Spamfighter.com : Too dumb for words (but I'll try)

"We are looking into a few solutions that could solve this issue for you and I thank you for bringing this to my attention.

I hope you are satisfied with the solution and I would appreciate if you would delete your blog as we are not Spammers and our people are doing a very tuff job of fighting this 24/7." - Henrik Sorensen, CEO Spamfighter.com October 14, 2009

Last week, I told you that Spamfighter.com are Spammers

Laura Atkins blogrolled this and offered up some really good advice (as always) over at her Word to the Wise set-up: Suppressing email addresses: it’s good for everyone

Henrik Sorensen, the Spamfighter.com CEO wrote back and expressed concern. Apparently, they can suppress an email address, but only for a short time, after which they purge their suppression list. Mr. Sorensen took the time to inform me that my email address 'isn't very original' which is why people keep using it as a fake to sign up and try out his product.

Perhaps. I was looking for something more declarative and informative when I signed up for gmail. Perhaps along the lines of thinking when the team at spamfighter.com named their company. Or perhaps they weren't very original, either.

In any event, Mr. Soresensen went on to tell me that the unsolicited commercial email I am receiving from his company isn't spam because

1. "This is not in anyway unsolicited"
2. Calling us "SPAMMERS" is in any case unfair ... We have not send you emails containing "spam" or offers of 3 party software, Viagra or anything like that
3. you are arguing from a theoretically point of view and not from the intention the mail from sent to "this email address". ... In this case you are on a theoretical lane.
4. I'm sure we could discuss for years of what "best practice" should or could be.
   

Well, to prove my theory, I once again received spam from Spamfighter.com this morning, October 20, 2009 3:00:00 AM EDT:

Dear fellow SPAMfighter

We can see you installed SPAMfighter a couple of days ago (I didn't, of course and cannot ~ neil) and we just want to make sure that everything is all right.
By now more than 90% of all spam should be filtered into the spam folder automatically.

If you’re happy with SPAMfighter PRO you can buy your subscription here.
If you are using SPAMfighter as a home user, but are not interested in subscribing, we automatically convert your SPAMfighter Pro to the free SPAMfighter Standard when your trial period expires.

One last comment from Mr. Sorensen:

"That you keep this up is purely harassment when you know better"

Just so. I am now checking my archives and contacts to see if the Office of the Danish Consumer Ombudsman would be interested in pursuing other avenues towards a remedy.

Not to quote chapter & verse or anything, but ...
http://www.forbrug.dk/english/dco/lawsandacts/marketing-practises-act/s6/

Section 6: Unsolicited communication with specific customers

6. A trader may not approach anyone by means of electronic mail, an automated calling system or facsimile machine with a view to the sale of products, real property, other property, labour and services unless the party concerned has requested him to do so.

(3) A trader must not approach a specific natural person using other means of remote communication with a view to sales as referred to in subsection 1 if the person concerned has declined such communications from the trader,