Wait What?

Ahhhhh the double speak around opt-out, opt-in clauses.

I get that when you're signing up for a free service or product, the company is very eager to stay in contact with you in the hope that you someday become a paying customer. But when you are *ALREADY* a paying customer, why go out of your way to be confusing? It's simply unethical.

This gem is from the checkout page I completed while purchasing VMware Workstation 6.5 directly from VMware Inc.:

"We'd like to keep you informed via email about product updates, upgrades, special offers and pricing. We will not pass your details onto third parties. If you do not wish to be contacted via email, please ensure that the box is not checked."

I actually checked the box, then caught myself... wait, what? went back, re-read and unchecked.

There's no need for legitimate businesses to engage in this type of behaviour. I love VMware products, I use them everywhere, always speak highly of them, and more importantly, I went out and spent my own money to acquire their premium workstation offering. But instead of blogging about what a crucial tool this is, I'm blogging about how the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth on Monday morning. Fail.