Firm offers Rs 10,000 for mailer gimmick gone wrong

Give it to victims of the recent floods in the state, says techie whose parents went through over seven hours of anxiety and stress after receiving a 'suspicious-looking' parcel from a tours and travels company

Firm offers Rs 10,000 for mailer gimmick gone wrong

Au00a0day after a travel company's marketing gimmicku00a0-- a courier-delivered parcel that had no name or address of the sender on top and with boxes within boxes that opened to finally reveal a bottleu00a0-- made an elderly couple push the panic button and call the police, the firm offered them Rs 10,000 by way of compensation for their over-seven-hour ordeal.

Techie Vasanth Gooli, the elderly couple's son, said he had even thought of filing a police complaint yesterday because of the mental trauma his parents had suffered.

Till the bottle was broken in the presence of policemen to reveal a marketing mailer, the parcel announcing a surprise inside it had given the elderly couple and Vasanth no peace.

"I want the public at large to be aware what things firms can do to promote their business," said Gooli.

He said after the incident was reported by MiD DAY, a senior company executive had called up and apologised for the trauma the family had to go through.

"I personally don't want any compensation from the company. They have said they are sorry for their mistake and have agreed to give Rs 10,000 to the North Karanataka flood relief fund through me," said Gooli. "I said a cheque should be made in favour of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund."

The company's spokesperson remained unavailable for the comment.

Also read: 'It was just another marketing mailer'

Policespeak

Assistant Sub-Inspector Byalakappa of the Subramanyanagara police station said, "We don't think it is a big issue, but the company's way of marketing is bad. If the Goolis give a formal complaint regarding this, we will surely take action against the firm because of the trauma the old parents had to go through."

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