A grieving Perthshire mother has hit out at a leading toy firm for ”putting sales ahead of people’s feelings”.
As she awoke on what would have been her late son Gregor’s fifth birthday on Sunday, Linda Sterry from Braco was greeted by a distressing email from the Early Learning Centre.
The message from the company’s Big Birthday Club wished the youngster ”enormous birthday wishes” and offered a special discount despite numerous requests that his name be removed from the database.
Gregor died from a virus on March 15 2009 shattering the lives of his parents, Linda and Mark, and big brother Ben. The toddler had recently celebrated his second birthday and had been playing with friends only the day before he passed away.
Shockingly, it is not the first time the family have received correspondence from the firm since 2009 Linda says she has been sent a number of similar emails and even a personalised storybook.
Unable to make contact herself, Linda enlisted the help of close friends to write to ELC bosses to notify them of the mistake. They sent off three letters, but never received a reply.
The company apologised ”unreservedly” when contacted by The Courier and offered to make a donation to the Scottish Cot Death Trust.
However Linda (39), who has raised thousands for the charity since Gregor’s death, questioned why it took the intervention of the media to resolve the issue.
She said: ”The firm are thoughtless I will not be shopping there again and I know many of my friends feel the same way. Receiving communication such as this after Gregor’s death was like a punch in the stomach and it is even worse to receive it on what would have been his birthday.
”I am deeply upset they did not take our previous contact by phone and by letter seriously enough to make changes to their marketing databases.”
She added: ”I have never even been able to open the personalised storybook sent on his third birthday. It appears to me that potential sales are much more important to the Early Learning Centre than the feelings of a bereaved parent.
”It is just not good enough and there is no excuse.”
Like many others, the couple signed both sons up to the Big Birthday scheme soon after they were born. But it was the last thing on their minds when Gregor lost his life so suddenly.
Linda said: ”Sadly, from what other bereaved parents have told me, the Early Learning Centre does not appear to be the only organisation which behaves in this manner.
”All companies need to take a big look at their policies and procedures and realise they are dealing with people’s lives.
”It’s bad enough that families have to make contact in the first place there could be an annual review of names but to have to repeatedly spell out that your child has died is just awful.”
A spokesman for the Early Learning Centre said: ”Early Learning Centre would like to apologise unreservedly for the upset caused to Mrs Sterry. We have adjusted our database to ensure this never happens again.
”We will be making a donation to The Scottish Cot Death Trust at the request of Mrs Sterry.”