I don't understand the backlash they got for this story coming to light; when customers are being exploited (and especially repeatedly after asking them not to)

I don't understand the backlash they got for this story coming to light; when customers are being exploited (and especially repeatedly after asking them not to), the offending company deserves the heat. If this means certain brands decide to work with this company after this to cross-pollinate addresses, it just saves us the time of recognizing their legitimacy.