I have been receiving tons of text messages, emails, and letters requesting my opinion or surveys. I have never, in all of my adult years, received this many requests.
When they ask for my opinion, I am more than happy to tell them my thoughts on the subjects listed. I believe they truly want to know, but when it’s tied to you donating, if for some reason I can’t do so at that time, it will not accept your opinion or post your opinion, so you just wasted your time doing so, and that leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
The latest TXT Message I recieved, and made me very upset. It told me that they found out that I had switched my party affiliation and to follow the link to correct it. It was incorrect.
I was so fed up with this and other text messages, emails, and letters that were sent to me and when I took the time to fill it out, if I did not donate, it would not process it or post my responses.
This one topped the cake, and I contacted my state senator’s office, and they called me back and said that they could not help me with this because there is a congressional rule that forbids them from helping their constituents with political party issues, even if it is in their own party. Now the person who talked to me did give me an email address for the organization’s complaint department.
I told them that this is wrong, when your own representative cannot stand up for their constituents, and that I requested that they submit to remove this congressional rule
Below is the email I sent:
July 7th, 2026
Email address: [email protected]
Email Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Misleading Fundraising Text Messages and Failure to Honor My STOP Request
Dear WinRed Customer Support,
I am submitting this email as a formal complaint regarding a recent fundraising text message I received from WinRed.
The message claimed that Republicans had discovered I had switched my voter registration to the Democratic Party and urged me to correct my registration by following a link that also requested a donation. When I attempted to proceed without making a donation, the submission would not go through or post. That left me with the clear impression that my participation was conditioned on making a financial contribution, which I found misleading and inappropriate.
That statement was false.
After receiving the text, I immediately verified my voter registration with the Polk County Supervisor of Elections. My registration correctly shows that I remain a registered Republican, just as I have always been. I have never changed my party affiliation.
This message caused unnecessary concern and prompted me to verify information that should never have been falsely represented in the first place. Whether this was the result of inaccurate data, poor quality control, or an aggressive fundraising tactic, it was misleading and damaged my confidence in communications coming from WinRed.
I have been a loyal Republican for all of my adult life. I believe in the Republican Party and continue to support its principles. However, I do not believe supporters should be frightened, pressured, or misled into clicking links or making donations through false claims about something as important as their voter registration.
I am retired and an honorable military veteran and live on a fixed income. I have already contributed to WinRed on three separate occasions because I wanted to support Republican candidates and causes. My inability to continue making donations does not change my political beliefs or my commitment to the Republican Party.
I am also disappointed that WinRed has failed to honor my repeated requests to stop sending me text messages. I have replied “STOP” and requested to be removed from your text messaging list, yet I continue receiving fundraising texts. If supporters ask to stop receiving communications, those requests should be respected promptly.
Accordingly, I request the following:
- A written explanation of why I received a false text message claiming I had changed my political party affiliation.
- Confirmation that my mobile number has been permanently removed from all WinRed text messaging lists.
- An explanation of what corrective actions WinRed is taking to ensure that supporters are not sent misleading messages in the future.
- An explanation of why your message implied that my survey or other responses would not be counted unless I followed your link and made a donation.
- Assurance that future fundraising efforts will be based on truthful and verifiable information rather than statements that create unnecessary fear, confusion, or pressure to contribute financially.
Supporters deserve honesty, transparency, and respect. Trust is difficult to earn and easy to lose. I sincerely hope WinRed will review this matter carefully, correct these practices, and ensure that supporters are treated with the honesty and respect they deserve.
I look forward to your written response.
Respectfully,
Dr. Cecil W. Thorn
Lakeland, Florida
This is the second time I have written similar subjects:
When Your Voice Doesn’t Get Heard: The Frustration of Generic Political Responses
When Surveys Require Donations: Why Transparency and Trust Matter
Copyright Notice © 2025 Dr. Cecil Wayne Thorn . Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this work authored by Cecil Wayne Thorn, to distribute, display, and reproduce the work, in its entirety, including verbatim copies, provided that no fee is charged for the copies or distribution. This permission is granted for non-commercial distribution only