Canada Post apology for website's "unfortunate mistake"
Canada Post was forced to fix an embarrassing glitch in its three-month-old Comparison Shopper website yesterday, and could now face a scolding from the Canadian government. After splashing through the Canadian press, questions were raised in Canada’s Parliament yesterday about the discovery that a company selling adult products was featured on the online retail website, which was launched by the postal operator last October.
The company apologised today, stating that there had been a problem with the website’s filtering system.
Bonnie Crombie, a Member of the House of Commons, demanded answers yesterday from government transport minister Rob Merrifield concerning links to The Adult Boutique within the Comparison Shopper product search results.
“Does the minister realize that children have access to this site?” said the Liberal MP, who represents a district in the Greater Toronto area.
In response, the transport minister said there would be a “full investigation” into the matter, telling the Commons: “If it is actually true, it would be inappropriate for a crown corporation and corrective measures will be taken.”
Canada Post launched the Comparison Shopper website as part of a strategy to expand revenues and make the most of potential for online retail activities to grow mail volumes.
The site aims to make online shopping convenient for Canadians, offering products from Canadian and US retailers, and has so far averaged around 30,000 users per day, peaking at about 62,000 per day during the festive season.
“Inappropriate”
Canada Post apologized for the “inappropriate content”, and explained to Post&Parcel today that the filtering system on the site had been “inadequate”, but had now been fixed.
“Once the content was brought to our attention, we had it and any links to the third party website taken down,” the company said.
“It should no longer appear on the site. We have filters and criteria in place to prevent this type of content from appearing on the site, but clearly they are inadequate and we are working with our partners to fix that. We appreciate this matter being brought to our attention.”
Spokesperson Anick Losier said the Comparison Shopper site was now the top comparison website in Canada. “People love it,” she said. “It means Canadians can shop for products from retailers in Canada and the US and receive them in four to six days – in rural and urban areas.”
Canada Post is currently preparing to launch another online service for its customers to take further advantage of the potential for online communications, in the form of a direct marketing platform (see this Post&Parcel story).
