Mark Pincus Blog

overstock.com is a spammer

like many of you, i regularly find myself on the 'permission marketing' lists of seemingly reputatble companies like overstock.com.  eventually i break down and click their unsubscribe links to try to make it stop, usually with little success. companies like overstock go one step further (and this should be illegal). they ask you to click to change your 'preferences' rather than offering any link to unsubscribe. this takes you to their home page where you're asked to 'login' in order to change this. i chose to mail their customer support and let them fish through the stupid site to deal with this. there response (below) seems arrogant and should be unlawful...

MY RESPONSES IN BOLD

Dear Mark,

Thank you for contacting us at Overstock.com Auctions. We appreciate that you've chosen us as your online auction site. We have received your mail requesting us to unsubscribe you from our mailing list and I am glad to assist you in this issue.

I NEVER 'CHOSE' THEM AS MY ONLINE AUCTION SITE.

You've requested information on how to stop receiving marketing email from Overstock.com Auctions. Please follow the following steps in order to unsubscribe: YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!

1. log in to your Homepage; HOW DO YOU 'LOGIN'?

2. click on the "Preferences" link on the left under the My Home section;

3. under the second gray area called Email Notifications, please click the blue "Change" button;

4. make changes to the options as you wish; and,

5. click on the blue "Save" button.

I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you by sending you promotional materials. Please be assured that Overstock.com respects the privacy of our customers. BULLSHIT! It is not our practice to send unsolicited emails and we value your privacy. YEAH, RIGHT! Please allow up to one week's time for us to remove your name from all of our promotional lists. I apologize for any additional distress this may cause you.

Once again, thank you for using Overstock.com Auctions. We are dedicated to refining the many features Overstock.com Auctions has to offer. It's important that we are aware of any questions, concerns or suggestions our members may have and always appreciate input.

Mark, if you would like assistance with any aspect of Overstock.com Auctions, please feel free to contact us by email at info@auctions.overstock.com or by phone at 1-800-THE-BIG-O (select option three.) We are always happy to help! I ALREADY DID CONTACT YOU TO HELP ME GET OFF YOUR FUCKING LIST.

Sincerely,

Theodore T. LIKE THIS TOUCH. MORE PERSONAL THAN JUST A FIRST NAME BUT NOT ENOUGH TO GET STALKED IF THIS GUY EVEN EXISTS.
Overstock.com Auctions
www.auctions.overstock.com

I wish someone would create a boycott list for companies than abuse consumers' privacy and we had some power to fight back.

This Man is a Spammer

some of you may have followed my ongoing fight to stop the worst scorge of spammers, the guys who syphen our cards from every conference we attend and then sell us into email slavery.  i want you all to meet michael luckman who says i gave him my card at a networking event and he figured i'd like to start receiving his emails on 'great sales tips' every day until i opted out.  now i'm sure michael is no worse than the rest of these guys but i believe we all have to work together to stop them in their tracks. we need to tell the luckmans of the world that it's not ok to market their businesses this way. we need to tell the conferences we attend that it's not ok to let the luckmans attend if they violate the spirit and open access intended by these events.  now i got into an ugly flame war with this guy after he failed to honor my first requests to take me off his list. so i wont reprint it hear. i did call him a dickhead and he seemed to think that was conduct unbecoming a 'ceo of a progressive san francisco company'. i will say that i find it a bit ironic that he is asking me to extend to him higher civil respect than he has shown the hundreds of poor, unsuspecting people who have unknowlingly given him their cards.

i am including michael's email address for anyone who would like to inquire about his spam procedures who would like to add his name to any lists they think he might like to receive as well mbluckman@achievexcorp.com.