To thank-you note or not thank-you note?

In my day job, we purchased a mailing list for a prospect campaign. Purchasing lists gives me a wee bit of the heebie-jeebies just because we don't know for sure if someone filled out the survey that landed him on the list truthfully or let their two-year-old fill in the dots. But when it comes to getting your name out to people who don't know about you, sometimes buying a prospect list is the way to go. Anyway, as expected, a few people sent back the mailer asking to be taken off the list. This was much more appreciated than the people who sent back the blank forms, which our company had to pay postage for this time as well as when we use the list in the future. For the people who asked to be taken off the list, I'm happy to pay the postage to keep from wasting their time (and our money) in the future.

Because these people had taken the time to write a note asking me to remove their name, I wanted to make sure they knew I had done just that. So I wrote them a note thanking them for their time and letting them know I had personally removed their address. This could have two results:

1. It could be appreciated and the recipient wculd look favorably on the action as well as the brand I represent. Even if they aren't interested in the services now, perhaps they will remember this token when/if they are interested later.

2. It could be considered another waste of time/money/paper and the recipient could consider it a blatant disrespect for their wishes not to be contacted. They could then look on the brand I represent with frustration.

I opted for the politeness, hoping that few people would look down on the personal touch of letting them know the steps they requested were taken. I did not, however, include any kind of contact information (short of the logo on the note card) for fear they might think of it as a pitch. I'll let you know if that chain of thought blows up in my face.