Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Companies you buy from that go on to spam you every single day

112 replies

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 08/04/2021 22:45

Why do they do it? Does it really have the desired effect on the recipients - any of them? Companies that sell things that most people don't buy that often, but they persist in sending an email (sometimes two) every single day.

Clearly, they've realised that they can easily do it, but it doesn't seem to occur to them that, at best, their emails will cease to become 'special' in any way and, at worst, customers will ignore every one and probably unsubscribe after a few days once they realise the intention is to stalk and irritate them on a daily basis? It's not even like they have new items of interest in every day. Do they really think that every single customer cares just as much about their business and sales figures as they do?

I imagine their thinking is that they don't know on which day somebody might want/need to buy something that they sell, so they'll cover all bases by making sure that you've had an email from them whenever that day might happen to arrive. Apparently oblivious to all of their spam you have to contend with on every single other day - and also from every company that thinks this is a bright idea.

Have I misunderstood something here? Wouldn't a well-crafted email once every fortnight be welcomed much more positively and make likely customers actually look with some interest to see what's new rather than thinking "Ugh, not them again" once or twice every day, before shortly unsubscribing altogether? Why wouldn't a company want to keep customers willingly subscribed for marketing contact every fortnight/month rather than driving them to unsubscribe and lose that potential sales link altogether?

OP posts:
ScienceSensibility · 09/04/2021 09:50

@Nitflux

There’s an excellent website called Unroll.me where you put in your email address and it shows you what you’ve subscribed to. It then consolidates all the subscriptions into one daily email which you receive (you can choose which ones to consolidate.) You can also unsubscribe from the emails there. It hugely tidied up my inbox. I’m aware it sounds like I work at Unrolll.me - I do not, just think it’s an excellent service! Grin
I went and had a look at this, and read their ‘Privacy Policy’.

That’s a hard nope from me!

LemonDrizzles · 09/04/2021 09:53

I once went through and meticulously unsubscribed from them all (from my main account - I did set up a shopping account.)
About 6 months later, one of them started emailing me again!
So I went into my account and changed to the shopping email address.
Sad, isn't it? I agree, once a fortnight sounds logical and would likely get more positive outcomes for these businesses.
All that happens now is that I forward important emails to my real email. I was going to say that I don't check the shopping email address but these days I do just to find out which places (including soft plays) are re-opening and when. What a waste!

Sillyduckseverywhere · 09/04/2021 09:55

@Aprilshowers34

All marketing emails have to have an unsubscribe button by law, so you can just click this if it annoys you so much. It's at the bottom of the email. Big names like Clark's, sports Direct etc will definitely have this or they would be breaking the law.

Stop moaning, click unsubscribe and get on with your life.

Except a lot have dead links or are ignored... Hmm
emmathedilemma · 09/04/2021 10:21

Dunelm
Every sodding day since I didn't one order from them.

Oldraver · 09/04/2021 10:35

Monsoon. I have blocked them and now refuse to give them my email

MargaretThursday · 09/04/2021 10:48

We used to have one at work. I think they'd ordered something from them around 15 years ago. They certainly hadn't used them in 10 years! We got 2 emails a day and a news letter a week. What's more they also sent huge catalogues fortnightly. We have 5 employees. We received 6 catalogues addressed to: Office manager, the three office managers before that, the caretaker and one generically labelled to the business.
They did stop on the third time of asking though.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 09/04/2021 10:56

They get round GDPR by exercising the clause that talks about "legitimate interest"

Yes, that seems to be their technically-legal workaround with cookies as well. You tell them you don't want them to spy on you, but they use the excuse that they managed to spy on you before without your noticing - and you didn't object then - so you're a terrible rotter to go back on your word now.

All of them, but Amazon are among the worst. You buy a camera then they spam you with adverts of not only camera accessories (which you might need) but other cameras. Jeeze. How many cameras does one person need? I have 4 but only 2 in use at present. I dont need any more cameras at the mo thank you.

