2006/04/28 23:03 PST
     To: Safeway.com <support-b1ada6ma7xdtxsbb9xr7bb2x7qe401@subscribers.safeway.com>
         Seasonal@safeway.com
   From: Jeffrey Katz <jjjxxxxx@zzzzzzz.com>
Subject: Re: Outdoor Collections Delivered. Get yours from $159.99
Dear Safeway:

This email is directed to, and MUST be forwarded to the following:
1. Senior executive in charge of IT, Computers, or whatever you call that group.
2. Senior executive in charge of the sales content and decisions on sending this spam to me.
Failure to adequately address each and every point in this email will have costly consequences.

You have abused my privacy with unsolicited commercial email.

I assure you that when I signed up for my club card -- phone xxx-yyy-zzzz some years ago that I NEVER would have requested email.  You have changed the rules.

1. You could have postal mailed me an invitation to subscribe to your email newsletters or whatever.

2. You could have had a flyer to give me when I next shopped at a Safeway store.

3. You could have sent a single email telling me that you were changing the rules or were about to send commercial email and requested my response to SUBSCRIBE.  Requiring me to reply to opt out would be egregiously rude and unacceptable.

All of the above methods of contact would have been acceptable to me.  I've included Option 3 as barely acceptable only because I've been a long-time Safeway shopper and like most of the store personnel.

Instead, what you did is send me SPAM on April 6, 2006:
Subject: Outdoor Collections Delivered. Get yours from $159.99
I have included the full email, with headers, below.

I did use your unsubscribe options.  I did receive confirmation that I was not subscribed.
And yet, today, I get exactly the same spam.

OK, here are some things that you need to consider:

1.  Your system of subscription management failed. 

2. Having to do it once annoyed me very much.

3. Having to write about it now is STRIKE ONE.  I'll tell you about strike two later.

4. Sending the same promotion again is stupid, rude, and boring.

5. Would you care to explain the design of your unsubscribe dialog:
"If you wish to unsubscribe or no longer wish to receive promotional emails from Safeway.com, please un-check this box."
Honestly, I had to read that three times.  There are two explanations that come to mind, to me:
a) It was written by a complete moron from the IT department.
b) It was deliberately obfuscatory to assure that the customer would not or could not unsubscribe.
Perhaps you have another explanation.  I'm listening.

6. You must respond to this email to jjjxxxxx@zzzzzzz.com
a) Do not use this email address for any other purpose.
b) Do not add this email address to any list.
c) I've put this bit of information here to make certain you have read the entire email carefully.
d) Failure to comply will be considered an immediate STRIKE TWO.

7.  My registered email address sssssssss@ccccccccffffhhhh.com is to be used only for genuine account issues:
a)  My account is being abused or used fraudulently.
b)  An annual (OK, quarterly) report of my Safeway savings might be nice.

Hopefully, by this time you are beginning to understand how much I resent your email marketing practice.
Here's a list what will (or may) happen if STRIKE TWO occurs:
1. All correspondence will be posted on one or more of my web sites - FOREVER.
2. Anyone searching for "Safeway" will find things like "Safeway, your unfriendly spammer."
3. Postal mail on this subject will be sent to all relevant senior executives at a charge of $50 per letter.
(Perhaps you can tell me how much it costs Safeway to service a single postal letter.)
4. Hey, you can help me with some truly inspirational motivation.  You know your organization.
5. You really don't want to get to STRIKE THREE!

Here's just a bit of my biography to help you understand my perspective.
1965 - Graduated CCNY in Mathematics
1965 - IBM Laboratories, Poughkeepsie, NY
1967 - Federal Aviation Administration - real time air traffic control
1969 - 2001 Many software and education projects in real time banking, brokerage, etc.
Please be sure that what you have to say makes sense.  Thanks.

Just below is the 2006-04-06 04:54 email.
Following that is the 2006-4-28 22:45 email that prompted my wrathful reply.

Best regards,
Jeffrey Katz

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Inline emails deleted by editor.
Complete emails available as separate file links.
SAFWC01E.HTM 2006/04/28