I’ve had numerous run-ins with Econet Wireless over their unsolicited SMSs.
This culminated in various tweets, emails back and forth and phone calls (from them) assuring me I would stop receiving any promo texts. Ever.
Today I received this, from someone named 30440 who ain’t no friend of mine.
Your Tuesday will never be the same again. Buy a medium / large pizza at any Pizza Inn outlet and get another of the same pizza Free only on Terrific Tuesdays!
Firstly, the fact that I got an SMS, after Econet themselves phoned me to assure me that I’d never receive one, is annoying in itself. Actually, the fact that I had complain loudly and regularly just so I could get REMOVED from their mailing list, is indicative for the disregard with which Econet treat their “valued” customers.
Promotional SMS (especially at the rate which they send ’em) should be purely opt-IN, which means someone must ask to receive them, instead of people having to rant and rave before they’re (allegedly) removed from the mailing list. Anyway.
The fact that I’m getting a Pizza Inn promotional text tells a whole other story. It tells me that Econet are charging Pizza Inn for the right to send me a promotional SMS.
It indicates that Econet have sold my cellphone number to an indeterminate number of corporates (or their advertising agencies), and are enabling these companies to send me unsolicited advertising material.
It implies that Econet Wireless do not want my business anymore.
That’s fine by me.