Question About Privacy At R2R

[Fish Fan]

Hi guys!

I've come to really enjoy my time on R2R, so I don't mean to cause a stir, but I'd like to ask a question concerning our privacy here at R2R. Short story goes:

I got tagged by another member I hardly know into one of these recent sponsor contest threads. I simply replied that I was not entering the contest, but wished them luck. Apparently, that comment on the thread "won" me a small gift card (though I now see where simply everyone who posted "wins"). I've often joked that I never win anything, and I thought why not, I'll redeem this gift card, and see what this vender has. As instructed I PM'd them through R2R, they sent me back a discount code as promised, and I replied thank you.

Immediately after I started getting emails to my personal inbox from this vendor's email mailing list, and A LOT of them lol!

My question is, how did this vendor get my real email? I sent them a PM, that's it. I never gave them my email directly or indirectly (as far as I know), either here at R2R or via their website. Frankly, I've never heard of this company before all this.

Now that I've gone back and looked at the vendor's contest post (which I never saw previously), I can see that a requirement to be entered into their give-a-way was to go to their site and register for their email mailing list. I didn't know anything about this requirement, but no part of me would ever do that. It's simply not worth it to me at all to sign up for an email list to get a very small discount code from a vendor I don't even recognize. I don't know if this has something to do with my issue though. For example, maybe because I agreed by PM to accept the gift card, I unknowingly agreed to allow my real email to be made available to this seller??

This may seem like a small thing to many here, but I'm more than a little bent. I'm very protective of my real identity, and I never give out my email or phone or anything like that (unless I have good reason). I hate being on random mailing lists, and certainly did not give this seller my permission to add me to their mailing list. And now I worry that they have even more info like my real name, phone number, etc. That doesn't give me the warm fuzzies at all.

And yes, I quite politely replied to the original PM and asked how they got my real email address, explaining that I don't sign up for email mailing lists, and I got a very curt reply that simply said, "Please provide your email address". Not really the reply I was expecting at all, and they've not replied or done anything since, except edit that PM so it now reads, "sorry that happened. Please provide your email address".

I'm really not trying to make a Federal case out of this, but it is against Federal law to add someone to a mailing list without their consent. I do think this seller should take my concerns a little more seriously. And I'm no lawyer, but "sorry that happened" doesn't even sound like they are denying it.

Is there something in the R2R Terms of Service that allows a seller (or any member) to access my personal info if I PM them for whatever reason, like in this case, to try to claim a "prize" via PM?

Thanks for your advice R2R!

 

[Sean Clark]

Always use an alias for this very reason. When you do receive an email that you did not sign up for all you need to do is look at what alias they sent it to and then you know exactly what email was breached, given, or sold to them.
https://simplelogin.io/

 

[Fish Fan]

Always use an alias for this very reason. When you do receive an email that you did not sign up for all you need to do is look at what alias they sent it to and then you know exactly what email was breached, given, or sold to them.
https://simplelogin.io/

Thank you for your reply!

I do indeed have ways to keep my real identity hidden, even in these situations.

There doesn't seem to be any great mystery here, the marketing emails were being sent to the email I used to register here at R2R, and it happened literally minutes after claiming my "prize" via PM here at R2R. They are coming from the vendor's email address directly to my email address, which I have never disclosed to this seller.

 

[FUNGI]

Several ways for this to happen.

1) They ran a contest as paid advertising to R2R, and in exchange, R2R gave them all enteries email address's.
2) They bought the list of users from R2R
3) They ask you to register to claim your prize

I am not saying thats what happend, but that's the way it can happen.

However, the easiest way out is to unsubscribe to their emails. They are supposed to have a "Unsubscribe" option on all their "newsletter/marketing" emails

 

[revhtree]

We 100% DO NOT give out members emails to sponsors or anyone else. We do not sell or share email lists. I’m not sure what happened in your case.

We do have sponsored contests at times that give you entries for joining an email list. In that case the sponsor would be able to have your email because you agree to share it for the entry.

