Email campaigns - are opt outs a legal requirement?

[Hayles]

Is it a legal requirement to offer an opt-out choice on 'regular' emails? I don't remember signing up for the emails I'm getting, but don't want to class them as spam incase I did (I'm getting old now you see so don't always remember things ). However, I do want to highlight the fact there's no opt out choice on them but want to be sure whether it's a legal requirement or just a moral one.

H

 

[bwglaw]

Its a legal requirement

 

[Hayles]

Thank you very much

H

 

[Tin]

Hi Hayles,

If you're confident you haven't signed up to receive these emails then the chances are that the sender has either bought a list of email addresses (yours being on that list) or has gone direct to your site and grabbed them from it. If you've genuinely signed up to receive the emails but simply forgotten then you can ask the sender to provide proof of this which should log your IP address, time and date of signup and a unique token code confirming your wish to receive emails.

Un-solicited emails (spam) are everywhere these days including between members of this forum which is something I do not condone.

Hope that helps

Ray

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Un-solicited emails (spam) are everywhere these days including between members of this forum which is something I do not condone.

Tell me about it ... I've been repeatedly spammed by a business on this forum (I never joined their list and there's no opt-out) and am still being spammed despite asking to be taken off their list.

Now, you'd think that, being a telemarketing company they'd be able to get clients by telemarketing and wouldn't have to resort to desperate measures like illegal spam ... but there you go ...

Now, the question is ... should I name and shame???

Steve

 

[stugster]

I'd say yes.

I've had three people add me to MSN in the past week offering me products and services. I don't mind people adding me for a chat, or for questions about their PCs... but not to offer me services that I'm never going to need.

The last one was to purchase golf balls. I've never played a round of golf in my life. Surely the time spent doing this is wasted?

Nonetheless, I decided to waste his/her time as much as possible by going into a good hour's worth of waffle about the golf ball subject and how many dots a golf ball should have. Apparently I can have my logo printed on the ball too! Fantastic... remind me, physically where is this golf ball 75% of the time you're playing the game? Ah yes, either in the air, or yards away from any eyes.

 

[Airecoms]

Dooo itt!!!

 

[cycustance]

Mabye you should Steve,

Then you could also explain that you've recieved only one email from myself offering my services for which you decided to be a childish little boy and reply with Profanities instead of just asking to be removed like any normal person would let alone a "Marketing Proffesional"

 

[creacom]

Tell me about it ... I've been repeatedly spammed by a business on this forum (I never joined their list and there's no opt-out) and am still being spammed despite asking to be taken off their list.
Steve

Like many, we too have been spammed this week with unsolicited emails from a company on here - sounds like the same one as the rest of you !

I have reported it to the owners of the forum and I suggest that if you are unhappy about it, you do the same.

Jacqui

 

[cycustance]

Oh please,

one simple email offering my services to you all and you spit your dummies out, some people need to grow up and Creacom you requesting I removed you and I did,

 

[Eagle]

Its a legal requirement

I thought opt-in was a legal requirement, with opt-out being illegal. Meaning that you actively have to check the box to participate?

 

[Tin]

Cycustance, it's spam, nobody likes it and I'm not surprised by Steve's reaction. You herewith have my permission to remove my 2 business email addresses from your database.

 

[cycustance]

Hi Tin,

I dont actually think your on it,

So you have never sent a business a email offering your services before I take it,

 

[creacom]

Cycustance, it's spam, nobody likes it and I'm not surprised by Steve's reaction. You herewith have my permission to remove my 2 business email addresses from your database.

Asking me in the first place if you could put it there in the first place would have been a bit better.

This is an issue that we have had on UKBF before and as I said before, the mods have passed on this thread to the owners.

Jacqui

 

[cycustance]

Just to put things into perspective!

I run a one man business from home telemarketing I dont have a massive database of emails and emarketing software I collated some email address from referals and from websites I have visited on here and decided to email you guys offering my services simple if you didnt like it then email me saying so and you wont recieve again talk about mountain and molehill,
there is alot worse things going on in the world guys come on!

 

Oh please,

one simple email offering my services to you all and you spit your dummies out, some people need to grow up and Creacom you requesting I removed you and I did,

I'm a member on the sales and marketing forums and I recieved around 7 of the same emails, but too several of our email accounts including sales@, support@, accounts@ etc.

I don't mind recieving these emails as I'm part of the forum to my registered email address but I was not very happy to have recieved several to different email accounts.

 

[JamieM]

I thought opt-in was a legal requirement, with opt-out being illegal. Meaning that you actively have to check the box to participate?

I believe you can have a 'soft opt in' where an 'opt out' is mandatory at the time of collecting the details and at every subsequent communication.

 

[cycustance]

Many appologies Carl,

I will make sure that wont happen again!

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Then you could also explain that you've recieved only one email from myself offering my services

Well, as Cy has held his hand up, I guess I'm free to point out that it was Mytchmac (Cy and David Smith/Paget) that have been spamming me.

Some comments:

(1) It wasn't "one email" as Cy suggets, it was a number of spams from different businesses David Smith is involved in (I've also been spammed by his marketing forum).

(2) I received spam yesterday and spam today, so I appear to still be on the Mytchmac in-house spam list.

(3) Finally, these spam emails are not the only problem I've had with David Smith's marketing. There was the time he re-wrote an article of mine and passed it off as his own work. See the relevant thread here.

Cy, your attitude seems to be "well, I don't care if it's illegal because I'll not get prosecuted" rather than "I'm sorry, I realise I've made a mistake and I'll never spam the forum membership again".

And I think that reflects poorly on both you and your organisation that you've felt it appropriate to sink to these sorts of marketing approaches.

Steve

 

[stugster]

Just to put things into perspective!

