How to P1$$ your customers off

[adrianh]

I keep getting emails from Reeds Delta in Cape Town telling me to have my car serviced. I mailed them and asked them nicely to remove me from their mailing list. The mails still keep coming. Now take a look at what they say:

If your vehicle has been serviced already, kindly ignore this
reminder.

If your vehicle is not yet due for a service, please email
direct@reeds.co.za and simply type your Registration number and
current mileage in the body of the email so that we can update
the mileage on your record.

If the mileage is not updated you will keep on receiving
reminders for the service, your assistance in this respect is
appreciated.

My view is this: Mail me once, not once a week. I am perfectly capable of deciding whether to have my car serviced or not. All that they do by constantly sending me these mails is p1$$ me off. Why should I inform a single service provider of the status of my car if I have no intention of having them service my car.

Viral Marketing - my A$$ - this just gets on my nerves.

[daveob]

What a pity you can't print the e-mail, add a handwritten note to it, then post it registered post addressed to the Operations Manager personally, and have it collectable by him in person ONLY. Am sure that after he has to go to the post office 4 or 5 times he would get the message.

[tec0]

ABSA bank once tried to force me to take some stupid life cover thing with them. I had 5 calls a day everyday for 3 weeks. Then I just phoned the manager and told them this stops now! I never allowed them to contact me via phone. I don’t do phone anything “agreements, contracts or service upgrades” because I don’t have anything in writing! On the form that I filled in I said they can send me promotions via post.

ABSA changed their tune and told me that I need to come in and stop the promotions. At this point I said: "if I go to the bank, it will be to close my account." The promotions was stopped shortly after.

[derekjay]

Its this sort of blatant abuse of tools such as email marketing and sms marketing that give it the bad rap.

The electronic communications act in fact stipulates that the sender has to provide an unsubscribe link or instruction in eveery correspondence and ensure that these requests are honoured.

It's amazing how the "big" companies (banks, etc) just abuse this.

[adrianh]

The electronic communications act in fact stipulates that the sender has to provide an unsubscribe link or instruction in eveery correspondence and ensure that these requests are honoured.

The statement should read:

...that the sender has to provide an subscribe link...

The fact that I don't unsubscribe doesn't mean that I want the junk. It is like having rotten fish dumped on my doorstep everyday unless I tell the moron who does so to stop.

[daveob]

agree fully. why must I unsubscribe from something I didn't subscribe to in the first place ?

[derekjay]

Here's what it says... Hate it or love it...

Electronic Communications and Transactions Act. 2002
Chapter VII - Consumer Protection
45. Unsolicited goods, services or communications


1) Any person who sends unsolicited commercial communications to consumers, must provide the consumer

a) with the option to cancel his or her subscription to the mailing list of that person; and

b) with the identifying particulars of the source from which that person obtained the consumer's personal information, on request of the consumer.

2) No agreement is concluded where a consumer has failed to respond to an unsolicited communication.

3) Any person who fails to comply with or contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and liable, on conviction, to the penalties prescribed in section 89(1).

4) Any person who sends unsolicited commercial communications to a person who has advised the sender that such communications are unwelcome, is guilty of an offence and liable, on conviction, to the penalties prescribed in section 89(1).

[adrianh]

The law is an ass!

Hate it.

[Dave A]

And the penalties prescribed in section 89 (1) are? (Just out of idle interest...)

[leuce]

The statement should read:

...that the sender has to provide an subscribe link...

I hear you, but ZA is an opt-out country when it comes to spam. Much of Europe is opt-in. This can be good but it can also be bad, especially for small businesses.

For example, in the Netherlands you're not allowed to send unsolicited commercial mails to anyone (including companies) unless you have a prior business relationship with them or unless they've opted in previously. And opting in means knowingly, not unknowingly. And... there is a para-governmental body that acts on complaints about spam and has the legal authority to fine spammers.

Think what this does to small businesses or freelancers who sell products that are very relevant to businesses. You can't send a mail advertising your wonderful product unless you have phoned in advance to ask permission to send a mail.

[derekjay]

And the penalties prescribed in section 89 (1) are? (Just out of idle interest...)

Haha... Isn't that the case with all laws in this country... It's illegal... But you probably won't get in trouble because the price of justice is just so high...

[PERONii]

For those of you who bank online with ABSA, I noticed the other day that you can actually opt out of their communication within your online banking, just tweak it there...