On 2023-08-24 09:40, Mike Hillyer via mailop wrote:
Because 99.9% of the time it is solicited
really? think again, and also the definition of transactional email. Here is an example from OpenTable whatever that belongs to the Booking.com horror show.
some restaurant now *require* (as in: you won't even get in) a booking via OpenTable. OpenTable *requires* users to create an account and to enter email and mobile number, along with a credit card.
There is a small checkbox saying "do send text messages." OpenTables ignores it -- see further below.
Immediately after the reservation is made, I log into "my" OpenTable account and have more than a dozen unwanted subscriptions, which I have all to uncheck and unsubscribe. I do a thorough round of whatever options I have to mute the account to my liking, and not to the noisy smart marketers liking.
I receive a first email, confirming the reservation. Fine, it is transactional and I want it. However, that email is bugged. It is a principle of mine not to load bugged GIFs etc. - no need for them to know if I am still at home, or already in the destination country where the booked restaurant is located, or at work wasting employer's bandwidth and time. I also do not click on anything in those email. I placed my reservation and the only reason I would have to click a link is to cancel it.
In the week between that wanted transactional mail and me entering the restaurant follow three (!) additional emails and a text message (while roaming! and after I clearly expressed "no text messages" on their form). All just "reminders" asking to confirm, which happen to have additional sales propositions. Totally unwanted: I manage my own calendar, I do not need an annoying third party sending me reminders, nor do I need to add their stuff to my calendar. And asking to re-confirm a reservation is a big waste of my time. Maybe they should ask me every five minutes if I have changed my mind /s ???
Cringe factor: 2 minutes after I am seated at the restaurant my mobile buzzes. Email. Subject: "you are now seated at the restaurant." WTF???
Lucky me, I have a throwaway domain for all of these people who think they can consume my time; I create disposable aliases for them; I route the aliases to the important mailbox when I expect something important from them; and I send them to /dev/null when they deserve so. It is a bit more difficult to do with mobile phone numbers, and I will gladly join any class action claiming roaming fees. The real class action should be about them stealing user's time.
Needless to say: I will avoid restaurants using OpenTable, whether while visiting destinations or at home. If they cannot choose a service provider that is respectful of my choices, they do not deserve my business.
AND: no, except maybe the first email, none of their communications were solicited. It is unsolicited tacked on to what may be lazily / lousily argued is solicited. Solicited should be (a) limited strictly to what user has asked for; b) predictible; and (c) allow for the user's granular preference.
On the other end of the spectrum: Amazon stopped about two years ago sending an email at the time of package delivery. It sends plenty of irrelevant emails from order placed to order shipped, but the only relevant piece of information it does not email. I recall an option to get that information in their app or by text message. Not interested having Amazon's app tracking me; not interested to have Amazon's stuff pushed via app or via text message; and last but not least not interested for them to match with other lists over phone number that is less easily changed than email alias.
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