Unsolicited Email from an Irish company offering Marketing Advice!!!

Liam Byrne

I just got an unsolicited email from a IRISH marketing company that notified me of their most recent offers, and it appeared to be a blanket mass email.

Included at the end it said:

Every business faces the daily challenge of how to market
itself effectively and get maximum return on expenditure.
Whether you want someone to promote, market or just know
a little bit more about your business, our company can
demonstrate how small changes in your approach can
have a dramatic effect on your bottom line.

Firstly, I hope that their recommendations don't include "send unsolicited emails"!!!!

And the other laughable thing is that one of the services that they were emailing me about appears to be in competition with us!!!

Apart from asking them (which I've done, but I don't expect a response) how they got the email address, how can I best deal with this ?

I mean, it would seem that they lifted the email from a directory or site that we're associated with, not realising that we offer services TO those people, rather than being one of them...and if they didn't harvest it, i.e. if someone has provided them with a list, I want to know who that was, to take appropriate action!

Because they've probably emailed people on that list/site - potential clients, maybe ? - and gained an advantage from doing that, despite it being illegal to send SPAM or harvest emails from directories.

Am I bashing my head off a brick wall here, or is there something I can do - without being TOO heavy-handed ?

EKRIUQ

Any any details of who else they sent the emails to via show details?

Liam Byrne

Namesco wrote: »

Any any details of who else they sent the emails to via show details?

Unfortunately not......if there was then I might be able to track it back.

While it's a standard mailshot email....."Hi [BLANK], etc", the email header indicates that they were sent one-by-one (maybe WorldCast or something) or else it was masked.

The headers indicate that it was sent/arrived through websitewelcome.com servers, though, and since I haven't had a reply from the query that I sent to the senders, I've forwarded a copy of it to abuse@websitewelcome.com .....

A little heavy-handed, maybe, but since they didn't bother replying, that's not my problem.

Oh - and aside from the unsolicited nature of the email, there was no "remove me from your list" either.....so that's another black mark against a company who describe themselves as "The ..*.. Professionals "

- send SPAM
- don't include a remove option
- send it to competitors

...and then their website offers a consultancy service for your email marketing campaign!!!!!

* Word removed because - despite the itch to "name and shame" - I'm not in quite a bitchy enough mood to make finding out who as easy as a Google search .... mind you, if they sell to a potential client of ours on the back of unsolicited mail, then that might change !!!!

Bob the Builder

I got an email before from a web marketing company offering me viagra, and stuff to "get you going in bed". Everyone knew who was taking the piss and how the "company" got an email address. A very bad joke that led to the fall of the forums anyway.

What you're reading above will become more common as companies like such, see the potential of email marketing and exploit it. And while there's people falling for the emails and taking their services, there'll be companies exploiting the channel of advertising offering their services. Simple as, and none of us can change that fact.

Liam Byrne

nevf wrote: »

I got an email before from a web marketing company offering me viagra, and stuff to "get you going in bed". Everyone knew who was taking the piss and how the "company" got an email address. A very bad joke that led to the fall of the forums anyway.

What you're reading above will become more common as companies like such, see the potential of email marketing and exploit it. And while there's people falling for the emails and taking their services, there'll be companies exploiting the channel of advertising offering their services. Simple as, and none of us can change that fact.

Agreed. But what annoys me is that unsolicited email is illegal, and the people who are above board and don't engage in it (like me) are losing out to those who do.

Viagra and all the other rubbish emails are one thing, because everyone deletes them at this stage. But competitors doing something illegal in order to gain an edge is something completely different.....if it were a different "real-life" tactic there would surely be some comeback ? Or if it were still the 80s I could call in the A-Team!!!!

I've had access to membership databases and emails because of some of the sites that I've done, but I've never once abused that trust or responsibility.

If I could trace it back to find out where they got it, and email the owner of that site (it might even be one that I did!!) I'd be delighted make sure that all of the people who received it were advised not to avail of their services due to the methods that they employed, and therefore it would backfire on them.

fintan

Name and Shame!

Liam Byrne

fintan wrote: »

Name and Shame!

Like I said, I don't play dirty; there's no "right to reply"......they might have been given my email from a valid source. Don't think so, though, given that they'd then know what business I was in (and therefore surely not emailed a competitor) and they'd surely have replied to tell me that in order to clear their name ?

Plus, I did kinda give them the "right to reply" when I asked them where they got my email address from, and they didn't "reply".....so maybe that means they've waived that right ?

So I'll go halfway and say this - their website contains the same text as the email......

Bob the Builder

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Agreed. But what annoys me is that unsolicited email is illegal, and the people who are above board and don't engage in it (like me) are losing out to those who do.

And I have to say i agree to that. Some very good potential clients are being lost. Not that it matters to me, because what i do is a hobby rather than a job, and my real job isn't affected so much by things like this, but for marketing companies, I can see it as being a very large tunnel of receiving "potentials" ("Potentials" being 'potential customers' btw)

I've had access to membership databases and emails because of some of the sites that I've done, but I've never once abused that trust or responsibility.

Well, respectable companies should be able to be trusted without having to start stealing records of (personal) information.

