How Do You Tell Someone Politely to STOP Emailing Me!

Updated on February 03, 2011
T.O. asks from Los Gatos, CA
44 answers

Hello Mom's

I have a problem.... I have a ex-co worker (she's very sweet) she FWDs me every email forward out there. When I log into my email there are anywhere from 3 to 8 a day. Her new thing is to send me pictures of her two 10yr. old nieces who i don't even know. I don't want to hurt her feelings but i don't have time nor do i want to spend time reading these emails... and I really don't want my email just out there. How do I tell her this?

thank you!

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Don't. Just mark her as spam. Then she gets to be happy sending things along, and you get to be happy not reading it!

3 moms found this helpful

J.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

tell her straight out, like you have stated here. Ask that she only send email truly necessary, that you dont want to mark her as spam, but....

1 mom found this helpful
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P.B.

answers from Sacramento on

Delete them and tell her how cute the photos were. She probably does not remember what emails she forwarded to you because she most likely sends them to many people.

Hope this helps.
Patti b

More Answers

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E.B.

answers from New York on

Put her email in a BCC and then send the following email: She will think its to a large group of people, so she's not singled out!

" Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all doing great! Me and baby are also doing wonderful and are really busy with daily feedings, changings and drool. As much as I love all your daily emails of jokes, prayers and family updates... I really don't have the time to read them all. I hate to ask, but would you all please remove me from all your forward lists, I would hate to delete a personal email that I thought was spam."

All The Best,
You

6 moms found this helpful
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D.S.

answers from Houston on

put her in your spam box

3 moms found this helpful

G.T.

answers from Modesto on

I know how you feel, I loathe forwards. It's easy to delete them but like you said your email address is going out all over the place and it does create more spam. I would just politely tell her something like this, I've done it with a friend and it worked for me "I appreciate you thinking of me and forwarding me the thought provoking/funny emails but it's really creating a lot of spam for me, this happens when my email address goes out to lots of people, it's not your fault but it's what happens when our email addresses are sent all over the place.... so please don't worry about sending me emails so much. I'm here for you when you want to send a personal message to me but I'd appreciate you not adding me to forwarded emails." Thanks bunches---ME
She'll probably ask you about spam so then explain to her what does happen when your email gets in to the wrong hands... and that's what forwards DO.

3 moms found this helpful
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S.L.

answers from Boise on

Back when email was new and that FWD stuff was new, I sent on the funniest ones. I had a friend email me and say, "You know, I love hearing from YOU, but I already get all those things you forward, so could you take me off your mailing list?"

Actually, I dont' think she said it quite so politely. She's kinda blunt. But anyway, I was a little offended at first, but I certainly remembered not to send her anything. Then I realized that I don't like my inbox jammed every day, either, and that I was wasting time re-reading all those re-forwarded dumb jokes. I stopped forwarding all but the ones that make me laugh out loud, and then I only forward them to specific people who I know would enjoy them (for example, a hilarious video of a great dane going down the water slide while his owners weren't home to a friend of mine who owns a great dane, or engineering jokes to my engineer husband and his mother)

So I think you could send something like that instead of just marking her as spam.

3 moms found this helpful
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A.F.

answers from St. Cloud on

I have people who do this to me. I delete without reading and no one is the wiser.

2 moms found this helpful

P.M.

answers from Tampa on

Ask her to take you off her forwarding list... let her know you don't have much time to check emails and when you get on... her fwds clog up all the mail from family and friends. No reason not to be honest.

2 moms found this helpful
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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

I had to do this with my aunt cause she was sending general e-mails to everyone. I just told her I loved to hear from her but that I was overwhelmed with e-mails ans asked her if she could take me off the list and just e-mail me directly if something made her think of me. It worked - she totally understood and I didn't get buried by e-mails.

1 mom found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Dover on

Tell her that you really don't want any more forwards and although her nieces are adorable, you don't know them so you think you shouldn't have their pictures.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.A.

answers from San Francisco on

There is no polite way. I would just ignore the emails or send them to your junk email designation.

