fight nosy websites!

I just had cause to contact a company via its website to ask a question about a product.

I eventually found the “contact us” button, carefully hidden from casual view; it opened a form, not an email, and I filled out my title and name and then typed out my question and clicked on Send.

The message refused to send because I had not given my street name. I put in a variation of my standard response: “why bother” and Sent again.

It refused to send because I had not told them which city I lived in. I did another gibberish answer and Sent again.

It refused to send because I had not given my postcode. I made up a sequence and Sent again.

It refused to send because I had not given my phone number. I put in a random sequence of numbers and Sent again.

This time it deigned to accept the message.

Now WTF do they want with that extra information? I emailed them, I want an email back. Do they need to know which city, and what part of which city, I live in to be able to do that?

I certainly don’t want them phoning me, or, more importantly, selling on my details to phone spammers.

Why do they think they need to know all this before they’re able to email me back?

Why do they think they have the right to demand that I give them this information before I’m allowed to send them a sodding email in the expectation [hope, really] of getting a sodding email back?

I never give more than the absolute minimum of data on principle (do I have to give my phone number if I want to buy a packet of crisps at a local shop? Do I have to prove where I live to ask someone in the street for directions?).

And also because I don’t see that it’s any of their damn business. If we do a deal and I buy a product from them, then they’ll need my address. If they send me a brochure through the post, then they’ll need my address. In neither case will they need my phone number.

The only data that they actually need are my name and email address. But they do these forms which demand hat you give them everything except your credit card details!

Rebel! Send rubbish answers to impertinent or gratuitously irrelevant and intrusive demands for personal information. I'll probably be on their records as living in “why bother” street in “myob” city with a postcode of N1 0NE and a phone number of 01234567889.

Don’t give the sods any more information than they actually need to be able to deal with your query.


Wonder if there’s a law against demanding unnecessary details in forms such as this? If there ain’t, there should be.