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
Kraft did the same on slice cheese and all they gave was discounts to buy more cheese. The lawyers were the ones who got the money.
Man, I'm gettin' old.
I should have read all the posts. You were thinking of the same episode as I. :^)
This was an obvious global mistake, I don’t see them having to give out $1000 50,000 times.
The promotion is void due to a global mistake.
The car dealer could raise the prices of their cars and offer $1000 off coupons on a sale for two weeks. ;-)
Maybe the printer will bankrupt his one corporate entity and open another soon to avoid lawsuits and money losses.
Maybe the printer will bankrupt his one corporate entity and open another soon to avoid lawsuits and money losses.
WTF are you talking about?!?!?!
I work in printing. There are several screwups in this mess.
“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.”
Isn’t the “grand prize” ticket worth $1,000? That’s how I read it.
If 30,000 people received them, isn’t that $30,000? Where is everyone getting millions of dollars? Am I missing something?
OOPS! I’m think of $1.00x $30,000. D’oh.
Okay, now I’m going to get some replies saying I work for the printing company. I really don’t.
How many sit-coms have used this plot?
I think you are correct. While not a lawyer, if this went to trial I think the ruling would be that it was an “honest” error since the intent of the dealership was that there be only 1 winner, not 50,000. If the dealership or the direct mailing company was forced to payout 50 million it would simply declare bankruptcy.
WTF part didn’t you understand?
the “pot” part
LOL! Were you in Dade or Broward counties in late 2000, by chance?
In Orlando about 15 years ago a dealer put up a lot of billboards that had a “coupon” complete with dotted “cut here” lines and absolutely no small print ,,, someone cut down dozens of them and got a free car out of it ....
"I just knew I shouldn't have listened when that anonymous rep told me to 'use the Force, Jeff'..."
No need to do that. Most general liability policies for the printing industry contain a clause (errors on omissions) that insure them from a mistake so large that it would cause bankruptcy. My own company invoked the clause once to cover a $100,000 mistake on a job. It is common in the industry. Both the mistakes and the insurance.
No wonder my Jeep Limited cost so much....
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