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I got into gmail during the beta and have a first-initial-last-name address that other people tend to use for signing up for services. There is a bank (PNC) th

I got into gmail during the beta and have a first-initial-last-name address that other people tend to use for signing up for services. There is a bank (PNC) that sends me emails all the time with no unsubscribe option. I don't have an account so they won't talk to me. It seems like a CAN-SPAM violation but I havn't bothered to look into how to actually sue for it. Edit: correct "PNY->"PNC"

gogopuppygogo 6y ago
Probably worth looking into. Sounds lucrative since PNC has money.
znpy 6y ago
i'm kinda in the same spot. I have "${lastname}${firstname}@gmail.com" and i routinely get emails directed to "${lastname}.${firstname}@gmail.com" (notice the dot in the middle). This was no big deal for me. But I received important documents (sometimes even legal document) that were not directed to me, at all. They were meant to be delivered to people in other areas of the country. This is because Google has moronically and unilaterally decided that the dots are not meaningful and that they are smart enough to understand who is the actual recipient of an email (spoiler: they are not). This also means that somebody else is also getting mail directed to me. This is super scary and made me distrust gmail as an email provider. Nowadays I keep my gmail account for my android phone only. But knowing I cannot trust the email address I am not confident to, for example, start using Google Cloud Platform with my private account.
- MarkSweep 6y ago
  I don’t think it is possible for someone to register a gmail account name that contains dots. Therefore the mail you are getting is just people sending it the wrong address. I also have a "${lastname}${firstname}@gmail.com" email account and experience misdirected emails somewhat frequently. I wish more websites supported a “delete and recreate your account” feature, because some of my account were principally created by someone else and I can’t edit the details (Hulu).
  - csande17 6y ago
    You can register a Gmail account that contains dots -- mine does -- but you can't register an address that collides with another address if you remove all the dots.
    - znpy 6y ago
      Not sure how these restrictions evolved over time, but the fact stands that I almost routinely get emails that are not meant for me.
      - thaumasiotes 6y ago
        That's just people filling in your email address instead of their email address. Nothing to do with Google.
    - saagarjha 6y ago
      Does Google keep track of your address with the "preferred location of the dots"? Can you sign in with the dot removed?
      - csande17 6y ago
        > Does Google keep track of your address with the "preferred location of the dots"? Yup! Both the account switcher and the "From" address on emails I send include the dots. > Can you sign in with the dot removed? Hadn't tried it before, but yes I can. (In fact, you can try this at home: it also works if you add dots.) Signing in this way doesn't change what Google thinks my "canonical" email address is -- after logging in, the account switcher etc. still shows the dots in the places they were when I first registered.
- mtlynch 6y ago
  I have the same problem. It's just people mistyping addresses. When I chase it down, it always turns out that they're looking for "${firstname}.${initial}.${lastname}" or they left off some number. Gmail doesn't allow people to register accounts that would collide with someone else modulo dots. My solution: create a filter that matches "to:${firstname}.${lastname}@gmail.com" and archives those emails in a separate folder.
- jsnell 6y ago
  > This also means that somebody else is also getting mail directed to me. By what mechanism do you think that's happening? There is no account with same username as yours, except with a dot, and never has been. Guaranteed. So just how would your emails be going to somebody else? It seems like your mental model of how this is working has to be incorrect to have that fear.
timcederman 6y ago
PNC refused to abide by my opt-out preference for pre-screened offers of credit. Multiple complaints to multiple people in the company didn't achieve anything. It wasn't until the CFPB stepped in, that they pledged to have fixed the problem (although I received 3 more mailings afterwards, but nothing for a while).
account42 6y ago
Before suing you could try the abuse contact for the sending email server and then escalate to the abuse contact for the adress space of that server if needed. In my experience that gets you of spam lists from any "legitimate" business.

gogopuppygogo 6y ago

Probably worth looking into. Sounds lucrative since PNC has money.

znpy 6y ago

i'm kinda in the same spot. I have "${lastname}${firstname}@gmail.com" and i routinely get emails directed to "${lastname}.${firstname}@gmail.com" (notice the dot in the middle). This was no big deal for me. But I received important documents (sometimes even legal document) that were not directed to me, at all. They were meant to be delivered to people in other areas of the country. This is because Google has moronically and unilaterally decided that the dots are not meaningful and that they are smart enough to understand who is the actual recipient of an email (spoiler: they are not). This also means that somebody else is also getting mail directed to me. This is super scary and made me distrust gmail as an email provider. Nowadays I keep my gmail account for my android phone only. But knowing I cannot trust the email address I am not confident to, for example, start using Google Cloud Platform with my private account.

MarkSweep 6y ago
I don’t think it is possible for someone to register a gmail account name that contains dots. Therefore the mail you are getting is just people sending it the wrong address. I also have a "${lastname}${firstname}@gmail.com" email account and experience misdirected emails somewhat frequently. I wish more websites supported a “delete and recreate your account” feature, because some of my account were principally created by someone else and I can’t edit the details (Hulu).
- csande17 6y ago
  You can register a Gmail account that contains dots -- mine does -- but you can't register an address that collides with another address if you remove all the dots.
  - znpy 6y ago
    Not sure how these restrictions evolved over time, but the fact stands that I almost routinely get emails that are not meant for me.
    - thaumasiotes 6y ago
      That's just people filling in your email address instead of their email address. Nothing to do with Google.
  - saagarjha 6y ago
    Does Google keep track of your address with the "preferred location of the dots"? Can you sign in with the dot removed?
    - csande17 6y ago
      > Does Google keep track of your address with the "preferred location of the dots"? Yup! Both the account switcher and the "From" address on emails I send include the dots. > Can you sign in with the dot removed? Hadn't tried it before, but yes I can. (In fact, you can try this at home: it also works if you add dots.) Signing in this way doesn't change what Google thinks my "canonical" email address is -- after logging in, the account switcher etc. still shows the dots in the places they were when I first registered.
mtlynch 6y ago
I have the same problem. It's just people mistyping addresses. When I chase it down, it always turns out that they're looking for "${firstname}.${initial}.${lastname}" or they left off some number. Gmail doesn't allow people to register accounts that would collide with someone else modulo dots. My solution: create a filter that matches "to:${firstname}.${lastname}@gmail.com" and archives those emails in a separate folder.
jsnell 6y ago
> This also means that somebody else is also getting mail directed to me. By what mechanism do you think that's happening? There is no account with same username as yours, except with a dot, and never has been. Guaranteed. So just how would your emails be going to somebody else? It seems like your mental model of how this is working has to be incorrect to have that fear.

timcederman 6y ago

PNC refused to abide by my opt-out preference for pre-screened offers of credit. Multiple complaints to multiple people in the company didn't achieve anything. It wasn't until the CFPB stepped in, that they pledged to have fixed the problem (although I received 3 more mailings afterwards, but nothing for a while).

account42 6y ago

Before suing you could try the abuse contact for the sending email server and then escalate to the abuse contact for the adress space of that server if needed. In my experience that gets you of spam lists from any "legitimate" business.