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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    chica go go
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    Charter Communications Spammed me Today.

    We've been using Charter for our Cable TV Services for about 14 years now. About 2 weeks ago, We recieved a call from them offering to sell us their cable internet services.

    I declined, stating i couldn't afford the required hardware, or the service fees. And they tried offering me a discount on hardware, but i really wasn't interested, because i have always heard bad things about their cable internet services.

    Well, as the call was ended, they asked me for my email address. I told them i would give it to them for their records, but i do not wish to recieve any promotional email from them.

    Well, today I recieved the following email:

    You can end your unsatisfying relationship with dial up today by
    switching to high speed Cable Internet from


    You can end your unsatisfying relationship with dial up today by
    switching to high speed Cable Internet from CHARTER. With Cable
    Internet, you can enjoy all of these benefits of broadband:

    Always on connections – no waiting or premature disconnectionsFaster
    speeds – download, chat, email, and browse up to 25 times
    quickerAbility to simultaneously share Internet connections between
    other household computers
    Those benefits are just the beginning. For a limited time, you can
    experience the wonders of high speed Cable Internet from CHARTER and
    take advantage of a special deal that includes:

    Introductory promotion: $19.95/month for the first 12 months. 2 Free
    Plane Tickets

    Speeds of 384-1500 Kbs download and 128 Kbs upload.

    Monthly price of 19.95

    Not convinced yet? We'll even throw in a Free Broadband Optimizer to
    optimize your broadband connection. <span style="background-image:
    none; background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll;
    background-position: 0% 0%">Click here or call 1-866-333-8148 to take
    the next step toward bringing broadband Internet to your home.

    To unsubscribe, please send an email to:
    unsubscribe-13@mail.buytelco.org with the address: worried@gmail.com in
    the subject line.

    BuyTelco
    1915 Harrison Street
    Hollywood, Florida 33020

    Email headers:

    From - Wed Jun 01 14:10:00 2005
    X-Account-Key: account11
    X-UIDL: GmailId10436df62f891c90
    X-Mozilla-Status: 0001
    X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
    X-Gmail-Received: b3605001543b6a9d11ee703935d9818370e6daa7
    Delivered-To: worried@gmREMOVEail.com
    Received: by 10.38.88.66 with SMTP id l66cs1609rnb;
    Wed, 1 Jun 2005 00:48:26 -0700 (PDT)
    Received: by 10.54.40.38 with SMTP id n38mr3465338wrn;
    Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:48:26 -0700 (PDT)
    Return-Path: <newsletter@smartblastdelivers.com>
    Received: from mail.buytelco.org ([170.224.180.56])
    by mx.gmREMOVEail with ESMTP id 29si370331wrl.2005.06.01.00.48.24;
    Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:48:26 -0700 (PDT)
    Received-SPF: softfail (gmREMOVEail: domain of transitioning newsletter@smartblastdelivers.com does not designate 170.224.180.56 as permitted sender)
    Received: from localhost.localdomain (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1])
    by mail.buytelco.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EC02952DAD
    for <worried@gmREMOVEail>; Wed, 1 Jun 2005 03:48:23 -0400 (EDT)
    Received: (from nobody@localhost)
    by localhost.localdomain (8.12.10/8.12.10/Submit) id j517mNXu014806;
    Wed, 1 Jun 2005 03:48:23 -0400
    Date: Wed, 1 Jun 2005 03:48:23 -0400
    Message-Id: <200506010748.j517mNXu014806@localhost.localdomain>
    X-Authentication-Warning: localhost.localdomain: nobody set sender to newsletter@smartblastdelivers.com using -f
    To: worried@gmREMOVEail
    Subject: Money Saving Offer from CHARTER for High Speed Internet at 75 Dunlap Cir
    Reply-To: reply-13@mail.buytelco.org
    Content-description: a943e799b7worried@gmREMOVEail!d!3c!
    MIME-Version: 1.0
    Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
    boundary="=_9b709096bcb2117ac2e4a21e17ad087b"
    From: "CHARTER Customer Service" <reply-13@mail.buytelco.org>


    They're lucky they're the only cable providers in my area

    [changed code to quote]
    Last edited by anon-e-mouse; 06-02-2005 at 02:39 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Fairfax, Virginia
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    And how, might I ask, do you know it's from Charter directly or itself? Do you believe every email you get? I guess it's about time that I really start considering those Nigerian scam emails I get!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    chica go go
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    11,876
    Considering i gave the same damn company my email two weeks ago, i think it's obvious it's from the same company.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Fairfax, Virginia
    Posts
    6,834
    Originally posted by mikeylove
    Considering i gave the same damn company my email two weeks ago, i think it's obvious it's from the same company.
    How is it obvious? To accuse them of something of which you have no proof that they've done is just slanderous. Your email headers show absolutely no indication that the email is from them directly, unless you can prove me otherwise, and in which case I'd be perfectly happy and willing to listen to what you have to say. Granted, it could be from a service which they've hired to send out email, but even that seems doubtful, as the email is extremely poorly and unprofessionally done. What is this business about "2 FreePlane Tickets"?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Posts
    2,853
    Charter has been good to me, about 5 years and zero downtime or problems. No "lag" on major times (noon to midnight).

