7 On Your Side stops unwanted paper delivery

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The San Francisco Examiner delivers newspapers to homes around the Bay Area, but many say it is a nuisance they cannot prevent. 7 On Your Side spoke to one woman who was really frustrated by it.

It's one thing to order a product and not get it. What if you don't want something and you get it anyway? This woman says the piled up newspapers attract burglars and she couldn't stop them from coming, so she asked 7 On Your Side to give it a try.

Twice each week, the Examiner lands on the driveway of Anna Lai's home and her neighbors' homes too.

"There is nothing I can do about the paper," Lai says.

The Examiner delivers the paper free and unsolicited to homes all over the city and peninsula. Lai says it's a problem.

"It is going to pile up and then it is a sign that says, 'Hey, nobody is at home, come rob us,'" Lai says.

She can't leave town without worrying the abandoned newspapers will invite burglars.

"I have to ask my nice neighbor next door to come pick it up for me or ask my son who lives in another part of the city to come pick it up," Lai says.

She says she's been calling and emailing the paper for five years, but can't get it to stop and she is not alone.

The San Carlos City Council heard complaints the papers litter sidewalks, clog storm drains and tip off burglars. Now San Carlos may ban delivery of any unwanted publications, but Lai doesn't live in San Carlos.

She got more frustrated and contacted 7 On Your Side. We contacted the Examiner and it would not comment. Instead it referred us to its own article about the complaints in San Carlos. An executive was quoted as saying: "We strive to serve our readers in the best way possible, whether that means promptly starting or stopping our free home-delivery service."

However, after our calls, someone at the examiner listened. Lai came out of her house the other day to find nothing in the driveway.

The paper finally stopped delivery and Lai got a letter of apology. It promised a change is coming soon.

That letter said the Examiner's circulation department is under new leadership, and it promised quick response to requests for delivery or no delivery.

San Carlos is still considering a law to impose a $100 fine on anyone delivering unwanted publications.