The Business Blog at Intuitive.com

Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since 1980 and is recognized globally as an expert on both technical and business issues. He has been published over a thousand times, launched four Internet-related startup companies, has written twenty business and technical books and holds both an MBA and MS Ed. He's a columnist for the Boulder Daily Camera and Linux Journal and frequently appears in other publications both online and in print. Additionally, Dave maintains four weblogs: The Business Blog at Intuitive.com, Ask Dave Taylor, Dave On Film, and GoFahterhood. Based in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, Dave is an award-winning speaker, sought after conference and workshop participant and frequent guest on radio and podcast programs, as well as active member of his community and busy single father to three children.

What's with The Company Store?

We purchased some bedding from The Company Store a few days ago and this evening received some junk mail from them advertising an upcoming sale. No biggie, except for the small print on the bottom of the messsage:

To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Optout@thecompanystore.com with "UNSUBSCRIBE The Company Store" in the subject field. All requests to this address will be manually reviewed. Please allow additional time for response. We apologize for any inconvenience.

This is ridiculous and perhaps the worst snippet of Internet marketing I've seen in years of dotcom activity!

As a result, here's the email I just sent their customer service team:

In over twenty years of working on the Internet and its predecessors, I have never seen a list where the opt-out message is:

To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Optout@thecompanystore.com with "UNSUBSCRIBE The Company Store" in the subject field. All requests to this address will be manually reviewed. Please allow additional time for response. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Are you aware of this? It's outrageous. It's my email address, I should have ownership of the mail that's sent to me or not, but this suggests that your group might decide not to opt me out. ?? Please note that I've already shared this with many of my colleagues on various mailing lists.

I strongly encourage you to change this policy and automate the opt-out process.

Do I think it'll do any good? Probably not. But it feels good to vent!

Update! On 19 January I received a nice email from The Company Store service representatives:

Mr. Taylor,

Thank you for your comments. I have forwarded them to our webmaster with some suggestions on re-wording this ... The "manual review" refers to the fact that at this time, we do not have our system set up to automatically scan and delete. Your email is sent to our Internet Customer Service department, where one of the agents will look at your letter, and then manually pull up your account and remove you from our list. We certainly do not decide whether or not we choose to delete you, we remove you from our list immediately. The "manual review" wording was just to make you aware that there may be a few days delay. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

If I can assist you further, please let me know.

Sincerely,
Lys Silver

A reasonable answer, but it begs the question: a company as large and as successful as The Company Store can't afford to hook up with even the most rudimentary email list management program? Sounds like they could do with a new Internet team, doesn't it??

Posted by Dave Taylor at January 16, 2003 9:10 PM

Comments

ubsubscribe

Posted by: ELIZABETH A. BOOTH on April 30, 2003 10:00 AM

I would like to unsubscribe to the Company Store due to the fact that I never have a chance to review the messages.

Thank you.

Posted by: Angela Wheeler on July 31, 2003 10:26 AM

Well, after three years they have't changed a thing! I placed an order and definitely did not "opt-in" for spam from them. They're using exactly the same wording!

I am trying to unsubscribe from their spam, but it says it takes at least 7-10 days (why?)... I'm receiving at least one junk mail from them per week.

Ethan

Posted by: Ethan on December 29, 2006 9:57 AM

I won't shop at the Company Store again because the three times I've done so (I'm either a slow learner or way too optimistic) the items have taken from several weeks to months to get here. In each order, some items have been on back order, which has meant actually a several months delay. In addition, items that are in stock take several weeks to arrive. I do a LOT of online shopping, and I've never seen anything like this. It's as if I place an order, and then they contact someone to make it for me. They need to talk to the folks at Amazon.com! The Company Store is by far the worst online company I've ever dealt with.

Posted by: Sally Thomas on May 13, 2007 10:20 PM

I am quite frustrated with the customer service chain handling a complaint regarding a damaged part of a chair that we ordered. The sevice reps told us that we had several choices regarding replacement/return of the item. After we pursued the resolve and requested a replacement part, we just got a call stating that the "options" changed. Now, after the box for the chair is gone and the chair fully assembled. The Company Store asks us to disasemble the chair, find a large box to house it and arrange for its return. Then we can get a replacement and spend another several hours reassembling it. What a hassle and the recent rep was most strident about how willing they were to make things right. I don't see things the same way. Is it me?

Posted by: Betsy West on September 13, 2011 2:46 PM

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