Across  campus an email similar to the following has been popping up in inboxes.

According to their website, Alignable is

…the online network where small business owners across North America drive leads and prospects, generate referrals, land new business, build trusted relationships, and share great advice.

Their website is slick and professional. It has an impressive lists of testimonials. In addition logos of media outlets are prominently displayed. Everything on the site is designed to make the service look like it is widely used and trusted.

While there is no doubt that this a legitimate service, their marketing practices appear to be a bit troubling. Those reporting the Alignable emails to the cybersecurity team often remark that they do not know the person who sent the invite. Others complain that they did not sign up for the service but yet everyone in their contact list has been spammed.

These complaints are not just coming from our community. The Better Business Bureau has 19 similar complaints. While Trustpilot gives it a 51% excellence rating and a 40% bad rating with very little in between. When you see ratings on the extreme ends of the spectrum like that, that usually indicates that a bot is posting the good reviews.

Scouring the rest of the internet, influencers indicate that it is an amazing tool that you should try while other folks warn to stay away unless you want to spam your contacts.  It is difficult to know what the real story is.

What I can tell you is unhappy users have experienced the following:

• They have been signed up for the service when they click the cancel button on the would-you-like-to-join dialog box.
• They have had their entire contact list spammed with invites without their permission.
• They have had invites sent out on their behalf without ever joining the service.

It is not possible to say whether these actions are deliberate or Alignable has a glitch in its service. Either way I suggest that before you accept one of their invitations,  you treat the email like any other coming into your inbox and contact the person who sent it to you to make sure it is legitimate. While you are at it, you should ask them about their experiences with the platform.  If they give you green lights, then you are good to go. If not, delete the email.

What have your experiences been with Alignable? I would love to hear about them. Please post your comments below.