Mandy Leon,

Roger Seiders and I have returned replies to your question and we get the automatic reply below:
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"I apologize for this automatic reply to your email."

"To control spam, I now allow incoming messages only from senders I have approved beforehand."

"If you would like to be added to my list of approved senders, please fill out the short request form (see link below). Once I approve you, I will receive your original message in my inbox. You do not need to resend your message. I apologize for this one-time inconvenience."

"Click the link below to fill out the request:"

[webmail.atl.earthlink.net]
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Flex Coat, like a lot of companies, has a method in place for an individual to contact the company direct and ask an individual, personal question of the company. I am sure other companies do as Flex Coat does and spend some time considering a reply that will be most helpful to that person requesting information or help. This person is taking time for the requester that is valuable time to the company in other ways too.

The point I want to make is that after we have taken the time to reply in a very thoughtful and personal way to your request, and your request is not the only one we are trying to respond to in the same manner, it would be only fair if you had your system configured to receive our reply. Your automatic reply asks us to contact a web address and do something so that you will get our email. I find this asking too much of a company’s time and resources.

You and others are more often having this type of system configured to your email to prevent spam. I do not like spam any more than you do and I would not wish spam on anyone, but I am sorry, your replies from Flex Coat won’t be reaching you.

Please do not think that we have ignored you and not returned your email, check your spam protector.

For those that wish to contact Flex Coat and have your email system configured as I have explained here, please use the telephone and call us at 512-858-7742.

We look forward to and will make time for anyone with any kind of question and will take as much time as needed to make sure you are satisfied with the answer. Let’s be fair with everyone’s time. There seems to be less and less of it every day.

Thank you,
John Anderson

Flex Coat Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 190
15901 FM 150 West
Driftwood, TX 78619 USA
Phone: 512-858-7742
Fax: 512-858-7852
www.flexcoat.com

John,

As you know, I have addressed this sort of thing before. Hardly a day goes by when I don't have this happen two or three times. It's frustrating at the least and maddening at the most.

You're correct - when somebody solicits information it is their responsbility to make sure that any response can get through. None of us should be required to jump through hoops in order to have our response make it to the recipient's mailbox.

.........

Amen!!!!! Not as much as you guys, but I often get the same thing when I respond to an e-mail question that was sent to me.

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

To all:
This is something that Earthlink is doing on their very own it has nothing to do with individual E-Mail address's. I send out about 100 email newsletters a month and this month all Earthlink E-Mails were returned with the same message, again I say, this is something that Earthlink is doing on their own. (I have already called them so that I can send my newsletter to my fellow club members.)
The only way an Earthlink customer can get your E-Mail is for that customer to add [email protected] email address to their contact list, or turn off all their security setting(not a good idea). If you are an Earthlink customer you need to call customer support and ask them what to do. To get E-Mail's from different people and companies is to put them in your contact list or address book.

PS If you want a technical explanation of how and why Earthlink and some others are doing with their email systems email me and I will explain it to you and give you some links to go to find out what is really going on in the email server side of the web.

I have been part of Earthlink for nearly 8 years and they are not doing it to my account. The user has to request the service - they do not add it automatically without your approval.

..........

I e-mail over 250 newsletters a month for a club and many of them are Earthlink subscribers and have no returns from people that haveeither chose not to use their spam blocker or add my e-mail to their "approved" list. It stands to reason that if you choose to use a spam blocker and you send someone an e-mail, you should add their e-mail address to your "approved" list

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

If I get those kind of responses, I refuse to respond.
I think people who use them should be aware they
will soon not hear from anyone.

Dave,

You're right, but it never occurs to them. Instead, they send me (and probably others) nasty messages wanting to know why we didn't give them the courtesy of a reply. They never stop to consider that we may very well have tried to do so and simply refuse to spend time jumping through hoops in order to get our responses, to their initial inquiry, into their inbox. We just don't have the time.

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