Should We Boycott Companies That Spam?

tonka on 06/11/2021 - 17:13
Last edited 06/11/2021 - 17:20 by 1 other user

I'm getting sick of every place I like to purchase from sending me daily or thrice daily emails with the same or similar content.

I find myself having to unsubscribe from businesses that I'd genuinely like to receive maybe a weekly email from them and make an occasional purchase. Instead I find myself having to boycott companies that abuse this trust. Is anyone else feeling the same way?

I find Kogan and Mosaic brands are big offenders and of course eBay. And more annoying the ones who use your birthday as a leader, Priceline sent me an extra points offer for my birthday which I found offensive. The same as my insurer who sent me a happy birthday message with an offer to sell me life insurance.

Internet

Comments

  • ozhunter on 06/11/2021 - 17:16
    +32

    Just unsubscribe from them…

    • SF3 on 06/11/2021 - 18:16

      Is anyone else feeling

      Just unsubscribe from them…

      But computers don’t feel or get offended. But can playback 🎻 music very well.

  • Hybroid on 06/11/2021 - 17:17
    +21

    Priceline sent me an extra points offer for my birthday which I found offensive

    Hmm. Sounds like a you problem. Unsubscribe to them and they'll stop. Well, except Kogan whom apparently don't.

    • tonka on 06/11/2021 - 17:46
      +4

      Yes I can unsubscribe, but the point is I often would prefer to continue as a customer without the harassment.

      • Hybroid on 06/11/2021 - 17:51
        +10

        It's a business. They want to advertise and sell you things. You agreed to it when signing up.

        Priceline Pty Ltd collects your personal information (including name, phone number, email address and membership details) when you sign up as a Sister Club member for the purposes of our (including our related companies’) loyalty and reward programs and services, promotional, publicity and marketing purposes including, unless otherwise advised by you,** sending, you electronic messages (e.g. emails)** or telephoning you in relation to such programs, services and purposes. It is a condition of signing up to the Sister Club that we collect your personal information. We may disclose this information to third parties such as our related companies and/or service providers assisting us with administering your membership and provision of our services.

        https://www.priceline.com.au/customer/account/create/

      • c64 on 06/11/2021 - 19:21
        +11

        Yes I can unsubscribe, but the point is I often would prefer to continue as a customer without the harassment.

        no chance with kogan. apparently if you purchase anything you automatically get resubscribed. best just to not buy from kogan

        • craagz on 08/11/2021 - 21:33
          +1

          I had unsubscribed, then i bought again and the flood came again! I'll probably no longer buy from Kogan!

  • holdenmg on 06/11/2021 - 17:26
    +13

    Priceline sent you extra points offer for your Birthday…

    How often a year does that happen? lol

    • OzzyOzbourne on 08/11/2021 - 20:42

      And op found it offensive 😱

  • deme on 06/11/2021 - 17:31

    Mark it as spam and move on.

  • kerfuffle on 06/11/2021 - 17:32
    +9

    Priceline sent me an extra points offer for my birthday which I found offensive

    Wow. Wouldn’t want to be friends with the OP if this offends them.

    • tonka on 06/11/2021 - 17:44
      +2

      If you friends want to use your birthday to sell you stuff, they're friends though are they. I don't want my birthday cheapened with stingy offers worth 5 cents if I give them Fifty bucks. And I'm particularly not happy with priceline as they have shared my info with insurance agents in the past.

      • kerfuffle on 06/11/2021 - 18:01
        +3

        Why did you join their loyalty program then?

        • Kangal on 06/11/2021 - 18:28
          +2

          Cause even if she is a cheap-skate, she's nothing if not loyal

      • mapax on 06/11/2021 - 18:29
        +4

        Wait, did you think that Priceline wanted to be your friend or something?

        • Diji1 on 07/11/2021 - 02:39
          -3

          Many Australian's appear to be that delusional. They put the pond life in charge of electricity and then dribble idiocy about how much money they're saving for example.

          They've had multiple chances to vote this away that they chose not to take.

      • Zachary on 07/11/2021 - 15:57
        +1

        I don't want my birthday cheapened with stingy offers worth 5 cents if I give them Fifty bucks.

        What if it was 10 bucks? Still offended at 10 bucks or nah? What about 15? Or free post?

      • kaleidoscope on 08/11/2021 - 10:35
        +1

        have shared my info with insurance agents in the past

        say what now?

  • holdenmg on 06/11/2021 - 17:36
    +1

    Well, I never got a Birthday invite, so I'm not sending a Christmas Card.

