I might be snarky, but I try to do things by the book. Follow the rules and obey the laws.
But today I ran into some red tape that completely works for the spammers and against small business owners.
I tried to set up a newsletter service for a client. It’s the first time we tried this and we were both excited to move her onto this next phase.
Like most consultants, she works from home.
Legally, for her to send newsletters, to people who have double-opted-in, she has to include a physical mailing address.
Let me repeat. She’s a consultant who works from home.
Posting her home address on the internet is simply not an option. So now, she has to rent a PO Box, which in Canada costs upwards of $100 a year.
Really, it’s not a lot of money if you’re making oodles as a spammer, it is a painful unexpected expense for a start-up small business who is trying to do everything by the book.
Added bonus for spammers. With every email she sends out, she’s advertising her legitimate address, that she paid for, to spammers to use for their own purposes.
Neither of us would have minded the need for the PO Box if the information was kept private on file to use to satisfy any complaints that might come her way. But to have it out in the open for spammers to pick up and use is counter-productive.
*Sigh*
