Nowadays, more and more companies seem to be bombarding us with unsolicited mail. It's shocking how our personal details get into the hands of these companies, eg my husband reached the big 5-0 in February and since then, he has been inundated with invites to join funeral planning!

What are these companies playing at? My husband may be 50, but according to them, he now has one foot in the grave! As for me - I frequently receive pre-printed forms, which congratulate me, as I have been allegedly pre-approved for the most wonderful credit card in the world!

Each time we purchase an item and provide our personal details to the retailer, unless we tick the box situated within the extremely small print, the majority will sell on our information to third parties, hence the unsolicited mail.

The most frustrating thing is that with the junk mail that my husband and I used to receive, we never had any association with any of the companies concerned, yet they knew quite a lot about us.

Furthermore, as we are all continually being advised to recycle and should only print documents from our computers if absolutely necessary, these companies are simply generating more and more paper that will no doubt be tossed into our recycling bins and shredders!! I would become increasingly frustrated at the amount of junk mail that was regularly landing on my mat.

I was saddened and quite annoyed to recently read a review on dooyoo where a member had suffered a bereavement and had consequently received some distressing junk mail. I feel some of these companies use ruthless tactics and target the most vulnerable of people.

I can vividly recall the junk mail my first husband and I received when we rented our first home when I was 20 years old (sadly, a rather long time ago!). I shall not mention the company concerned, but will advise that they personally wrote to me on a weekly basis offering me money at an astronomical APR. They even sent sales representatives to my home as I had failed to respond to any of their unsolicited junk!

Whilst I am able to stick up for myself these days, I was very quiet back then and wouldn't complain. However, my Dad contacted the company concerned and was shocked to be informed that they "target poorer areas". Absolutely appalling!! A few years later, we bought a house in a totally different area, which companies then classed as a "richer area" and consequently, we were bombarded with junk mail for conservatories and extensions!!

Some of you may recall, a recent television programme highlighting the dangers of certain companies sending unsolicited mail whereby it was sent to older vulnerable people. Those concerned were receiving mailings informing them that they had been selected for a fantastic prize in return for a "small postage and packing fee". Sadly, one elderly gentleman had used all of his life savings in order to receive his "prizes", which in most cases, were simply cheap rubbish.

A month ago I reviewed on dooyoo, the Telephone Preference Service, an organisation where it is free to register your details. The Mailing Preference Service operates in a similar way and this review will give an overview of the excellent service that they offer.

The Mailing Preference Service was set up 20 years ago and is funded by the direct mail industry and its' purpose is to allow consumers to be able to remove their names and addresses from the lists used by thousands of companies who regularly send us junk or unsolicited mail.

It is free to register your details, which will be added to the Mailing Preference Service Consumer File. As per the British Code of Advertising, companies have to abide by the consumers' request and consequently, are not permitted to send you any unsolicited marketing material.

However, by adding your details to the list you will not be able to prevent mail from being sent to you from abroad, nor will you be able to prevent receiving mail from companies with whom you have an association. As most companies print their mail several months in advance, it can take up to four months before you will notice a significant different in the amount of unsolicited mail you are receiving.

Obviously, there are pro's and con's in joining the Mailing Preference Service, particularly as many charities use direct mailing as a method of communication to raise both awareness and funding. For genuine companies, direct mailing is a way of informing the consumers of their products and services.

However, in my opinion, if I want a product or service, I will carry out my own research. In fact, direct marketing in respect of the majority of companies creates the opposite effect with me as I will dig my heels in and definitely not use the company concerned.

With regards charities, I can totally understand and appreciate why they use this method. However, if you want to support a particular charity, you should contact them direct. Therefore, the fact that your details are registered with the Mailing Preference Service will then make no difference as you have an association with the charity concerned.

To prevent unsolicited mail, you can register your details on the website of the Mailing Preference Service; after which you will notice your unsolicited mail somewhat reducing. As previously stated, it can take up to four months to fully stop, but if after this timescale you are still receiving unwanted mail, you can complete the complaints form on the Mailing Preference Service website.

Another useful purpose for the Mailing Preference Service is that if your household is receiving mail in the name of a previous occupant. You simply register the recipient's details and the process operates in exactly the same way.

Unfortunately, your details will remain on the register only for a period of five years, so you need to remember to re-register after this time.

Both my husband and I registered our details approximately a year ago and we have noticed a considerable reduction in our mail. Consequently, my shredder doesn't have to work so hard these days!

You should be aware that the Mailing Preference Service can only assist with companies that specifically address mail to you. If you are receiving unaddressed mailings, you should contact The Direct Marketing Association UK, who also provide a service for you to opt-out of these mailings.

In my opinion, the Mailing Preference Service offers an excellent service and can relieve you (and the postman of course!) of the dozens upon dozens of unwanted letters. Consequently, they receive 5 out of 5 dooyoo stars from me.

I hope you found my review useful and I would thank you for reading.