Stamp out Goldenpages printed directories

Random

It shouldn't be "opt out if you don't want this lump of paper on your doorstep that you have to pay to dispose of" - it should be "opt in!!!!"

MOH

Notogoldenpages wrote: »

They are useless, ask youself when was the last time you used one?? Nearly everyone uses the internet.

Eh, no. They don't.

Jumpy

I can tear them in half.

mikemac

When NTL sent me junkmail with FREEPOST address, I use my telephone directory to post to them

I keep the Golden Pages, they're invaluable.
Seriously OP, not everyone knows how to use the internet or even has access to the internet. Ever been to rural Ireland?

Jumpy wrote: »

I can tear them in half.

Impressive :cool:

Cabaal

I believe they sghould only be supplied to people on request

Zamboni

I think the OP has a point. It is a shocking waste of paper.
I hate GP directories almost as much as crap newsletters from a church in my area.

craichoe

http://www.paperlesspetition.org/

Cabaal

craichoe wrote: »

http://www.paperlesspetition.org/

doesn't appear to cover Ireland at all

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Cabaal wrote: »

doesn't appear to cover Ireland at all

+1

air

Hi guys,
I decided to dig this up as I recently got my phone book / golden pages through my letterbox again. I dont have a landline and never requested the book. I took the books to the recycling centre last year.

I've sent an email to truvo which I'm pretty confident is never going to be replied to. Anyway my own solution is that I'm going to personally deliver the phone book to their head office on Waterloo Road (with a large printed note saying "I never asked for this") as I'm often in that area.
I feel if a few thousand other people started doing this they might start to get the message.

eth0_

In a way I agree with the OP, but there are still a huge amount of people who use the goldenpages and don't use the internet.

I think it would be better if you could opt-out of receiving the book.

air

eth0_ wrote: »

In a way I agree with the OP, but there are still a huge amount of people who use the goldenpages and don't use the internet.

I think it would be better if you could opt-out of receiving the book.

I think a pallet of them in the local post office for a few weeks would be sufficient, the same way Argos do it. You pick it up if you want it.
They're a commercial company profiting directly from causing unnecessary waste, they derseve no sympathy IMO.

georgem25

air wrote: »

I think a pallet of them in the local post office for a few weeks would be sufficient, the same way Argos do it. You pick it up if you want it.

+1

ztoical

Notogoldenpages wrote: »

Have you had enough? Call Goldenpages now, not later, now 1800 20 20 20 and tell them you didn't ask for a directory and you don't want it.

I want it - Printmakers use yellowpages to wipe plates when printing etchings. I've stacks of the things in my studio right now, I tell all my family and friends to give me any ones they're finished with so if people don't want theirs I'll take them.

Dudess

egan007 wrote: »

Whether I think Sellafield should be closed down or the golden pages should be closed is irrelevant to my point. What I'm simply pointing out is that the OP has not thought about the consequences of an action. Such consequences will hinder their success.

Why should their success be a concern though? Times change, people change, business has to move in accordance with that.

Is 1000 people who have been working in Sellafield for 20 years and have little prospect of future employment, considered by the British government when deciding on Sellafield's future - you better believe it, it's one of the primary factors.

Doesn't make it correct though. There are certain truths that just have to be accepted as they are a reality of life - products become obsolete, businesses will close, jobs will be lost.

What's the point in trying to change something for the sake of it

The OP listed a number of reasons to support his assertion that Golden Pages is obsolete on a lot of levels - that's not trying to change something "for the sake of it".

drunkmonkey wrote: »

how about knocking all papers down to 3 days a week.....Tuesday, Friday and Sunday....not sure how it would effect our co2 emissions but it can't hurt...

There's still a huge market for newspapers though - I'd wager nearly every household wants a newspaper at the breakfast table and I doubt the number of households that require a Golden Pages directory is on a par with that.
It's predicted that newspapers will largely die out eventually.
We've a choice as to whether we want to purchase/avail of newspapers anyway...

seamus wrote: »

The vast majority of people still use the Golden Pages and not the web.

You can't see the big ads on goldenpages.ie - these often contain information on opening times and so forth.

Opening a book is 500 times faster than booting up your laptop, putting your password, waiting for everything to load, waiting for the network to connect....oh wait, no connection, reboot router....waiting for the network to connect, wait for IE to load, wait for goldenpages.ie to return 50 pages of irrelevant material

Aye, but most people know how to operate a telephone, and phoning Directory Enquiries is probably as fast as getting your Golden Pages, finding the correct page, skimming down to the number you want, then dialling it... in fact it's probably faster in some cases.

And it's also possible to narrow things down more now - e.g. the "Thai restaurant in Cork" or whatever option.

mumhaabu

I love the way these environmental nazis are always trying to ban everything, what nutters. The Golden pages are invaluable and should not be got rid of, the majority of rural Ireland has no internet access unless you count 9600bits crappy dialup.

Paper can be recycled and who cares it is a renewable resource, if these directorys were using up valuable Oil I'd be concerned.

We should concentrate on getting more important things like more Landfill, Offshore Drilling and getting rid of the Co2 based tax. God gave us the world and we can do what we want with it.

Dudess

This is Consumer Issues: not a platform for your "wahey, I'm da man cuz I'm really anti environmentalist and I support Sarah Palin [yeah, sure you do]" rants...

Great idea OP.

Cabaal

the op's idea is sound, however perhaps with some changes, don't outlaw them completely but have pickup points...if people want them they can pick one up but they need to stop giving them to every bloody house with a phone line.

The one I received is still wrapped in plastic and I use it to flatten down my recyclable items before I bin them, when it starts to fall apart its going to join those items....

seamus

Dudess wrote: »

Aye, but most people know how to operate a telephone, and phoning Directory Enquiries is probably as fast as getting your Golden Pages, finding the correct page, skimming down to the number you want, then dialling it... in fact it's probably faster in some cases.

