Support: I know I work for idiots. Sorry.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    Signed up to newspaper site to comment on a story that was biased/wrong/idiotic. So far, so Meh.

    Shortly after i started getting spamulated with irrelevant mails. After hitting the unsubscribe link on three different mails and getting sick of it, I went to Spamcop. Few days later...

    From: Support bloke To: Me.

    Hello SpamCop user,

    Re: not honouring unsubscribe requests for Tivyside Advertiser Email Newsletters -
    we haven't sent anything to this address (whatever@snkmail.com) since the 21st Jan (mail logs below).

    I suspect the perceived problem is caused by the fact that when you register, you get automatically signed up
    for multiple newsletters, and hitting the unsubscribe link on one of them only unsubscribes you from
    that particular newsletter, it doesn't unsubscribe you from all of them.

    I have pointed out that this is confusing/annoying to the people who are responsible for deciding that
    it works like this, but without success. Many apologies for the irritation.

    Cheers,
    Support bloke
    Technical Platforms Product Manager
    Newsquest Digital Media


  • Java Dev

    Isn't 'sign me up for the newsletter' supposed to be a checkbox by law nowadays?

    Default unchecked?


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    There was no checkbox. And fairly certain no UK laws exist regarding such shennanigans...



  • There is a an EU Directive though:

    The directive was brought into force in the UK by the Privacy and Electronic Communications ( EC Directive) Regulations 2003. The regulations apply to all organisations that send out marketing by telephone, fax, automated calling system, email, SMS , MMS or using any other form of electronic communication.

    TL;DR (and it is very confusing).

    There are two things: Opt in / out and Prior consent. They are not the same.

    Prior consent is now tends to be part and parcel of any terms and conditions of membership / subscription, in that by being a member or subscribing you are giving prior consent to receive their electronic marketing. HOWEVER, if they do this THEY MUST provide an opt-out opportunity at the "point of purchase".

    Something like that anyway.



  • @PJH said:

    >hitting the unsubscribe link on one of them only unsubscribes you fromthat particular newsletter, it doesn't unsubscribe you from all of them.

    This is one reason for using a throwaway address for signing up for anything, even something legitimate. If and when it goes south, just throw away the address and all the mail that goes to it. If necessary, sign up to the legitimate service again with another throwaway address.


  • Discourse touched me in a no-no place

    @HardwareGeek said:

    This is one reason for using a throwaway address for signing up for anything, even something legitimate. If and when it goes south, just throw away the address and all the mail that goes to it. If necessary, sign up to the legitimate service again with another throwaway address.

    Hence the rather light anonymization I applied in the OP. It was a throwaway. I just changed the local part of my address and didn't show the support person's real name.



  • Newsquest websites are terrible. All our local rags use them though so I go on them ocasionally. Not signed up to comment though, I haven't reached "old man yells at cloud" levels of annoyance with a story yet.


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