[JohnFromMaine]

**** WARNING ****

Do not take the Red Lobster satisfaction survey!

Last week we went to Red Lobster and had a great Lobster Fest meal served by a great waitress. She deserved my positive comments so I did their survey which they ask for on the credit card receipt. You enter a code number from the receipt, answer the questions and leave comments along with your e-mail address, in case you win a raffle they have as part of the survey.

Since then I have been inundated with e-mail solicitations, at least 30 to 40 so far. All are from the same marketing company but for many different products and services. And worse, their unsubscribe feature returns the comment that my e-mail address has already been deleted and that it will take 3 days to take affect. However, after 5 or 6 days I'm still getting solicitations.

Again, do not take the Red Lobster satisfaction survey!

[redwitch]

This isn't just Red Lobster. It is any of the surveys. You might win a prize, but don't hold your breath. It is simply a way to get your email address, which is usually sold to other marketers. If you want to praise your server, add a dollar or two extra to the tip and tell the manager what a great job your server did. Take the survey only if you want more email.

[2BNTV]

Thank for posting the warning.

Sorry this happened to you. I am always leery when someone approaches with with something free and wants information, (e-mail address etc).

There is always something someone wants in return because no one gives you something for nothing.

I did something like this once but it didn't turn out to be the nightmare you are describing.

Best wishes on getting the unwanted solicitors off your case.

[Midge538]

Try this site to get your browser cleared for many of these marketing sites: http://www.networkadvertising.org/index.asp

[batman911]

There is a feature in MS Outlook under Junk Email that allows you to place these unwanted email senders on the Blocked Senders list. Their emails will automatically go to your Junk Email folder.

[Niels]

Sorry to hear about your problem. My wife and I regularly go to Red Lobster.

I have completed the Red Lobster survey several times in the just the past few months and I have never had a problem with unwanted e-mails.

[Shimpy]

This does not hold true with all restaurants. I've taken the survey many times at Carabbas and it got me a free appetizer or free wine, my choice, and no junk e-mails.

[Hawkwind]

John
For just this reason I have two e-mail accounts and recommend that everyone have two accounts. I have one e-mail account with my ISP that I use for friends and business contacts that I know are legitimate. The other account is on Hot Mail but Google G-mail will also work. I will use this second account for any request for my address that I think may lead to spam or I don't want to be bothered with.

I check my first e-mail account many times a day and still a few get through but the junk filter in Outlook takes cars of them. I may check the other account once a week just to keep it cleaned out and 99.9% of the e-mails there are junk or spam. This keeps the prime account clean and used for what it was intended to be used for.

[spk7951]

Originally Posted by Hawkwind

John
For just this reason I have two e-mail accounts and recommend that everyone have two accounts. I have one e-mail account with my ISP that I use for friends and business contacts that I know are legitimate. The other account is on Hot Mail but Google G-mail will also work. I will use this second account for any request for my address that I think may lead to spam or I don't want to be bothered with.

I check my first e-mail account many times a day and still a few get through but the junk filter in Outlook takes cars of them. I may check the other account once a week just to keep it cleaned out and 99.9% of the e-mails there are junk or spam. This keeps the prime account clean and used for what it was intended to be used for.

Almost exactly how I do it. I use Gmail as my secondary account and I am very careful about who gets my primary email address.