It is NOT an ok practice to sign up other people under you. It is wrong. It is NOT ok to have a service that requires a user to login to delete their account even if they never signed up or confirmed their account.
Just to be clear - if I receive an email saying welcome to a service I didn't join, I report it. I hope you lose your affiliate account over it. It's wrong.
I also try to find out if you are a member of any of my services, and will terminate your account immediately. If you are doing this practice I don't want you as a member. It hurts the reputation of the services.
You get annoyed at spam, I get annoyed at spam. But what's worse than spam? Making a legitamite service look like spam. They follow all the rules to ensure their emails get delivered on time.
{ 34 comments }
Very good!
Too much like hard work for what?
I hear you one this one. I get at least 10 emails a week where I ask myself where this came from.
Then in order to unsubscribe my email I have to type them an email explaining why I want to be removed! No link to click :(
Hey Tim,
Maybe you and I got the same thing this morning.
I must be getting something like that about once a week now and it is really annoying to me.
I do remember I got a welcome email from Boxbe saying thanks for joining and that I had like 10 people wanting to exchange contacts.
First of all I had never joined the dang site and next I have no desire to do it either now that something like that had happened.
Downright annoying. But just because someone has my business email address they think they are perfectly within their rights of doing that.
If there is no unsubscribe link then I just start hitting the “Report Spam” button, because I don’t want it.
Mike
I agree with you Mike, whole heartedly.
I get so much email like this, that it’s a real drag haveing to sift thru all
The junk, just for my important contacts.
I thought it is required to provide a legitimate unsubscribe link on all
Emails. Whatever happened to that.
I applaud Tim for taking such stringent measures.
I do the same in my business.
Amen!
I agree with you there Tim. That is the way that people think now a days. It is sad to say but between the misuse of sites and the devaluing of the products that are produced. I just don’t understand. I do not think that the values of today are the same as they were back in the 80′s. We are now coming into a new generation where almost everyone thinks that people need to give them free things so they can make money. I understand completely where you are going with your rant. I wish more people had the reputation and credibility that you have. BTW thank you so much for StartXchange, one of the bests online.
I (and several of my colleagues) had a real problem with one of those services before and I have with a few other services since – but in most of those cases, after looking into it, it appeared that the people responsible probably were mostly unaware they had done anything.
You’ve likely seen there are a few services out there that will ask people to submit their email address book so they (the service) can supposedly send “invitations” to their friends from their email list to join the service. Unfortunately some of the services, rather than sending invites, the service actually signed up an account for those in the unsuspecting person’s email address book.
And of course some email clients (like Gmail) hold anyone that’s ever been emailed by a user in their contact list/address book.
So while it’s possible it was done on purpose, there’s a chance the person who submitted it (A) may have thought the service was sending invitations, not signing up accounts – and/or (B) may not even know they have you in their contact list/address book.
Just playing devil’s advocate there ‘cos in at least four of the 5-6 times it’s happened to me, after some investigation it appeared that one or both of the situations above were probably the case.
I know how annoying it is tho, there’s one of those services I still haven’t succeeded in getting the non-profit organization I work for’s email address removed/account closed because it doesn’t even HAVE an unsubscribe link or an obvious way to cancel (probably on purpose, ugh) – I just finally had to toss the service’s address in our spam ban box so we’d stop getting flooded with their silly and inane emails.
Anyway, yeah, someone might have done it on purpose, but keep in mind too they might really have no clue.
I’ll trade problems tho, someone or some entity apparently thought it’d be fun to sign me up for a couple of subscription-by-phone services so now I’m trying to get charges over $30 removed from my phone bill (and going to have to have a third-party block put on the account, it appears). Ugh.
I recently had this happen to me when I open an IM on yahoo where it imported my email list. Since I’m still new to IM I don’t have a glue how to get rid of the address book. I also get lots of junk ads popup whenever I open IM. Strange things have been happening this month online for me.
Ouch – that would be a big rant for me!
Assuming your security is 100+% can this be down to people having an email used by you to send them some info on a private basis?
Bad Bad Bad them be that the case
Now I got 3 emails today from a site I gave up 2+ years ago. Strange!
By me that can never happen I use no list. And the only time I email anyone, let me think , oh yes my biz partner. Ok Just a joke Its sure not fun getting such mails they are annoyance #1 Some one needs to find a good and effective way to stop this immediately. I might be that one.
I will think it over. my members call me Geronimo. Keep the chin up, Tim. I do not like such things either and on all my sites NO defnitely NO
Anymore I chalk it up to par for the course. There will always be cheaters and they have varying levels of evil…from the poor sap trying to make a buck to the hardened criminal being hunted by the Feds. Anyone who believes this medium (or any other for that matter) will be free from scammers, liars, cheats, thieves, and the like are living in a fantasy land. I’ve found it’s quickest and easiest to simply hit the big ol delete button and not get too worked up over things.
It is amazing what people will do to get you to look at their company since they are not willing to pick up the phone and call you and have a conversation.
I got one of those emails one time from a new traffic exchange and I was pissed because I know I didn’t signup for it, so I deleted it.
I hear this – You know what is terrible is I use Aweber, requiring a double opt in. I spent a good month getting Spam complaints on EACH email I sent out – And that was with the unsubscribe link and everything.
Funny that I can get Spam complaints for that, when I get dozens of emails DAILY with no unsubscribe, no reply info, nothing.
I tried filing complaints with the FTC for a couple weeks – That might be just to go after the “big guys” though, not sure
You should rant more…always fun
Paul
I agree, these people should be dealth with!
