This is the e-mail that started the whole thing. It’s purportedly from the publisher of the Peak Performance and Sports Performance Bulletin newsletters, intended for the online manager of their web properties.

From: Jonathan Pye
Sent: 21 November 2008 15:33
To: Mark Edwards
Subject: Cutting book prices

Hi Mark

I’ve been thinking about how we can increase sales in the Peak Performance shop
in the run up to Christmas. It’s going really well so far (we’ve almost sold out of some of the big hitters like Core Stability and Running Injuries) but I want it to do even better! A huge amount of love and effort has gone into these books and I want as many athletes and coaches to read them as possible.

So… I think we should cut prices even further. We’re doing a 33% discount on all the sports training books and reports at the moment, but how about going up to 50%? We can just about
afford this – as long as we only do it until Christmas. I know you’re going to think I’m crazy but I feel like our customers deserve a break. It’s been a tough year and I know everyone’s cutting back on their spending.

What do you think?

Cheers

Jonathan Pye

Publisher
Peak Performance
http://shop.pponline.co.uk

Next, we see the reply. For some reason, it’s directed at the whole subscriber list:

Jonathan

Who do you think I am, Santa Claus?

50% is WAY too high. Yes, the books are great and we want every athlete on the
planet to read them, but I think 33% is a big enough discount. And after
Christmas, even that discount is going to have to end.

Best

Mark Edwards

Online Manager
Peak Performance
http://shop.pponline.co.uk

Oops! Something tells me the subscriber list wasn’t supposed to see this reply – or were they? A day later, we get this e-mail from Mark:

Dear Sports Performance Bulletin reader

I’m writing to apologise for the mix-up yesterday which caused an email between
me and Peak Performance’s publisher, Jonathan Pye, to be sent to everybody on
our list. This was very embarrassing and I can only blame the IT gremlins!

It was doubly embarrassing because since yesterday I’ve received hundreds of
emails from disgruntled readers calling me ‘Scrooge’, ‘the Grinch’,
‘tight-fisted’, ‘a spoilsport’ and many other names I usually only get called by
my wife.

Also, a lot of people pointed out that now that we’ve told everyone about the
possibility of a half-price sale on all our books, we should honour it.

So, in the spirit of goodwill to all men and women I’ve backed down.

The 50% sale on all our sports training books is going ahead. But only until
Christmas. After that, the sale will have to end. (We really can’t afford to
let it go on longer than that.)

You can find all the books – now half-price – in our online shop:
http://shop.pponline.co.uk.

We’re also throwing in free delivery for everyone, wherever you are in the
world. Please note, this offer only applies to books purchased online.

We’re very proud of these books, as they are unique in taking the latest sports
research and telling athletes how to use it in their own training. This year
we’ve published some of our best ever titles, like ‘Heart Rate Training’,
‘Biomechanics for Running’, ‘Plyometrics’ and ‘Periodisation: Planning Your
Training’. All of these titles are running low on stock – as are many others -
so if you want your copy before Christmas please place your order quickly.

You can go to the shop home page here:
http://shop.pponline.co.uk

From there, you’ll see a list of our top sellers, or you can browse by category
on the left. Then add the books you want to your cart before checking out. If
you haven’t used the shop before, you’ll need to register.

Once again, apologies for the technical mix-up – but I hope no one else will
email me to call me ‘Scrooge’!

Best wishes, and season’s greetings

Mark Edwards

Marketing Manager
Peak Performance
http://shop.pponline.co.uk

Now, call me suspicious, or cynical, or both, but this whole thing smells like a huge fraud. I think that the “accidental” e-mail was intentionally sent out. Why do I think this? The wording of the supposedly internal e-mails sounds like a marketing pitch. Who writes like this to a co-worker, about topics with which they are fully conversant?

What do you think? Fraud, or real?