What is the risk of triggering emails to unsubscribed contacts?

Emailing unsubscribed contacts creates serious consequences:

Legal risk: CAN-SPAM: Requires honoring opt-outs within 10 business days. Violations can result in penalties up to $50,000+ per email. GDPR: Sending without valid legal basis violates data protection law. Fines up to 4% of global revenue.

Reputation damage: Recipients who unsubscribed are likely to complain. Complaints directly harm sender reputation. ISPs penalize senders with high complaint rates.

Trust erosion: Ignoring opt-outs destroys customer trust. Brand perception suffers from perceived disrespect. Recovery from trust damage is difficult.

Operational waste: Sending to people who explicitly do not want email. Resources spent on guaranteed negative outcomes.

Unsubscribe means stop. Automation must enforce this absolutely.