Comments for

Amazon Tells Customers, "Surprise, You're Pregnant!"

2008-01-31T23:49:05Z

Amazon sent out some unexpected bundles of email joy earlier this week, when it let unsuspecting couples know that not only did they have a baby gift registry, but that someone had bought them something off of it. Julee writes, "I was shocked to find out we were expecting a child. So was my husband. And that someone had been stalking us online early enough in the process to know to buy us a gift!" She asked her married friends and found out that they, too, had received similar good news. Babies for everyone! Hooray!

The next day, Amazon followed up with this email:

We're contacting you about the e-mail message we mistakenly sent to you indicating that an item was purchased from your baby registry; this message was sent to you in error. We intended to send you an e-mail regarding your Amazon Wedding Registry, but the text of the message was incorrect. Please watch for a message regarding your Amazon Wedding Registry in the next day or two.

We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Julee adds,

I'm glad that the situation has been cleared up, but only after causing several high-stress and awkward moments of, "Did you fill out a baby registry while you were drunk?" among recently married couples I know.

Really, it should have been obvious to Julee and her friends that Amazon made an error with this—everyone knows that only Google has access to that kind of personal information.

(Thanks to Julee!)
(Photo: Getty)

Comment from ViewableOnTheSite on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T19:59:35Z

I wonder how many fake babies there were. Amazon said several thousand. [url=http://cbs3.com/consumercorner] That would be me in this story!

When I got it, I was concerned I had hit a wrong button and some family member had seen it and I would have to 1) return a gift, and 2) somehow break the news. "Hello, Aunt Elise? Um..."

Comment from majortom1981 on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T18:35:30Z

I sure hope no teen girls got this in their emails and parents read it lol. That would stink.

Comment from JeffM on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T10:19:56Z

This thing scared the shit out of me!!! I asked my wife and she shrugged- Amazon needs to send out better prank mail next time, maybe they can make my heart completely stop.

Comment from Consumerist Moderator - ACAMBRAS on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T09:24:52Z

Amazon.com: We know when you're ovulating...
...apparently, even before you do.

Comment from lockdog on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T07:45:09Z

@teapartys_over: The Knot. Blechh My wife registered for something there. For a few years we got their "The Knot, Magazine" (aka 40 pages of ads for stuff no one in their right mind need). Now we get their next step up "The Nest," full of tips on how to spend gobs of money on trendy clothes and parties while still being a good parent to little darling Emma or Luke. It is good for the laughs, and we kind of can't wait to see what comes next when it presupposes on preschoolers or middle age.

Comment from e-gadgetjunkie on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T05:50:32Z

My fiance got one of these and was sure that I was trying to tell him something!

Comment from f3rg on 2008-02-01

2008-02-01T05:43:07Z

Yup, I got it. So did my wife.

Comment from morganlh85 on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T04:20:43Z

lol I got this email the other day too.

Comment from Chris Walters on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T03:56:19Z

[consumerist.com]

Comment from Chris Walters on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T03:39:51Z

@ekthesy: lol - that's brilliant

Comment from Erasmus Darwin on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T03:09:32Z

@AlteredBeast: It's not Amazon's fault. The problem is that babies have one dimension that's significantly longer than the other two, which makes packaging a single baby a somewhat awkward affair. While Amazon should look into sourcing from a supplier than can offer more cube-shaped babies, it's possible that the market would be unwilling to support such a product.

Furthermore, a more form-fitting box would have less padding which would greatly increase the risk of damage during shipment -- trust me when I say that having a lots of RMAs on a product with a nine month lead-time is an absolute nightmare.

Finally, babies are such a high profit item that the wasted shipping cost is negligible, even when multiplied out over the volume of a retailer such as Amazon. Competition with Chinese imports may eventually lead to a price drop, but for the time being, consumers have a strong preference for domestically produced ones.

Comment from Vicky on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T02:45:56Z

I think I just received the message that we were supposed to "watch for" - some sort of partnership with WeddingChannel.com. Yawn.

Comment from ekthesy on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T02:35:40Z

In 100% seriousness, I came home from my vasectomy to find this waiting in my e-mail.

Comment from Toof_75_75 on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T01:40:14Z

@Dervish:

I just signed up using a "spam email" account but also opted out of everything and haven't noticed anything from them, really.

Comment from Dervish on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T01:14:22Z

My husband got one of these but oddly enough I didn't. And yes, he did the requisite "Is there something you're not telling me?" joke.

@teapartys_over: Yeah, the knot is the worst. I also registered there before our wedding, stupidly not thinking that they'd sell my name to anyone and everyone. I did try to opt out when I signed up, but when I started getting tons of wedding crap I checked back and of course I was signed up again.

I'm just glad the whole freaking production is over and done with.

Comment from abbyw on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T01:12:22Z

i was looking forward to my baby gift.. and surprised i was having a baby,, in reality there's no baby. i still hoped the gift was coming, and if i could return it.

Comment from teapartys_over on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:54:12Z

I registered on the Knot (really dumb site, I know) before I got married - and of course they are still emailing me. Mostly now it's baby stuff. I can't wait until they start emailing me gravestone deals.

Comment from theutopian on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:52:45Z

I got this e-mail the other morning. And I almost threw a fit at my wife. We've been talking about starting a family relatively soon and jumping the gun and starting a baby registry is something I would totally expect her to do without telling me. She swore she didn't and wonder WTF same as me. Amazon cleared it up the next day though, she's still slightly disappointed there was no gift on the way.

Comment from AlteredBeast on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:44:42Z

In about 9 months we will see posts on here about how huge the box was that the baby arrived in.

Comment from B on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:37:54Z

Does Amazon offer free shipping with the baby delivery? I don't think I'd want to wait 7-10 days, though.

Comment from Toof_75_75 on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:37:24Z

@NotATool:

You got an STD Registry email?

Comment from mcjake on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:29:49Z

NIce. Unrelated be equally hilarious. If do a wedding registry at Target they give you a big ol wedding kit. It has a mini wedding planner with tips like "a wedding cake is a nice way to celebrate your marriage" and colorful drawing up a trendy multi-ethnic couple. Part of this wedding kit they give you is two sets each with hundreds of coupons for things like diapers, baby wipes and car seats. I love it when a store assumes that I'm having a shot gun wedding.

Comment from NotATool on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:24:27Z

I thought what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas???

Apparently Amazon knows about all that too...

Comment from Geekybiker on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:23:35Z

This happened to me as well. I had a wedding registry there. Must have mixed up the databases.

Comment from FLConsumer on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:23:29Z

I knew you could buy everything on Amazon, but babies now too? Cool. I could use a few more for my sweatshop.

Comment from snazz on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:13:01Z

i think the question shouldnt be "Did you fill out a baby registry while you were drunk?" but rather "What did we do last night while drunk?"

Comment from BloggyMcBlogBlog on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:05:17Z

@Randy: I just don't want them to set up a death registry then.

Comment from Randy on 2008-01-31

2008-02-01T00:03:29Z

Apparently Amazon can see the future. Let's keep an eye on the place to find out what's happening next in our lives!