Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

All 50,000 Scratch-Off Tickets For Car Dealership Contain Grand Prize
The CBC ^ | July 20, 2007 | Canadian Press

Posted on 07/22/2007 8:33:40 AM PDT by buccaneer81

All 50,000 scratch-off tickets for car dealership contain grand prize Published: Friday, July 20, 2007 | 3:59 PM ET Canadian Press

ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) - Everyone's a winner after a direct-mail marketing company hired by a local car dealership mistakenly sent out 50,000 scratch-off tickets to residents - all of them declaring the ticket-holder the $1,000 grand prize winner. Just one of the tickets was supposed to be the grand prize winner.

Jeff Kohn, Roswell Honda general manager said a typographical error by Atlanta-based Force Events Direct Marketing, which printed the advertisment, had given all 50,000 scratch-off tickets grand prizes.

"Unfortunately, they missed it in the proofreading," said Kohn, who was able to stop an estimated 20,000 direct mailers from being sent.

Kohn said the dealership is "making a full-faith effort" to investigate the mistake, which he said is "not how we portray ourselves or our community."

In a statement, Force Events apologized "for any inconvenience this may has caused car shoppers in the Roswell market" and asked that any questions and concerns be directed to the company.

Force Events representatives are expected to be in Roswell on Thursday to sort out the mess, Kohn said. Continue Article

Meanwhile, the names, addresses and phone numbers of "winners" who arrive at the dealership were being taken down. Kohn said they will all be invited back to the dealership.

"At this point, I don't know what exactly the company's solution is going to be," Kohn said. "We are not sure how Force Events is going to handle this matter. That's why they are flying out to Roswell and that's why I'm taking down people's names." © The Canadian Press, 2007


TOPICS: Business/Economy; US: New Mexico
KEYWORDS: alien; callingartbell; classaction; lottery; oops; proofreading; ufo
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-71 next last
To: buccaneer81

Its only $50 million bucks.

I think they going to need a “going out of business” sale sign.


21 posted on 07/22/2007 9:05:07 AM PDT by UglyinLA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Iwo Jima

That’s more like $30,000,000.


22 posted on 07/22/2007 9:06:22 AM PDT by Thumper1960 (Unleash the Dogs of War as a Minority, or perish as a party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Inyo-Mono

How you gonna check a scratch off.


23 posted on 07/22/2007 9:12:00 AM PDT by ontap (Just another backstabbing conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Iwo Jima

I think the bill is more like $50,000,000.00


24 posted on 07/22/2007 9:12:08 AM PDT by rface (I love GW Bush .... but I don't always agree with him)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: buccaneer81

Legally speaking, this was a “mistake” and neither the dealer, nor Fprce Events will be liable for payment other than to remail the promotion with one winning ticket in the mix. This is much like a mistake in an advertisement in a sales flyer inserted in a newspaper.


25 posted on 07/22/2007 9:17:52 AM PDT by SeaHawkFan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rface

Read carefully...20K of the 50K were not sent out, hence only 30K were actually delivered. 30,000 X 1,000=30,000,000


26 posted on 07/22/2007 9:18:22 AM PDT by A_Tradition_Continues (THE NEXT GENERATION CONSERVATIVE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: DCPatriot
Some enterprising individual with an attorney for a relative made the dealership honor the ad.

Where'd he get the clams?

27 posted on 07/22/2007 9:19:49 AM PDT by Allegra (26)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: rface

no, reread: if they were able to stop 20K, then only 30K went out.

I read a suggestion that the dealership ‘leverage’ the prize into a $1000 price cut on a new car.


28 posted on 07/22/2007 9:20:25 AM PDT by Syberyenta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: rface

30 million is correct. They caught the error and prevented 20,000 mailers from going out.


29 posted on 07/22/2007 9:21:20 AM PDT by Michael.SF. ("The military Mission has long since been accomplished" -- Harry Reid, April 23, 2007)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: buccaneer81
If the contest rules on the back of the ticket is worded as most are, this printing mistake voids the contest and no one owes anyone anything. Lawyers were involved BEFORE the idea went to the printers. Now what is left is some PR damage control.
30 posted on 07/22/2007 9:23:32 AM PDT by whereasandsoforth (Stamp out liberals with the big boot of truth)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Iwo Jima

I agree with you.

For a short time, I sold cars at a mid-to-large sized dealership.

Believe it or not, $30,000 in advertising costs ain’t that much. Probably would only cover the cost of a couple of weeks newspaper ads.


31 posted on 07/22/2007 9:27:07 AM PDT by 2111USMC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: 2111USMC

Ooops!

I did the math wrong also!

Need more coffee...


32 posted on 07/22/2007 9:28:56 AM PDT by 2111USMC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: buccaneer81

Paging Ambulance chaser John Edwards.....................


33 posted on 07/22/2007 9:31:27 AM PDT by sportscaster ("LET'S ROLL")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Iwo Jima

Paying off 30,000.00 (30,000 tickets x 1.00/ticket) is reasonable, and I’m sure they’d do that.

Paying 300,000.00 at 10.00 per ticket is possible.

Paying 30,000,000.00 at 1,000.00 per ticket can’t be done.


34 posted on 07/22/2007 9:33:53 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but Hillary's ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: buccaneer81
There was an Andy Griffith show in which something like this happened to Goober.
35 posted on 07/22/2007 9:38:20 AM PDT by Jemian (PAM of JT ~~ Freedom is never given. It is won.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ontap
How you gonna check a scratch off.

Scratch them all off before mailing them. Duh! :-)

36 posted on 07/22/2007 9:38:51 AM PDT by Larry Lucido ( Hunter 2008)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Syberyenta

Yes, you’re right. Its only $30 million. My bad.

Hey, they save $20 million by stopping those mailers.


37 posted on 07/22/2007 9:40:10 AM PDT by UglyinLA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: Larry Lucido

I feel so stupid that I didn’t think of that. LOL


38 posted on 07/22/2007 9:46:44 AM PDT by ontap (Just another backstabbing conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: Robert A. Cook, PE
Yes, you are right. I misread the numbers.

Sounds like some lawyer will make some money off of this after all. Not that it is their fault.
The dealership needs to consider offering to pay the holders of each ticket off at $10.00 with the idea being that holdouts may get nothing if they have to file bankruptcy.
39 posted on 07/22/2007 9:53:21 AM PDT by Iwo Jima ("Close the border. Then we'll talk.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: buccaneer81

Oops!


40 posted on 07/22/2007 9:55:44 AM PDT by Trajan88 (www.bullittclub.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-71 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson