‘Human error’ lands Melbourne Business School in gift card blunder with students to receive $500 discount

Dozens of Melbourne Business School graduates are eligible for a hefty discount on their next online course after a botched gift card giveaway that may cost the educator thousands of dollars.

Melbourne Business School has been caught up in what may potentially be a costly gift card error.

A gift card giveaway has gone terribly wrong for one of the country’s top tertiary institutions, Melbourne Business School, after dozens of graduates were emailed a code for a $500 coupon they weren’t supposed to receive.

Students who recently completed an online course were sent an email on Thursday, which congratulated them for finishing their studies and offered them a monetary incentive to enrol in another course.

“We believe in the power of lifelong learning, and as a token of our appreciation, we are pleased to offer you a $500 gift voucher code to redeem on any online short course in our portfolio,” the email said.

Recipients were invited to use the voucher to upskill, learn something new or to share it with their colleagues and friends so they could “advance their careers”.

The email sent to students offering them a $500 discount on their next course.

The apology email saying sorry for the 'human error'.

But a short time after the email was sent, the business school emailed an apology informing students due to “human error”, too many students had received the voucher.

“Earlier today, we sent an email to people who had completed a short course with Melbourne Business School Online, to congratulate them on their achievement and offer them a $500 gift voucher as a token of appreciation,” the follow-up email said.

“Unfortunately, we ended up sending this message to more people than it was intended to go to. This was due to human error.”

Despite not receiving the initial email, a small portion of people who aren’t students but had ties with the business school also received the apology email, adding more confusion to the situation.

Meanwhile, others received the voucher email but weren’t sent the apology email.

A Melbourne Business School spokesman admitted a mistake was made and confirmed the emails were only meant for students who recently completed a short course with the institution online.

“We decided it was best to admit to the mistake and say sorry. We will honour the voucher for anyone who received the email by mistake,” they said.

“The voucher can be used to enrol in any of Melbourne Business School Online’s short courses.”

The business school was unable to comment on how much the bungle would cost the institution.