This may be a little off the wall but it has yielded good results for me in my efforts to reduce bandit signs.
First I always call the number on the bandit sign and tell them exactly what my community feels about their plastic signs. I try and stay civil unless they really get offensive with me.
If I continue to see signs from the same business being posted I call the business and get their fax number. You can usually ask whoever answers the phone for this information as your boss told you to fax over some documents. Also if the company has a website you might find a fax number. Reverse lookup on the Internet can also work.
I have prepared a lengthy document that includes all the local laws regarding signs and the enforcement of violations. It runs several pages. I wait until late at night and go into my computer and it only takes a couple of minutes to pop in the phone number and start the fax on its way. I go back to watching television.
If the first phone call and the fax don't bring any results, I have a longer personalized fax that refers to their specific sign and points out what is illegal about using utility poles etc for free advertising. Again after business hours I send this fax.
Finally if all the above fails I use my digital camera to take a picture of the illegal sign and insert that into my document in two or three places. Again it doesn't take a lot of time once you get the hang of it. Now I have an even longer document that I fax to the business. They can see their sign, read the laws and make a decision about continuing the illegal activity.
If you do this don't forget to edit out your name and telephone number when your computer fax program asks for the Transmitting Subscriber Identification or TSID. Also you don't need a cover sheet unless you want to spoof your name and number. Also you should use a phone with caller ID blocking. Windows XP Pro offers a free fax program and most modems come with free basic fax programs.
I like this as it takes very little time, usually wastes the companies fax paper, gets my message across without having them hang up in my face and it is free for local numbers.
I don't recommend you try this as I am sure if it is done to excess the phone company will get involved and you are probably violating some kind of harassment law.
I have found that these trash operations usually don't complain to anyone and simply go to another part of the city to post signs.
One final thought for national companies or their branches go on the Internet and write the CEO of the company as a stock holder and tell them you don't appreciate their advertising methods.

Interesting approach!

You can also print several sheets of paper with really dark ink - make them completely black. Tape them together in a loop that runs through your fax machine and send it. It will use up their paper and toner on the other end. It used to wear out the old thermal faxes.

DenverShark

>Interesting approach!
>
>You can also print several sheets of paper with really dark
>ink - make them completely black. Tape them together in a
>loop that runs through your fax machine and send it. It will
>use up their paper and toner on the other end. It used to
>wear out the old thermal faxes.
>
>DenverShark
>


A college roommate of mine used to call this a "Night Train"!!!

Of course, always done after business hours.

I do NOT condone this...however, it would be funny to do to someone who really deserves it.

Win XP Home also has a fax utility, in the Accessories > Communications > Fax menu. It imports your name and e-mail by default, but you can remove them if you'd like.

Very ingenious use of fax. Sending copy of ordinances is a good idea.

However, there have been quite a few prosecutions of people sending unsolicited faxes. I think a company here in Dallas that was promoting box seats via fax brodcasts for the Dallas Cowboys got fined $500,000. It is a federal law and apparently has fairly low threshhold for proof. I would certainly avoid anything that might be considered harassment.

Newbie (not)

Newbie (not)

>Very ingenious use of fax. Sending copy of ordinances is a good idea.>
<snip>
>I would certainly avoid anything that might be considered harassment.

>Newbie (not)


I have to agree with Newbie on this one. It hasn’t been all that long ago that I well remember my fax going off in the middle of the night, almost every night with unsolicited fax spam. Being in the business that I am, and doing business across ten different time zones, it wasn’t conducive to good business practices to turn the fax off at night.

It took about ten months for the TX legislature to pass a law that had enough teeth in law to bring this abuse under control. There are numerous states that have similar laws which are basically “no trespassing” type laws. In TX you can get hit with a double whammy, from both state and federal.

The primary scope of CAUSS is to remove street spam. And – Yes, we know, there are some controversial actions being used out there to stop the continued spamming. Fighting fire with fire on the street corners is one thing, use of fax machines to get one’s point across, is an entirely different matter.

CAUSS has always taken the “high ground”. Let’s try to continue that method and keep it professional.

We truly appreciate everyone’s participation and support. Thanks.

GreatWhiite
Administrator

GW

From what I have read, most of the anti-fax laws were aimed at stopping the equivalent of junk mail.

That is, a business solicitation. Since you aren't trying to sell them anything, it wouldn't pass that test.

You may be right, in that particuliar area.
But - it doesn't pass the CAUSS test for maintaining the "high" ground.

GW

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GW