Better Business Bureau Warning Of 'Jenny B' Gift Card Scheme Targeting Women Across Country, Including Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/CNN) - Women across the country, including several in the Philadelphia area, are receiving cards from a "Jenny B" congratulating them on their pregnancy, packed with gift cards and coupons to various motherhood websites. Here's the weird part: many of the women aren't pregnant, and it seems that none of them know this "Jenny B."
The gift cards are sent in an envelope with no return label and are signed "Jenny B." All of the coupons and gift cards link back to websites affiliated with a company called Mother's Lounge LLC.
"Congratulations!!! I'm so excited for you! I hope you like these," the card reads.
Multiple women have gone to Twitter to seek out who "Jenny B" is and why is she sending them a card in a pink envelope with no return address. In some cases, the cards went to the parents of women who were not pregnant, no doubt prompting some unexpected conversations.
CBS3 digital producer Alyssa Adams says she received a card addressed to her at her mom's home in Roxborough.
"The envelope was heavy and I've been waiting for a wedding invitation so I was excited as I was opening it, then I found a 'congrats you're having a baby' card," Adams said. "I was really confused because, obviously, I know I'm not pregnant."
Adams says she found the incident funny and shared a photo on Snapchat, where she discovered several of her friends had also received the card, even though they are not pregnant.
The About Us section of the Mother's Lounge website includes a biography for the apparent founder of the company, Jenny Boscoe.
"Because she doesn't prefer the spotlight, and her story deserves to be told, this page was written by her employees," the beginning of the About Us page reads. "Although Jenny is currently a full-time at-home mother of 5 children, she's known to spend 40 hours or more per week working on or improving her many Mothers Lounge brands. It all started in 2005 when she invented the Milk Bands™ breastfeeding bracelet which is sold in thousands of stores worldwide... Jenny has a passion for trying to make mom's lives easier in all that she does and believes that her products will make a difference in yours. Since 2005, Jenny has launched multiple mother & baby product lines including Udder Covers™, Seven™ brand baby slings, Carseat Canopy™, Nursing Pillow, and has future product lines in the works. Her favorite part of the business is designing. She's had a hand in every fabric print, logo, photo shoot, and image used with any of her brands. Jenny continues to be the visionary for the company's ambitious future."
The Better Business Bureau says this is a questionable marketing scheme. "In the past, consumers have complained that adding a gift card to their orders appears to increase the shipping cost. BBB questioned Mother's Lounge's owner, Jeanette Pierce, regarding the increase in price. This increase appears to cover the majority of the cost of the gift card. No response was received," according to a BBB news release. "BBB believes that the business should modify or discontinue the advertising campaign as consumers are confused and the price for a product or shipping should not be increased when a gift certificate is used."
The BBB has also received reports about the low quality of items ordered through "Mother's Lounge." The company has an "F" rating on the Better Business Bureau's website.
Mother's Lounge LLC is a company based in Utah.
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