Monday!

I have to post an email received this morning. It's gold.
A woman had noticed a spelling mistake in some advertising of ours that went out. "Received" was "Recieved". This was her email:

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Subject: ABSOLUTE HORROR

Good afternoon from a resident of [Golf Club this women thinks is important] and Country Club.

On reading your FULL PAGE advertisement in [industry magazine, written in CAPS] a few moments ago, I was absolutely horrified to see your whole advertisement has spelled the word recEIve recIEve.  Never in the history of mankind has this word been spelled with an ie after the c.  

If I were you, I would demand my money back from your printer.  The old adage "i before e EXCEPT AFTER C" still stands today.  

I suggest you correct this aberration in your future advertising.  It really makes your organisation look terribly amateurish.  Have none of you ever heard of spell-check?

Sorry to be so angry, but this mistake is unforgivable.

Regards,
Some woman.

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I was stunned, to how rude some people can be. Fair call, should be correct. But a "by-the-way" would have worked just fine. Came through to the CEO. He called her psychotic.  My response amongst staff was this:

Just because I can, for'i' before 'e' except after 'c' has many exceptions and should not be used as the golden rule:
Species, science, sufficient, ancient, society (where ie follows c).
Leisure, weird, theism, eight, weight, protein, sovereignty, foreign, vein, feisty, kaleidoscope, being, reign, neighbour, and their (where ei is not preceded by c). 

My CEO's response amongst staff (you know, the drafted email you WANT to send, but can't):

Dear XXX,
I must say I am horrified that you would be “horrified” by a simple spelling error.
I personally think some of things happening in the world at the moment are horrifying but don’t include spelling errors in this.
I also may find murder or the like “unforgivable” but I do find it possible in my heart to forgive a spelling mistake.
Each to their own I guess.

The joys of customers.