They keep trying to sign me up to that thing they've started whereby you allow them to sit on your shoulder all the time you're online and they constantly try to link what you're doing to something they sell and then try to get you to buy it. They think it will increase their sales, so what could be the problem? I genuinely don't think some of these companies realise/care that their sales numbers have an actual person with agency at the end of each one. They seem to think I'm like Michael Jackson in that documentary where he goes into the shop selling expensive gaudy items, the shopkeeper keeps pointing to things and saying "this is nice" trust me, it isn't and Michael says "OK, I'll have that, then" whilst you can literally see the shopkeeper rubbing his hands together.

eBay are similarly annoying when they email you to tell you what you've been looking at. I know: I was looking at it.... Especially annoying when I order something from them and then they email me soon afterwards to urge me to buy the same item. "Do you remember you looked at this?" "Yes - do you remember that I bought it?" Nice to know my order was so valued, then. Even when you look at random expensive stuff, just out of idle curiosity, to see what hugely impractical items people are selling and how much they're going for. I looked at old red telephone boxes after seeing some at a museum and eBay was convinced that I must be sitting there with my finger on my PayPal, just waiting to spend £3K on something that will prevent me from parking on the drive Grin

All marketing emails have to have an unsubscribe button by law, so you can just click this if it annoys you so much. It's at the bottom of the email. Big names like Clark's, sports Direct etc will definitely have this or they would be breaking the law.

Stop moaning, click unsubscribe and get on with your life.

So I'm the unreasonable one for not repeatedly telling them to stop it, often to no avail, then? As has been said, they ignore the law; probably work out that it costs them less to pay the fine, in the unlikely event that they get caught. I wonder if they have some kind of workaround whereby they maintain lots of different mailing lists and add you again every time you buy something or express any interest - thus, if you've bought 10 items from them over the last decade, you'll have to unsubscribe 10 times before they finally stop. That way of looking at things reminds me of the old Britannia music club: 'all' you have to do is 'simply' tell them every single month that you don't want to buy the random cassette that they've decided to sell you, or otherwise it's treated like you've ordered it! I know it was technically in their T&Cs, but it was never an honourable way of running a business.

I have a business Outlook account for work and I've noticed that Microsoft are in on the act now, as well. They send at least one email every day, claiming to help you manage your emails, but in reality just making it harder to find the real emails in amongst all their spam. Plus loads of emails informing me of every tiny little protocol and feature change that they clearly think are fascinating and very important, but which 99.99% of recipients must surely not give the vaguest stuff about and ignore. Maybe buried in some of the emails are notifications about the additional spamming liberties they're about to take unless you tell them not to. All the while, they send actual genuine emails - from people in my contact list - to the spam folder. Every time, I mark them as 'not spam', but still every new one gets sent there.

OP posts:
Flappityflippers1 · 09/04/2021 11:03

Bobux shoes 😡 I buy my child these perhaps 2/3 times a year. Yet I get multiple emails a day. God help me if I look at shoes and don’t buy, I then get constant emails “are you still considering, don’t forget to buy these!!”

If they weren’t the only thing to suit older DS’s feet, I’d never buy from them again!

gingergiraffe · 09/04/2021 11:07

In 2006 I researched car insurance quotes for my 17 yr old son. For 15 years I got various emails for him from various ‘ladies’ wanting to hook up! Some were very explicit. At first I found it hilarious but it soon became very irritating. Those seem to have stopped, but he is now 31. My email address has my name which is obviously female. I still sometimes get emails addressing him by name.

I sympathise op. If we have just had our bathroom updated, why would receiving two emails from the company on most days be helpful. So many shops now ask for email address when you purchase something. I usually refuse.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 09/04/2021 11:10

ITV Hub do it as well. I'm very old, so I watch most of my telly on a telly; but occasionally, I might have missed the start or want to check back about a small feature or interesting comment in a programme. Every single time, they send me a stalky email urging me not to forget to watch the end.

I may no longer be in the absolute prime of my life and at peak fitness, but I am still able to watch telly without suddenly forgetting to keep watching. If I stop, it's because I've run out of time, have something else to do or have simply seen the bit I thought sounded interesting (usually ends up not being as interesting as I'd thought, anyway).

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 09/04/2021 11:18

gingergiraffe

That's quite scary, actually. Every time a site has a data breach (assuming it's not a rogue company/employee/scam site spoofing a genuine one), there's outcry until they patch it; but, like with everything that happens online, once they've let your data be stolen, thieves could have, use and sell it for decades afterwards.