  • holdenmg on 06/11/2021 - 17:45
    +1

    I don't eat it but I think a ban is extreme… https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,h_157…

  • sharkyoz on 06/11/2021 - 17:47
    +2

    i used to buy rsl home lottery tickets till they started bombarding me with emails.
    sent a harsh email, unsubscribing and promising to never a buy a ticket from them again
    and informing them I'd support someone else.

    • SolitaryMan on 08/11/2021 - 11:04
      +3

      Great story.

    • ProlapsedHeinous on 08/11/2021 - 14:17
      +2

      I bet you showed them. I can just imagine the embarrassed look on their dumb digital faces when you gave them a piece of your mind! Suffice to say they will never cross you again, boy howdy!

  • elgrande on 06/11/2021 - 17:51
    +12

    Wait.. what.. you shop at Kogan?..

  • bobbieb on 06/11/2021 - 18:06
    +2

    Oh my… sending an email offer to a customer on their birthday! Outrageous!

    Is this really the sort of thing that people rate as "offensive" nowadays?

    We're gonna need to invent a few more words for the English language to accommodate the ever increasing sensitivities of the modern snowflakes.

    • SF3 on 06/11/2021 - 18:08

      Look at the land of “Happy Holidays”…

      snowflakes

      Let it go, let it go…

    • holdenmg on 06/11/2021 - 18:15
      +1

      Bought snowflakes from Kogan, arrived melted?

      Chargeback?
      (Un)Classy Action?

      Kogan probably then want to sell me an Ice Block Tray and a Fridge. :+(

  • SF3 on 06/11/2021 - 18:06

    extra points offer for my birthday which I found offensive.

    One of those people who don’t like birthdays anymore eh.

    Tonka

    Thought they were quite a tough toy… oh wait, the modern version are made of plastic, than metal.

  • Wystri Warrick on 06/11/2021 - 18:08

    We should have a OzBargain code of conduct i.e. info-pedia for businesses on how to behave

  • Hithere on 06/11/2021 - 18:15

    Just open a few throwaway email accounts and use them when signing up for deals that you may be spammed through.

    Once the spam starts rolling in stop using that email account and move on to another new one - rinse and repeat.

    Result, minimal spam, plus you can sign up as a new customer when OzBargaining freebies.

    • jrvb42 on 07/11/2021 - 12:40

      I've started entering competitions at the last minute, put up with the spam for a week, then unsubscribing when I don't win.

  • pharkurnell on 06/11/2021 - 18:23
    +1

    If you did that you'd never buy anything again ever

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 06/11/2021 - 19:13
    -1

    Anonaddy.

  • Pelicannn on 06/11/2021 - 20:58
    +4

    I get more annoyed by the emails that say:

    "Hey you left something in your cart, click here to go to checkout" etc.

    Bruh I left it in the cart cause I changed my mind or found it cheaper elsewhere… beat it.

    • kale chips suck on 07/11/2021 - 07:42
      +3

      I sometimes leave things in the cart expressly to see if I can trigger a discounted offer for what's been "abandoned". 😉

  • Gratt on 06/11/2021 - 23:21
    +1

    Recently I have been unsubscribing blocking quite a few. AliExpress is a company I often use to buy stuff from. They often send emails advertising stuff I have either looked at or have already ordered. Targetted advertising, I get that. Why advertise goods in the email at substantially reduced prices, that when you click on the item the link shows the item at a much higher price?

    I guess it annoys me that much that I start blocking heaps of vendors. Maybe that is the aim annoy the carp out of you until you block everyone including them, in the expectation that you will return to the last site you bought stuff from?

    • jrvb42 on 07/11/2021 - 12:41

      eBay is really bad for spamming after just browsing.

  • spackbace on 07/11/2021 - 01:02
    +5

    Tell me you're a Karen without telling me you're a Karen

    Priceline sent me an extra points offer for my birthday which I found offensive.

  • dailynotsomail on 07/11/2021 - 07:47

    Priceline sent me an extra points offer for my birthday which I found offensive

  • kale chips suck on 07/11/2021 - 07:54
    +1

    I understand your point; it's not that they are sending you emails, it's the volume and the quality (or lack of) that's frustrating.

    I use disposable email addresses, using the Gmail system to create site-specific addresses.

    If they start getting spammy with excessive dribbling "communications" I'll look at the format of the emails they're sending to see if the ones I don't want have some consistent element not in the ones I don't mind - the title, for example, might include "Daily marketing brainfart from …" in the unwanted emails, but the acceptable/fair play emails might have a title of "weekly summary of (whatever)".

