Canoe believe it?

Occasionally the simple act of inviting people to participate in a promotion can lead to an extreme over-reaction. Reproduced below is a genuine response we received when explaining the basis of our original e-mail...

Your details are readily available on canoeing and kayaking websites,  

Where it is quite clear that they are for the use of individuals wishing

to get in touch with a view to their own paddling activities, not for

businesses to advertise so called "opportunities". Anyone so abusing

the address immediately loses my business for many years - even if I

have previously been an entirely satisfied customer or client ... it

is only by making that fact quite clear that consumer power will

eventually drive spammers out of business and out of our hair.

so I don't feel we have abused any human rights

That is exactly the attitude that really irritates people who have a

limited time to do a voluntary job constantly disrupted by irrelevant

people pushing their own agenda with no regard for how much grief that

might cause.

and I am disappointed

Is that all? I had hoped to have a rather more dramatic effect on your

attitude. There's no persuading some people.

that you think the email was junk.

ALL such unsolicited mail is junk, by very definition. That you might

for one moment imagine otherwise suggests that you need to take a long

cool look at your position and your value to society. Do we really have

room for people who believe that it is OK to send stuff like that ? I

actively campaign for custodial sentences for junk mailers and find it

particularly obnoxious when people behaving in this way attempt to

justify their behaviour instead of apologising and considering changing

their attitude. Shame should drive you either to persuade your employer

that their behaviour is unacceptable, or get out of their employment

whilst you still have (apparently) some morsel of self-respect.

All the best for you and your business,

WHY do you imagine I have a business when you have got my address as

being a volunteer running a club ? We are not a business, we do not

wish to advertise, we don't want to make money, we just want to get

on with our paddling without our email addresses being abused by

SPAMMERS !!!!

All the worst for you and your business.

[He signs off]