Junk mail and spam

Moved you to a new thread as it was a bit off piste

But it's an interesting topic.

We blat out regular newsletters to our free sign ups, it's in the t&c's, you can opt out at any time, and if you don't like it, don't have a free listing. But we also send very occasional mails to our customers (approx every 6 months) but there's no hard and fast rule, and they can also obviously unsubscribe.

But with both hats on, business owners and consumers, do you also send out regular emails, but are sick of them yourselves? Do you never send them out, or are you not bothered by emails?

Be interesting to hear different views. My bug bear is receiving mails that I've unsubscribed from. One company in particular sends me one every month after about 5 unsubscribed and sarcastic responses.

Commercially for us mails work extremely well, with 25% of people who take up an email offer having had previously 4+ previous emails. Logically I don't understand this, but it works.

So lets hear any of your email stories, good, bad, business success stories or spammed to death out of control inboxes!

The best thing you can do is classify the mail as junk or spam in your email client when you receive it. If hotmail or gmail get too many junk classifications for multiple users from the same sending, they will blacklist the sender’s domain or outgoing mail address.

One of our user accounts got hacked by a phishing attack and sent loads of junk mail to Microsoft. It was a song and dance to get it unblocked and you have to sign up to Microsoft’s junk mail improvement programme - this is where you have to promise Bill that you'll personally deal with any rubbish that your organisations sends.

If the sender is using services like mailchimp, blocking might not be as effective as mailchimp has agreements with ISPs and mail providers to send mass garbage on their customers' behalf.

In theory, you should have to opt-in to any marketing mail you receive. - And if you get any in error, all emails should have an unsubscribe option somewhere in the mail template.

You're right, though, I've experienced some where they keep sending them.. even after I've cancelled. - It's dangerous for them, though, as they could get in a lot of trouble if they ever got investigated for anti-spam compliance.

Is it really that dangerous? I know there are supposed to be fines etc, but I do wonder if its like the TPS, which is supposed to be a

Because it is an easier way to target potential customers. Just junk it.

What unnerves me even more is when I get junk mail from sites I've never been to. I mean, I do get to a lot of sites but I would surely remember if I used my email address on any of them. What I think happens is that they take your email address, add it to a list and many of them sell that email list to the highest bidder. I've actually seen forums where they do this. The higher the conversion rate from that list, the more they get from it.

Honestly, I feel a bit like a sheep thinking about it.

It is if its sent to me

Not long after my father passed away i was plagued with spam letters offering him double glazing, National Company too!

I rang to ask the to take him off the list - their reply, although he was on the Bereavement Register he wasnt on the MPS one. hmm trying running that through your head again before replying ......bless her she wasnt the brightest tool in the box!!!

Got

Garde, I have never thought thing like that could happen. I am sorry you passed through this. It is good that you got the compensation, though

Tis Clive's favorite word .

Still, it goes to show how flawed some companies business models really are. I could tell you stories of SA that could get your hair standing on end