Friday, April 1, 2022

There's So Many Problems With This Spam E-mail, You Would Think It's An April Fools' Day Joke...But It's Not


 Like most people, I get my share of spam e-mails. They're annoying and I usually just delete them without even seeing what they're selling. However, today one came through on my phone and as I deleted it, I scanned the headline.

This has to be an April Fools' Day joke, I thought.

It wasn't.

There's so many problems with this particular e-mail, I thought I'd break it down. The first issue--the headline. In fact, I think this is the biggest problem in the e-mail. It addresses me by name, then it says I deserve an exclusive vacation. I'll be the first to say, I do NOT deserve an exclusive vacation. I don't know if I even deserve a regular, or even sub-par vacation. We're not a vacationing family, so I seriously doubt an exclusive vacation is deserved.

Next, let's assume I DO deserve an exclusive vacation, where does the Marriott Vacation Club think is an exclusive vacation destination?

Las Vegas.

Now, I'm not meaning to knock Las Vegas. I actually like the city--not to necessarily go, but Las Vegas is what it is. It stands tall and strong in the desert and says, "Here Be Las Vegas In All It's Glory!" The city--whether you like it or not--is proud of it's reputation and the "services" it offers. I have friends who live there. I think (if you like living on the surface of the sun in the summers...) it can be a nice place to live. I do not think of it as exclusive.

And finally, Marriott informs me that I can enjoy twelve months of travel. Again, if Marriott knew me at all, they'd know unless I have unlimited funds (a very important point...), I would not enjoy twelve months of travel. I doubt I'd enjoy one month, let alone twelve.

Today is April 1st, traditionally known as April Fools' Day. In our family, it's a day we celebrate our oldest child's birthday (happy birthday, Knight!). I know Marriott did not intend their spam ad to be a joke. I wonder how many of the other spam e-mails are as off-based...perhaps I should take more time instead of just deleting them.

Nope...don't think so.

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