I'm usually a nice guy, but I'm an absolute jerk when it comes to my inbox:<p>- If a service's registration has the "send notification" button checked by default, and I don't see it when I register.. well each time I get an email from the service, I flag it as spam. Damn, these things really should be opt-in, not opt-out.<p>- If the unsubscribing takes more than exactly one step. I flag.<p>It's a bit harsh, but I don't like feeling trapped. The OP's right: unsubscribing should be as simple as clicking on a button.
For services that don't allow you to have your emails delivered as a "digest" I created <a href="http://emaildigest.me/" rel="nofollow">http://emaildigest.me/</a> that allows you to create a digest by setting up gmail filters.
Also, don't make your unsubscribe link egg-shell white, 6-point font at the bottom among other legalese. If I'm unsubscribing, my aggravation finding that is only going to make me angrier.
After years of being annoyed by these kinds of unfriendly unsubscribe policies, I now use disposable e-mail addresses to sign up for most web-based services. These have two advantages: (1) If they refuse to unsubscribe you, you can disable the address and never hear from them again; (2) If your e-mail address gets leaked to spammers, you know who did it, since you provide a unique address to every service. (I still use my real e-mail address with critical services such as on-line banking.)<p>I've been very happy with the disposable e-mail provided by <a href="http://spamgourmet.com" rel="nofollow">http://spamgourmet.com</a>; it's free, reliable, and you can create a new disposable address without visiting their web site. (It's not a pretty-looking web site, but it does the job.)
Something I've seen happen far too many times:<p>1. Your service's email notifications are divided into dozens of little categories, including one particular "core/important/essential" one that I don't actually want to uncheck (for example, payment-received notifications on Paypal.)<p>2. I uncheck all the other categories, but am forced to leave the core notification setting checked (otherwise I'd basically be rendering the service useless.)<p>3. You add a new category of useless notification... and default it to checked. And you have a <i>justification</i> for this: I never asked to unsubscribe from <i>all</i> notifications; I only asked to subscribe from <i>some</i> notifications.<p>Of course, this would be useless to put on the list, because the types of companies who do this know exactly what they're doing.
I never understood why people use the same exact email address to sign up for multiple sites. Any decent MTA will give you a wildcard extension on your username, so signing up for service Foo means telling them something like user-foo@example.com. An unsubscribe is as simple as forwarding that specific address to bounce, /dev/null, or their whois contact information (although I generally reserve that last one for articles that pop up a subscribe box when viewing). This also gives you the advantage of seeing <i>who</i> has sold your email address.
<i>People read their email on their phones.<p>This should not be news.</i><p>This is such a poignant and direct statement because it applies to so many other things than just unsubscribing from services.
Can we also add to the list, "The removal of your email address may take up to 7 days".<p>Unless you store your marketing lists on paper in your bank's vault, there is no reason it should take this long to remove me.<p>I don't care if you're using an external agency who has an old copy of the list. Fix your process. You don't need 7 days to delete my email address from your database.
I usually use "my_gmail_username"+service_name@gmail.com to subscribe. If they start spamming me then I redirect all the email coming to "my_gmail_username"+service_name@gmail.com to my trash.<p>Email sent to "my_gmail_username"+service_name@gmail.com is delivered to "my_gmail_username"@gmail.com, Anything after + is ignored by gmail for email delivery.
These complaints are the result of a self-centered attitude on the part of those creating the website/service. Instead of considering all users' wants and needs, they're only thinking of their own interests.<p>It's analogous to a friend that only calls when he needs something, and only talks about himself when he does. Basically, it's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" stuff, applied to technology services.<p>"How to Win Users and Influence People" ;-)
I like the emails because they keep me engaged when the service is just fledgling. I also like them because they're a permanent record for when friends delete their posts or what not. Also, in <i>two clicks</i> they can be auto-relegated a labeled folder that I never have to see and can be easily purged.