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What would you do....?

by Richard Van
24 replies
This is a strange dilemna, nothing too important but I'm genuinely interested in what others would do in this situation.

I recently, well nearly a year ago, unscribed from all but 2 peoples lists. One of the people I unsubscribed from, still sends me mail.

In fact I estimate I've unsubscribed over 30 times.

2 days ago I got another email and unsubscribed again and this time reported it as spam. 5 hours later I got a video asking what I'd thought of the video and urging me to go back and watch it again.

I unsubscribed and reported it as spam.

This morning I got another email, again telling me to watch the video again and how everyone was soooo amazed by this guys resemblence to God or some higher power, that I was surely going to perish along with my family unless I went and saw it again.

I unsubscribed and reported it as spam.

Now I fully expect to get another email.

In light of the fact I simply can't unsubscribe from this persons list, what steps would you take to get rid of these unwanted and unsolicited emails from someone I neither like nor care about.

I'm sure I can block the person but I'd like to let the person know, what they're doing is wrong and doesn't give a good impression to others who will no doubt follow in this persons footsteps.

This isn't a rant and I'd never name this person but I do want the person to realise that spamming people isn't nice and if I can't unsubscribe and if reporting this persons email as spam in Gmail does nothing, I'd like to know what you'd do next.

For those of you who say "Get over it, move on, don't worry about", please don't feel like you have to reply.
  • Profile picture of the author MerlynSanchez
    It's almost like this person is deliberately spamming you! He's upping the ante every time you unsubscribe.

    I'd contact them and tell them how I felt about the situation.

    And if he didn't stop, then I'd report him to his a/r.
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    • Profile picture of the author Psst
      Banned
      Originally Posted by MerlynSanchez View Post

      It's almost like this person is deliberately spamming you! He's upping the ante every time you unsubscribe.

      I'd contact them and tell them how I felt about the situation.

      And if he didn't stop, then I'd report him to his a/r.
      I can't think of anything better than this.
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
        Thanks Merlyn, Chris and Psst.

        Yes I've tried that and at the bottom of the email, it says...

        Click here to unsubscribe.
        Just a link, nothing else.

        I hit that and go to a page that just says this...

        You have been successfully unsubscribed and will not receive any more messages.
        There's a support email at the end that doesn't actually answer my emails.

        There's nothing else on the page at all, no evidence of any autoresponder.

        The URL of that page has a load of bumf at the end but the actual URL is....

        quitup dot com (with a load more stuff at the end) - Have a look at that site.

        Basically there is no evidence of the persons a/r. I suspect it's an in house one.

        Believe me if I knew who this persons autoresponder was, I wouldn't still be getting emails.
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        • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

          Thanks Merlyn, Chris and Psst.

          Yes I've tried that and at the bottom of the email, it says...

          Just a link, nothing else.

          I hit that and go to a page that just says this...

          There's a support email at the end that doesn't actually answer my emails.

          There's nothing else on the page at all, no evidence of any autoresponder.

          The URL of that page has a load of bumf at the end but the actual URL is....

          quitup dot com (with a load more stuff at the end) - Have a look at that site.

          Basically there is no evidence of the persons a/r. I suspect it's an in house one.

          Believe me if I knew who this persons autoresponder was, I wouldn't still be getting emails.

          Take the screenshots and complain to the host of his domain that he is spamming. Hosts have little patience with spammers.
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          • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
            Screenshots, video, and some nice blog posts and videos on youtube that "so and so is a perpetual spamer"

            Maybe tie it in with "Why you shouldn't opt into his list but go ahead and opt into mine"

            If you have the emails, and the video, there won't be much he could dispute.
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        • Profile picture of the author MerlynSanchez
          I visited quitup and wth?

          I understand you wanting to let this person know what's going on. If you haven't had any luck getting an email address; have you tried finding him on FB and reaching him that way?

          It's odd that this person is well-known but there's no contact information for him.


          Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

          Thanks Merlyn, Chris and Psst.

          Yes I've tried that and at the bottom of the email, it says...

          Just a link, nothing else.

          I hit that and go to a page that just says this...

          There's a support email at the end that doesn't actually answer my emails.

          There's nothing else on the page at all, no evidence of any autoresponder.

          The URL of that page has a load of bumf at the end but the actual URL is....

          quitup dot com (with a load more stuff at the end) - Have a look at that site.

          Basically there is no evidence of the persons a/r. I suspect it's an in house one.

          Believe me if I knew who this persons autoresponder was, I wouldn't still be getting emails.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
    I'd personally take a few screengrabs as evidence and make a complaint to the AR company the emails are being sent through.

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author Willie Murray
    If you have spam filtering with your host, block his email address or entire domain.

    William
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  • Profile picture of the author onegoodman
    why do you bother with this guy, just add to banned list in your email and everything he send will go to spam folder.
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
      Originally Posted by onegoodman View Post

      why do you bother with this guy, just add to banned list in your email and everything he send will go to spam folder.
      Why do you bother responding when I said this in the OP?

      I'm sure I can block the person but I'd like to let the person know, what they're doing is wrong and doesn't give a good impression to others who will no doubt follow in this persons footsteps.
      For those of you who say "Get over it, move on, don't worry about", please don't feel like you have to reply.
      I've said I don't want to do that. This is a well known person, I want him to realise this is wrong.

      Nb. I'm well aware I can block the person. I want the person to know that I don't appreciate him doing what he's doing. If you want to leave a comment telling me to block him, please don't, it will be falling on deaf ear and it shows you didn't read the OP fully . Thank you.
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      Wibble, bark, my old man's a mushroom etc...

