2005-04-09 - 7:48 p.m.

So I'm sitting there: in total ignorance. Innocently checking my inbox and removing the usual "You coming out tonight?" "I'm at the restraunt are you here?" (evidently NOT Todd). You know, usual crap. And then i find it.
Some prat is trying to sell me steel buildings. I don't mind a bit of junkmail. But I've got this sort of crap from these people about four times. I've "unsubscribed" about four times. And I've been ignored completely about four times.
So I got upset. I sent the nice people a letter. And since I'm lazy, I'm copying it out in here

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to Thankyou for sending me this highly informative email. I must admit, I have often wondered about the various uses of steel buildings and their benefit to society. So to wake up one morning to this marvellous email in my inbox was quite a treat.

Seeing as how I had heard of your organisation before in my entire life (before I started receiving your emails of course), I am extremely interested in how you came by my email address. But far be it for me to automatically delete your message. After all, if we ignore everything we don�t understand then how will we ever grow and evolve?
In this same spirit I have researched your company. And, I must say, I�m impressed: $54.8 million or revenue in nine months. Who knew the selling teenagers steel buildings and �herbal and all-natural ingestible and topical products� online could be so profitable?

Alas, despite the awe and admiration I feel for your company, I feel a rousing rendition of �Liar, liar, pants on fire� just bursting to come out. You see in section 2.2 of your Privacy policy (9/4/05) it states �The Network uses Individual Information to provide promotional offers by email to individuals who have permitted use of their email address for this purpose.�
You see I find this odd, as I have not, to my knowledge, given you, or anyone, permission to send me information on buying Buildings that are �fabricated from a high grade of steel and adhere to the highest technical specifications in the industry�. Nor have I given anybody permission to send me information on any promotional offers, of any kind, ever.
Although, I am greatly comforted by the fact that you are not offering me poor quality products.

Further on, in section 2.4, it states: The Network may use Individual Information to advertise or provide promotional offers, directly or indirectly, to individuals using direct mail marketing or telemarketing using telephones, as permitted by law.
Forgive my ignorance but are you telling me that you can send me letters, telephone calls and emails as often as you like in order to make me buy things and that this is �permitted by law�? Gosh, that seems a bit much. But fair enough: I can see why it would be in your interests to do this. And we, the public, benefit too. After all, where else am I going to learn about Steel churches?

Now I realise that I have rambled on a bit, and if you are still reading then I greatly value your patience. But I do have a point to make.

Despite the many interesting things I have learned as a result of your email, I am less than pleased with your company.

I was lead to believe (by your privacy policy Section 2.2, by the attachments to your emails, etc) that if I clicked that little button that supposedly removes my email address from your promotional list, then I would stop receiving emails from you.
However I am fairly certain that I have clicked that little button a few times and yet I am still receiving emails.
I will once again go in and click that little button. I sincerely hope that this action, combined with this email, will lead to me never hearing from your company again.

Yours truly,

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