OnSale.com, a “daily deals” web portal, is sending bulk email to an email address that has been closed since 2007. OnSale.com may not confirm web form subscriptions, may be emailing a fallow list (a list that has not been contacted for many years), or may have purchased a list. The ESP is Silverpop.
Peebles, a U.S.-based retailer of clothing and accessories, is sending bulk email to an email address that has never existed. Peebles may not confirm web form subscriptions (which allows typoed and forged email addresses to be added to its list) or may have purchased a list. The ESP is CheetahMail, a division of Experian.
VTech Kids, a manufacturer of electronic learning products, is welcoming an email address that has never existed to its bulk email list. VTech Kids may not confirm web form subscriptions (which allows typoed and forged email addresses to be added to its list) or may have purchased a list. The ESP is Lyris, also known of as Uptilt.
Kauppalehti, a publication of Alma Media plc and the nearest equivalent Finland has to Financial Times, is spamming businesses’ contact addresses that JM Tieto Oy sold them.
Celebrity Cruises still wants my mother to sign up for a cruise. She tells me that she never asked to be on their list. I believe her: she’s afraid of drowning and refuses get on any sort of boat. She’s been receiving these emails for over a year, and has never responded to any of them. The ESP is still ExactTarget.
Yesterday, after a year-long struggle with stomach cancer, J.D. Falk — one of the giants in the anti-spam, email, and Internet world — died, sadly at just 37 years of age.
In reference to my Oct 26 post. I called and opted out and explained why they were misfiring. They promised to take care of it. Here’s the value of that promise.
Spirit Airlines, a discount airline based in Miami, is sending bulk email to an email address that was closed in 2008. Spirit Airlines may not confirm web form subscriptions (which allows typoed and forged email addresses to be added to its list), may ignore bounces (which allows old/closed email addresses to remain on a list), or may have purchased a list. The ESP is Yesmail, a division of InfoGroup.
Online electronic products discounter eCost.com is still sending bulk email to an email address that was closed in 2007. There is no record of eCost.com contacting this email address between the time that it finished its timeout period in 2009, and late October 2011. eCost.com has changed ESPs since late October, however: it is now using SilverPop.
Brakes Plus, a U.S.-based auto service chain, is sending bulk email to an email address that was closed many years ago. The email indicates that this email address “recently registered with a network website to receive special online offers”. This is not true for any reasonable definition of “recently”. Either Brakes Plus is allowing users to subscribe via a web form and is not confirming subscriptions (a foolish error), or Brakes Plus purchased a list. The ESP is Yesmail, a division of InfoGroup.