Would You Do Business With a Comment Spammer?

I think it’s an honest question.

Would you do business with a comment spammer?

I won’t do business with Capital One Bank because they constantly send me junk mail even though I’m on the “do not send junk mail” list and wrote them specifically asking to be removed from their list. I just got a bunch of comment spam promoting Washington Mutual Bank. Do you think this would be another bank I’d want to do business with?

I travel full-time and am reliant upon rental cars on many trips, so imagine my disgust when I got a bunch of comment spam junk from Hertz, Sixt, and Thrift Car.

The problems with these “serious” businesses using comment spam to promote their business is that the source of much of this comment spam is not legitimately associated with the company. In the case of the Hertz comment spam, they spelled it “Herts”. Legit? Probably not. In the case of the Washington Mutual Bank comment spams, they look totally legit.

Should I click the link to find out if they are legit? Hell, no! NEVER click a link to comment spam. Check the domain name with domain name checkers before you visit the actual site if you are concerned about the validity of a comment spam. Don’t make them money by clicking the links in the comment spam.

But how would you know if the comment spam is from the legitimate company or not? Even if the link doesn’t go directly to the source, they might be paid to create the comment spam. How would you know?

I don’t know exactly how, but I do know that if you do business with a company that shows up on your comment spam list, go to them and ask. Don’t ask your local teller but ask the bank manager. Insist on knowing. Write a letter to the company office, explaining that you are a client and that this issue seriously concerns you and may threaten your continued business relationship.

If they are, then tell them that this is an unacceptable advertising method and that you are not going to do business with a company using underhanded methods of solicitation. And follow through on it. Banks are a dime a dozen. Switch.

If they aren’t involved in comment spam, make sure you provide them with the information they need, and the recommendation, to track down the source and stop this smear of their good business reputation. Let them do the job to put a stop to this gross misuse of the web and blogs.

If you are a customer of a porn, casino, or drug marketer, then use your power as a customer to let them know that comment spam is an unacceptable method of advertising that will not be tolerated.

If you do business of any kind with a company that uses comment spam as an advertising method, shame on you. You make it worse for the rest of us.

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network