500.000 people in the Netherlands might have been staring at their phones with confusion when they received a surprise email from the NS this week, wishing them a happy birthday and gifting them a little present. According to RTL Nieuws, the messages were mistakenly sent to many people who weren’t actually celebrating their birthdays due to a mail error. 

Birthday email by NS offers free gifts

If you have an NS account, you’ll know that every year on your birthday, the NS sends you an email with a free gift inside. They offer the lucky birthday person three gifts: an upgrade to first class for 2,50 euros, a return ticket for 8,95 euros and a month of free e-book reading - all to make travelling by public transport that much better. 

Once they realised their mistake, it was decided that everyone who received the birthday present could keep it, even if it wasn’t their birthday. "Once that email was sent, we couldn't change it," a spokesperson for NS told RTL Nieuws. "And besides, what's given, stays given."

NS mail system error sent emails to half a million people

According to the NS, 500.000 birthday emails were accidentally sent out “due to an error in the mail system” and they are investigating exactly how the error happened.

Customers who received the birthday present, received a follow-up email promising to correct the mistake in the future. "We will of course ensure that you receive our congratulations on your birthday from now on."