Doc Searls Weblog

Just trying to make stuff happen

@Staples, you can Un faster than that.

I just unsubscribed from Staples mailings, and got this:

screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-3-08-35-pm

WTF? Is the request traveling by boat somewhere? Does it need to be aged before it works?

We have computers now. We’re on the Internet. There is no reason why unsubscribing from anything should take longer than now.

Staples is not alone at this, by the way.. Many unsubscriptions are followed by promises to complete over some number of days. I don’t know why companies do that, but it smacks of marketing BS.

If you’re listening, Staples, give me a good reason. I am curious.

For what it’s worth, I unsubscribed because approximately all the mailings I get from Staples (and everybody else) are uninteresting to me. Un-cluttering my mailbox is far more valuable than getting bargains (e.g. “$220 off select laptops and desktops” and “UNBEATABLE Ink & Toner Prices”) I’ll never bother with.

Save

, , , ,

Posted by:

Doc Searls

3 responses to “@Staples, you can Un faster than that.”

  1. Eugene Avatar
    Eugene

    Email marketing campaigns often have their recipients selected from the database and added to a scheduled batch several days before the messages get sent. Unsubscribing means you won’t be added to any more batches, but there may be one or two already underway.

    Not an excuse: i think they should scrub unsubscribes from batches. But that’s the reason.

    Reply
  2. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    7-10 days? Lucky you! 😀 I just personally discovered that John Lewis (UK) “requires” up to 28 days for processing the un-subscription!!! Unbelievable!

    Reply
  3. jonathan peterson Avatar
    jonathan peterson

    10 days is what’s required by the CAN-SPAM law – a lot of email marketing is done with monthly or even quarterly prospect database deliveries from clients, so email marketing firms have to create a whole backchannel to get blacklisting done inside the limit. Legitimate email marketing, especially for really big databases like Stapes is a pain in the ass.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *