[AT] Spam/Phish> OT...... email courtesy

[JParks]

I often receive emails from individuals asking for service, operations, and
parts info regarding their machines.  Sometimes it is simple, like date of
manufacture, but often it involves the sending of attachments, and a longer
discourse on what to check or how to proceed in their trouble shooting or
service.  I give it a shot, and reply, only to get hit with an "auto reply"
telling me I have to fill out a questionnaire and ask for approval to have
my email accepted.  I get PO'd.

I am sure that my cantankerous quotient is going up in my old age, as my
patience level decreases.  I understand the problems which we all face with
spams, scams, fantastic opportunities from Nigeria, and parts orders from
many countries (to be paid for with someone else's credit card number) and
we all try to use products like Mailwasher etc. and have hundreds of filter
criteria.

For those of you using these email servers which require such an application
to receive a response, is it possible for you to preauthorize the acceptance
of an email you are expecting or hoping to receive, or is the respondent
always required to jump through your hurdles to send you a response to an
email you requested in the first place!?

If pot was not illegal, this might not bother me, but it is and it does.

John Parks
Boise, ID