Every once in a while, I realize how many emails I get each day, and I go on an unsubscribing rampage. More often, I try to opt out of contact lists the first time I receive an email from a company whose products/services I don't anticipate needing. Recently, I got one such email and scrolled down to the bottom of the page. This is what was there:
If you are looking for a (probably great, I wouldn't know) weighted vest, you can click on the photo to visit the company's website. The vests appear terrific and get good reviews. However, they're more expensive than I anticipated. Once I knew that I wasn't going to buy one of these vests, I scrolled down this part of the email and saw the "contact us" link, but didn't see any way to unsubscribe.
But I didn't want to be deterred, so I dutifully clicked the "contact us" link and asked to be removed from their list. The reply came right away. It told me to click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email I'd received.
Good grief! Do you think I'm a ninny? I wrote back that I'd tried that approach, but didn't see an "unsubscribe" link.
The help desk then sent me this email:
Now, can you see the "unsubscribe" link? Yep, me too, but barely. I have to admit, I hit the link, but I also felt indignant at having to go through all this hubbub because someone thought that having a very dark gray font would keep more people (unwillingly) on their email list. Seriously, do they believe that if people get enough emails from a company they're annoyed with, eventually, they'll think, "Okay, I might as well just buy the vest?"
Never one to leave a victory in the rearview, I wrote back again, saying "thanks" for the information but also suggesting that the font color makes more work for their own customer service clerks who have to write back to people who want to unsubscribe, as I can't be the only person who had to write to ask for information that could have been obvious.
I'm happy to report that I got a final email back from the company:
I have to give it to them. That's really nice. Well done Omorpho!
The question is, will they make the change? I would have to resubscribe to find out, and I'm not willing to try that approach.
Please share any satisfying or strange customer service interactions you've had in the comments.
I understand your reluctance to see if Omorpho’s actions follow their words. I’m pretty sure you have alerted them to a real problem. “Unsubscribe” was hard for you to find without guidance. They will probably make the font much larger and color it “Background Black”. It will no longer be hard to find . It will be impossible.
Hehehe. You’re probably right!