MOM ORDERS GIFT FROM AMAZON FOR HER TEEN WITH A NOTE INSIDE BUT ENDS UP RECEIVING THE SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME
Gone are the days when one had to wait for weekend bonanzas and awesome festive season discounts at a shop. All our favorite brands and goods are just a click away. Due to the ever-increasing demands and people’s inability to go to the stores because of their busy schedules has given birth to an amazing venture of online shopping. Every single time we place an order it seems like a gift when it’s handed over. But it’s not always like that and not until a young girl receives her gift with a note that was no gift card.
The Holiday Month
It was December and celebrations had already begun. As the Christmas approached so did the snow no matter how much they cleaned it off, the snow had covered all of the streets.
Bliss Everywhere
Though it was giving the elders a tough time at the same time kids enjoyed it to the fullest making snowmen and butterflies on the ground, they were having the best time of their lives. The bliss and celebrations were there in the aroma of the air like the fragrance of flowers when spring sets in.
Excited
April, like the other kids her age, was too excited for her holidays as well as for her gifts. This year she had just turned 13 so her gift was bound to be more special and hence was waiting for it impatiently. Without a clue that this gift was not just another gift.
An Activist
Though just 13, she was not at all like other kids, she was more sensitive to her surroundings and a vegan too. She felt deeply for animals around her and actively participated in protecting stray animals and in rescue missions in and around the city when other girls her age were deciding upon how to dress up their barbies.
The Preplanned Gift
Her parents had preplanned the gift and also requested for a note inside the gift. Though everything was anticipated, generally things don’t happen the way we want them to be all the time. So was the case with the gift that was to be delivered a day before Christmas.
December 2017
It was the winter of December 2017, which was supposed to be similar to that of all previous winters but if that would have been the case then this story wouldn’t have been written and you wouldn’t be watching it too.
On 7th Heaven
She was running around the house to decorate it in an apt way while her eyes were constant at her doorstep. Sometimes, she used to run to the door even when there was a faint knock in the hope of the arrival of her gift but would return empty-handed.
Daydreaming
She would generally daydream of what it would contain. But the wait was now getting on her nerves, the more she used to return empty-handed the more curious it used to make her.
The Waiting Ends
Then one day, when a couple of days were left, there was a knock on the door and April ran towards the door because hoping that her wait had finally come to an end. Was it so or will the waiting stretch longer?
Knock On The Door
As she opened the door and found a man standing on the doorstep after exchanging wishes he handed her the package, her happiness knew no boundaries. She held the package in her hand and ran inside to open it.
The Note
Philip, April’s Dad had ordered her a make-up advent calendar and requested an invoice to say “Love from MUM and DAD”.But no one knew that the message they were going to get will not be close to what they had requested but something that had the potential to impact their lives.
A Busy Day
Finally, when April got the gift they wanted to know if she had got a gift card from them. Expecting her to tell about it herself they waited. The next day was Christmas so they all got engrossed in preparing for it and forgot about the note.
Forgotten Gift
The Christmas was such an engaging affair and for some time even they forgot to ask April about the note and the gift. The note was indeed special to April but why didn’t she mention it once, was it just that she had forgotten too?
Requested Note
The next day, after the Christmas celebration had finally came to end. Kim, April’s mother was talking to her husband about the gifts that they had received the night before, suddenly they looked at each other and remembered that they had completely forgotten about the note and the gift they had ordered for their daughter.
The Next Morning
April had a neutral expression when she came down the stairs for breakfast which her parents didn’t anticipate. They exchanged looks and thought of asking about the same to her.
In Dilemma
As she stepped down for breakfast her mother greeted her casually the father was still in dilemma as to why his daughter has not said a word about the gift or the note. Did she not see it or have they not delivered it with the gift?
Inquiry
Finally, Philip asked her about the note. Though April too looked lost that morning she held up the invoice and asked if they had meant this. Her father was quite surprised when he handed over the note to Kim after reading.
Astonished
The moment she showed them the invoice the parents were astonished to see the note because it was nowhere near the invoice they had requested with the gift. So, what did the note read?
The Invoice Note
Rather than what they had requested the note was scribbled in pencil and read “Help me please, PMP staff are evil.” which was absurd and startling for the couple as well as for April herself. Who has sent this note and why? Was someone in danger?
Serious Actions
But they didn’t leave the matter there and tried to learn more about this note so first, they enquired about PMP which they later came to know was a recruitment agency and was associated with Amazon in distribution services.
Reaching The Roots
Being an animal activist and sensitive about others plea it was a matter of concern for April too. So in order to find about the terror-stricken employee, it was important to reach out to the roots and for that, they had put up a request in amazon.
Finding Ways
They shared the photo of the note on Amazon’s Facebook page and messaged them as well. The next few days went in waiting for the reply. Will they find a way to reach the person that sent the note or all their efforts will go in vain?
Reaching People
There were chances that they might not receive any reply knowing how massive the company was. So they had to find another way to reach out to the masses to raise their concern and there was no better choice than social media.
Broadcasting Their Plea
Kim took the matter to social media and wrote on Amazon’s Social Media page “My 13-year-old daughter received her advent calendar today from her dad. She was all excited to open it because it was addressed to her. She found this inside of her box and is worried amazon are running sweatshops… I’ve told her it’s probably a prank but can you just confirm this Amazon.”
