Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 32

Thread: I Hate Spam .co.za - first F.U. Award to dealaday.co.za

  1. #1
    Email problem daveob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Amanzimtoti
    Posts
    655
    Thanks
    107
    Thanked 118 Times in 103 Posts

    I Hate Spam .co.za - first F.U. Award to dealaday.co.za

    dealaday.co.za was the last straw that got stuck in my boxers and irritated the cr*p out of me !!

    Local companies harvesting e-mail addresses from web sites and buying spam lists, then trying to tell you that a friend added your address to their list, just to sell you junk, just isn't on in my book !!

    So I reacted in the best way I know - a new site - www.ihatespam.co.za

    Please feel free to send your contributions - lets give them free publicity - but the kind that they don't want.
    Watching the ships passing by.

  2. #2
    Email problem daveob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Amanzimtoti
    Posts
    655
    Thanks
    107
    Thanked 118 Times in 103 Posts
    and here's another 2 spammers :

    Abelusi Training Network
    Dynamic Seminars
    Watching the ships passing by.

  3. #3
    Gold Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    561
    Thanks
    32
    Thanked 49 Times in 32 Posts
    I have a real problem with this approach! We have a huge mailing list. It has been collated and collected over years of subscriptions and telesales and cold calling and contacting etc etc. Each and every person has agreed to be mailed and yet from ONE week to the NEXT they cannot remember that they have given permission!!

    It happens at least twice a week that a client emails or phones irate because he/she did NOT give permission for our mails only to turn away red faced when we prove that they did.

    In the interim - a site or ISP that simply lists/blocks names without further investigation can do a lot of damage.
    Regards

    Debbie
    debbie@stafftraining.co.za

    From reception to management training, assertiveness, accountability or interviewing skills, we have a wide range of training workshops available for you!
    www.stafftraining.co.za

    Find us on
    Facebook

  4. #4
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    I have to agree with Debbie entirely (that must be a first ) and would like to stress this part
    Quote Originally Posted by Debbiedle View Post
    In the interim - a site or ISP that simply lists/blocks names without further investigation can do a lot of damage.
    Spam Assassin et al really should be checking the content of the email for an unsubscribe option for starters.

    I've also just got my first email from deal a day and have unsubscribed from their mailing list. I could not be bothered asking where they got my email address from.

    I'll let you know if they keep coming, because then they definitely are spammers and deserve the treatment.

  5. #5
    Email problem daveob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Amanzimtoti
    Posts
    655
    Thanks
    107
    Thanked 118 Times in 103 Posts
    Hi Debbie

    I hear your point of view.

    .... BUT ....

    when I have an e-mail address on my web site ( example : international@mydomainname.co.za ) and it is never used, except being checked for incoming mail, is never used to send outgoing mail, is never quoted in any other communication, and no friends or associates know of this address, and I start getting a barrage of e-mails to this, and many other e-mail addresses ( some which don't even exist, so they arrive in my 'catch all' mailbox ) and the same thing happens for every one of 12 domains that I run starting on exactly the same day, then nobody can tell me that the addresses were not either harvested from the web, or an e-mail address list was purchased - either way, I sure as heck did not subscribe to this junk.

    So, if a company wants to use these methods, then blatently lie by trying to tell me that "a friend of mine" subscribed me to their list, then SCREW THEM !!

    It's about time that companies start to seriously consider the methods that they use to build their mailing lists. The amount of spam mail that is transmitted on the net each day is far in excess of the legit mails.

    But I do hear your point about someone who 'forgot' that they subscribed - so how about the following : when we receive a complaint, we'll e-mail the company concerned, and give then 48 hours to come up with the proof before they are listed. I think that sounds fair.
    Watching the ships passing by.

  6. #6
    Email problem daveob's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Amanzimtoti
    Posts
    655
    Thanks
    107
    Thanked 118 Times in 103 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave A View Post
    I've also just got my first email from deal a day and have unsubscribed from their mailing list.
    Hi Dave

    But this is what gets to me - the fact that you, me or any number of others, have to physically go and unsubscribe from this junk.