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    chica go go
    Posts
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    How is it obvious? To accuse them of something of which you have no proof that they've done is just slanderous. Your email headers show absolutely no indication that the email is from them directly, unless you can prove me otherwise, and in which case I'd be perfectly happy and willing to listen to what you have to say. Granted, it could be from a service which they've hired to send out email, but even that seems doubtful, as the email is extremely poorly and unprofessionally done. What is this business about "2 FreePlane Tickets"?
    Let's see here


    I use charter for 12 god damn years, and not once recieve a single email about their company.

    Then one day they call me, and they get my email address.

    Then 2 weeks later, I recieve an email from 'someone' advertising the services that charter offers.

    The company isn't that big. Hell, the greater part of the area i live in is covered by comcast. I doubt they would resort to national spamming when they don't cover a national area.

    Even if it wasn't specifically them. They had to have given a database of customers off to someone for advertising for their company.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    194
    Originally posted by SniperDevil
    How is it obvious? To accuse them of something of which you have no proof that they've done is just slanderous.
    Libel.. slander is spoken

    Anywho i got a wierd email a bit ago it had the return address for the NIH and the beinging and ending of there medwatch emails and I am a subscriber to the HIN med watch list could just be some screwd up errors and crap.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Fairfax, Virginia
    Posts
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    Originally posted by davef139
    Libel.. slander is spoken

    Anywho i got a wierd email a bit ago it had the return address for the NIH and the beinging and ending of there medwatch emails and I am a subscriber to the HIN med watch list could just be some screwd up errors and crap.
    Haha, yeah. Realizing that now, I suppose I'm getting too caught up in WHT and the Internet in general, almost subconsciously thinking I'm being talked to or having a conversation with Mikey or whoever.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Victoria, Australia
    Posts
    36,941
    It looks to me you are signed up for something, they have traced your IP to charter and now they are sending you "targetted" spam.

  10. #10
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    Dec 2002
    Location
    chica go go
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    My IP has nothing to do with charter. My IP tells them that i am connected in detroit via level3. This same modem pool connects people in the metro detroit area.

    They called me on the telephone and asked me if i was satisifed with charter's service, and if i would be interested in purchasing cable internet service with them.

    I said the service was good, and i declined their offer for cable internet.

    As the call was ending, they asked me if i would give them my email address "For their records". I gave them my gmail address, and followed up by saying "But don't send me any promoational offers.".

    If i tell them to not send me any promotional offers, but they do anyway, that is spam.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Pineville, LA
    Posts
    10
    The same thing happened to me after I gave out my email address to our cable provider (Cox Communications) which their service in Louisiana SUCKS. I got spammed constantly about their High Speed Internet (what an original name for their internet service HUH!)


  12. #12
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    Jun 2004
    Location
    Boise, ID U.S.A.
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    Giving your email address to a telemarketer may be literally giving it to a spammer. Have you contacted your cable company to ask if they ever hired the telemarketer? I wonder if this could be a ploy for harvesting email addresses. Cold call people pretending to be promoting the cable company's internet. Send spam ostensibly promoting the cable internet. If anyone makes the mistake of "unsubscribing", you have a confirmed email address for the spam list.

    I would forward the spam to abuse@ibm.com, abuse@networksolutions.com

  13. #13
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    Jun 2005
    Location
    Pineville, LA
    Posts
    10
    Originally posted by Disgruntled
    Giving your email address to a telemarketer may be literally giving it to a spammer. Have you contacted your cable company to ask if they ever hired the telemarketer? I wonder if this could be a ploy for harvesting email addresses. Cold call people pretending to be promoting the cable company's internet. Send spam ostensibly promoting the cable internet. If anyone makes the mistake of "unsubscribing", you have a confirmed email address for the spam list.

    I would forward the spam to abuse@ibm.com, abuse@networksolutions.com
    Never thought about that, but could be true!...I'll call my cable company directly and ask them about this incident!