I, once in awhile; not often, sent some funny or friendly (or so I thought) emails to a friend. She asked me to not send them. I know that she tried to be nice about it but it came across as wrong. Our friendship died which is fine with me because I did not want to be associated with someone that uptight. I am certainly not saying you are that way. I would be annoyed too if someone sent me three to eight emails a day; even one a day is too many!

If you can't deal with them and have to tell her, just know that it most likely change your friendship.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.W.

answers from St. Cloud on

You could just send an email to everyone saying that you are receiving too many emails and it's just too time consuming going through them all. So please only forward necessary emails to you in the future.

That way you aren't singling her out.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.A.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi Toni,

I would write a letter not to her but to everyone and send it to her.
To all my friends that send me emails and pictures. I appreciate your pictures and emails. I am to busy to read and look at all these pictures everyone sends so I ask for everyone to please not send me emails and pictures. Thank you Have a good day.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Fresno on

Toni -- there is no need to tell her anything. Treat her emails as spam and set your filter to auto delete or put in your spam folder until deletion. This is the miracle of email. And you might want to get an additional email address to hand out or use with people/places/situation where you aren't sure how they will use your email address. That way you can hand out your personal private email address only to people you know well enough to trust not to spam you.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.R.

answers from San Diego on

Maybe you can tell her that your e-mail program has started automatically sending her e-mails to your junk folder because of all the forwards she sends. Say that you would hate to miss a personal e-mail that she may send, so can she please take you off her forwards list to make sure that doesn't happen?

1 mom found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

two words.....delete button! Since you say she is sweet, I would just let her keep on sending those silly forwards to her heart's content and just delete them. I hate to stereotype but the kind of person that forwards all these emails is the same kind of person who will get their feelings very hurt if you tell them to stop. Good luck to you!

1 mom found this helpful
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P.M.

answers from Portland on

I'd be most concerned about the spam. She probably doesn't know that she can hide multiple addresses on the "bcc" line in her email addresses, and in fact, it's considered a common courtesy to do so.

But she does sound prolific, and I think it would be entirely appropriate to say "Jeannie, I appreciate the friendliness of your impulse, but I need to simplify my email stream, and I just DO NOT WANT to receive forwarded emails, thank you."

Honest, straight up, and not impolite. It generally works well.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.P.

answers from Los Angeles on

I get those from a certain few that I could never ask to not forward things to me...I just select them all along with other advertisements I get and hit 'delete'

1 mom found this helpful

D.M.

answers from Denver on

I just delete emails from folks like this without reading them.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

Is she a good friend or just an ex co-worker? If she is the later, just block her.

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M.G.

answers from Dallas on

Go to your spam (I think you click on options to get your spam guard). You need to edit your spam guard. Enter in her email address and click on one of the options to have her email sent to spam. Very annoying! Good luck.

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C.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

i just delete the emails without looking at them.

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R.M.

answers from Topeka on

Maybe you could do her a favor by teaching her about the BCC option so that emails aren't thrown out there for the entire world to see. THen I would simply send her to the spam box...no need to get upset about it...when there is such a simple solution

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I have a couple of friends who do that too and I marked the emails as spam and they go into the yahoo spam folder and they delete them after a month if I don't. You could do that too, but if she asks you about a picture and what you thought about it, you can honestly say you havent checked the email yet and then go take a quick look so you can comment on it, then delete it. It's always best to not hurt feelings if possible and it really isn't necc. in this instance.

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

Sadly our emails are out there whether we stop our friends from forwarding them or not. ANd the old Blind carbon copy can still get us every time.But just tell her you don't read them because you don't have time. It's okay to do that and it isn't offensive and another mom said be straight out about not wanting your name added to lists. It is also quite possible she doesn't know how to undo this. Just tell her. I remember in my early emailing days I was pretty dumb and now voila! I'm almost a pro.

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W.K.

answers from Washington DC on

i usually mark it as spam. however, with one aunt, i flat out told her not to send me that stuff, that i never open it because it could be a virus, that she doesn't know when someone is forwarding something malicious so she shouldn't be reading stuff like that either. i don't know if she still sends stuff along to others, but at least i no longer receive it.

