It was a very busy day at work recently. I worked on a research assignment for one client while keeping e-mail open to receive responses from another client with whom I was discussing some finishing details.
When my e-mail alert came up, I immediately stopped what I was doing and went to my inbox...and discovered not the client message I was anticipating but a spam. I mentally cursed the sender but didn't have time to stew about it. I hit "blacklist" and returned to my work.
One hour later, I had finished the research and received the e-mail communication. But now I was expecting a phone call as well, one that would decide the details of an exciting new project. So when the phone rang, I jumped to grab it...and got fax noise. The machine spit out a page of garbage before I could stop it. The junk fax came from the same company that had spammed me earlier.
Normally, I let these things go. Much as we hate it, and despite their illegality, spam and junk faxes happen. But both from the same company on the same day was too much for me. I dug the e-mail out of my trash folder and wrote back.
Dear Mr. Roscoe:I have received your e-mail and your fax. I have discarded both.
You should be aware that unsolicited fax advertising is illegal in the United States. There is good reason for that: it puts the onus of advertising expense on the recipient even if he/she does not become a client. That is patently unfair and a marketing practice that reflects very poorly on your business. Likewise, I find your e-mail message questionable. Though it does offer me the option of unsubscribing, I never opted in to anything from you to begin with. Furthermore, your e-mail address appears to be an alias. This is prohibited by the CAN-SPAM Act. Finally, I find it highly unlikely that a company with a Connecticut address (but whose fax, strangely, comes from Colorado) actually read about me in a local newspaper article, as your message's subject line claims. Much more likely, your Internet auto-search spiders found me--and collecting e-mails and faxes by this method is also prohibited or strictly limited by US law.
Please read more about fax and e-mail laws here (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.shtm) and here (http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/unwantedfaxes.html).
I will never do business with a company that uses these unsavory practices. Please permanently eliminate all my contact information, including e-mail, phone, fax, mail, or otherwise, from all your in-house and shared listings.
Now, I'm not foolish enough to believe this message had any positive impact whatsoever. I'm fully aware that sending any response at all to a spam address at best is a complete waste of time and energy and at worst further circulates my information on other spam-friendly directories. The chances that a legitimate business person read my message and decided to alter his company's practices are infinitessimal.
But I have to admit, it sure felt good to use that little bit of writing to strike back. The effect on me was immediate: stress level down!
© 2008 by AnnaLisa Michalski