    Good Thinking!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    376
    I've had mass downtime with Charter along with many people in my area. Sometimes I have to reboot the modem to get back online and other times its down for weeks at a time. Their tech support is unorganized and usually idiotic. Now they have those stupid voice bots you have to go through. Too bad Im not in charge of ISP selection.
    "The impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wonderous universe with our conscious selves arose through chance, seems to me the chief argument for existence of God; but whether this argument is of real value I have never been able to decide... The safest conclusion seems to be that the whole subject is beyond the scope of man's intellect." - Charles Darwin

  15. #15
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    Jul 2002
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
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    Originally posted by mikeylove
    My IP has nothing to do with charter. My IP tells them that i am connected in detroit via level3. This same modem pool connects people in the metro detroit area.

    They called me on the telephone and asked me if i was satisifed with charter's service, and if i would be interested in purchasing cable internet service with them.

    I said the service was good, and i declined their offer for cable internet.

    As the call was ending, they asked me if i would give them my email address "For their records". I gave them my gmail address, and followed up by saying "But don't send me any promoational offers.".

    If i tell them to not send me any promotional offers, but they do anyway, that is spam.

    Why in the world did you give them your email address? If a telemarketer calls you up, you decline their "goods" or sales pitch. Why would you give them further ways to contact you?

    I've had Charter Cable/Internet since Charter moved into the St. Louis, MO Metro area, and I've never recieved a call from them trying to sell me anything.

    Are you sure it was Charter that called you, and not some other company doing promo work for Charter, or just some other company in general?
    Happily hosting @ Dathorn.com (Since 3/2003), Ispeeds.net (Since 2004), & Quadspeedi.net (Since 7/2005)!
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  16. #16
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    Jun 2004
    Location
    Boise, ID U.S.A.
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    If someone is doing promo work for Charter, then it is Charter that is responsible. Qui facit per alium facit per se--who acts though another acts himself. Charter would be responsible for any spamvertising by its agent. However, there is unconfirmed suspicion that Charter may have had nothing to do with this. It could have been a ploy to collect fresh, functional email addresses for other spamming.

  17. #17
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    chica go go
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    Giving them my number was a bad decision. But, at the time i didn't believe it was a telemarketer. I believed it was a normal old customer service call.

    we're on the do not call list. Doesn't that prohibit them from calling us for marketing purposes?

  18. #18
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    Jun 2004
    Location
    Boise, ID U.S.A.
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    Originally posted by mikeylove
    Giving them my number was a bad decision. But, at the time i didn't believe it was a telemarketer. I believed it was a normal old customer service call.

    we're on the do not call list. Doesn't that prohibit them from calling us for marketing purposes?
    To enforce that you just have to report to the FTC the telephone number and full address of the violator. Did your caller I.D. show that this call came from Charter?

  19. #19
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    Jun 2004
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    Boise, ID U.S.A.
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    Mikey, you should complain to Charter in any case. If it is their agent, they are legally responsible. If someone is spoofing being their agent, it is creating problems for them that they should know about. The problems it creates for them might provide the incentive for them to apply more resources than you have to go after these guys.

  20. #20
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    Did your caller I.D. show that this call came from Charter?
    Unfortunantely, it didn't. My caller ID doesn't show when i'm interrupted online.

  21. #21
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    Chances are very good that even if the caller ID were working the number would be shown as "Unavailable", "Out of Area", or "Anonymous". And now there is even telephone spam technology to forge fake numbers to caller I.D.'s. With teleparasites as with spammers, rules and enforcement are different things.

  22. #22
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    Originally posted by mikeylove
    Giving them my number was a bad decision. But, at the time i didn't believe it was a telemarketer. I believed it was a normal old customer service call.

    we're on the do not call list. Doesn't that prohibit them from calling us for marketing purposes?
    Even if you are on the "Do Not Call List" you are in a business relationship with them.


    What about an established business relationship?

    A telemarketer or seller may call a consumer with whom it has an established business relationship for up to 18 months after the consumer's last purchase, delivery, or payment - even if the consumer's number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. In addition, a company may call a consumer for up to three months after the consumer makes an inquiry or submits an application to the company. And if a consumer has given a company written permission, the company may call even if the consumer's number is on the National Do Not Call Registry.
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  23. #23
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    Wow, such a huge thread because of one spam eMail. GET OVER IT

  24. #24
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    Every spam is "just one spam". That is why every spammer gets treated with zero tolerence.
    If this really was telemarketing by Charter, the first one technically did not violate the Do Not Call list, because of the prior business relationship. It would violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to disregard a specific instruction to not call again in the future. It is also contemptuous of customers to misuse the loophole.
    The spam violated a specific prior instruction not to send it.

    And of course if this was spoofing of Charter, then it is just the beginning of the misuse of an email address that will be resold, especially if it is confirmed as a "remove request".

  25. #25
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    Aug 2002
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    http://www.buytelco.net/

    Looks like they've got affiliate deals with a bunch of broadband providers, but they're not marketing directly for them? Just a guess.


    - Matt

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