[Tex]

I received an email invitation from Delta Air Lines asking for me, as a Medallion customer to participate in survey research and receive Skymiles for doing so. I've had many years experience as a passenger and went through the steps to register, thinking I was registering with Delta Air Lines.

But these surveys have nothing to do with service on Delta Air Lines or about air travel. This is just a deceptive scheme to get people to take online surveys. It has gotten harder and harder for research companies to get people to participate in online surveys. The surveys I was asked to complete were about IT services.

Delta has apparently sold to Whiteboard the names and frequent flyer information about Medallion customers. Beware emails in the name of Delta Air Lines that are really from what appears to be a survey research company.

Have any others fallen for this scam? Is Delta that hard up for cash?

[jimworcs]

In Europe, this would be a breach of Data Protection laws. Doesn't Delta have to ask your consent to pass on your email address to outside agencies?

[Tex]

In the USA, the rule is "Buyer beware." Delta sent me the email and, foolish me, I hit the "Join Now" button and was sent to this Whiteboard research site to complete a form registering me for emails inviting me to complete a survey on my opinions on hamburgers, computers, and detergents. In return, they say I'll get Skymiles. Delta will say they just sent the email and that I made the decision to join. In fact Whiteboard may not have had my Skymiles data.

My complaint is that Delta would get involved in the deception. Somewhere there must be a place on the delta.com site where I can opt out of third-party offers. But this was a direct Delta offer.

The US operates like the Wild West, where it is every man for himself. Delta put out the bait and I took it. Delta will say they were just trying to make a few bucks on the side, regardless of how I and other frequent flyers now perceive Delta. Now that American Airlines is in trouble, Delta feels like they are #1 and don't have to try to care for their most loyal customers any more.

[javabytes]

You control your own contact preferences. Log in to your SkyMiles account. Hover over the SkyMiles tab at the top of the page, and click Manage My Account. On the page you land on, click Manage Profile. On your Profile, there is a Contact Me tab. There are checkboxes on that page that control whether Delta contacts you for:
- Fares Sales and Last Minute Deals
- Your SkyMiles Statement
- SkyMiles Partner Updates and Offers
- Delta SkyMiles Promotions

[Tex]

Delta customer service says the invite to Medallion SkyMiles customers to participate in surveys at the Whiteboard site (www thewhiteboard com) and get Skymiles points in return was not sent by Delta. The email address from which the message was sent is deltaairlines at e.delta.com

[javabytes]

The Delta CSR is probably wrong. Delta frequently sends partner offers using that email address. I wouldn't expect a CSR to be up to date on what their marketing team is sending out email blasts for. Log in to your SkyMiles account using the instructions I posted and check to see whether you have partner offers enabled.

More on Delta's email campaigns: http://www.delta.com/planning_reserv...rams/index.jsp

[Tex]

I think you may be right about this being a Delta affiliate. I have gone to the Delta site as you suggested and modified my profile. This seemed deceptive to me in that this appeared to be a Delta program. Instead it is what appears to be a seedy ploy to get people to do online surveys. People hate to do these surveys but will fill them out with whatever answers are wanted if they feel like they are getting paid. I don't believe Delta's image is helped by affiliation with these companies.

[mooper]

Originally Posted by Tex

I think you may be right about this being a Delta affiliate. I have gone to the Delta site as you suggested and modified my profile. This seemed deceptive to me in that this appeared to be a Delta program. Instead it is what appears to be a seedy ploy to get people to do online surveys. People hate to do these surveys but will fill them out with whatever answers are wanted if they feel like they are getting paid. I don't believe Delta's image is helped by affiliation with these companies.

As you had previously chosen to receive marketing emails from Delta and their partners, and this particular invite was very clear that it involved answering surveys about your consumer and business behaviors, I'm not sure how you can deem it "deceptive". If you had elected not to receive marketing emails, you wouldn't have, and if you wanted to receive them but didn't like this particular one, you didn't have to join. What specific aspects of the offer qualify it as a "ploy"?