Email Unsubscribe – the good, bad, ugly, and .. non-existent

Many of us suffer from email overload, even without including the seemingly hundreds of newsletters to which we voluntarily subscribe. Sometimes, we must step in and say “Enough” and unsubscribe from the emails that no longer provide as much value as we’d hoped in the beginning.

The Really Good 

Clear, simple, straightforward. Click and it’s done.


The Good

Click, and it’s almost done – but requires relatively painless detour via website.


The Bad

Not so clear, eh? Please mark “opt in” or “opt out”? Where? To whom? I guess I should hit “reply” – or not?

The Ugly

Apparently, I really HAVE to want to stop this one to wade through everything – and I would need to remember which email was subscribed (not always possible if you’ve directed many addresses to one inbox). Ideally companies should know who clicked on unsubscribe and fill in the email automatically.

The non-existent

How do I get off this mailing list? The lack of an unsubscribe means this is not CAN-SPAM compliant.