Not that it's strictly within the parameters of this thread, but I think there must be a lot of Baby Name threads like that, which get zombied many years later. The original new/unborn baby whose name was being considered might even come back on as an adult and recount their experiences at having 'also' been given this name, without realising that the original OP was their own DM/DF Grin

OP posts:
Rainbowandscarlett · 09/04/2021 11:24

Holland and Barrett
I don’t really shop there but had popped in to buy some arnica cream for bruises
I signed up to their card while I was there to collect the points if I ever did go back
Min 5 emails a day for months
I unsubscribed at least 10 times over the following months and finally managed it

Oxfam-as a family we signed up to buy my dad a goat,a mango tree and 50 condoms for a family in a third world country (he’s a true bloke who doesn’t want ‘stuff’ for himself so makes it very hard to buy for birthdays and Christmas)
We had at least 3 emails a day and phone calls at least 4 times a week for months begging us to send money or buy more stuff from them
My mother had to kick up a real stink to get my email and her number deleted from their lists
Bloody shame as they would have made a fortune out of us if they’d just left us alone

Ebay and Amazon-both email me with ‘you bought this,would you like the same thing for the same price but a different seller?’
Er,no
I’ve just bought the item,I don’t need nor want the same thing twice!

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 09/04/2021 11:25

Whats worse to me is if i get hooked usually by MN 🙄 into looking at a product, sometimes put it in my basket, see how much delivery is and then give up and decide i don't actually want it, 5 mins later and i get an e mail saying did you forget to check out? Then another a day later giving me a discount if i checkout now. I end up going back and removing the item and clicking unsubscribe which is annoying as i didn't subscribe in the first place.

Jobseeker19 · 09/04/2021 11:42

Fly lady!
And Bulk.com

OverByYer · 09/04/2021 11:43

White Company
Mumsnet AIBU updates - can’t work out how to stop them Angry
Clarke’s shoes

VienneseWhirligig · 09/04/2021 11:48

Wish. I ordered a small item of stationery two years ago and they stalk me. And Hygge Bands.

funnion · 09/04/2021 11:51

beaverbrooks
get the label
freedom brewery

numerous email per day off them all

PissTestRightNowDaniella · 09/04/2021 11:52

I know it's been mentioned that they get around GDPR by siting 'legitimate interest' however if you have unsubscribed, and they STILL persevere, are they not going against the GDPR rule of 'the right to be forgotten'?

ThatsShitTryHarder · 09/04/2021 11:58

Victorian Plumbing.

We bought our bathroom stuff from the and ever since, I’ve had an email every day.

What’s worse is that they’re offering me a massive discount after I’ve already bought the products! Where was my discount when I was ordering over £2000 worth of goods from you, VP? Angry

CandidaDoyle · 09/04/2021 12:17

Cotswold Co are my nemesis. There are only so many solid oak dressers any one person can fit in their dining room.

DanceForeverUnderTheLights · 09/04/2021 12:19

I was saying this the other day. My inbox is full of crap. It used to go to Promotions, so I'm not sure why that stopped. I spent a good half hour unsubscribing but still getting crap. Costco send me about 4 emails a day, often about the same products they told me about yesterday. Holland and Barrett do my head in. I do regularly buy from them but, without fail, five minutes later they send me a discount for the item I just bought, aargh.

Ozgirl75 · 09/04/2021 13:58

I ordered a hutch for my guinea pigs and that seems to have unleashed insane thoughts from Kogan that I am some kind of collector of guinea pig hutches and want to see dozens of options every few days.
I’ve bought the fucken thing! I don’t need or want another one. It’s a pretty one off purchase!

Longdistance · 09/04/2021 14:13

I agree, Roman Originals and Marks and Spencer’s, every single fucking day Angry then Mountain warehouse bombards me with their crap.

whensmynexthol1day · 09/04/2021 15:15

I was mulling this over the other day. I really want to know from a marketing person at one of these companies what the data shows that makes them do this - presumably the data says they get more sales through this technique - but as everyone else has said it annoys the hell out of them I'm just not sure his can be the truth. How would they ever know how many more people are put off by the technique vs the opposite?

I think it really cheapens a brand eg Boden tries to position itself as a mid - high end shop yet spams you like it's absolutely desperate for your sales- the two just don't tally.

Mincepiesallyearround · 09/04/2021 15:23

Omg Boden. Sorry if it’s been said already but their waste of paper is shocking. At times my husband and I have bought seperstely from them (v rarely) and maybe once a year something for the kids. We’re hardly big spending customers. This week alone we’ve had three fat catalogues come through the door, one adult one addressed to my husband, one for me and a children’s one addressed to me.