I never expected to open mail from an Alumni Association, and find an advertisement for car insurance. However, that is exactly what I found in my mailbox today. It was unexpected.
Every once in a while, I get some kind of mail from the Alumni Association where I got my B.S. in Education several years ago. Sometimes, they send me a magazine like newsletter, that describes what some of the other people who graduated from the same university as me are up to now. I see marriage announcements of people I do not know. I am informed about the awesome job opportunities that people who also attended this university have managed to obtain. This always makes me feel as though I have somehow failed, since I have not been anywhere near successful as some of these people. There is information about reunions, (which I have no desire to attend), and details about trips I can take to exotic places with other Alumni, (for a price).
Everything I get from the Alumni Association includes a request that I send them money. It bothers me a little that the money I gave them for tuition, books, lab fees, art supplies, and room and board for more than four years, is something they consider to be insufficient. It bothers me a lot that despite the fact that I never signed up for the Alumni Association, they keep sending me mail. It greatly troubles me that they continue to do so, even after I moved halfway across the country, despite the fact that I never updated my address with them.
The car insurance advertisement I got from my Alumni Association was unexpected. “How could your membership save you hundreds of dollars?”, it asked. Further down the page, the text read, “You could save hundreds.” This ad tells me that Alumni Association members could receive savings up to 8% on auto insurance. It shows the website I can go to, as well as the phone number I can call if I want to take advantage of this offer.
This piece of mail was talking about an auto insurance company that I had heard the name of before, and I was familiar with their commercials. The fine print on the bottom of the ad has a link I should go to if I do not want to get more mail from this insurance company. So, the Alumni Association that I never signed up for has decided to go ahead and sign me up to receive unwanted mail from a car insurance company. This does not inspire me to send any money to my former university.
image by _e.t on Flickr