You know this scene well: little boy or girl asks for a toy or sweet treat, parent says no, little kid has a screaming tantrum. It isn't pleasant for anyone involved — not you as the bystander, the child, or the parent.
But this holiday season, one little girl found a clever way to bypass her mom and dad (and potential disappointment). According to CNN, 6-year-old Brooke Neitzel went to her family's Echo Dot and asked the device's virtual assistant, Alexa, to get her a dollhouse and cookies. Alexa complied.
Shortly after, the girl's mom, Megan Neitzel, was confused to find a KidKraft Sparkle Mansion dollhouse — which, for comparison, is the size of a small child — and Royal Dansk Danish Butter Cookies at her door. A few questions later, she found out how the mystery package was ordered.
Any parent who doesn't want their child putting a dent in their bank account should do as Neitzel eventually did, and require Alexa to ask for an extra security code when placing orders. But in this case, we're fans of how Neitzel handled the accidental purchases. CNN says that instead of sending them back, the family ate the cookies and had Brooke choose a charity to give the dollhouse to.
But moms and dads be warned: As we see Alexa come to life in products like Lynx, a humanoid robot integrated with the virtual assistant, these kinds of problems are only going to become more frequent.
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