Yaari.com sucks - the final chapter?

I tried to get Yaari.com to alter their registration process to eliminate their "spam-your-address-book" policy of viral marketing.  No dice.  So I reported the incident to the Atlanta BBB to see if they could help.  I wondered: when a social network spawned from the era of radical transparency and web 3.x engaged in behaviour unbecoming to the implicit web social contract, what recourse did I have?  Beyond carping about it on a blog?

So I've waited.  And waited.  And waited.  And apparently, so has the BBB.

The latest:

Complaint ID#: 27063474
Business Name: Yaari

BBB has made several attempts to contact the business regarding the above referenced complaint. We regret to inform you that we have not received a response from the company. If the company has contacted you directly, please let us know the status of your complaint so that proper BBB file notations can be made.

Your BBB has no authority to force action by any company or individual, and there is no legal requirement for firms to respond to customer complaints forwarded to them by your BBB. Your BBB Complaint Service and all BBB programs are voluntary, self-regulatory services supported by responsible business and professional firms. In most cases, a company will respond to our efforts to resolve complaints. It's just a few who do not. The manner in which a firm handles complaints is stated in public reports issued by your BBB. If you desire to pursue this matter further, you may wish to consult with an attorney in whom you have confidence, for advice.

We regret that our efforts, in this specific instance, were unable to bring a resolution to this matter.

Sincerely,

[name redacted]
Dispute Resolution Counselor

Me to, BBB.  Me too. 

Jeepers, Yaari - where's the social?   "It's just a few who do not."  I'm used to brands being oblivious to the social contracts implicit in the nooks and crannies of the web, but it still catches me by surprise when the folks who create and suport those crannies botch it.  Yaari.com, meet Beacon.

Am I missing something?  Are there folks out there who revel in their address books being hijacked by social nets?  Any Yaari fans out there? 

Comments

[John Sarvey]

I just reported Yaari to the FTC.
Seeing your message above, I sent one directly to Ms. Gupta.

I also just found her biography:
http://www.tradevibes.com/person/profile/prerna-gupta

I see she's a graduate of Stanford. Perhaps Stanford might be interested in writing to her to stop this ridiculous practice.

[Rajesh Garg]

I went to the CEO directly and got following response. She never admitted any guilt or tried to fix the problem:

From: Prerna Gupta
To: rgarg_1@yahoo.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 9:11:33 PM
Subject: Explanation from Yaari

Dear Rajesh,

I just read the message you left me on Yaari. Please accept my sincere apologies for any miscommunication regarding our process. We have deleted your contacts from our databases, so they should receive no further emails from us. I would be happy to send an apology email to your friends, if you will pleas send me a csv list of the email addresses you would like me to contact.

Best,
Prerna

--
Prerna Gupta
Chief Executive Officer
Yaari.com

[Melissa]

you're not the only one. I found your blog after I got so ANGRY at yaari.com and the lack of response I was getting from the CEO, Prerna Gupta. I've made a similar complaint to the Atlanta BBB, following your example, and am about to make another one because all my messages to Ms. Gupta go ignored. She responds to one of my friends who is emailing her about the same issues, and though I threaten her with another BBB complaint, I still get no response. Obviously, it means nothing to her.