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What’s the worst generic email sign-off/signature you’ve seen?

Was it BlackBerry that started this whole game off? The automatic default signature on every message? For a while there it was semi-cool. Now it’s highly annoying. I get really annoyed when I setup a new iOS device and forget to disable the stupid ‘Sent from my iPhone’ signature.

A reader — a highly connected senior executive — emailed me this afternoon quoting this signature he’d just noticed.

First the offending text:

Sent from my Motorola Smartphone on the Now Network from Sprint

And now the reader’s comment:

I was actually a little bit sick in my mouth.. This is quite possibly the ugliest email sign off I’ve ever seen.

Yeah.

I have to agree.

The defaults like Sent from my iPhone or Sent from my BlackBerry are at least brief — just four words.

That Sprint signature — which definitely has the whiff of a corporate inspired wheeze from the operator’s marketing team — is a whopping 11 words.

The fact that the author of the text felt compelled to use the phrase “Motorola Smartphone” confounds me. Was it critical to point out that it’s a SMARTphone? Not a Motorola Dumbphone? And the “Now Network” (Sprint’s own branding) is a bit… well, I don’t think it works in this context.

Dear me.

I think this is probably the worst I’ve seen.

What about you? Have you witnessed anything like this?

18 COMMENTS

  1. Here’s a customized signature a colleague of mine is using these days:
    (Sent from a device that has
    more real buttons than all iPhones put together)

    I will let you guess which SMARTphone he is using…

  2. I do not like these signatures, but to differentiate it from e-mails I sent from my laptop/PC mail, I put brief “Sent from a mobile device”.

    The reader knows I am on the move, and “not in from of my computer” 🙂 and I do not behave like an arse and show off I do have an Iphone or some other BB.

  3. I particularly dislike texts saying ‘sent from my mobile phone so please excuse any typos’. It doesn’t matter what device you’re sending a message from YOU should take care to type properly. (Sorry, pet hate of mine.)

  4. I always change my devices to have “Sent from my mobile device, please excuse the brevity.”

    I agree that typos are unacceptable in a professional setting, but I do tend to offer shorter responses from mobile vs desktop/laptop. 

    This also lets them know that I’m mobile without having to use an OoO, which sets a different type of expectation.

  5. it’s nothing more nothing less than what ISPs used (use?) to do. Ads on signatures of their free web email services. The pro here is that you can change that on your mobile phone. You couldn’t on those free email services.

  6. Emails sent from my phone include “Sent from my phone” and then my phone number. As, if you want to get hold of me while I’m out and about then a call (or text) is probably better than email.

    I really dislike email signatures which go on for pages and pages and are full of images, badges, quotes, awards and legal disclaimer. Especially on every reply within a conversation.

  7. When I was amused by these things I used “sent from my iPod shuffle”
    Not too many people noticed.

  8.  Agree 100%. But do have to remember to delete it if I end up typing 500 words on mobile as has happened.

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