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TAB text marketing turn-around

The TAB has quickly changed the wording of its marketing text messages, following a public complaint appearing in the media.

The TAB had been sending out messages advertising its odds in the afternoons prior to the All Blacks home Tri Nations test matches. These messages advised recipients that they could only unsubscribe by replying “STOP” and incurring the standard message fee cost charged by his or her network.
However, New Zealand’s anti-spam law requires that no cost is to be incurred by those wishing to unsubscribe.

A complaint about the cost being attached to unsubscribing was made by Victoria University student Hamish McConnochie, with TVNZ placing an article on its website covering the issue.
It appears the article has led to a change of course by the TAB. In a message sent prior to the All Blacks 20 – 25 loss to the Wallabies, the TAB now advised that texting stop would be “free”.

“It’s good to see that a bit of publicity on the issue can result in a large organisation changing its behaviour” McConnochie said.
“However, it’s a shame that it potentially took an article to alert the TAB to its legal obligations”.

This is not the first success for McConnochie in relation to anti-spam law. In June McConnochie attracted media attention after revealing Telecom had breached the law. Internal Affairs took no action because Telecom updated its terms and conditions.

It is unclear whether or not the Department of Internal Affairs will take action against the TAB. Based on previous enforcement action it appears that the TAB will likely only face a formal warning.

--------Anti-Spam Guidelines--------
From the Department of Internal Affairs' anti-spam unit's Guide for businesses: Prohibiting spam and promoting good business practice pdf. (http://www.dia.govt.nz/Pubforms.nsf/URL/BusinessGuide.pdf/$file/BusinessGuide.pdf)
There must be no cost to the recipient for using the unsubscribe facility, and you must honour a request to
unsubscribe within five working days, or else any subsequent emails will be regarded as unsolicited.
See also;
nbr.co.nz/spam
http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/4651906/Telecom-may-have-breached-spam-laws
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2007/0007/latest/whole.html

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/complaint-over-tab-text-campaign-4352299

ENDS

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