The Bereavement Register

If someone you know has died recently or even years ago, The Bereavement Register® can help reduce the amount of direct mail sent to their address, stopping painful daily reminders.

Unless companies are informed of a death, they will continue to send promotional mailings about their products and services. By registering with this free service, the names and addresses of the deceased are removed from mailing lists, stopping most direct mail within as little as six weeks.

The Bereavement Register was formed in 2000 to help put a stop to direct mail sent after someone has died.

Originally formed in 1991, the company was founded on a single principle - to clean-up the Direct Marketing industry by enabling companies to rid their databases of out of date and inaccurate information.

After successfully launching The Gone Away Suppression file, Mark Roy, founder and Chief Executive of The REaD Group plc, turned his attention to the problem of mail continuing to be sent to the deceased.

"I understand first hand the distress caused to bereaved families when direct mail is received after a person has died.  I continued to receive mail addressed to my wife Sarah months after her death.  This was upsetting for me but especially for our young children," explains Mark. "I was in the perfect position to do something about it and subsequently launched The Bereavement Register®."

The service is now used to screen over 70% of all direct mail sent within the UK.

Why is it important?

On average a deceased person will continue to receive 80 items of direct mail during the first twelve months following their death. With upwards of 575,000 people dying annually in the UK (based on current ONS figures); this amounts to a massive 46 million pieces of unnecessary direct mail every year.

Since its inception, REaD UK estimates that The Bereavement Register® has stopped upwards of half-a-billion items of post being sent to the deceased. As well as assisting grieving relatives and friends at what is a very difficult time. The service also reduces the environmental impact of the production, delivery and waste generated by undeliverable direct mail. 

How does the service work?
Once you have registered the details of a deceased person, the information is entered into a secure data bank. Any company wishing to mail details of their products and services can check their mailing list against the information held on The Bereavement Register®. If they find any matches they will remove the deceased's details and stop sending them marketing communication, they are obliged to do this by law.

Is there a charge for using the service?
No, the service is free of charge for the bereaved and The Bereavement Register® leaflet distributors. The Direct marketing companies pick up the costs when they subscribe to use the information we collect to update their mailing lists.

FAQs

Will you be using the information I provide for any other purpose?
Definitely not. The Bereavement Register® is prevented from using the information collected for anything other than the purpose for which it was originally obtained i.e. for removing the names of the deceased from mailing lists.

Why do you need my name and address as well?
This is purely so we can ensure the accuracy of the information provided; it helps us to establish exactly where the registered information has come from. Your personal details will not be used for any other purpose.

How long does the service take to work?
You should see a significant reduction in the amount of mail received within six weeks and virtually no mail at all within six months. If you do continue to receive unsolicited addressed mail after the initial six weeks you are welcome to forward it onto The Bereavement Register® at the FREEPOST address so we can contact them on your behalf.

Can I put a stop to mail being sent to someone even if they died many years ago?
Yes, the service will work no matter how long ago a person passed away. Simply complete the registration in the normal way.

Will the service stop telephone calls to the deceased?
You may see a reduction in the amount of telephone calls to the deceased's telephone number. This is because companies that subscribe to the service which practice telemarketing, as well as direct marketing, will identify the person as deceased and stop all forms of marketing, including telephone calls. However, if the deceased continues to receive telemarketing calls after six weeks we recommend you register the number with the Telephone Preference Service by visiting www.tpsonline.org.uk or calling 0845 070 0707. This is a free service offered by the Direct Marketing Association.

 The Bereavement Register®, FREEPOST, Sevenoaks, TN13 1XR. Remember, there is no need for a stamp.

To Register online please go to the following link.

http://www.the-bereavement-register.org.uk