And it's also possible to narrow things down more now - e.g. the "Thai restaurant in Cork" or whatever option.

I dunno, it might be just me, but I'd rather be presented with a list of options instead of asking someone on the phone for the number of a thai restaurant in Cork and having them pick it for me.

Directory Enquiries is great if you know exactly who you need a number for, but not great if you're looking for a specific service. IMO, anyway.

Hitchhiker's Guide to...

mumhaabu wrote: »

I love the way these environmental nazis are always trying to ban everything, what nutters. The Golden pages are invaluable and should not be got rid of, the majority of rural Ireland has no internet access unless you count 9600bits crappy dialup.

Paper can be recycled and who cares it is a renewable resource, if these directorys were using up valuable Oil I'd be concerned.

We should concentrate on getting more important things like more Landfill, Offshore Drilling and getting rid of the Co2 based tax. God gave us the world and we can do what we want with it.

lol. thread has been godwin'ed

Mr E

I was away for the weekend (since Friday), and a new Golden Pages had been left outside the door. The bag was wet, so it had been there a while. It says "Hey burglars ... nobody home... come and check this place out".

I think you should be able to opt out of the Golden Pages - I never use them. I always look up a number online if I have to.

ejmaztec

With the current trend of businesses closing down at an alarming rate, it will be re-named "The Golden Page" and be much less of a problem.

rubadub

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Consider it as Its an annual free fire log dilivered to your doorstep

There was a guy in the US who signed up for all sorts of junk mail on purpose, he had a big wood burner heating all his house and used all the junk as free fuel. Hope he gave the postie a good tip at christmas!

seamus wrote: »

And having a golden pages on your doorstep for a few hours is not going to convince scumbags that the house is empty. They just leave it on the doorstep even if you're at home. That's possibly the weakest argument I've seen in a long time.

I presume it is when people are away on holidays, rather than a few hours. I take them off my neighbours doorstep when they are away, and they do mine. I collect the normal post off the floor in my parents house if they are away, for the same reason.

seamus wrote: »

Your request is ridiculous. A bit like saying that all newspapers should be closed down cos shure you can get your news on the web now.

You would have the same issue if people left free metros on your doorstep everyday, if they were so big as not to fit in the letterbox.

Wertz

So OP what should we do then...everyone pay through the nose for premium lines to directory inquiries (11890, 11811 etc)?
F*ck that. Bad enough having to pay for the phone calls themselves.

Although I do agree with you about the issue of actually dumping 6lbs of paper on your doorstep...a system should definitely be brought in where a postcard is delivered with your post telling you that you can claim your new directory at the local sorting office should you so choose or that you can arrange delivery.

cuckoo

Wertz wrote: »

Although I do agree with you about the issue of actually dumping 6lbs of paper on your doorstep...a system should definitely be brought in where a postcard is delivered with your post telling you that you can claim your new directory at the local sorting office should you so choose or that you can arrange delivery.

+1.

There's a lot of 'but...think of the rural areas' in this thread - instead of golden pages paying a distribution company to drop the the phone books into houses they could pay the local postoffice to store a pile of them to be collected by people who want them. It'd be a bit of an earner for the local post office, and could help keep it open.

jor el

I think the The Golden Pages is quite useful, and wouldn't want to see it stopped. It's just one book, once a year, and when I'm finished with it, it doesn't take up much room in the recycle bin.

Far more irritating is the constant stream of leaflets, newspapers, property pages and fake charity stickers that comes through the letter box.

Wertz

jor el wrote: »

Far more irritating is the constant stream of leaflets, newspapers, property pages and fake charity stickers that comes through the letter box.

Seriously.
Went downstairs this morning and some kind soul had jammed 2 free papers in my letterbox leaving the freezing north wind to flow into my hallway. Not a nice feeling at 7am.
Fake charity stickers....getting on average 8 a week. They stopped providing free bin bags though :pac:

Whatever about carbon footprints associated with heavy paper directories, at least the GP only arrives once a year...I'd say over the course of the year my address receives almost the same volume in other superfluous paper products...add to this the fuel used in their daily distribution and you're left with a much bigger footprint than the golden pages, and for less useful paper.

BTW whatever happened to directories on optical disc? Maybe firing one of these in the letter box would salve the green conscience of some on this thread...

humanji

I agree with Egan007 on this. The OP has a good concept but hasn't thought it through at all. There are many people who want or need the Golden Pages. The opt-in idea seems to be the best solution offered.

rubadub

The distribution/delivery must cost them a lot too. People said post a notice for collection, but I find it hard to make it to a post office.

Why not pay supermarkets to hold them for 1-2 months every year, or just give them a free advert to hold them, like a big tesco logo on the front if they hold them in the store. Then it would be like argos, if you want 2 for whatever reason you take 2, just a big pallet with them at the door. Most people are going to be able to make it to the supermarket within that time. Then collect the rest and recycle them, maybe leave a few in some post offices at that stage.

I worked in a hospital and it seems they give out a independent directory to each and every room, dunno how they decide on what a "household" is, I guessed maybe each room has an official address or something. Anyway we had a huge pallet of these directories, I used to get a burgerking voucher out of one every single day!

Dord

pinkypinky wrote: »

The Goldenpages online is not a brilliant search engine. I have searched for things I knew to be in there by their exact name and not found them. Until they improve it, I'll stick to the paper version.

The reason why is that it costs extra for advertisers. We cancelled our ad on goldenpages.ie a while back, it was going up each year and getting to be ridiculous money for a very small ad.

I don't agree with stopping the Golden Pages though. It's a valuable resource for a lot of people.
Not every company has a web presence and not every person has internet access or knows how to use a computer!