Spam Cost Resources [ trustworthy ]

Tue Feb 11 03:44:02 UTC 2003

On Mon, 10 Feb 2003, Martin Hannigan wrote:

> 
> Does anyone have a resource that they believe in when it
> refers to how much spam really costs Network operatos?
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/09/magazine/09SPAM.html
> 
> I'm trying to do some validation. Thanks.
> 
> -M

Hi Martin,

	I just did these numbers a little over two months ago, as
justification for another head count (cheaper to have more heads as we shut
down fewer people).  Each complaint costs us about $3.50, and each "case"
(more than 5 complaints get a case) costs us around $8.00.  The costs
associated with actually working a case varied wildly, depending on whether
we shut the customer down (worst case), have to repetitively threaten to shut
them down, etc...  The "Average" case cost us $35.00 to work, but, as I said
above, this takes a LOT of things into account.

Please feel free to use these numbers, but strip identifying data, as the
name associated with them (obviously) did not, and will not, consent to this
stuff leaving the company.

//Alif