spam

Spam is a fact of life for anyone connected to technology. Filter and ignore, basically.

For the most part, California's do-not-call list has effectively eliminated the telephone version of spam. There's the occasional alleged non-profit raising money for some police or fire association who seem to think they're somehow above the law, but usually a simple "no thanks, I don't deal with phone solicitations, send it to me in writing" makes them go away, quickly. After all, there's no way to know that voice on the phone is who they say they are.

But last night I got a call from Wyndham Resorts, one of those annoying things "giving away" a trip to Las Vegas. One of those annoying guys who ignores the "no thanks" and keeps talking. Then ignores the second "not interested" and the third.

I had to get extremely aggressive with him, he simply was not going to stop talking otherwise. Once I finally got him to shut the fuck up and listen, and told him I was on the do-not-call list, he said "there's a loophole." But he finally went away.

Now that's such brilliant marketing. I've gone out of my way to sign up on a list which basically makes it illegal for these guys to call me. So they claim to find a loophole, and call anyway.

It apparently has never occurred to them that this might annoy people enough to make them never spend money in that place again? Duh.

These guys apparently own Ramada Inns and a lot of other things, and they got my info from some hotel stay in the past. Guess what... there are lots of hotels to choose from. I won't be staying at theirs anymore. I'm even going to do the research to see who else they own.

Wyndham is hereby added to my list of annoying corporations to not spend money on. I've boycotted Panera Bread since they responded to my complaint about an over-active e-mail filter which blocked art sites with a form letter and then put me on their e-mail spam list (about one a month from them still gets filtered into my junk folder, four or five years later). There are a few others.

I'm still debating whether to report Wyndham to the Attorney General's office, or simply write their CEO a letter.