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Ifyou were less than thrilled to find an unwanted phonebook lying next to your mailbox, you're not alone.

The latest wave of phonebook distribution in southern Beaufort County over the past week has some Hilton Head Island residents complaining that uncollected volumes left curbside create litter and let burglars know no one's home.

Hilton Head resident Theresa Harter said she's worried about the phonebooks -- this time "The Talking Phone Book" -- still strewn around her neighborhood.

"It showcases who's not home," she said. "I don't need a flashing sign saying, 'there's no one home here!'"

Harter, a board member of the Oakview property owners association, said she'll likely roam the neighborhood to collect and discard the remaining books.

Appearances aside, she said, the phonebooks are not something she wants. "I didn't ask for this phonebook. I don't want it. I won't use it," she said.

The problem isn't unique to her neighborhood. Harter said her office, SunTrust Bank in Bluffton, recently found about 40 phonebooks piled outside in violation of the distributor's policy of leaving volumes intended for businesses inside.

Harter isn't the only miffed Hilton Head resident.

Indigo Run resident Ed Dishart said the phonebooks are not picked up even at inhabited homes in his neighborhood. He blames the distributors for leaving them on the ground instead of on doorknobs.

"That's littering, just like someone throwing a cup out the window," he said. "People don't want the extra phone books so they just lie there."

Dishart said the problem is amplified by rainy, windy weather.

"When a wind storm blows through and the plastic bags come sailing off (the phonebooks), it's going to be a mess," he said.

Erick Backus, operations manager for MDS, the firm responsible for distributing the Talking Phone Book, said the books are left at the door only when the house is less than 100 feet from the road. Otherwise, the policy is for the volumes to be left on the ground next to mailboxes, he said.

There is a glimmer of hope for some residents.

Backus said that several weeks after delivery in "seasonal markets" where there are a significant number of part-time residents, distributors collect those books still outside.

Since the distribution isn't finished, the collection hasn't started yet, he said.

Backus recommended that people who don't want to receive phonebooks in the future call customer service at MDS to be put in a "do-not-deliver" database. Any complaints about litter or about phonebooks left outside businesses may also be directed to customer service, he said.

Hilton Head staff attorney Brian Hulbert said a permit isn't necessary to distribute phonebooks. The distributors, however, may be charged with littering if a resident files a complaint when the books are left outside, unwanted.

Hilton Head received complaints in the past about phonebook litter, but none has been filed in 2008 todate, Hulbert said. When a complaint is filed, the town conducts an investigation, but finding the specific individual responsible is often difficult, he said.

When the town officials locate culprits, they generally enact a cease and desist order -- requiring those responsible to clean any mess left behind.

Don't want a phonebook?

Call (866) 416-2074, ext. 80555, to have your name added to a "do-not-

deliver" database.