Names & Addresses Inc., Wheeling, IL, issued a warning this month to alert direct marketers to alleged misuse of the PGA Tour Partners Club mailing list by Trend Precision Golf and related companies.
As list manager of the PGA Tour Partners Club file, Names & Addresses sent the statement on behalf of the list owner, North American Membership Group Inc., Minneapolis. Trend Precision Golf, Irvine, CA, rented the PGA Tour list for one-time use in June 1998 for its All Sports & Collectibles offer. After this rental, North American documented several unauthorized uses of the list, said Margie Fuchs, membership acquisition director at North American.
Additionally, North American claims the file was rented under false pretenses by Murphee Oil Co., Norman, OK, and in turn was used for unauthorized direct mail solicitations by Warrior Custom Golf, Irvine, CA.
“We have been able to track back through analysis of decoy mailings that all the companies and/or product names are related in some way,” said Susan Bendel-Bridson, acquisition manager at North American.
Though telemarketing is not allowed on the PGA Tour file, PGA Tour member complaints alerted North American that Warrior Custom Golf, All Sports & Collectibles and True Lies were using the file for telemarketing, according to North American.
Trend Precision Golf declined comment on the matter. The most recent abuses of the PGA Tour file occurred last month, North American said. A cease and desist demand from North American had been issued before the latest incidents. Calls to Murphee Oil and Warrior were not returned.
North American declined to elaborate further on the allegations. There has been communication between North American and those alleged to have misused the file, but no resolution, Fuchs said.