    It smacks of the old practices of " You've automatically been awarded free xxx cover to the value of R xxx. If you don't want this great benefit for you and your family, just send us 1024 forms ( in triplicate ) and we'll cancel it immediately. But don't worry, just relax and enjoy the xxx and we'll debit your edgars / xxx account each month -- remember those times - well, that type of practice is now illegal, so I don't see why I should have to go unsubscribe every one of my multiple domains e-mail addresses from this.

    I see now that I may end up standing by myself on this fight, but fight I will.

    so ...
    we shall fight on the seas and oceans,
    we shall fight with growing confidence
    and growing strength in the air,
    we shall defend our Island,
    whatever the cost may be,
    we shall fight on the beaches,
    we shall fight on the landing grounds,
    we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
    we shall fight in the hills;
    we shall never surrender.
    .
    .
    Watching the ships passing by.

  7. #7
    just me duncan drennan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    2,642
    Thanks
    119
    Thanked 94 Times in 77 Posts
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
    [SIGPIC]Engineer Simplicity[/SIGPIC]
    Turn ideas into products | The Art of Engineering blog

  8. #8
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Durban, South Africa
    Posts
    22,648
    Thanks
    3,304
    Thanked 2,676 Times in 2,257 Posts
    Blog Entries
    12
    Quis custodiet ipsos custodes - quite thought provoking given some of what I'm working on at the moment. Thanks, Duncan.
    Quote Originally Posted by daveob View Post
    when I have an e-mail address on my web site and it is never used, except being checked for incoming mail, is never used to send outgoing mail, is never quoted in any other communication, and no friends or associates know of this address, and I start getting a barrage of e-mails to this, and many other e-mail addresses ( some which don't even exist, so they arrive in my 'catch all' mailbox ) and the same thing happens for every one of 12 domains that I run starting on exactly the same day, then nobody can tell me that the addresses were not either harvested from the web, or an e-mail address list was purchased - either way, I sure as heck did not subscribe to this junk.
    Collecting emails from a website is legitimate, best I know. Harvesting them using a bot crawler is illegal in a few countries, though - and also is a breach of many websites' conditions of use.

    Dave (ob), I don't think you stand alone at all. To clarify that, I think the issue has two parts - where the email has been harvested and where the recipient has subscribed.

    Where the email has been harvested, I support your point - the first contact email should be an invitation to subscribe (opt-in markting) rather than require the person to unsubscribe (opt-out).

  9. #9
    Platinum Member Chatmaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Cape Town
    Posts
    1,065
    Thanks
    107
    Thanked 99 Times in 63 Posts
    I feel very divided on this issue. Dynamic seminars are one of those that are also spamming me, but I am actually interested in what they offer, I just wish I could get them to use my correct email address instead of the one from my website that has a auto responder that constantly comes back with a error mail. Vincent also asked me to remove his email address from the Pillars of business website due to spam. Email harvesting is a real issue and really annoying.

    However people do forget that they subscribe to email lists. My current database of businesses in Gauteng alone received several spam complaints, fortunately I do capture IP addresses when they subscribe, but MWeb and some other service providers do not always seem to care and simply block you upon receiving these complaints.

    But if I receive another vairga (deliberately miss spelled) email I will definitely crack.
    Roelof Vermeulen (Entrepreneurship in large organizations)
    Roelof Vermeulen| Rock flaps south africa

  10. #10
    Moderator IanF's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Jhb
    Posts
    2,679
    Thanks
    197
    Thanked 529 Times in 405 Posts
    I have seen some websites change the email address to Ian at myco dot co dot za. This may work but won't this put off people from contacting you as they have to do more work?
    Only stress when you can change the outcome!

Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

Tags for this Thread

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Did you like this article? Share it with your favourite social network.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •