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Q: Many times, when I request a company to delete me from their mailing list, I get a reply that says it will take anywhere from days to weeks for my request to be completed, and I should expect to continue to receive emails from them in the meantime.  When I sign up, I am added to their list instantly, but it seems like being removed takes forever. Why doesn’t the magic of computers delete me from the list just a fast?

 – Spouse P.
Bluewater Bay, Florida

A: I am going to treat this as a continuation of the last question you asked about unsubscribing from mailing lists (Geek Note: I.G.T.M. # 923 – Mar 30, 2025).  For interested readers, that issue dealt with why clicking an “Unsubscribe” link in an email often results in a web form that prompts for your email address, and why doesn’t it already know what it is, since the link was embedded in an email sent to that exact address in the first place?

Of course, I can’t possibly know with absolute certainty all of the hows and whys of the way any given company operates their marketing engines.  But I can make a few educated guesses and perhaps change your way of thinking along the way.  Let’s start with that last part.

You said, “When I sign up, I am added to their list instantly,”.  To that I would ask, how do you know that?  Do you “instantly” start to receive emails?  Or is this just the impression you get because you receive a reply that says something like “You have been successfully subscribed”?  I would imagine the first email you get from anything you have subscribed yourself to comes from the next batch run that’s done after you subscribe. I would submit that very likely the first one that you don’t receive after unsubscribing is also the very next batch run.  Unless you run two parallel email addresses and subscribe/unsubscribe from one and use the other as a “control” data account, I would say that there’s no real way of telling whether group emails are sent or not sent in response to your subscribe request.

Beyond mere perception of the subscribe/unsubscribe process, if you assume that marketing to potential customers is the primary goal of these email campaigns, it makes sense that companies would be eager to see people added to the list and would accomplish that as quickly as possible.  But what is their motivation to remove people?  If they take a “Yeah, we’ll get around to that eventually,” attitude, it’s probably because they have nothing to gain in the process, and indeed, are losing an opportunity to put their brand in front of the eyes of a potential customer.

I see a similar pattern when I make purchases.  It’s more prevalent online, but it occurs in brick-and-mortar stores as well.  I make a purchase, and thanks to what you called “the magic of computers” they are able to charge my credit card instantly.  I know this, because I receive real-time notifications on my Smartphone and Smartwatch, so I get notified of a charge before I even dismiss a web page or walk away from a cash register.  It’s often quite the opposite when I’m returning something.  Even when they have the merchandise in their possession, I hear “You should see a refund in 5-7 days.”  Why?  Because it’s not in their best interest when money flows from the company to the individual.  That’s not why they’re in business.

One final thought on this.  Companies that tell you that it’s going to take some period of time to remove you from a mailing list are very likely making a legal statement to protect themselves.  Now, I’m a Geek, not a lawyer, but I’m very well aware that we live in a society that sues at the drop of a hat.  This has evolved into national “Do not call” and “Do not SPAM” lists, and people have received actual court settlements when these lists have been violated.  It seems very likely that, after a request to be removed from a list, if a company simply said “Done” and then an email slipped through, that someone, somewhere would use that as an opportunity for personal financial gain.  Far less risky to just say “Okay, we’ve received your unsubscribe request, but it will take anywhere from days to weeks for your request to be completed.”

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