Shutterfly earns scorn for mistakenly sending new-parent congratulations

The card and photo printing website sent a mass email to customers about their new babies, but not all of them actually were new parents. Indeed, quite a few have endured miscarriages and infertility.

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There’s nothing more amazing than bringing a new life into the world. As a new parent you’re going to find more to love, more to give and more to share—we’re here to help you every step of the way. Now it’s time to send thank you cards. Find one that matches your birth announcement.

Quite a few of the people who got that email had not recently given birth. Worse yet, many have dealt with the pain of having a miscarriage, a child’s death, or infertility. “I lost a baby in November who would have been due this week,” wrote one commenter on Shutterfly’s Facebook page. “It was like hitting a wall all over again.” The company’s latest Facebook post, which is about giving a photo book as a Father’s Day gift, is loaded with comments about the mistaken email. Likewise, the company got an earful on Twitter.

Hey @shutterfly, maybe don’t send mass “congrats on your new baby” emails? Those of us dealing w infertility JUST made it thru Mother’s Day.

— Christina Rothenbeck (@C_A_Rothenbeck) May 14, 2014

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