Free samples of Dynamite Plant Food for DG members :)

Hello All!!
I got my sample, but never requested it. This concerns me a bit. I do not like my personal info sent out to companies without my knowledge. My question is. How did this company get to my addy exchange? I have always been concerned with my address being out there, but this makes me want to remove my info from the addy. Dave, how did they do this?
George

Could someone else have sent a request in from your computer? There was a form you had to fill out with your address in order to get it so I don't see how they could have gotten it otherwise, Dave didn't give them our info.

No one else has access to my computer or my pass word info. They had to get it from the addy or they became a member and got it that way. I am curious to see if this happened to other members.
George

I looked up the two Dynamite reps who have been posting in the Dyamite forum, and neither of them are listed in the addy exchange. Unless you put your own addy in there, you can't access other peoples so they didn't get your address that way. And based on what I've seen here during the time I've been a subscriber, Dave doesn't give our addresses away, so I have no idea how they could have got yours if you didn't fill out the form. I haven't seen Dave around much lately but hopefully he or Terry will stop in and be able to figure out what happened for you.

One other possibility though--they are obviously trying to get the word out on their product so it wouldn't surprise me if they had other sampling/promotions going on besides this one, so is it possible that you got the sample because you're on other garden-related mailing lists? If it was from this promotion the envelope it came in would have said Name Media on it, if it didn't then you got it from being on some other mailing list (there are plenty of other people/companies out there who will give your address away!)

The address from says
"DavesGarden.com (NameMedia)"
230 Third Avenue
Waltham, MA 02451
and my address is my real name and address on a self stick label.
I hope Dave can solve this. There was a form letter inside addressed to Dear DavesGarden Member, The rest is just promotion of their product.
George

OK, that sounds like this promotion then. To the best of my knowledge you couldn't have got a sample if you didn't go to the link at the beginning of the thread and fill out the form, but if something funny happened hopefully Dave can shed some light on it. I do know though that the question of whether DG has given our addresses to people has come up before and Dave has always said that they don't give out our addresses, so if something funny did happen here I think it was probably an isolated mistake not something widespread.

Could it be someone else who is listed in the addy exchange that thought they were doing you a favor by ordering for you and entering your name?

How weird. My envelope only showed "Name Media" as the sender and the address was itself was blacked out with magic marker (or the like).

daylilydaddy, I wonder if another DGer entered your name, thinking they would be surprising you with a nice gift. It's possible!

Shoe

edited to mention that me and Calif Sue were thinking the same thing!

This message was edited Apr 23, 2008 11:37 PM

I hope thats the case.
George

You probably got a secret fan!

Great minds think alike Shoe! ^_^

George,

I checked the logs, and it turns out that someone was logged in as you when they requested the free sample from Dynamite. The request happened on March 28th at 5:01am (UTC), which would be around 10 or 11pm your time of March 27th.

At 04:58:33 you viewed this thread, then at 05:00:32 you hit the dynamite sample page. Then at 05:01:41 you clicked on the submit button.

All this occurred from the same IP address that you've been using each day before and since.

So, if it wasn't you that did it, then it was someone else in your house that used your computer to do it. If you want to see the actual server logs, I can dmail them to you.

Dave

Thanks Dave.
I have no idea who could have done this. This worries me more then my info being out there. Could you tell me how to change my pass word for DG? I had an issue with my Tech friend and gave him remote access from his computer to mine and now we are not getting along. If this is the case. I will need to change all my pass words. UHG!! I just had to cancel my paypal account because someone hacked into it and spent like crazy, now this. Computers, I love them, but don't understand them enough to stop this sort of thing.
Thanks again!
George

If you go to "My Info" and "preferences" you'll see a link in the navigation box on the side of the page that says password, you can change it there. But this really doesn't sound like the sort of thing someone would do to be mean, ordering you a free sample of fertilizer wouldn't be the first thing I would think someone would do to be spiteful. They'd be more likely to mess with your settings, or buy stuff with your credit cards, or something along those lines. I'd also find a new tech friend and have them help you change the settings on your computer so that other person can't access it, there are definitely ways to do that so you don't have to change all your passwords (unless he knows your individual passwords to the sites you visit, then you ought to change them anyway). Or maybe the folks in the computer talk forum could walk you through what to do.

