Unsubscribe Victories & Woes
Within this post you will see two extremely different unsubscribe pages. One incredibly humorous, the other… extremely infuriating.
Let’s start and get the bad extreme out of the way first, shall we?
After buying some much needed new headphones from Adorama, I decided to activate the extended warranty. All I had to do is fill out the postcard that came with them and send it back to the dealer. No big deal. I believe there were 4 fields on the card: First name, last name, email address and order number. Nothing about opting in to a newsletter. A week later, I received an email saying that that the warranty was activated. Then I started getting their newsletters. This was odd to me, since I never explicitly opted in for updates or tips. So I clicked the unsubscribe link… and this is the landing page I was directed to:
The copy on this page is telling me that if I opt-out, the extended warranty is null & void. WTF? Their preference center isn’t very clear either. My account preferences has me signed up for 2 newsletters: General & Workshops. So if I update my profile to receive none of the newsletters, without fully unsubscribing does that mean my warranty still stands??? It’s unclear. I need my warranty, but I don’t want these emails.
My point is that this is unacceptable and the very definition of a SHADY practice. Things like this leave such a bitter taste in my mouth. So have it your way, Adorama. I’ll just continue to mark your emails as SPAM, which will ultimately damage future deliveries. You can leave. Go away now. kthxbye.
Now for the good extreme. This unsubscribe page comes from Groupon:
It’s hard to see why this unsubscribe page is so awesome by a screenshot alone, so click here for the direct page and see for yourself. I assure you, it is worth your time. (Be sure to click “Punish Derrick” once you’re there). I have to say, since Groupon were so creative and injected a bit of humor into an issue that we Email Marketers find typically ominous, I resubscribed immediately. Well played, Groupon. Well played.
Posted by Bryan Quilty on Jan. 26, 2011
Comments
Groupon: this is what happens in small companies with no fear or bureaucracy. Good things happen.
Posted by Tim on 01/27/2011 05:07 PM
@jared: yeah, the comedy club is actually doing something highly illegal with their unsubscribe process. since June of 2008, it’s been determined that unsubscribes need to be honored by ONE single action.
@tim: my thoughts exactly. marketers need to be allowed some room for creativity in email marketing (as long as it’s legal). this isn’t limited to presentation, but all processes as well. it is essential in order to stand out amongst the masses.
Thanks for the comments, guys.
Posted by Bryan Quilty on 01/28/2011 09:22 AM
I can’t believe they are giving customers an ultimatum!
“Either you deal with our spam or we would hold our warranty promise”.
Well i see you dealt with it the best way, by blogging about them!
Well done Groupon!!
Posted by fay afshar on 01/31/2011 07:24 PM
Bryan
I was concerned to read your posting, and firstly would like to offer a deep apology for any confusion that was caused.
This is a brand new initiative launched just last week and you should have received the complete terms and conditions prior to accepting the offer
http://www.adorama.com/Freeyear
The 1 year extended warranty is currently being offered absolutely free of charge as part of a special promotion to followers of our mailings.
I apologize that from your posting it appears that you did not receive the full details of the terms and conditions; yours is the only complaint that I have received so I can only think that it was an oversight. I will of course be investigating and if necessary taking steps internally to help our processes become more effective.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly: if I can ever be of assistance to you, now or in the future.
Helen Oster ☺
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Posted by Helen Oster on 02/02/2011 01:06 PM
Helen,
Thanks for reaching out and clearing up any confusion I had from before. Hopefully my post exposed some holes in the method for your new warranty / list sign up initiative as well. Good luck with everything!
I’ll be in touch!
Posted by Bryan Quilty on 02/03/2011 12:14 PM
Wow, you got a personal response from Adorama! Kudo’s for writing a great post and indirectly helping yourself in the process. That Groupon unsubscribe video is classic.
Posted by Chis Donley on 03/01/2011 11:09 AM
Hey Chuck
Just part of the service; reaching out to all our Adorama customers whatever after-sales service they may need!
Helen Oster ☺
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
HelenO at adorama dot com
Posted by Helen Oster on 03/31/2011 10:27 AM
That Adorama company is pretty crafty.
I had a similar experience with a local comedy club. I purchased some tickets and since they had my email they thought it was a good idea to start promoting other events to my inbox.
Before I go further let me make a couple of points.
1. I didn’t opt in.
2. I had a horrible experience there…the comedian smoked way too much weed and couldn’t remember his sketch.
Anyways, I clicked the unsubscribe link on their email and they had the ball to ask me “login” before I could unsubscribe.
I never had a membership to begin with. Let’s just say I was a “little” annoyed (hint: sarcasm).
Great post…love it.
Posted by Jared Kimball on 01/27/2011 12:08 AM