The parents of a baby girl who died in 1992 say they are outraged by what they call the sham marketing tactics used by an organization that organizes educational trips overseas.
Eugene and Margaret Beil of Florida recently received a letter from People to People -- an organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower -- inviting their deceased daughter to join other high school students on the groups 2008 summer trip to China.
Their daughter, Katherine, died of multiple birth defects on July 31, 1992, at All Childrens Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.
She was 18 days old. And she never left the hospital, her father, Eugene Beil, told ConsumerAffairs.com.
But this isnt the first time People To People has invited the Beils deceased daughter on one of the organizations trips abroad.
In August, 2006, the couple received a similar letter from People To People stating Katherine was named for the organizations Student Ambassador trip to Europe.
It makes you very angry because it makes you wonder how they could do that to someone," Margaret Beil told WFTS in Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida, after receiving that letter from People To People. "When they die you never forget, I mean, every day you think of them there's no excuse ... it just re-opens the whole death all over again."
Eugene Beil says its outrageous that this has happened again.
Its a sham, says Beil, who lives in New Port Richey, Florida. When we got the first letter, I was extremely upset because not only was it sad to get something in the name of a deceased child, it was also so fraudulent. When they said a teacher recommended her (Katherine) for the trip, we knew that was a lie because our child only lived three weeks. Then I thought about all the people who believed it was an honor that their child received this letter and its not.
What People To People is really doing, he says, is selling expensive overseas trips.
Theyre just a bunch of salesmen. Id hoped they (People To People) were going to do something about this. But instead, all theyve done is tidy up the letter so there are no fraudulent statements. The letter no longer says someone was recommended by a teacherit says theyre invited.
Im very upset about this, adds Beil, who has three other children, ages 17, 13, and 7. Were a family that believes in the value of travel. We travel every year to Rotary conventions. Our kids have been to Denmark, Spain, and Australia.
Concept is OK
The concept behind People to People is worthwhile, Beil says. But the organizations marketing tactics are egregious.
The organization should have stayed as a true non-profit and not gotten involved with the for-profit group, Beil says.
People to People International is a non-profit organization founded in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Its headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. President Eisenhowers granddaughter, Mary Jean Eisenhower, is the organizations president and chief executive officer.
After the Beils received their first letter from People To People, Eisenhower told us: We all feel very badly that this has happened. This was a matter of human error. It was a mistake and we're trying to make it right. Our intent is to spread happiness -- not to hurt people."
When asked what action her organization would take to prevent this from happening again, Eisenhower referred questions to the president and chief executive officer of the for-profit company that markets the Student Ambassador programs.
That publicly traded company is the Ambassadors Group, Inc. (EPAX) of Spokane, Washington, which sends letters to students nationwide on People To People letterhead.
Jeffery D. Thomas is the companys president and CEO. He also lists his title as CEO of People To People, which Eisenhower says he has authority to do under the companys contract -- even though it's not true.
We're trying to work out a solution with the family in Florida," Thomas told us after the Beils received their first letter from People To People. He declined to elaborate.
Thomas also told us that a list service his company used provided Katherine Beils name. But People To People, he said, may fire that service.
"We've told them that unless we know where you're getting these names -- and can assure us they're not deceased children -- we're not interested in working with you," Thomas said, adding the list service uses multiple sources to gather names.
We contacted Thomas again about the second letter the Beils received in September from People to People.
A spokeswoman for the Ambassadors Groups public relations firm, Meggan Needham of Purple Door Communications, said People to People is absolutely devastated that this happened again to the Beil family. Needham also sent us a written statement Thomas issued about this matter.
We sincerely regret that the parents of Katherine Beil received an invitation letter for their deceased daughter to travel on a People to People Student Ambassador Program again, Thomas wrote.
This time, Thomas blamed a new list service company for the error.
People to People receives the names of students through a variety of sources. One of those sources is Student Marketing Group. Unfortunately, Katherines name was misspelled on the list provided to us by Student Marketing Group and therefore didnt come up when we did our pre-mailing search.
His statement added: There is not a unified, regulated, national database of youth information. In addition there is no way of monitoring youth deaths. We do our best to cross reference the lists provided to us and our list of people that are classified as 'do not invite' for reasons including death. Katherine Beil was one of those names.
What is the Ambassadors Group doing to ensure this doesnt happen to the Beils for a third time? Thomas said his company is investigating the creation of a deceased child registry.
ConsumerAffairs.com contacted the Student Marketing Group, which provided Katherine Beils name. That company did not return our call.
Florida sanctions
Meanwhile, ConsumerAffairs.com learned the Florida Attorney Generals Office reached an agreement with People to People in 2006 to resolve questions about the manner in which the company developed its mailing lists.
Under that agreement, People to People paid $10,000 in costs and fees. It also donated approximately $26,000 in tuition to the Pinellas Foundation -- an educational organization in Florida -- for People To Peoples summer 2008 trips. Thats enough money to send approximately four students on the overseas programs.
The Beils filed a complaint with the Florida Attorney Generals Office after they received their first letter from People To People. Florida officials, however, would not say if the Beils complaint triggered this settlement.
The Beils werent the first parents of a deceased child to receive a recruitment letter from People to People.
In September 2005, a mother in Iowa received a letter from People To People stating her son was named for a Student Ambassador trip overseas. Her son, however, died in 1993. He was seven weeks old.
The Iowa Attorney General's Office criticized People to Peoples letter, saying it misled parents into "believing that their child was selected on merit when that is not the case, and that parents may be manipulated into making substantial expenditures they might otherwise decline to make."
Iowa officials also discovered the organization misled parents during its in-person presentations.
"(Those) also convey the message that students are specially selected as an honor," said Iowa Assistant Attorney General Steve St. Clair. "And we found that representatives with whom our investigator had phone contact described the program in the same manner."
Iowa officials didnt take any legal action against People to People in connection with its letters or presentations. After the incident, however, People to People donated $5,000 to Iowas SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Childrens Hospital in Des Moines. The organization also agreed to modify its letters and presentations.
But we heard from parents across the country who said People To People continued to send its misleading letter -- and duped students into believing they were hand-picked for the overseas trips that cost an average of $5,000.
ConsumerAffairs.com also discovered that anyone can nominate a student for one of People to Peoples Student Ambassador Programs on the companys Web site.
The online form doesnt ask for any information about the person making the nomination or any reasons why the student would be a good candidate for the program.
Baffled
Back in Florida, Eugene Beil says hes baffled by People to Peoples explanation for sending Katherine a second letter.
Misspelling? What misspelling? The only misspelling is the company left the e off end of Katherines name, he told us. Her last name was spelled correctly.
Beil also isnt convinced that People to People is serious about fixing its mailing list -- and ensuring his family wont receive another devastating letter addressed to Katherine.
The way big business works, money talks and People to People has no incentive to clean up its database unless someone brings legal action, says Beil, who is an attorney. His wife is also a lawyer. Im not sure I want to do that, but Im tempted. If they were hit with a class action lawsuit, they wouldnt do this again.
He adds: People to People needs to say OK, were not going to do all this mass marketing anymore. Were going to try and do this the way it should be done legitimately through recommendations and nominations. Were going to make this program what it purports to be. But unless theres some financial hammer, People to People will probably never voluntarily do that.
Beil also offered some advice to Mary Eisenhower advice he believes will protect the reputation of the organization her grandfather founded.
I would ask Mary to seriously consider stop letting the Ambassadors Group use the name of People to People. Theyre not a non-profit organization. People to People and the Ambassadors group need to go their separate ways.