I opened an email account today that I don’t use often, had it for a couple of newsletters that sent out monthly, some weekly notes and today there were almost 5,000 unopened emails in the inbox from a variety of people/companies!!
I was NOT impressed to have to sort through them all to find the emails I did want and to try to trace back to the culprit how THAT email got to all those people.
Still working on it…. and closed out that whole email account & opened a new one so they can send email to oblivion! LOL
Have a great evening everyone! ;)
Tim,
I can totally relate to this, I have even had them where they have told me they have had server difficulties and could I re submit my credit card details
Yeah right!
The disturbing thing about this is that a lot of newbies would probably buy this, I also report them every time
Cheers
Mark
Amen. I hate that.
Couldn’t of said it better. Nothing is more annoying than spam, or to get emails saying you’ve been signed up for something you didn’t sign up for…..WAY to go Tim.
I hate people doing that on purpose.
And yes I know of programs that automatically consider details from invitations, as new members.
I hate that, and I do not have problems with reporting these emails as Spam at spamcops.net.
The owner should have tested his script or did implement this as supposed. Both ways, he/she should be reported.
I also received 3 emails today from a program I haven’t been using for several years. I was surprised, but never closed my account there, so no complaints from that one. :-)
I’m sometimes a little slow on the uptake, but every time I’ve received an email about a service I don’t remember signing up for, I have put it down to my bad memory.
It’s normal for me to forget everything that I don’t write down!
Maybe that makes me the sort of sucker these people are looking for.
Hi Tim I agree with you and would do the same in your shoes. Makes you wonder who or how some people were raised or if they even have a conscience or care. But what I would like to see if someone was doing this that they would get blacklisted off the internet for good.
Just my opinion made me mad thinking about it lol
Thanks Tim keep up the good work
Dewayne (ybear)
I have never done what you state but I have gotten emails like you mention and found that the person who I was supposedly under did not put me in and in 1 case I knew he didn’t because he was a friend. I believe that soem one who had seen my address had just randomly used my email address to join a site he didn’t want his email address associated with. If the owner had deleted me for something that was not my fault I would have been mad. I get at least one bogus email entry to my web site every couple of weeks.
Good rant Tim! Never heard you rant before! Nice to see you are human and dislike that crap as well!
WOW! Just got home, Tim. This is Carl Bailey, owner of GiantList. I was anticipating a reply from you, after I responded immediately to your email this morning. Admittedly, I expected your response in the form of a personal email… as opposed to a very public “rant”! (lol) But, alas… I share your disgust with those who would use a well-intentioned service, for less than honorable purposes. As I mentioned in my original reply, the member who violated our trust, has been terminated; and all “Welcome Messages”, now have an immediate unsubscribe/delete link in that first email (as opposed to logging in first to reach one) While I can’t anticipate or imagine how people will next abuse our websites and services… I do hope we all can help one another to police the Internet that we share. Thank you for shining a light on a potentially serious problem. GiantList membership is growing so fast… and I have now encountered the first clown with designs for abusing the site. Anyway Tim, I hope that you will acknowledge to your readership, that I did indeed address your concerns immediately, and have implemented new code to that end. Oh… I am one of your faithful blog followers… Carl Bailey
Thanks Carl!
Couple notes.. Great job on fixing that welcome email, and taking care of the sponsor ;-)
I didn’t name you by name on the blog. I also didn’t receive the email you replied with? In any case, while the rant was because of that email it’s been bottled up from many many many similar emails. I am glad that it got fixed!
Tim, I want to thank you for the rant. It is reading these types of posts that assist a newbie like me to get an idea of just how sneaky some of the sites out there are.
I have had some of these and deleted them because it must have been a mistake, I know what to do now.
thankyou georgy98
I agree 100% and would do exactly what you did Tim!
I have to concur about the grabbing your address book post. But better to put addresses in spam block than delete. After going through four e-mail addresses in three years, I’ve discovered that once you no longer agree to accept e-mails from so and so( cancel your account) your address is then sold since TOS state: “we will never sell our customers addresses” etc. or words to that effect. I also clean out my contact list often, especially if I have a less friendly relationship with someone. The last thing they need is an email that can be called spam from me.
I use a private email account that allows me to use any user name. When I sign up for anything online I use a unique user name (Like ‘startxchange’ above). If I need to cancel the emails I know where the address originated. If I am unsuccessful in cancelling or the address is sold to spammers, I can add a filter on the server side to route that address direct to the trash bin and I don’t ever see it.
Problem is people can see you do this and change the name to make it appear its coming from elsewhere. I used to do it and add a random 3 digit number so that was highly unlikely, but it started getting annoying keeping up with it.
Good Rant Tim! and Totally Appropriate!! I also get these at least once a week!
Keep up the good work
silverdark
I couldn’t agree more, this phenomenon has been going on for years, more so in recent years and i can only think that current global economical situation has played some part, Not to justify it, in that folks are more desperate in finding alternative means of income and yes the internet provides such a solution, however their actions are damaging not only the reputation of the legitimate program but themselves too. I do feel for these folks however there is no justification and if they feel desperate for some quick cash because of financial pressures then its time for them to look for professional financial guidance.
I agree. This happens far too often and needs to be stopped. The only thing I hate worst than that is these web sites that get you to sign up today and then charge your pay pal account next week when you are not expecting it.
Thank you for speaking up for thousand of internet users.
sjclark
I am so glad no one has ever done this to me. I would never think of signing up a person whose information I knew under me just for the commissions. Not only is there the chance of those commissions being revoked when the person unsubscribes, but (I would hope this of any place that I joined) if you get enough people that are signed under you unsubscribing, there’s the chance of you being banned totally.
In short, its just not worth it.
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