Stopping unwanted email?

[Dave2002]

I have gradually figured out ways which significantly reduce the amount of unwanted email I receive.

However some "generators" of such stuff seem very resistant. Reputable senders often have an unsubscribe button which works, or one can block their missives, or direct them straight to trash, or amend the frequency of posting etc.
OTOH some guys seem to have figured out ways to blast through any such measures.

Has anyone here figured out ways to deal with such bad authors?

[Old Grumpy]

I have gradually figured out ways which significantly reduce the amount of unwanted email I receive.

However some "generators" of such stuff seem very resistant. Reputable senders often have an unsubscribe button which works, or one can block their missives, or direct them straight to trash, or amend the frequency of posting etc.
OTOH some guys seem to have figured out ways to blast through any such measures.

Has anyone here figured out ways to deal with such bad authors?

Probably some bad actors in there as well?

[Pulcinella]

How/why have you subscribed in the first place?
If, for example, it's the only way to get a receipt, then just don't tick any other communication boxes, or unsubscribe immediately after you've got the receipt.

[gradus]

Adding the sender's name to Junkmail works well for me in Outlook 2007. For the phishing and attempted theft emails I check the sender's address and if it takes the expected form immediately delete and delete from the deleted emails too.

[gurnemanz]

Most of these junk and scam emails seem to get diverted to the spam folder. If a dubious mail does get through and has an unsubscribe button, I am instinctively sceptical and don't click it, assuming it is not what it claims to be. I just delete the mail. I would only click unsubscribe if I am sure it really is from a site I actually subscribed to.

[french frank]

AFor the phishing and attempted theft emails I check the sender's address and if it takes the expected form immediately delete and delete from the deleted emails too.

I do forward the email, copying the headers over, to report@phishing.gov.uk before deleting it. Every now and again there must be one that gets permanently zapped.

I would only click unsubscribe if I am sure it really is from a site I actually subscribed to.

[Dave2002]

How/why have you subscribed in the first place?

There are some good actors, such as newspaper sites, which I may want to send me material. The amount of material coming in from these can really swamp me, and it's quicker to wait a while, then do a bulk deletion of all the unwanted messages, keeping some selectively. I do believe that these would honour an "unsubscribe" button if pressed.

There are others that I'm sometimes interested in, but mostly again they are manageable.

Then there are some, often connected with finance and the US - and I have no real idea or recollection of how they were activated - but those are very difficult to stop. One of my friends suggested using the "unsubscribe" buttons, but if they are rogue organisations, which I am now suspecting, then it's more likely that they'll just let others know my details.

It's a total pain, though as I now seem to have methods which at least reduce the swamping effects to something manageable, it's not absolutely impossible to deal with.

If, for example, it's the only way to get a receipt, then just don't tick any other communication boxes, or unsubscribe immediately after you've got the receipt.

Getting receipts is generally not a problem, though may become so as more organisations are now not providing paper receipts. One which is trying this is Lidl - which has a phone app - but somehow it always manages to reset the button so that the till servers say "but you pressed the button which tells us you only want a digital receipt". Yes - and each time that happens I reset it to reflect my wishes to have paper receipts, but I can pretty much bet it'll be reset by the next time I visit the shop.

[Pulcinella]

It's certainly easy to get on mailing lists.
I'm happily on the Opera North one, but recently booked direct with the Theatre Royal in Newcastle to see their production of Ariadne auf Naxos (again in my case; first time for my partner, who couldn't make the Leeds date we had originally chosen) and subsequently got besieged with stuff.
I let it carry on (some was relevant to the booking) and then unsubscribed (successfully!) but then got a mailshot through the post!

[Old Grumpy]

Many organisations will not let you buy their product (of whatever kind) online without creating an account. More enlightened organisations provide a "Guest" option - which I always use if provided. They still have your email of course - or you would not get notification of completion of the sale, or indeed delivery updates.

Some of the tickboxes are worded so that you have to complete them to opt out of marketing emails (sneaky!).

[Dave2002]

Some of the tickboxes are worded so that you have to complete them to opt out of marketing emails (sneaky!).

The other sneaky thing is that many organisations keep your credit card details even after just one purchase - plus of course the emails to bombard you with further offers. I particularly object to firms which keep credit card details - as quite often I contact some firms for just one purchase, and have no intention of allowing those firms to keep my credit card information once the item(s) or service(s) have been delivered.

[oddoneout]

Many organisations will not let you buy their product (of whatever kind) online without creating an account. More enlightened organisations provide a "Guest" option - which I always use if provided. They still have your email of course - or you would not get notification of completion of the sale, or indeed delivery updates.

Some of the tickboxes are worded so that you have to complete them to opt out of marketing emails (sneaky!).

And not what they are supposed to do - it's meant to be opt-in not opt-out

[Old Grumpy]

And not what they are supposed to do - it's meant to be opt-in not opt-out

Ah, but you can opt in for not receiving marketing!

[Anastasius]

Faecebook is one such. I have tried every Rule in Apple Mail but somehow their detritus evades them.

[Anastasius]

The other sneaky thing is that many organisations keep your credit card details even after just one purchase - plus of course the emails to bombard you with further offers. I particularly object to firms which keep credit card details - as quite often I contact some firms for just one purchase, and have no intention of allowing those firms to keep my credit card information once the item(s) or service(s) have been delivered.

Report them. It's against the rules.

[Anastasius]

I have a fair few email addresses. The one that is the oldest and so, by default, been 'out there' the longest ....since Demon started ...what 1992 ?...and in all that time have never received any spam or junk mail from any company that I've not had any previous contact with.