The Awaited Reply
The good news was an Amazon representative did reply to their plea but what they replied was nothing closer to what they had expected. A representative of amazon named Aisha replied in the comment section expressing her concern “Oh no! I am so sorry your daughter received this note in her package, Kim. We’d like for our team to look into this for you. Please fill out this form at your earliest convenience. Thank you.”
Overreacting?
The couple was in utter disbelief with the reply they had received. Kim and her husband then thought this might be someone’s prank and that’s why the company didn’t take it so seriously. But was it so?
The Discussion
The other day, Kim had a discussion with one of her neighbors that made her more suspicious than ever. She too pointed out the recent controversies regarding the amazon employment practices which were quite absurd, she said while doing an interview with the daily mail.
Investigation
When they started to investigate further, another case came into the light where, in November 2017, an investigation was brought up which acknowledged the kind of treatment the amazon employees were getting. And what came out as a result of the investigation left everyone in surprise.
Another Incident
In the warehouses in Tillbury, Essex in the United Kingdom, the company was accused of making the workers work till all their energy was drained out and they even had to take certain workers to the hospital every day due to the exhausting number of hours they were made to work. So was the note true and not a prank?
Reports
The reports revealed that the work in the Amazon warehouses was so tiring that they had not a days’ target but had an hourly target which they had to accomplish which included packing the goods in every 30 seconds, also they had time bondage regarding toilet breaks. Due to exhaustion and uneven hours at work, some workers were found sleeping in the shift.
Immense Work Pressure
Many people working in the packaging complained about the exhausting and punishing work conditions. Furthermore, a recent addition to this system involved offering one-day shipping to Prime Customers which indeed was an unrealistic offer.
Working Conditions
The workers gradually came forward and started raising their voices not just against the work ethics but also about the working conditions as well. Many of them went on strikes too as the working place was too hot with no ventilation and the work environment was soul-crushing.
Minimal Wages
Not only the workers were upset about the working conditions but they were also being paid meagerly for their hard work. They were made to wear a tracking device always and also had to walk at least 15 miles during a shift.
Undeniable Incidents
Many incidents that came in light were startling for everyone. Due to work pressure, they hardly slept and because of that, there were incidents where people collapsed or they experienced certain medical problems that were fatal too.
Denying The Claims
As the story came in the eyes of numerous people the company denied most of the claims and tried escaping from the liability saying that the proofs were not sufficient and with the working force of thousands of employees they had never received any source of the complaint before. But the truth was yet to be discovered.
Revelations
After digging further, another company came in the light which was hidden behind the curtains until now. The company was Cordant Group PLC, the recruitment agency for Amazon, finally came forward and assured that actions will be taken if the allegations are true.
Actions Taken
The company took the matters in its hand and did an investigation on its ground level and stated that there was no illegal labor involved. But if that was the case why would an employee put such a note, it seemed like the truth was hidden in the dark , struggling to come out.
Fear Of Bad Reputation
As the case had become more sensitive and everyone’s eyes were on it. The company couldn’t just run away from its responsibilities and the claims that the company was indeed creating a bad reputation in the market.
Justifications
Looking into the matter when they saw a wrong image was being portrayed out in the media they realized a press statement in response to the mothers’ inquiry to clarify the allegations that were put upon them.
Press Release
The press note stated that “PMP Recruitment employs over 100,000 people across a range of clients, many of whom have stayed with us for a number of years or return each year during our peak trading period, so we do not recognize the comment made as being an accurate or fair representation of the employee experience we provide.”
No Complaint Received
PMP further added that there various channels and mediums provided to the employees so that their concerns can be raised which also includes certain confidential helplines to raise queries and concerns about their work environment and yet they haven’t received any complaints but they are taking the note seriously and will investigate on the invoice in coordination with Amazon.
Allegations
Though several official statements have been given against the working environment of the company, a number of workers had also told their stories anonymously while there were certain people who took social platforms to raise there voice.
Fired For Petty Reasons
One of the employees stated, “I used to work for PMP, I worked hard and didn’t stand around chatting. One day, a manager saw me chatting to a Romanian guy for a minute, the next day I was told not to come in again.”
Absurd Deadlines
The company used to give impractical deadlines which were hard to meet no matter the hard work the workers put in. The Verge reported that it fired an insane amount of workers who failed at meeting efficiency criteria set by them.
Treated As Robots
If the deadlines weren’t enough the company also has a tracking system for the workers called “time off task”, which automatically generates warnings for the breaks. The workers also said that they used to avoid bathroom breaks to save their time or else the system generated a terminal letter.
Affecting The Health
The unimaginable efficiency rate that the workers had to meet not only affected their mental health but also had an adverse effect on their bodies as well.
Peak Time
Many of the workers were reported to be suffering from mental illness due to grueling work at the warehouse because of unimaginable work pressure in the peak season. Though the company claims to give medical services, the reports and revelation that came in light are contradicting the statements.
Finding The Victim
Kim and April tried to find more truth about the same and the victim behind the letter though couldn’t succeed. The companies say the investigation is still on but they could never reach the person how had written the note.
Praying
All they can do is to pray that eventually, they will get justice and their fair share of hard work. The structure is so layered that it will be hard to reach the depth. but they haven’t lost hope.
Unrevealed Identity
Unfortunately, Kim and her daughter April may never know the truth behind the anonymous note they received in their package. While both Amazon and PMP said the investigation is ongoing. They are praying he or she to have survived the ordeal.
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