Align and Receive

Mail Support sent out an email message to users this morning informing them that they would be performing maintenance on a number of servers this weekend and for a time while that was going on, mail would not be available. It's a fairly common thing to do and messages like this go out all the time.

But apparently this was new to some users.

I get emails from this dept all the time. I am not with this group. Thank you!

The same goes for me too.

And me too

And we were off and running. Each server supports a few thousand users. Three servers were going to be taken down so six or seven thousand users were receiving the support email. Some people were using "Reply to All" in an attempt to get the messages to stop.

Please Stop "Replying to All"

Please do not reply to all !!

Assuming 7,000 emails sent by support, each "Reply to All" sent out another 7,000 emails to people who didn't want to receive them.

Please don't reply to all when you get these system admin e-mails. We are all receiving this e-mail because we are users on one of the servers listed below. Not because you are or are not part of some group.

OK, it's July 10, 2007 and everyone should know by now how to respond to the sender of a note rather than to "everyone". REGARD, please, email protocol!

Of course, even with these attempts to stop the flood, a number of users weren't paying attention.

Why am I getting all of these emails? I have nothing to do with this.

Everytime someone says take me off or stop the emails I GET AN EMAIL!

Yes please stop this has to do with your e-mail server...not what group your in...look up your profile!

Eventually, one of the Team Leads at the Help Desk attempted to explain:

The group list that used to send the communication is comprised of hundreds of members on several servers. Yes, you are a part of the group. The message is informing you that your email server will be taken down and will not be available during the listed time frame. When you 'reply to all' you are replying to hundreds, possibly thousands of people.

But, tragically, this attempt was ignored and merely added thousands more emails to the queue.

I am not with this group either. please take me off the list while you are at it.

Please, everyone, STOP! replying to all!!

QUIT REPLYING TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey! Using "Reply to All" in an attempt to get people to stop using "Reply to All" is sort of self-defeating, don't you think?

This is funny...Thanks for making my day.

Please do not REPLY TO ALL about how funny this is.

Resistance is futile.

And why are you all sending this to me???? As if I don't have enough to do, but delete 100 e-mails!!!

I have nothing to do with these emails, I think you may of chose the wrong person.

UNSUBSCRIBE

CAN YOU ALL PLEASE STOP SENDING ME EMAILS!!!!!! I DO NOT KNOW ANY OF YOU AND I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY GROUPS SO PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE AND STOP SENDING ME MESSAGES.

This has to stop!!! This is highly frustrating as well as unprofessional!!!

Here is a Senior VP who hasn't been paying attention:

I just got 45 other peoples e-mails. Does anyone know who is doing all of this ??? We must have a security breach. Not very good for a bank, is it?

No, it's not a security breach, it's morons like you using "Reply to All."

Okay you guys enough is enough. Do you not realize that we all WORK for a Bank. This is a courtesy from our Mail Support Team to let ALL OF US know when the system will be down. Just read it and Delete It!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all have to be aligned and receive!!!!!!!! Let's all be professional in our emails being sent.

We all have to be aligned and receive! What the hell does that mean? It's some sort of corporate doublespeak that sounds vaguely obscene. Instead of "straighten up and fly right" it's "bend over and take it like the bitch you are."

It was about this time that Support pulled the plug on the routers, lest the tens of thousands of emails crash the server. Of course, the Help Desk's call queue spiked as users complaining about all the "take me off your list" emails gave way to scores of "I can't get in my email" calls.