Earlier today, I was talking with my staff about another case where a lettershop, with the help of a postal worker, falsified 3602 forms to show a larger quantity of mail had mailed than actually went out.
In my experience a lettershop or printer, with or without the help of a postal worker, will often mail only 1/4 or 1/2 of a mailing and pocket the rest of the postage money.
This is often done by comingling mail and using a variety of other strategies that would stretch an honest person's imagination.
How to make sure your mail gets delivered
More than 20 years ago I decided to make it a priority to protect my clients from being ripped off by lettershops and postal employees.
Long ago I developed a 7-point system that has proven to be very successful in guaranteeing that my clients' entire mailings actually get delivered to the post office.
So here are a couple of things to keep in mind if you are going to do a mail campaign.
First, don't ever just trust your 3602s. Always make sure that you have someone watch the mail go from the printer or lettershop to the postal system.
And second, even then don't trust that your mail has really made it out. Always make sure that your mailing lists are seeded nationally with unique decoy names.
And finally, choosing the cheapest lettershop is your greatest threat to ensuring that your mail is actually delivered.
If you would like a copy of my complete 7-point system, email me at inquire@cdmginc.com, I'll make sure you get a copy.