Is the Post Office playing fair about its mailing list?

ashleyriot

Ticking to say you *don't* want something is an odd way of doing things, isn't it?

The following things will happen to you unless you tick the boxes:

[] Bankruptcy
[] Run over by bus
[] Stung by a 1,000 wasps

Why don't we go on the assumption that you don't want these things in the first place rather than assuming you do?

OK, I accept that was tenuous but still.

terra_ferma

I didn't find this too confusing. The ones that confuse me are the double negatives ones (don't tick if you don't want to receive...)
or even worse the really sneaky ones that have different criteria for different boxes e.g.
don't tick if you don't want us to contact you
tick if you don't want to be contacted by our business partners,
and a pet hate of mine are the ones that change your selection if you click the back button to check on something...

devoted

It is very misleading. When signing up I read it, didn't understand it, went away then read it again. The Post Office should redesign the form
Love MSE, my best discovery in 2013

G6JPG

Come on guys - it should be simple "tick if you want, don't tick if you don't want". Any departure from that is an attempt to mislead.

I agree about the ones that (a) invert the above, (b) change meaning part way through [e. g. between theirs and their so-called "partners"], (c) change your choice (to the worse one) if you go back at any stage.

Another couple of bugbears: for British companies at least, I don't like "checking" boxes, I prefer to "tick" them; and, I hate that the final button is these days usually "submit". Makes me think of being pinned down in a wrestling hold (not far from the truth in many of these cases!). What was wrong with just labelling it "OK"?

Mehitabel9860

Agree it is always a challenge to work out which means "NO" - my pet hate is where they hide the options box or it defaults when you edit something else (so you've ticked the No box but it unticks itself). We are on the mailing preference service for "no unaddressed mail" (have been for years) but it seems many are unaware of it - including our local sorting office. Every time our regular postie is away we get all the rubbish. Temporary posties all say the same thing - no note at the sorting office.