[DriveThru] DTRPG just sent me SPAM.

[Funksaw]

Well, now we know why there was no privacy information on that login.

I downloaded Exalted to see what it was about, and to confirm my fears. It quickly made me realise that I wanted nothing to do with it.

NOW, I just got spam from them.

On the spam there is no "unsubscribe" information, which means I'm going to have to try to kill this thing at the server. There's also a link to a "forum response" where DriveThruRPG continues to repeat the lies that they've been sending out to us.

Steve Weick and everyone else associated with that site can take a flying leap.

The text of the spam follows:

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From: DTRPGCustomerService@DriveThruRPG.com
Subject: BESM Second Edition Free on DriveThruRPG.com!
Date: June 16, 2004 3:50:25 PM CDT
To: removed for obvious reasons
Status: U
Return-Path: <MikeTodd@publisherservicesinc.com>
Received: from mail.white-wolf.com ([206.65.59.5]) by tanager.mail.pas.earthlink.net (EarthLink SMTP Server) with ESMTP id 1bAGT86Ir3NZFmQ0 for <removed for obvious reasons>; Wed, 16 Jun 2004 13:20:01 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from EBookFrontEnd ([206.65.59.208]) by mail.white-wolf.com (Kerio MailServer 5.7.2) for removed for obvious reasons; Wed, 16 Jun 2004 15:50:18 -0400
Mime-Version: 1.0
X-Mailer: osCommerce
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Message-Id: <200406161320.1bAGT86Ir3NZFmQ0@tanager.mail.pas.earthlink.net>
X-Elnk-Av: 0


Greetings,
And thanks for having visited us at http://www.DriveThruRPG.com .
Our launch has been an amazing success. We hope that you have enjoyed having so many new and vintage products available for sale as well as our free downloads.

We wanted to make you aware that we will be offering a new free download each week. These downloads will normally change on Mondays. On this Monday (6/14) we began giving away Big Eyes, Small Mouth Second Edition Revised from Guardians of Order. This book will be available until Monday morning (6/21) when it will be replaced with a new free book.

Here's a little info about Big Eyes, Small Mouth Revised:

The two-time Origins Award nominated multi-genre Japanese anime RPG is now available in a more compact Revised Second Edition format! BESM is inspired by the dynamic settings and stories found in a wide range of anime shows, allowing players to create characters from any genre or sub-genre. Comedy or horror, fantasy or science-fiction, mecha action or passionate romance...if you can image it, you can play it. The game features an updated version of the popular and easy-to-learn Tri-Stat System (d6) rule mechanics, which includes expanded sections on magic, mecha, supernatural abilities, skills, and much more.

We have also posted some additional info regarding confusing internet information about the use of DriveThru’s e-Books and about the site itself. If you’re having any questions about what you can and cannot do with the secure e-Books available here, please read this. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/catalog/ForumResponse.htm

Thanks for your support,
The DTRPG Customer Support Staff

In addition, we have added the following new books in the last week:

list of products and prices removed

 

[Henry]

Well, now we know why there was no privacy information on that login.

I downloaded Exalted to see what it was about, and to confirm my fears. It quickly made me realise that I wanted nothing to do with it.

NOW, I just got spam from them.

From DTRPG's privacy statement:

There are two types of communications you may elect to receive from DriveThruRPG.com. You can change your communication options under the “My Account” page’s “E-mail Notifications” settings.

If you select the “Newsletter” option during account registration (or by adjusting your account settings), you will receive infrequent e-mail updates from us. You can stop these at any time by changing your Newsletter setting.

If you elect to receive “product notification” on any title from a particular publisher, then you will receive infrequent notices about that publisher’s product line. You can stop these at any time by changing your notifications settings.

Have you checked your privacy settings, as it suggests? I haven't signed up with them, but thought this may help you, as it sounds exactly like what happened.

 

[Lizard]

As a general rule, spam refers to "bulk email sent out to no-one in particular without regard to any prior business relationship". Mail from a company with which you've done business and which is directly related to the business you've done with them, isn't spam.

Spam does not mean "any email I didn't want to get". Nor does it mean "any commercial email".

While I haven't checked the site, most sites which do business include in the fine print some words to the effect of "We may send you occasional emails from time to time". Does DTRPG promise "We will never, ever, not in a million gazillion years send you email"? If not, I am curious as to why you feel so wronged.

Now, if you start getting ads from companies selling viagra that are coming to you via an address you've only used for DTRPG, implying they're selling your address to spammers, then, I think you've got cause for outrage.

 

[Crothian]

I signed up with them the first day they announced and have never receieved any spam or notifications from them.

 

[Funksaw]

1) I don't recall an "email notifications" setting when I signed up. It may have been there, but unnoticable.
2) Shouldn't this information be in the email itself.
3) Shouldn't there be a way to do this without having to login to the DriveThru site? A simple "unsubscribe" reply?

 

[Crothian]

It was there, I marked it so I wouldn't get it.

It doesn't need to be in the e-mail. Going back to the site and signing it to undo it takes very little effort.

I don't see what the issue is here except to complain about every little thing about this site. I have had zero problems with them. I do a lot with pdfs and I'm the main reviewer of them on EN World. I've watched this very closely. Bit its obvious you have a big beef with them.

Also, shouldn't this be in the General Forum? It doesn't seem to be about a publisher.

 

[Neo]

I recieved the notification about BESM 2nd ed for free download too, though I don't consider that spam by any means its just a notification of free additions to thier catalogue that is likely sent out to all who are registered with them.

for the sake of a single e-mail its not that tough to put a block on Drivethrus e-mail or delete the things if someone REALLY doesn't want anything from them.

DriveThru is not really my thing, but I took the time to check them out, and to be honest although I'm not fond of the format or the pricing by any means.. and am far too loyal to the guys RPGNow whom I consider the electronic equivelant of my local game store.. I have not experienced any of the slow website problems or site unpleasantness some people have mentioned.

 

[johnsemlak]

I signed up with them the first day they announced and have never receieved any spam or notifications from them.

Me too, I haven't received a single spam from them, and I registered as soon as I heard about it.

 

[Flyspeck23]

Tried DTRPG too, and spam isn't one of my concerns...Haven't received any email from them.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Spamless here as well.

I found the boxes for preventing mailings pretty easily when I signed up and downloaded Exalted. (I confirmed that I didn't much want it I'm afraid...)

The Auld Grump