Occasionally the simple act of inviting people to participate in
a promotion can lead to an extreme over-reaction. Reproduced below
is a genuine response we received when explaining the basis of our
original e-mail...
Your details are readily
available on canoeing and kayaking websites,
Where it is quite clear that they are for the use of individuals
wishing to get in touch with a view to their own paddling
activities, not for businesses to advertise so called
"opportunities". Anyone so abusing the address immediately loses my
business for many years - even if I have previously been an
entirely satisfied customer or client ... it is only by making that
fact quite clear that consumer power will eventually drive spammers
out of business and out of our hair.
so I don't feel we have abused
any human rights
That is exactly the attitude that really irritates people who
have a limited time to do a voluntary job constantly disrupted by
irrelevant people pushing their own agenda with no regard for how
much grief that might cause.
and I am
disappointed
Is that all? I had hoped to have a rather more dramatic effect
on your attitude. There's no persuading some people.
that you think the email was
junk.
ALL such unsolicited mail is junk, by very definition. That you
might for one moment imagine otherwise suggests that you need to
take a long cool look at your position and your value to society.
Do we really have room for people who believe that it is OK to send
stuff like that ? I actively campaign for custodial sentences for
junk mailers and find it particularly obnoxious when people
behaving in this way attempt to justify their behaviour instead of
apologising and considering changing their attitude. Shame should
drive you either to persuade your employer that their behaviour is
unacceptable, or get out of their employment whilst you still have
(apparently) some morsel of self-respect.
All the best for you and your
business,
WHY do you imagine I have a business when you have got my
address as being a volunteer running a club ? We are not a
business, we do not wish to advertise, we don't want to make money,
we just want to get on with our paddling without our email
addresses being abused by
SPAMMERS !!!!
All the worst for you and your business.
[He signs off]