I run a one man business from home telemarketing I dont have a massive database of emails and emarketing software I collated some email address from referals and from websites I have visited on here and decided to email you guys offering my services simple if you didnt like it then email me saying so and you wont recieve again talk about mountain and molehill,
there is alot worse things going on in the world guys come on!

It's annoying when YOU don't put it in perspective. We (the royal We that is, as I've not received one of your e-mails) receive loads of emails like this every day. I personally have no use for Viagra, Golf Balls, etc. and if I did, I'd go to the Internet websites and purchase them without being asked to.

What annoys me more, is that spam accounts for about 75%* of the emails that go around in today's 'Net. Bandwidth costs. And, it slows the Internet down - for no good reason.

Out of interest, do you actually receive any results from your spam?



(*that figure is made up, but it's not that far off)

 

[cycustance]

Steve,

You might have got an appology if I hadnt of recieve an email with every second word being a swear word steve!

 

[lockie]

I too have had spam from the forum and i can honestly say i have never emailed anyone offering my services in this way. To be honest i think it makes you look untrustworthy to deal with so it gets filtered as junk.

Judging by the replies in this thread many others feel the same way too, its not about spitting dummies out. I contribute to this forum to learn,network and also help others.If i need a service i will look in the offers section or look at the posts people put as that seems to be the best form of advertisement for their company, not the "spit your dummies out" type replies as that shows what sort of person your really dealing with.

 

[cycustance]

Stuart,

Yes I had 5 vaild enquires today from the mailshot!

 

[stugster]

CY, I wonder if those that have responded to you today have read these forums now.

I hope so

 

[cycustance]

All this over a simple email offering my services and included in the email is the offer to business forum members is it that bad really!

 

[Eagle]

Hang on... just playing devil's advocate here - I thought that unsolicited B2B marketing emails were 100% legal. It's only private email addresses that were protected by the govt's legislation?...

 

[cycustance]

I hope so too Stuart as Im sure they will think mountain and molehill too!

 

[JamieM]

I am not that fussed about a bit of spam seeing as I get so much of it every day. However, even though it seems you are offering a good deal Cy, I would now not trust you to represent my business. Obviously some people don't mind, so long live the brass neck!

Anyway, I am interested. How did you collect all the emails?

 

[directmarketingadvice]

You might have got an appology

I didn't want you to say "sorry" - those would just be empty words anyway as you're obviously not sorry and it seems clear that you fully intend to spam the forum membership again - what I wanted is to receive no more spam from Mytchmac and related businesses.

Is that possible?

Steve

 

[cycustance]

Hi JamieM,

Many thanks for your comments and in arnswer to your question I have collated the email addresses manually,

 

[JamieM]

Hang on... just playing devil's advocate here - I thought that unsolicited B2B marketing emails were 100% legal. It's only private email addresses that were protected by the govt's legislation?...

Yeah, you're probably right Mark. I expect if it had been a personal email then people wouldn't have been so bothered. I think because it was clearly a general mass mailing people are a bit annoyed.

 

[cycustance]

Steve,

The email I sent you wasnt from MytchMac,
CJC Sales and Marketing works in association with MytchMac on many projects including Sales And Marketing Forums and Telemarketing Projects

 

[stugster]

Hang on... just playing devil's advocate here - I thought that unsolicited B2B marketing emails were 100% legal. It's only private email addresses that were protected by the govt's legislation?...

Alas, a very fair point! But, how many people are on these forums representing their business or themselves? And furthermore, how many people have registered with their personal e-mail address or their business e-mail address? And if that's the case, how do you tell the difference?

I hope so too Stuart as Im sure they will think mountain and molehill too!

As a guide to show you how they're all feeling:

How you can have ‘Hot Legs’ too!
If you’re dreading the thought of revealing your legs this...

Profit from Land Investment
Hi Stuart, Profit from land investment today!...

Need a fast solution to DEBT?
Our typical interest rate is 19.6% APR...

Need Viagra Now?
30 pills x 50mg $60.23 $2.01 per item Your save: $30 10 pills x 50mg $30.22 $3.03 per item

AD: Graphic Design Service

Hi There, ​

​

This is a marketing email. We do not send this message to the same person twice...​

​

(Funnily enough, I got that email twice!!!)​

​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]FDA approved on-line pharmacies​

​

Cialis Soft Tabs - $5.78, Viagra Professional - $4.07,..​

​

​

That's just the e-mails my spam trapper let through! And that's just in the last 12 hours.​

​

Now, lets do the maths. I get 1 spam message every 2 hours. I spend 1 minute looking at it. For every 2 hours I waste 1 minute. I work for 10 hours a day, that's 5 minutes wasted on spam a day.​

​

In a week, I waste 30 minutes (i work 6 days a week). Half an hour of wasted productivity.​

​

I'd really like to emphasise how good my spam trapper is as well by the way. I get nearer 1000 emails of spam in a day, most of which are caught. I feel so much for those that don't have the knowledge to fine-tune their anti-spam systems.​

[/FONT]

 

[Trikke Uk]

no big deal. i get loads but you can just press delete!!!

 

[cycustance]

Hi Stuart,

Fair point I get the the blue pill adverts aswell but if i recieved a genuine businesses related email from another forum member I really wouldnt be that bothered Infact I would be grateful that they had thought of me!

 

[cycustance]

Trikke UK,

At last somebody with more to worry about in there life than an email! lol

 

[lockie]

Just one question why would someone selling marketing services target another person who offers marketing services ? Surely a marketing service could find better leads ? Doesnt look good from where i am standing.

 

[cycustance]

Lockie,

In responce to your question alot of marketing companies network there services because of work load!

 

[stugster]

... alot still isn't a word

 

[cycustance]

Stuart,

Your point is ?