Unsubscribe Pet Peeve
I’ve been trying to unsubscribe to Easy Jet’s emails for the past year. Every time I go to unsubscribe I’m reminded why I’m still getting their emails: it’s not working.
The process goes something like this: I click the link to unsubscribe. I’m taken to a log-in page. It’s very clear that if I want to “sign up for or unsubscribe from eOffers” I need to enter my email address. I enter the address, but I can’t remember the password. Of course I don’t remember it. I must’ve been forced to set it up to make a purchase over a year and a half ago. There’s a link “I have forgotten my password.” Great, I click the link. I’m now on a page where I enter my “registered” email address again and they’ll email me my password. A message comes back to me saying “Sorry, but the email address you entered does not appear to be registered. Please go back and check your typing carefully.” Of course the email address is registered, that’s why I’m getting these emails.
Why is the unsubscribe behind a password? Well, the sign up and unsubscribe are rolled up into the member profile which includes active bookings, profile information, etc. Log-in and you can view and change flights and make other profile changes. There is a certain logic and convenience to this. You register for the site and decide whether or not you want to sign up for email all on one page.
The problem is that the unsubscribe process is more than just a click or two away; at best, unsubscribing can become tedious, at worst, impossible. Obviously it’s just a glitch in the system, no big deal, right? But glitches happen. And they certainly shouldn’t prevent a customer from stopping unwanted mail. At the very least there must be another way to allow the unsubscribe take place without logging in. Maybe do it old-school and allow a response email with Unsubscribe in the subject? Or create a page where the log-in isn’t required; one need only retype the email address receiving the unwanted emails and the unsubscribe can be processed.
Mustang List has an easy to access unsubscribe page that does not require a password. But if you use the Mustang List APIs, you can create your own subscription center. When you do, carefully consider whether or not you want to make such a page password protected and the impact it will have on your customers and subscribers if you do.