your name and address – then you simply check that agree to the terms of the service, and that you are who you say you are at the address you say… there is nothing else here. (I’m thinking wow, that’s secure). Well I get to the next page and they do have a very secure method of verifying you are who you say you are, at the address you say you’re at….
THEY MAIL YOU A PIN NUMBER THROUGH THE US POSTAL SERVICE.