The answer is, no we do not give email access to sponsors.

 

[FUNGI]

Also, make sure this is unchecked:

 

[FUNGI]

We do have sponsored contests at times that give you entries for joining an email list. In that case the sponsor would be able to have your email because you agree to share it for the entry.

That was option 3....I was pretty sure you dont do 1&2.......
No offense meant....

 

[revhtree]

Also, make sure this is unchecked:

This has nothing to do with emails from sponsors.

 

[revhtree]

That was option 3....I was pretty sure you dont do 1&2.......
No offense meant....

Oh no worries I responding to the OP. :)

Usually if you win a gift certificate the sponsor has to have an email to set up an account to give you a discount or credit code. I think this has happened IMHO.

 

[Reefering1]

Do they automatically have access to personal info via r2r, without explicit consent? @revhtree

 

[revhtree]

Do they automatically have access to personal info via r2r, without explicit consent?

I thought I answered that but the answer is NO!

 

[FUNGI]

Oh no worries I responding to the OP. :)

Usually if you win a gift certificate the sponsor has to have an email to set up an account to give you a discount or credit code. I think this has happened IMHO.

Agree.....

 

[Reefering1]

We 100% DO NOT give out members emails to sponsors or anyone else. We do not sell or share email lists. I’m not sure what happened in your case.

We do have sponsored contests at times that give you entries for joining an email list. In that case the sponsor would be able to have your email because you agree to share it for the entry.

The answer is, no we do not give email access to sponsors.

I thought I answered that but the answer is NO!

Doh!! Don't know how I missed that post!.
I've never had issue, but would have similar concern

 

[revhtree]

Hi guys!

I've come to really enjoy my time on R2R, so I don't mean to cause a stir, but I'd like to ask a question concerning our privacy here at R2R. Short story goes:

I got tagged by another member I hardly know into one of these recent sponsor contest threads. I simply replied that I was not entering the contest, but wished them luck. Apparently, that comment on the thread "won" me a small gift card (though I now see where simply everyone who posted "wins"). I've often joked that I never win anything, and I thought why not, I'll redeem this gift card, and see what this vender has. As instructed I PM'd them through R2R, they sent me back a discount code as promised, and I replied thank you.

Immediately after I started getting emails to my personal inbox from this vendor's email mailing list, and A LOT of them lol!

My question is, how did this vendor get my real email? I sent them a PM, that's it. I never gave them my email directly or indirectly (as far as I know), either here at R2R or via their website. Frankly, I've never heard of this company before all this.

Now that I've gone back and looked at the vendor's contest post (which I never saw previously), I can see that a requirement to be entered into their give-a-way was to go to their site and register for their email mailing list. I didn't know anything about this requirement, but no part of me would ever do that. It's simply not worth it to me at all to sign up for an email list to get a very small discount code from a vendor I don't even recognize. I don't know if this has something to do with my issue though. For example, maybe because I agreed by PM to accept the gift card, I unknowingly agreed to allow my real email to be made available to this seller??

This may seem like a small thing to many here, but I'm more than a little bent. I'm very protective of my real identity, and I never give out my email or phone or anything like that (unless I have good reason). I hate being on random mailing lists, and certainly did not give this seller my permission to add me to their mailing list. And now I worry that they have even more info like my real name, phone number, etc. That doesn't give me the warm fuzzies at all.

And yes, I quite politely replied to the original PM and asked how they got my real email address, explaining that I don't sign up for email mailing lists, and I got a very curt reply that simply said, "Please provide your email address". Not really the reply I was expecting at all, and they've not replied or done anything since, except edit that PM so it now reads, "sorry that happened. Please provide your email address".

I'm really not trying to make a Federal case out of this, but it is against Federal law to add someone to a mailing list without their consent. I do think this seller should take my concerns a little more seriously. And I'm no lawyer, but "sorry that happened" doesn't even sound like they are denying it.

