Re-Importing Contacts: Ethical Dilemma with MailChimp Threshold Exceeded

[NooraK]

I have an ethical dilemma.

About a month ago, MailChimp sent me a notification stating that I had exceeded their allowable threshold for subscribers who marked spam in a single campaign. That threshold is 1%, and since I had a list of just over 400, that meant four people marked the newsletter I had sent as spam (who those people are, and whether four people should be such a big deal is a different post all together).

Because I hit this threshold, my sending priviliges were suspended while they "investigated". They ended up telling me that while getting emails on a door prize slip was OK (because that was on paper), getting a verbal subscription over the phone was not sufficient (no paper or digital trail). Since I could not tell which subscribers were done by phone, they told me I would have to re-confirm ALL of my subscribers. This meant that I would have to delete everyone from the list and send them a link to my sign up form from my personal email asking them all to sign up again.

I've gotten 18 responses.

I know there are plenty of people on my subscriber list who would not want to be kicked off, but may not have read their email or just aren't computer savvy enough to know exactly what to do (even though I tried to make it as simple as possible). Who even knows how many of my emails went straight to spam.

I'm contemplating just importing my contacts back into MailChimp. I'll have to do just a tad bit more research, but from what I can tell, there isn't anything keeping me from importing my list into the system again, and I don't believe they monitor accounts for that reason.

The ethical dilemma I have is that this is obviously not what they would want me to do. They have their reasons for having me delete all of my contacts, and I do understand where they're coming from. But I also am frustrated at having lost the newsletter list I've been compiling for four years. Yes, I now get huge "open" numbers, but it's very small consolation for knowing 400 people aren't even receiving the newsletter anymore.

I don't want to move to another service because of cost. I enjoy using TT, and don't really want to be tied to the HO newsletter format and set sending days.

Even the contacts I got at my fall fest booth last week, I could have entered them into my newsletter list manually, but just to show I had proof, I entered them into the sign up form which then sends a confirmation email that the subscriber has to click a link on. Out of all the people who signed up at the booth, only three so far have confirmed their subscription to the list.

What do you think? Just add them all back? Or try to get them back by sending another email asking them to sign up again?

 

[NooraK]

Bumping, since I posted so late last night...

 

[BlueMoon]

Noora, it is a dilemma, because you have to decide if you want to follow the "letter of the law" or the "spirit of the law." I think if you re-add your email addresses, you will be complying with the intention of the rule. Another alternative would be to send individual, personal emails to each individual subscriber....oh dear. That sounds hard, and requires people to take action to accomplish something they think happens automaticallyI think you are going to have to evaluate your own feelings. Would you be re-importing because it's easier or because you think it fits with the intention of the rule? Are you trying to comply or trying to "get around" something?good luck. I always get stymied by these.

 

[NooraK]

One of the steps to get my sending privilges reinstated was to send an email to all my subsribers, asking them to sign up again. Obviously that didn't work too well.

I'm just so frustrated because I feel their rules have caused me to flush 400 contacts down the toilet. All because there may have been 2 or 3 contacts in there that I added after a phone conversation, and I don't know which ones they are. Next time, I'll know not to say that. :yuck:

 

[tpchefpattie]

Dear frustrated consultant,I completely understand your dilemma and the frustration you must be feeling. It's never easy to lose a list of subscribers, especially after putting in so much effort to build it over the years. However, I would advise against importing your contacts back into MailChimp without their consent.As a consultant for a reputable company like Pampered Chef, it's important to uphold ethical standards in all aspects of your business. This includes respecting the privacy and preferences of your subscribers. By importing them back into MailChimp without their consent, you would be going against their wishes and potentially violating their trust.Instead, I would recommend reaching out to your subscribers and explaining the situation to them. Let them know that you have encountered some technical issues and that you would appreciate it if they could re-subscribe to your newsletter. This way, you are being transparent and giving them the choice to continue receiving your emails. You can also offer an incentive, such as a special discount or free gift, to encourage them to re-subscribe.While it may be tempting to take the easy route and add them back without their consent, it's important to remember that your subscribers are real people with their own preferences and boundaries. Respecting those boundaries is crucial in maintaining a positive and trustworthy relationship with your subscribers.I hope this helps and I wish you all the best in resolving this issue. Remember, ethical business practices are always the best way to go.