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F.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

LOL, I just blasted my soon to be ex husband and told him point blank to stop emailing me! Of course you shouldn't take that harsh position with her unless she's causing you stress, which doesn't seem to be the case. Seems more like she wants a friend. So, what I'd do is give her an alternate email address and ask her to use that b/c the one you gave her is really for personal/financial/family business. I don't see anything wrong with that and if she's rational she should be fine with it. I hope.

L.A.

answers from Austin on

If you have already told her that you do not have time to look through her emails , so please only send 1 per week, then you can send her emails to your junk mail

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

I have told people before to please not forward all that junk e-mail to me (the jokes and sentimental stories) because I don't have time or the desire to read it. I think they were a little unhappy at first, but now they don't send them and no one's feelings are hurt. If you don't want to say to her please stop, then just stop reading the e-mails.

T.F.

answers from Los Angeles on

Dont tell her anything just spam her.

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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

if this is at work. then tell her you are afraid that mgt will notice how many PERSONAL emails you are receiving and you don't want that to jeopardize your job.. in many cases, mgt is cracking down.... when at work... keep it work related.... nowadays, employers can track emails... don't get yourself in a bind with too many personal emails.

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J.C.

answers from San Francisco on

I would personally just delete the emails....I have some friends who do this too and I ignore most emails. I would ask her to please make sure she uses the "bcc" to send messages though since otherwise she is giving everyone else your email also.
Hope it all works out 8-)

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L.B.

answers from Eugene on

I would just spam her emails, that way they automatically go into the spam file....If you see her and she says something about receiving them you could always say you didn't get them and say you did updated your spyware(that way you spare her feelings)....or be honest with her(if you have a moral issue with fibbing)... Also, if you guys aren't friends, than a little fib wouldn't matter....if you were people that hung out I suppose you would have to be honest if she confronted you about it. Who knows you might spam them and she might never say anthing....

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M.!.

answers from Columbus on

I sold something to a lady on Craigslist one time and now she thinks we are BFF's! I asked her several times via email to stop emailing me and she wouldn't. So, I had to "spam" her. Now all her emails go to my spam folder.

So I second the spam idea as others suggested.

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N.D.

answers from Sacramento on

Hi there,

If you don't want your email visable to everyone - you can just casually mention to her that she can/should put everyone on her "to" line into the "bcc" line to protect their privacy. Other than that, just delete the messages and if she asks you about one of them that you deleted, just be honest and say sometimes you are too swamped to get through every communication she sends.
Good luck,
N.

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K.B.

answers from Detroit on

You should be able to block her email address. I did that to a family member that we didn't care to hear from. It gave them a message that we were not accepting emails from their address. They questioned myhusband and he just said I don't have any idea which he didn't since I take care of the computer settings etc. They finally stopped emailing. Good Luck.

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T.D.

answers from San Francisco on

Does she email you these things at work? If it's work, then tell her you can no longer accept personal emails at work.

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D.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I have all this kind of mail go into junk mail and send it into cyber space a my son calls it.
You can also just be honest and tell her.

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R.E.

answers from Richmond on

You can have her emails go straight to spam by setting it up in your email A.. They won't hit your inbox and she will never know. If they are messages that require a response then wait longer stretches of time before answering them so you don't seem very accessible.

K.V.

answers from Lansing on

I have a couple of friends that do this too. Instead of telling them, I just automatically delete the email before even opening it, unless the headline sounds funny/cute/serious.

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A.S.

answers from Dallas on

OMG this same thing happens to me with my MIL. She sends me fwds ALL the time! And I check my email about once every other day so she clogs up my inbox. Nightmare! I just sent her to spam. Although this doesn't fix the situation of starngers knowing your email address.
You know what you could do, is open up a new email account, then send her an email saying,"hey everybody, just want to update my new email address. Please send all emails to this address from now on". But only send it to her. Then she'll send all the fwds to your new email addy. Problem fixed. No feelings hurt. LOL ;)

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

My Mom has a friend like that.
She just told her, nicely, NOT to do that... because it overloads her e-mail system and sometimes there are viruses in her 'forwarded' e-mails....

L.F.

answers from Dallas on

I would send her to spam. Then if there is something you want to read from her you can retrieve it.

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