Is there something in the R2R Terms of Service that allows a seller (or any member) to access my personal info if I PM them for whatever reason, like in this case, to try to claim a "prize" via PM?

Thanks for your advice R2R!

If you will report the PM where you asked the sponsor the question and I’ll look into it.

 

[Fish Fan]

We do have sponsored contests at times that give you entries for joining an email list. In that case the sponsor would be able to have your email because you agree to share it for the entry.

Thank you for your reply. However, my whole point is I didn't want to be in this contest, and I did not sign up for their email list at all. This is why I'm questioning what happened.

I appreciate your time addressing this!

 

[Fish Fan]

If you will report the PM where you asked the sponsor the question and I’ll look into it.

Thank you, will do!

Again, I very much appreciate your time, and don't mean to cause trouble :)

 

[revhtree]

Thank you, will do!

Again, I very much appreciate your time, and don't mean to cause trouble :)

No trouble at all and I would like to help figure this out because we do not share the email addresses of our members.

 

[Fish Fan]

Oh no worries I responding to the OP. :)

Usually if you win a gift certificate the sponsor has to have an email to set up an account to give you a discount or credit code. I think this has happened IMHO.

No sir. I got a discount code to be used on their website delivered to my R2R PM box, but email marketing sent to my regular email address there after. Again, I did not give this seller my email at all for any reason.

 

[revhtree]

No sir. I got a discount code to be used on their website delivered to my R2R PM box, but email marketing sent to my regular email address there after.

Can you PM me with the sponsors name and a copy of the email you got from them?

 

[FUNGI]

Hi guys!

I've come to really enjoy my time on R2R, so I don't mean to cause a stir, but I'd like to ask a question concerning our privacy here at R2R. Short story goes:

I got tagged by another member I hardly know into one of these recent sponsor contest threads. I simply replied that I was not entering the contest, but wished them luck. Apparently, that comment on the thread "won" me a small gift card (though I now see where simply everyone who posted "wins"). I've often joked that I never win anything, and I thought why not, I'll redeem this gift card, and see what this vender has. As instructed I PM'd them through R2R, they sent me back a discount code as promised, and I replied thank you.

Immediately after I started getting emails to my personal inbox from this vendor's email mailing list, and A LOT of them lol!

My question is, how did this vendor get my real email? I sent them a PM, that's it. I never gave them my email directly or indirectly (as far as I know), either here at R2R or via their website. Frankly, I've never heard of this company before all this.

Now that I've gone back and looked at the vendor's contest post (which I never saw previously), I can see that a requirement to be entered into their give-a-way was to go to their site and register for their email mailing list. I didn't know anything about this requirement, but no part of me would ever do that. It's simply not worth it to me at all to sign up for an email list to get a very small discount code from a vendor I don't even recognize. I don't know if this has something to do with my issue though. For example, maybe because I agreed by PM to accept the gift card, I unknowingly agreed to allow my real email to be made available to this seller??

This may seem like a small thing to many here, but I'm more than a little bent. I'm very protective of my real identity, and I never give out my email or phone or anything like that (unless I have good reason). I hate being on random mailing lists, and certainly did not give this seller my permission to add me to their mailing list. And now I worry that they have even more info like my real name, phone number, etc. That doesn't give me the warm fuzzies at all.

And yes, I quite politely replied to the original PM and asked how they got my real email address, explaining that I don't sign up for email mailing lists, and I got a very curt reply that simply said, "Please provide your email address". Not really the reply I was expecting at all, and they've not replied or done anything since, except edit that PM so it now reads, "sorry that happened. Please provide your email address".

I'm really not trying to make a Federal case out of this, but it is against Federal law to add someone to a mailing list without their consent. I do think this seller should take my concerns a little more seriously. And I'm no lawyer, but "sorry that happened" doesn't even sound like they are denying it.

Is there something in the R2R Terms of Service that allows a seller (or any member) to access my personal info if I PM them for whatever reason, like in this case, to try to claim a "prize" via PM?

Thanks for your advice R