    Once I've found something that's consistent I'll create a rule to delete the unwanted ones.

    Back in the day, when the internet was younger (and Google were more trusting) I used to use filters to autoforward spam from the company to the company's webmaster's email address. It wasn't effective but it was very satisfying.

    • jrvb42 on 07/11/2021 - 12:44

      Why pick on the web admin? Ultimately the CEO is responsible and should share the joy. Get their address, or publicly listed directors addresses.

      • kale chips suck on 07/11/2021 - 13:00
        +1

        Because back in the day they ran the mail servers too.

        Edit to add: I have also emailed CEOs about spam. One of them replied that all recipients of their emails had opted in. I suggested this was not the case, he assured me with complete confidence I was wrong.

        I asked him how my father, who had died before this company started spamming his email address (which was redirected to me), had signed up. Perhaps he had managed to momentarily escape the limitations of the afterlife and had used that time to do the only logical thing, sign up for spam from miscreant losers.

        I didn't hear back

  • MontyMacaw on 07/11/2021 - 08:12
    +2

    I used to meticulously set up email rules for repeat spammers. Now I just swipe left in my inbox and delete and it’s far less time consuming and takes a second. For repeat offenders of legit sources I unsubscribe but it has to be somebody I trust otherwise it can lead to more spam as I confirm my existence

  • spal on 07/11/2021 - 08:30

    Mark the email as spam. After a while these pesky emails will be delivered to junk. Just select all and delete. That is what I do too.

  • Waltervp on 07/11/2021 - 10:02

    I work with a company that sends regular spam to its customers and everyone we mail one there is a flurry of orders… occasionally we get some hatemail re content when we slip in something political about masks accidentally.

    As a consumer I just mark as spam or create a filter. Both.done in 3 clicks and you never need to see it again.

    As for the spam we create the first line has a clear unsubscribe button in it!

  • OzHunterNSW on 07/11/2021 - 10:38

    Yes, name and shame

  • Rob-4x4 on 07/11/2021 - 10:53
    +2

    Worst offenders are the ones who use SMS spam.

    In my case my phone is also my work phone.. so, for example, if I am driving and receive a text message I need to pull over and check as it is likely to be a priority message from work.

    Image how happy that makes be when I find it is spam from the likes of Harvey Norman or OPSM or worse a political party (Liberals in Vic have started doing it).

    And yes you can opt out.. but with the plan I am on text messages cost money.. so I have to pay for the privilege of opting out from crap I never wanted in the first place.

    So yes.. I boycott business who spam me with SMS spam …

    How do you get on the spam lists? Usually I was silly enough to buy something from the business online and hidden in their conditions are that they can use your mobile for SPAM as well as useful stuff like order updates.

    • askbargain on 07/11/2021 - 16:46

      Whitelist people from work then.

  • greatlamp on 08/11/2021 - 08:28
    +1

    Create a second email address. Keep one for important communication, one for shopping and internet logins etc.

    Alternatively set a filter so all the store emails go straight to archive. You can search when you want to look up an order confirmation

  • Donaldhump on 08/11/2021 - 08:44
    +2

    Yeh I'm particularly over McAfee telling me my subscription has expired.

  • Gal on 08/11/2021 - 09:02
    +1

    I unsubscribe from kogan's spam emails now hilariously they do not send me authentication emails to login not even into the junk folder. I have not been able to login for a couple of years. I would boycott them if I had a choice, but I cannot access my account at all so I can't buy anything.

  • Lord Fart Bucket on 08/11/2021 - 09:28
    +1

    Don't just boycott them. Terminate your internet access to show you mean business.

  • Marrk on 08/11/2021 - 09:33
    +4

    Kogan are the worst - every time you make an order with them apparently equates to subscribing to their newsletter.

    • 50210 on 08/11/2021 - 10:52
      +1

      Yeah, it's a pain with Kogan. If I've unsubscribed explicitly before I expect that I'm not going to be re-enrolled to all the same marketing garbage when I make another purchase.
      And I swear every time they enrol me to half a dozen different marketing campaigns, each of which I need to unsubscribe from
      I would definitely use Kogan more regularly if not for the spam - now I only use them when they're substantially cheaper than the competition

  • 91rs on 08/11/2021 - 09:36
    +1

    Any company who has a contact us email form (as one of the only ways to request info or more detail, support etc) that then sign you up to their spam and newsletters without opting in to it annoy me, in many cases you never buy from them or have already unsubscribed but for support or other reasons contact them via email and then they start sending you crap.
    Sites that make you sign in or login to unsubscribe to their stuff are the worst, just copped at least 1 Binnance email a day out of nowhere for the last two weeks, clicked unsubscribe and it forces a login, didn't login and now its sending me spam daily + notices that I tried to login and would I like to login now to trade (when it was to unsubscribe).
    Who are the monsters who go to work to do those jobs and think hey this is a good idea lets do that…

  • hasher22 on 08/11/2021 - 10:38
    +2

    How does one get offended when a birthday e-mail is sent with company discounts……

    Unsubscribe > Get on with life

  • Seaeagles on 08/11/2021 - 11:06

    I very rarely receive these emails and if I do then I just unsubscribe.

