So I keep getting other peoples email and I'm trying to understand the reason

Options I've considered are

 

1. People are stupid and don't know their email address
2. People are lazy and get the email address wrong
3. People have bad hand writing and CSRs guess the email address
4. Auto complete adds @gmail.com
5. People don't want the emails but are required to supply an address when registering for a service
6. Some systems strip the numbers from the end of an email

Now this isn't SPAM, these are legitimate emails where for whatever reason I'm getting their correspondence. In the last year I've had

• 2 x IPhone repairs - different people

   

  • One for USA
  • One for Canada
• Flights with KLM within Europe

   

  • I actually rang KLM in NZ on this and they were very helpful
• Opticians / Lasik appointments
• Fairly confidential medical details

   

  • ongoing and for several different people
• Insurance quotes and renewals
• Membership of a number of sporting loyalty schemes

   

  • Gun Store
  • Golf Pro
  • Misc others
• Several very confidential work emails
• Participation in a family intervention
• Invites to a funeral
• Pulled into a very personal/private family discussion

   

  • resulting in abusive emails for stealing a family members email address

The latest one is someone's AT&T + DirectTV account along with username + pin to access the account.

Some of these I can unsubscribe from, or reach out to the relevant work/family members to remove me from the email list.

Recently there has been a trend to require a login to unsubscribe to the service. This poses a number of interesting issues

 

1. Am i liable for prosecution for logging in as someone else?
2. I don't always have the username / password

One system recently would only allow a password reset with an answer to a secret question. All contact forms required you to be logged in so short of calling a US Toll number I can't unsubscribe. My only choices are to setup a gmail filter or to click SPAM on the email often enough for Google to configure one for me.

With the latest AT&T Account I got so fed up with the emails I logged in to chance the email address. The customer re-set the password using their cellphone and changed the email address back to mine. Argh!!

So am I alone in experiencing this. Whilst some of it does present mild amusement from time to time, some of these are very frustrating.

Steven

PS. I like my GMail address and have no intention of giving it up any time soon.