Anti-Spam

We do not tolerate spam. Should we realise that a client is using their ContactNow account for spamming we will terminate their account.

Blacklist administrators can also contact us at report@contactnow.co.za. Should you receive unsolicited email from one of our clients, please unsubscribe through the link in the footer of the email.

The Policy

In addition to agreeing with our Terms and Conditions, legitimate use of ContactNow includes the sending of recipient solicited graphical newsletters, promotions, invitations, press releases, product launches, brochures and other email campaigns that keep registered customers or members informed.

ContactNow does not allow Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) or Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE – also known as spam). If the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate permission to receive the email, it will be classified as UCE or UBE. Verifiably granted deliberate permission is (1) written or email proof that the recipient has asked to receive the mailing; (2) electronic proof such as a time/date stamp and originating IP address demonstrating that the recipient did agree to receive such email.

So to clarify, this means you can send to anyone who has opted in to your list via your website, offline or via a co-registration site. You can send on behalf of your customers, if their lists are opted in via their website, offline or via a co-registration site.

And to clarify, what is NOT allowed:

    • emails harvested from websites
    • lists purchased from a 3rd party
    • rented list from a 3rd party
    • lists that belong to another organisation (like a chamber of commerce or a club)
    • any unsolicited list even if it is a press release to reporters, prospective customers, prospective voters or potential employers or anyone who has not given you permission to send to them.
    • Sending emails to discussion groups

Policy enforcement – how we go about eliminating spam

ContactNow reserves the right to monitor all imported lists. This may include an audit of a client’s lists where we will request the following: list source, list age, list collection and confirmation policies.

ContactNow users are required to certify that their lists consist of 100% certifiable opt-in email addresses. Inability to supply such proof upon request will result in the account being terminated.

ContactNow monitors the content of clients’ emails and flags messages that have content commonly used in unsolicited emails. If we recognise such content in a send it may result in the send being held in queue until our support team is able to contact the sender.

ContactNow maintains IP address and date subscribed for every new subscriber that complete the subscription processes we manage.

An unsubscribe and abuse link is annexed by ContactNow to the footer of every outgoing email. Attempts to disable this link will result in an immediate suspension of the account in question.

If a client is found to send unsolicited email through ContactNow we reserve the right to immediately terminate the client’s account without recourse to refund.

Complaints Procedure

If we receive complaints that your account has been used to send spam or unsolicited mass emails, we will temporarily suspend your account send privileges. In order to determine whether or not you did send spam, we will:

    • Review the content of the email
    • Review your list for patterns often found in harvested lists
    • Review the complaint
    • Review the opt-in proof for the email address in question

If we determine, that you have been spamming, then your account will be suspended without recourse to refund.

If we determine, that the complaint was a false-positive (someone who subscribed, but has forgotten that they have subscribed), then we will liaise with both you and the complainant for proper resolution. Upon proper resolution, sending privileges on your account will be reinstated.

ISP and Blacklist relationships

We share information regarding our policies and practices with ISPs ad Blacklist administrators and are always eager to discuss possible improvements to reduce messaging abuse through our system.

Anti-spam Complaints Centre

Did you receive spam and believe it was sent through our network? Please copy and paste the headers of the email in the box below to allocate the complaint and block your email address. Not sure how to get email headers? Spamcop details how to get the headers from almost every email client.