If I could trace it back to find out where they got it, and email the owner of that site (it might even be one that I did!!) I'd be delighted make sure that all of the people who received it were advised not to avail of their services due to the methods that they employed, and therefore it would backfire on them.

Would a report to Comreg solve any problems? I'm sure they could be able to advise you in some form or another.

Any respectable company doesn't use records like that. Being it from a legimate source or not, no company should use personal information like that in such an irresponsible way. I might give my email address out to everyone, as would I with my phone number for people to contact me, and for the likes of a phone network like voda, I would give them full permission to them "to contact me in relation to any special offers", simply because they at least have the dignity to ask for my permission and the product relates to me.

Similarily, if the company that contacted you via unsolicited emails, I would indeed have no problem if they had done a bit of research on my business, knew my name, and had emailed me(on my own, by myself, just me) to give me one or two suggestions, I would have an interest and more than likely to ring them back as a gesture of good will at least.
In your case, where they copy and paste 500 email addresses, throw together a half-arsed email, and press the send button; I would have utter objection with, especially a company of this kind, should be able to reach on it's own merits...

Liam Byrne

nevf wrote: »

In your case, where they copy and paste 500 email addresses, throw together a half-arsed email, and press the send button; I would have utter objection with, especially a company of this kind, should be able to reach on it's own merits...

Well (to be fair), there's no 100% guarantee that that's what they did, and I dont want to criticise them beyond what they DID do.

But:
1) There's no name on the email - it says "Hi [blank],"
2) If they had done ANY research AT ALL ...... even if they HAD "lifted" the addresses from somewhere, they would immediately have known that the product that the email was advertising is (a) not relevant to me, since I'm a developer/designer, not a user, and (b) a potential competitive product to something that we're offering!!!!

It's a company email, FFS!!! :eek: Replace the "xxxx@" with "http://www." and you get that info INSTANTLY - 2 seconds would have indicated that it was a no-no to send it.

And their website says that the company offers "email marketing consultations" from "the media professionals" !!!!! :rolleyes:

fintan

A quick google = http://www.gallereze.com/

tricky D

What are the odds that they didn't put their company number etc. in the email as legally required? Isn't on the website either.

I wonder..........

Liam Byrne

Got another one today......no "Hello", no "we thought you might be interested in this".

Just a subject of "Add Irish Post Codes to your Clients' Websites" and the content went straight into "It is now possible to Post Code any location in Ireland at....."

Again, no salutation (not even the impersonal "Hi" that was in the first email), no details specific to our company, no "how we got your contact details" and no "unsubscribe" link.

Any chance that this second crowd is using the first crowd as their "consultants" ?

Liam Byrne

Sorry for the double-post, but is there a page that contains the actual regulations governing this type of stuff in Ireland, emphasising

- it must be opt-in (or whatever protocol and exceptions apply to a B2B email)
- the legal stuff - company details, etc
- opt-out link requirements

Then I could just send that link back to people who do this.

Liam Byrne

Here's the latest update on the second one. I got ANOTHER email from them, as follows:

>> All,
>> Just a quick note with some new geographic trivia .....................
>> Did you know that the new PON (Post) Code for the GPO in Dublin is MTB 93D1 -
>> click on the link to see the location.
>> You can find your own Post Code at XXXXXXXX
>>
>> Let us know if you have any questions,
>>
>> XXXX

I sent back:

> I request removal from your mailing list IMMEDIATELY.
>
> I did not request inclusion in it, and got no reply when I asked as to how I arrived on it.
>
> I respectfully request that you let me know how I came to be on it, and also that you remove me immediately; use of emails for unsolicited emails is a breach of the Data Protection Act.
>
> _*I will expect a response as to how this email address came to be on your mailing list before end of work today.

And the reply I received ???

I did reply and you were removed but as you know if you send a message to someone and they reply - then you are in their personal address book!!


Do not send me any more e-mails and then you will not be in my personal address book.... (I am now removing you again)

Sorry and thanks,

XXXX

Firstly, still no explanation of how I came to be on their list in the first place, and secondly, they're sending marketing emails out to everyone in their Personal Address Book ????

And the inference that it's somehow MY fault ???

The first email CAME FROM THEM, so how did I get into his "Personal Address Book" in the first place ???

He - AGAIN - hasn't answered that.

And, based on his reply, if I email back and say "You STILL didn't answer how I ended up in your mailing list IN THE FIRST PLACE", then I go back into his "Personal Address Book", and get spammed again!!!!


Oh yeah - his "I did reply" comment refers to this:

Many thanks for your detailed e-mail -

I hope you find time to consider XXXXXXX for your clients,

Regards,

XXXXX

FFS!!!!!

Surely there's somewhere to report this idiot ?

mneylon

I got the postcode email as well.

If they send the email to a personal email address you can report them to the data privacy lot.

If they send it to a business email address and you ask to be removed AND they don't comply you can report them to data privacy.

The address book excuse is one I've heard before. Anyone using email that way obviously hasn't got a clue about email marketing

Liam Byrne

Thanks blacknight.....

Apparently (in this case, and according to them) "sending an email to ask to be removed" is what put me back into their mailing list (sorry, "Personal Address Book") :rolleyes: