Thoughts 08 Nov 2008 07:48 pm
WhiteSmoke Website
Here is one of the all time annoying sites I’ve come across: WhiteSmoke.
WhiteSmoke is a grammar/spelling checker with a website that insists that you cannot buy or try their product without registering.
On their top menu there is a button labeled hot deal. It goes to the buy.php page and wants you to register.
Next is a button titled Download. It takes you to the buy.php page and forces you to register.
The product button takes you to a price list.
Why didn’t the hot deal button take me to a price or a sales pitch for their “hot deal?”
Somewhere on one site or another I ran into a button that said “price WhiteSmoke.” Guess where that took me… Yep straight to the register page. which in this case is WhiteSmokesoftware.com. The primary difference in the two sites is that WhiteSmokesoftware doesn’t have a product button so the only way you can find the price is by… you guessed it… Registering.
In addition, as far as I know only one page on the entire site has any links to the product page where you can see the prices without jumping through hoops.
I don’t mind registering a product, but to force me to register before I even get a chance to buy the product??? –It sounds like a way to assemble a mailing list to me.
I read their privacy statement and yessery Bob it’s not only a way to build a mailing list, it’s a way to try and lock you into their mailing list.
From their privacy statement.
OPT-OUT POLICY
WhiteSmoke enables you to remove your personal information from our mailing list and to stop receiving future communication from us, by e-mailing and notifying us, in advance, of your intention to opt-out.
“notifying us, in advance”??????
I was looking for a grammar checker. —Three guesses who’s checker I’m not buying.