George,

You can change your password by clicking on "My Info" then Preferences, then Password.

I think the more likely scenario is that you requested the sample and subsequently forgot that you did it. Looking at the logs it shows a normal pattern of activity for you. After you requested the sample, you then went to the trash to treasure forum and viewed a few threads, then came back in the morning viewed some watched threads.

Dave

Thanks Ecrane3
Already went and changed my pass word on DG. This person would do something like that. They know how weird I am about my info being sent to companies(as you can guess this has happened before). They have ordered so many of the "free" magazines you can get in my name. Every day I get like 3-4 useless Mags and then an invoice. She is very spiteful. I also went and turned off my remote access on my computer also. If people spent as much time thinking up spiteful things to do to people and used that energy for good. Their lives would be so good.
George

Dave, I have not been up that early for years.
George

Also, I am really not that forgetful!

Remember that the times are in UTC, which is UK time. So 5am would be midnight Central time...

Oh, well I guess I am happy with my free sample. I just know with the condition they ship things. I would be scared to order from them anyway.
Thanks
Dave

Well my sample packet came today, and as you notice I said packet, The end was torn open on the envelope and so was the packet :( It was really just a waste of postage for them, I know there are a few others that had the same problem, but they at least got some in the envy...

With all the bad response from DGers about the condition, no instructions, etc., has there been any response from Dynamite or Name Media? I am sure that they have heard about this, and was wondering if they had any answers.

The samples were all given to Ted (our sales guy at NameMedia) and Ted personally mailed them all out himself. It's disappointing to see the condition that they arrived in, and I think a lesson is learned: if a vendor wants to give free samples in the future, they will need to have their own shipping dept. handle it themselves.

dave

I agree, Thanks!!

Works out sorta like shipping mugs??? ^_^ Maybe coupons for discount on product would be a better idea. Either paper or electronic.

I think it's pretty sad that they tried to do a nice thing and it turned out badly. It was very nice of them to offer the free product.

chuckle

I think I requested a sample, but I've never received one, nor an empty envelope that previously held said sample. Dave, can you see if I did, indeed, log a request for one?

P.S. I filled out the form again, just in case I didn't before.

This message was edited Apr 26, 2008 3:42 AM

Gardenwife, you requested a sample on 2008-03-23 at 23:53:28 UTC...

Oh, okay. Thanks -- they'll see the one I did in the wee hours today as a duplicate request, then, I'm sure.

I got mine today. It was in perfect shape!!
The envelope was intact and the sample was in another little packet.
Inside was a letter and had explanations on how to use the product.
Thanks Dave and Dynamite!!
Janet

Mine just didn't say how much to use per plant?? Don't want to over do it, or not use enough to tell a dufference.

It's on their website how much to use, and I'm pretty sure if you scroll through the earlier posts in this thread someone copied and pasted the directions.

I'm getting the sense that, if you all found the time & energy to complain so vociferously about a free sample, it must be hockey sticks on earth to be involved in a garden retail business where one has to take all comers, sans IQ or sanity test.

Thanks, Dave, to you AND Dynamite for mailing me this sample. I was tickled pink to see it arrive in my mailbox, bent, bruised, whatever.

I hope you aren't too annoyed to try something like this again because I, for one, am grateful.

now dont get me wrong i am grateful for the sample and everything but actually wanted to try it. but i figure now the plants in shipping get fetilized on their way in the post offices now so thats a good thing. they just have to reach out and grab all the little bits that fell out in each post office. food to help them on their way.

I got mine yesterday and it was in great shape, with a letter in an envelope and it was not torn.. I've already used it.

Thank you Dave and I really appreciate it.

It was used on the brugmansias.

i think i'll just eat mine -- i could stand to grow a coupla inches ...

Well---I had just bought a large container of "Osmacote" when i got my free sample (damaged--yes...), but after reading all the information, I returned the Osmacote and purchased a similar container of Dynamite.....

I am easily swayed---until I find out different on my own....

Gita

Thank you for the opportunity - I just requested the sample. :-)

Got a sample yesterday, thank you very much.
It came in great shape, in a regular #10 size business
envelope and was not damaged, even though it had
not been marked to "Hand Cancel" the stamp.

I will use it this week to plant a hydrangea or two.
Wish me luck.