Firms Adding You to Mailing Lists

[Glassman]

I recently contacted a car selling independent using their 'enquire about this vehicle' option. After checking if there was an opt in/out to mailing list (there wasn't) in the message box I also stated that I did not want to receive any mail other than about the subject vehicle.

They didn't respond to the request and have since sent, and continue to send, their latest stocklist. What happened to marketing list consent? Am I missing something? This seems to be happening with a lot of sites even after explicitly opting out.

What is it I'm missing?

[Ian Geary]

After clicking through my compulsory gdpr training as fast as possible (doesn't everyone?) I feel this is naughty.

You should complain to the company, and then to the ico.

But it will probably just get added to the bottom of a very long list.


My wife, who is infinity more organised than me (isn't everyone's?) uses specific emails for "proper" things and shopping, to help manage inevitable spam.


Hth

[Glassman]

Ian Geary said:

After clicking through my compulsory gdpr training as fast as possible (doesn't everyone?) I feel this is naughty.

You should complain to the company, and then to the ico.

But it will probably just get added to the bottom of a very long list.


My wife, who is infinity more organised than me (isn't everyone's?) uses specific emails for "proper" things and shopping, to help manage inevitable spam.


Hth

You're probably right about it just being put on a big list. But one thing is for sure, after blocking them there is no way I will use that company on principle.

[VSKeith]

Glassman said:

You're probably right about it just being put on a big list. But one thing is for sure, after blocking them there is no way I will use that company on principle.

Tell them this

[Groomio]

If this happens to me I get my own back by signing them up to news letters etc, the more embarrassing you can find the better ...

[Mont Blanc]

Ian Geary said:

After clicking through my compulsory gdpr training as fast as possible (doesn't everyone?) I feel this is naughty.

You should complain to the company, and then to the ico.

But it will probably just get added to the bottom of a very long list.


My wife, who is infinity more organised than me (isn't everyone's?) uses specific emails for "proper" things and shopping, to help manage inevitable spam.


Hth

I mentioned this on a different thread, and I'm amazed more people don't do it.

I have a junk email address and a proper email address. I only ever give out the proper email address if it's something important that I would need to read and respond to, like my accountants, HRMC, or my employer. I never get any junk, ever. If something comes into that mailbox I'm notified of it, and I read it.

In the junk email address, I now have something like 30,000 emails piled up. I do not have any notifications for this mailbox, and I never look at them. Every few years I will have a mass-delete to stop me exceeding whatever the capacity is on the mailbox.

[119]

Mont Blanc said:

Ian Geary said:

After clicking through my compulsory gdpr training as fast as possible (doesn't everyone?) I feel this is naughty.

You should complain to the company, and then to the ico.

But it will probably just get added to the bottom of a very long list.


My wife, who is infinity more organised than me (isn't everyone's?) uses specific emails for "proper" things and shopping, to help manage inevitable spam.


Hth

I mentioned this on a different thread, and I'm amazed more people don't do it.

I have a junk email address and a proper email address. I only ever give out the proper email address if it's something important that I would need to read and respond to, like my accountants, HRMC, or my employer. I never get any junk, ever. If something comes into that mailbox I'm notified of it, and I read it.

In the junk email address, I now have something like 30,000 emails piled up. I do not have any notifications for this mailbox, and I never look at them. Every few years I will have a mass-delete to stop me exceeding whatever the capacity is on the mailbox.

Same here.

Works flawlessly.

[slievenashaska]

Ian Geary said:

My wife, who is infinity more organised than me (isn't everyone's?) uses specific emails for "proper" things and shopping, to help manage inevitable spam

For anyone using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac and has paid for extra iCloud space then you can set up as many unique 'hide my email' addresses as you want, with each forwarding onto your ordinary email and each capable of being deactivated (not deleted, just deactivated) and reactivated whenever you want, or permanently deleted if you are never going to use them again.

The 'hide my email' option should be offered when you sign up to anything using your Apple account, but if doing it outside of that just go to the iCloud settings and you can create a new address there.

The only issue is these email addresses can only receive email and you can't send emails from them.

[Derek Smith]

The company are relying on the 'soft opt-in' provision under the GDPR. If you make an enquiry about a specific product and don't opt out of their email marketing list when doing so, they can add you to the list. Each and every marketing email should have an unsubscribe button which must be dealt with in a reasonable time.

If they do not include an unsubscribe button or ignore your request, then put them in your spam folder. If a significant proportion of their targets do so, and it is likely if this is typical, they can experience delivery problems all over.

I'd inform the ICO. It's quick, it's easy and it can hurt.

[Mont Blanc]

slievenashaska said:

For anyone using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac and has paid for extra iCloud space then you can set up as many unique 'hide my email' addresses as you want, with each forwarding onto your ordinary email and each capable of being deactivated (not deleted, just deactivated) and reactivated whenever you want, or permanently deleted if you are never going to use them again.

The 'hide my email' option should be offered when you sign up to anything using your Apple account, but if doing it outside of that just go to the iCloud settings and you can create a new address there.

The only issue is these email addresses can only receive email and you can't send emails from them.

Could be useful to some people, but it does sound more complicated than just handing out a junk email address every time you buy something, sign up to something, join a wifi, fill in a form, book a restaurant, or whatever.

[ARH]

Each time you get an unwanted email, either just click the unsubsribe link or create a filter to put all emails from that address in the trash.

If you use the Gmail app the is a specific section in settings to unsubsribe from these emails

It's called manage subscriptions

Edited by ARH on Saturday 25th April 17:27

[Slow.Patrol]

I have three email addresses.

One I only use for banking and other financial stuff.

One I use for random stuff like utilities, Amazon etc.

One I use for junk.

[ARH]

My house has its own email address for utilities and household stuff. My home automation has its own email address. I have another 3 for random stuff and my personal one. Does this make me organised or paranoid?

[slievenashaska]

Slow.Patrol said:

I have three email addresses.

One I only use for banking and other financial stuff.

One I use for random stuff like utilities, Amazon etc.

One I use for junk.

Currently I have 167 email addresses - one for personal, banking, and utilities, and 166 for other companies that I have dealt with although numerous of those are temporarily deactivated.

[Cyberprog]

You only need one email address. I just needs to support plus addressing.

So you have [e-mail] - and sign up to the spoons mailing list - but you use [e-mail]. Still gets delivered to your inbox as normal, but you now know when spoons have sold your data and another company emails you.

Plus you can then just put rules in to block as necessary.

[TheDrownedApe]

Cyberprog said:

You only need one email address. I just needs to support plus addressing.

So you have [e-mail] - and sign up to the spoons mailing list - but you use [e-mail]. Still gets delivered to your inbox as normal, but you now know when spoons have sold your data and another company emails you.

Plus you can then just put rules in to block as necessary.

Never knew this, thanks.

Works with @outlook.com for those interested

[Derek Smith]

There was a free online programme that allowed you to become someone else, complete with temporary email address. I must have used it a dozen times but in the end I just ran with a Google address which I changed when the inbox got cluttered.