Get it Right

The email popped up in my inbox at 10:22 a.m. yesterday, although I wasn't there to read it. It said:
Hello Christine-
This is your email to confirm the details of your free XYZ Basic Sperm Bank account.
The following is the account information you registered with:
-----------------------------
First Name: Christine
Last Name: DXXXXX
Email: c*******@gmail.com
User Name: XXXXXX##
Password: XXXXXX
-----------------------------
Please confirm that all of the above is correct by clicking the button below and also please save this information for your records.
I laughed out loud. First off, my name is Christina (emphasis on the a at the end, of course), and secondly, I asked my husband to get a vasectomy! At this point in time, I have no need for a sperm bank. Right? And could this possibly be a phishing scheme? I wasn't sure, so I went on to read the rest of the email:
Choosing a donor that's right for you can seem confusing, even overwhelming at times. After all, you're making a decision that's deeply personal to you and your family. And it's going to affect the rest of your life.

We've heard from past, successful clients that it really helps to have someone:
  • You can talk to right from the start
  • Who understands how you're feeling
  • Who also knows how the entire donor selection process works – inside and out
So in the next few minutes, you're going to get a brief email from one of our support specialists. In that note, she'll give you her name, email, phone number and a link to our live chat line (along with a few tried-and-true tips that have helped others in the past).

She's at your service anytime (M-F 9 to 5 EST) to support you and to answer your most pressing questions.

Look for that email in the next few minutes.

Sincerely,
Your XYZ Team
Sure enough, time-stamped at 11:00 a.m., I received another email from the company, this time from the aforementioned staff member. I scrutinized the words. The email looked legit. The company looked legit. Clearly, this was no phishing scheme. Clearly, they'd incorrectly entered an email address. Clearly, I needed to contact this company and tell them they were sending information to the wrong person.

So I did. I left a voice mail message for the staff member, L, explaining that they had sent me information that had been intended for someone else. Later that day, I received a voice mail message, asking me to return her call. So I did that, too, although I wondered what they could possibly want from me.

Well, here's what she wanted: the name of the intended recipient. Yes, that's right, I had to give to the staff member of the sperm bank the name of the person whose identity she should know. L could have, I would think, asked me to confirm the email address that was used, because I would think the company would have a database of emails they could search. Instead, L asked for Christine's name. Her full name. A name I'd like to forget (even though I don't know this person) simply because I feel bad that I now know it. (Not that there's anything wrong with using a sperm bank, in my opinion.) And before you say it, I already checked the FAQ site of the sperm bank. Sadly, HIPPA laws don't cover sperm banks, so I guess it was within L's rights to ask for her name, but professionally, I think L took the wrong path.

Moral of the story? Be wary of this sperm bank. If they can't get an email account right, how can you be so sure a client will be getting the correct sperm?!?

*Thinking of using a sperm bank? Feel free to leave a comment with your email address. I'll be sure to get back to you and let you know which company NOT to use.

Comments

T said…
Omg. What if Christine works at the vasectomy office and sold Tim's sperm?

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