Recently, I ordered a Christmas present from photobox.. The present arrived a few days later, in good condition, and I was very happy with it. A few days later, yesterday, I received this email from Photobox:

Thanks for your recent photo gift order. We hope you liked them! Don’t stop at gifts create your own masterpiece for your home or as a present or choose a stunning book full of memories to tell your story. Order today and get 20% off Canvas Prints, PhotoBooks and StyleBooks.

Just enter offer code [deleted]with your next order for works of art that will last forever. Terms and conditions apply, see below.

Groovy, thought I. There may have been other people I would’ve wanted to buy presents for. However, I tend to be one of those people who in fact read the terms and condition, which included the following: This offer expires at midnight 31st October 2007.

It what? Thought I. Seeing as this was over a month ago, I found it a little odd, so I thought I’d give the company a heads up. I sent a quick email:

I would just like to point out that the terms and conditions state that the offer expires on 31st October 2007, which was very nearly a month ago, and also prior to me making my recent order.

There, that’s me done someone a favour today. Go me! …or so I thought.

The next morning, I had a response from a photobox representative, let’s call her ‘S’. This is what ‘S’ had to say:

Thanks for your email. This email was send a long time ago not just now so that’s why you cannot used the offer code.

Huh? Surely she didn’t read the email. I had to reply to that.

Hi S,

You are incorrect, I received the email yesterday. I quote from the below:

“On 28/11/2007, info@photobox.co.uk wrote:”

To be honest, I find it a bit baffling to receive an email offering me a discount on my next purchase as a thank you for a recent purchase, and the offer appears to have expired before I receive the email. And as I made my first purchase from your company on November 21st, I find this quite funny, but not very impressive as a business practice.

That your costumer service representative neglects to read the date on the email before informing me that the email was sent “a long time ago” when it clearly states in the email it was sent yesterday, is even more hilarious.

Thanks for the laugh, which was clearly all I got out of this.

Well then, I think, she will probably realise her mistake, and let her tech department know that something is wrong. As it turns out, her response is more like NO U!

Thanks for your email. Sorry it seems you have something is blocking your emails from coming through. But this offer was send from the middle of October.

I was laughing quite hard by now.
Me:

I made my first purchase with photobox on November 21st this year. Until this time, I was not registered with your company, and should as such not have received any emails from you, unless your company send out unsolicited emails with offers to people who have yet to signed up (which is what would be the case if the below is correct). That would be what is generally referred to as spam.

The irony is that I sent the original email not because I want to use the offer, but because I thought your company should know that you probably have an error in your automated email system, unless you mean to annoy your customers by making them offers that expire prior to the email being sent. From what you’re saying, it doesn’t seem that this is of any concern to you, so I wish you a very nice day and will now remove my account with you.

Photobox – reading comprehension is clearly not one of their skills. The calendar was nice, though.