I keep getting spam emails from a company that is not allowing me to ‘opt out’. They have method to ‘opt out’ but it is ineffective. I have the name and address of the company and have been in email contact with a person where I’ve insisted they remove me from their mailing list.
I’d like to start charging them for my time. I’m vaguely aware of someone who successfully did this and (I think) even won a lawsuit for payment. My google skills are lacking and I can’t find it.
Can anyone provide me with some facts about how I can successfully bill this company for my time? and maybe find some examples of where this has been done in the past.
If it’s a legit company, I’ve found that replying* to every email asking them to remove you from their junk mail list…but then CCing them a few dozen times eventually gets the message across.
Also, calling them each time really gets on their nerves. The last time I did that, after a few calls I was told I could just click the unsubscribe button, to which I replied “but I didn’t sign up for this (also, the button didn’t work) so I’m just going to call you each time”. They stopped shortly after that.
*Make sure it’s an email box that’s monitored, like a manager or CEO.
I use outlook, but the emails are all different though follow a similar pattern. They come from different people, with different email addresses. There could be some phrases that are similar that i can use to filter out, so I may try that.
I’m just irritated enough to see if I can get some money out of them.
However, the point of this thread is NOT ‘how do I best deal with this company’, its specifically looking for cases where someone did charge a company for their time and how it played out in court when the spammer company did not pay the invoice.
Look up the CAN-SPAM penalties. It spells out the rules companies have to follow when sending out emails, including requiring a working opt-out link. It also specifies penalties if companies don’t comply.
I don’t think you can bill them, but you might be able to take them to small-claims court. I know I’ve heard of people doing that for no-call-list violations for spam callers.
I totally support you taking them to court even if it seems like a waste of time and money. That’s often the only thing that will get the company to change. And all the other people who are getting their spam will appreciate your effort.