Imagine opening an email from Tabby, the UAE-based firm that lets shoppers split purchases into instalments, informing you that you had won a Dh5,000 voucher, only to receive another message hours later saying it had all been a mistake.
On Friday, June 26, many UAE residents got an email from Tabby, with “You won an Emirates voucher” as the subject. The company said those who got the message were among winners of the Emirates flight voucher raffle and each will receive a Dh5,000 Emirates flight voucher. It asked them to enter their delivery details to get their prize.
A short while later, Tabby sent a follow-up email apologising for the earlier message and clarifying that it had been sent in error, disappointing many recipients who had briefly celebrated what they believed was a Dh5,000 voucher win.
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Take a look at the original email:
In its second email, Tabby apologised for the previous announcement, saying: “That email was sent in error, and we’re sorry.”
“We know how it feels to be told good news and then have it taken back, and we take full responsibility for getting your hopes up”.
For those who acted on the previous email and entered their details for delivery, the company emphasised that this information has not been used for anything, and its team is making sure it’s handled and deleted properly, promising to look into what happened to make sure its not repeated in the future.
As of the time of publishing this article, no statement has been issued by Emirates.
What is the Emirates flight voucher raffle?
It is a raffle that gives Tabby Card holders in the UAE the opportunity to win an Emirates flight voucher worth Dh5,000, and it was concluded on June 21.
To earn one entry in the raffle, users had to spend at least Dh500 with their Tabby cards. Many of those who received today’s email were not Tabby Card holders in the first place and they did not take part in the raffle.
The company said earlier that the winners will be chosen randomly and it will contact each one of them withing 10 days after the raffle ends on what it called the “Announcement Date”.
Winners, according to Tabby, have 60 days to submit their name, email, mailing address, and phone number. “All personal information is handled in line with applicable data protection laws,” it said.
‘It hurts, Tabby’
Residents who were affected reacted with disappointment and many went online to express how they felt. “It hurts, Tabby, why did you give us so much hope only to let us down,” Filipina RJ posted on her Facebook account.
Pheobe Shyne, another Tabby user who has been dedicating all her expenses to join this campiagn, said: “Imagine the feeling of receiving an email saying you won, and then 15 minutes later they take it back, saying it was a mistake”.
Some residents, however, did not even realise the false announcement until they saw the apology email later or read others’ posts on social media expressing their frustration.
“I saw the apology first… so the bubble was burst even before I got to get excited. I was like, what mistake? then i saw the previous mail,” Rivu said.
(With reporting inputs from Angel Tesorero and Bahni Bandyopadhyay )
Source: Khaleej Times