WoopseBay... wrong words!

I recieved two emails from eBay today (technically, one came last night and one this morning), the first had the subject line of "10% off voucher inside to say thank you". It made me think 'thank you eBay, you too are appreciating your customers and giving back in a small way in hard times.'

To be honest I was a tad surprised, but figured there'd be some catch to it as this particular brand just doesn't seem to represent honesty or community-focus to me at the moment. Which is strange given the nature of its whole structure, without its community, it basically wouldn't exist! When I try to pin point why I feel like this about the brand, the outcome is that it's a combination of some 'dodgy retailers' as well as confusing and inconvenient changes to payment and feedback processes.

So... back to the emails - the second one, would you believe, says this:

Subject: IMPORTANT: CORRECTION TO EMAIL REGARDING 10% OFF VOUCHER

Dear xxxx,

A short while ago, you received an email from eBay which incorrectly contained
the following words in the subject line: "10% off voucher inside to say thank
you".

The subject line of that email was wrong, and occurred as the result of a
technical error. Please note that there is no voucher or discount from
eBay.com.au associated with that email or otherwise applicable to you at this
time.

eBay sincerely regrets any inconvenience and thanks you for your understanding.

Regards,
The eBay Team

Technically, the email is right because the first didn't actually have a voucher or anything in the email - it was just in the subject line. So obviously overnight there was MAJOR panic in the particular halls/desks responsible for this email as the first was sent without proofing... then the second sent in a panic without any thought for the recipients. Even the wording makes me feel insignificant and like perhaps someone else might be 'applicable' but certainly not me. Plus the fact that they blame it on a technical error... come one now, I think this one might have been human error yeah??

As a writer, I understand that proofing is such a critical element to any piece of writing. In spite of this, I too am guilty of not doing it enough and appreciate there is always a chance of human error. However, this incident goes far greater than just a proofing issue and could have been rectified in a far more effective way. I think the brand custodians need to have a long hard think about how they are portraying themselves as slowly but surely they are eroding their trust and community and one day they'll wonder where their listings went.