    Have a secondary gmail email account for online shopping and don't give your email address when purchasing products in a store. This rubbish about electronic receipts or warranty is just so they can get your details and spam you.
    Don't enter competitions, they are not being nice in giving away what ever the prize is.
    They make money out of it by collecting your details and then spamming you and selling your details, look at the conditions on entering ………. you details will be used for marketing purposes and sold.

  • idonotknowwhy on 08/11/2021 - 11:17
    +1

    Yes, I agree with you OP. They have no right to send unsolicited marketing email.

    It's different if I opt in for it of course. And I'm even okay with it (but not happy) if they have an automatically ticked box on checkout saying I'm subscribing to their spam, with an option to opt-out.

    But if I buy something, and don't opt in for spam, I don't want to receive ANY non-transactional emails.

    It's particularly annoying because if you report it as spam, this damages their email reputation and can lead to future customers not receiving transactional emails related to their purchases.

    On the plus side, I sent an angry email to "budget PC" when they sent me marketing material, and they apologized and gave me a $50 credit :)

  • timmy_tam on 08/11/2021 - 12:29

    i boycott every ad i see on youtube…..

    but then i got the Ozbargain Premium hack, and life is good.

  • Antikythera on 08/11/2021 - 13:32

    set up a gmail account.
    register that account with any site / company you don't trust.

    keep your main email account for personal / bank / governement etc and other important information.

    consider email forwarding from the gmail account to your main account. you can always turn it off later.

  • gromit on 08/11/2021 - 13:47

    I use my own domain name and have a set of email alias's that I use for these sites as they are untrustworthy. That way if they start spamming I can just delete the alias and continue on without changing my main email and it is also great way to reveal which sites are sharing/selling your info as if you only give the alias to them then only they could have sold it.

    PS: and yes I do boycott companies that spam me or share my details.

  • wizzlesticks on 08/11/2021 - 14:34

    What really annoys me are companies that re-subscribe you without authorisation. I actually take a log of the date and time I unsubscribe from lists so I can keep track. Every so often, there are some companies that refresh their lists, and start spamming you again, probably because they lost track o who unsubscribed. Harvey Norman is one such culprit. I'm pretty sure that's because they buy lists off third parties who don't care how or where the data comes from.

  • baker bob on 08/11/2021 - 15:27

    For most the unsub feature works perfectly well but for the handful of companies that want to make that diffcult, they end up on my spam list never to be heard from again.

    I'm happy with the birthday emails, free krispy kreme, churros, subway and whatever else they wanna throw at me, bring it.

  • wako on 08/11/2021 - 16:21

    Get a second email. For just stuff like this…
    You can just forward things like receipts.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/11/2021 - 16:52

    Be careful when unsubscribing, you might be actually providing your email address and subscribing to others.

    Mark them as spam.

  • burns13 on 08/11/2021 - 19:12

    Spam will be an issue in the next election I believe. I do t expect any meaningful solutions but.

    To OP. Yes boycott and send them feedback

  • cashless on 08/11/2021 - 19:44

    What about companies that spam you, you unsubscribe, but they continue to send spam?
    Craft Cartel for example, Named & Shamed.
    I’ve unsubscribed about 5 times. They don’t react.
    How do I rid myself of them?

  • cybapete on 09/11/2021 - 07:03

    the annoying thing about spam is it's such an inefficient process
    sending out spam hoping to get customers is like going hunting by walking through the forest blasting a shotgun at random just hoping to hit something

    surely in 2021 there is a way to offer potential customers a selection of items they might actually be interested in buying

  • pikapika on 09/11/2021 - 09:07

    Emails are meh…block and move on. Ones that SMS you those are annoying because block doesn't always work.

  • hvbarg on 09/11/2021 - 10:55

    use an email tag when signing up and filter out the spam that gets through —> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email_address#Sub-addressing

    something like [email protected]

    I usually do this to track websites that I sign up, I use <my_email_id>+<website_domain>@gmail.com so I know if they leaked my details or sold my data.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join