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  • Profile picture of the author sscot
    You'll get very useful information about spam preventing here, Spam - What It Is and What You Can Do About It!
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
      Originally Posted by sscot View Post

      You'll get very useful information about spam preventing here, Spam - What It Is and What You Can Do About It!
      Now that looks interesting, Thanks very much Sscot.
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      Wibble, bark, my old man's a mushroom etc...

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      • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
        Here's what I'd do...

        Look at the header information for the e-mails and then
        find out which e-mail server is being used to send the
        e-mails. Then contact the hosting company responsible
        for that e-mail sending server and let them know that
        all of your unsubcribe requests to date have been ignored.

        It's because of wankers like this, that I'm very careful on
        which e-mail addresses I give out and to whom.

        For future reference, here's a useful system I use to remain
        in control of my e-mail subscriptions:

        I've got a GMail address that I use for all list subscriptions
        that I don't yet trust. If they treat me right, they get
        promoted to the next level. If not, I either unsubscribe or
        create a filter to push them into spam.

        If the person is worth listening to, then I'll create a unique
        forwarding e-mail address for them only on my domain, e.g.
        'listownersname@mydomain.com'

        That way, if they start playing silly buggers at a later time,
        I terminate them by deleting the forwarding e-mail address.

        I realize that the horse has already bolted on this particular
        issue, but I'd check the e-mail headers and then report them
        to the hosting company for the e-mail sending server.

        Good luck.

        Dedicated to mutual success,

        Shaun
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        .

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  • Profile picture of the author Robert M Gouge
    I'd be nice about it and send one email to him/her directly. On the off chance there is some error with the auto-responder service not registering unsubscribes.

    If he/she ignored this then I would blast his auto-responder service or host provider with complaints until the emails stopped.

    Just about every auto-responder and host out there have little to no patience for spammers and will bring the pain.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Richard, I'd simply "black hole" his emails and go about my business.

    I appreciate that you'd like to set the guy straight, but 'saving the unrepentant' is a losing game. Ask any clergyman or missionary.
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  • Profile picture of the author dbarnum
    Hi,

    I've been om some lists like that for years. Just go into your email program, into the settings area, and set up forwards to direct all email from those email addresses directly to the trash bin or delete them (see which option you have). Works fine. No mess, no stress.
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    • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
      Thanks very much for all your replies.

      I've just spent an hour on Skype with Shaun O'Reilly, who I have to say is an extremely helpful and jolly nice chap.

      Shaun is finding out from the header info if the emails are in fact coming from this person or someone acting as him, though it looks like this is from the person it appears to be at the moment.

      Thanks again to everyone and especially Shaun.
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      Wibble, bark, my old man's a mushroom etc...

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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Richard Van View Post

        Shaun is finding out from the header info if the emails are in fact coming from this person or someone acting as him, though it looks like this is from the person it appears to be at the moment.
        I was on an email list of one HUGE IM name and it was the same deal. Could not unsubscribe, even though I tried over and over again. Can't remember how I got rid of his emails ... maybe hit the spam button enough that they eventually disappeared. But it was very annoying and seemed very deliberate. There's no way in hell someone with his resources could have a "faulty" autoresponder.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          I unsubscribe a couple times - then I report it as spam quicly

          Then I drop it - I simply create a rule in my email program to route all future emails from this person into my own "black hole" folder.

          I never see the person's emails again - and if they are paying per subscriber, they are paying for me

          I'm not going to waste much time getting rid of a spammer when I can just route their emails into never-never land instead.

          kay
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          • Profile picture of the author jskarthik1
            Yes, that list builder should understand this and let go those who are not interested.

            Email spoofing and spamming are the two big reasons for creating these headaches.

            I wonder how many spam messages these kind of spammers get on daily basis.

            In your case reporting it to the auto responder support might work if that list builder is not allowing you to unsubscribe.

            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            I unsubscribe a couple times - then I report it as spam quicly

            Then I drop it - I simply create a rule in my email program to route all future emails from this person into my own "black hole" folder.

            I never see the person's emails again - and if they are paying per subscriber, they are paying for me

            I'm not going to waste much time getting rid of a spammer when I can just route their emails into never-never land instead.

            kay
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesGw
    You did pretty much everything you could by reporting him as spam. You can try filing a complaint with the FTC or something.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gaz Cooper
    Hey Rich

    I would also be nice about it, if he is a well known guy is he here on WF if so a PM might work if not then I would try to find a way on contacting him via another avenue facebook maybe ???

    I think maybe he does not know his autorespsonder is not working (maybe he does know, but I would give him the benefit of doubt) once you know he has been informed and knows about the issue and it still continues, that will be a different story.

    Kickin it on Amazon

    Gaz Cooper
    Amazon Cash King
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  • Profile picture of the author Murt@gh
    Hey Rich,

    I like to use Microsoft outlook for its various features and also because it is easy to set up rules and stop spam. If I continue to get emails after unsubbing, I just mark it the email as junk mail and it automatically goes to the junk box forever more.

    You know I've noticed smaller marketers seem to not send as many emails as some of the big names do, some of the big names send sometimes a few a day, which is way too much, which leads me to think that some people may be pretending to be who they are not, as you mentioned.
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  • Profile picture of the author GlobalTrader
    Instead of trying to use electronic communications, look up his phone number on his website or in whois.sc and call him, be polite but firm in informing him that you do not wish to receive his emails any longer and that you have attempted multiple times to unsubscribe. Be ready to inform him of what further action(s) you intend to take should he get pissy with you and if he does, hit him with everything you can including documenting all attempts to unsubscribe, keep copies of his emails, your emails, your phone call, time, date, etc. and then report him to every spam list you can and whatever government organization FTC or FCC that handles spam complaints.

    I believe it was Teddy Roosevelt who said "speak softly, but carry a BIG STICK!".
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