Woman wins '100 grand', gets candy bar, sues

By Fred Derf
in Real World News

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Grand Master

Fred Derf Veteran

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Jun. 23, 2005. 11:36 AM

Woman wins '100 grand', gets candy bar, sues

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

LEXINGTON, Ky. ? A woman who won a radio contest that promised the winner "100 grand" sued after the station gave her a candy bar ? a Nestle's 100 Grand ? instead of $100,000.

Norreasha Gill filed a complaint yesterday in Fayette District Court against Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, which owns WLTO-FM in Lexington. Gill, 28, says the station and its parent company breached a contract to pay $100,000 to the contest winner.

Night host DJ Slick sponsored the station's contest to "win 100 grand," Gill said in the lawsuit. Gill won by listening to the radio show for several hours and being the 10th caller at a specified time.

She went to the radio station the next morning to pick up her prize, but was asked to return later. When she got home, she found that the station manager had left a message explaining she had won a 100 Grand candy bar, not money.

Later, he offered her $5,000, Gill said.

"I said I wanted $95,000 more," she said. "Nobody would watch and listen for two hours for a candy bar."

DJ Slick did not return an email from the Herald-Leader, but he said on his Web site that he had left his job. WLTO and Cumulus declined to comment, identify DJ Slick by his given name or say whether he was fired.

Experts said the radio station could face action by the Federal Communications Commission, which licenses radio stations.

FCC regulations say contest descriptions can't be false or deceptive and that stations must conduct contests as advertised. Stations in two other states have been fined for contests that told listeners they'd won cash prizes without specifying they were in the Italian or Turkish lira, not the U.S. dollar.

Before her family went to sleep that night, Gill says, she promised her children ? ages 1, 5 and 11 ? that they'd have a minivan, a shopping spree, a savings account and a home with a back yard.

"What hurts me is they were going to get me in front of my children, all dressed up, and hand me a candy bar, after all those promises I made to them," she told the Lexington Herald-Leader. ``You just don't do that to people."

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...id=968332188492

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acoustikrage

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Before her family went to sleep that night, Gill says, she promised her children ? ages 1, 5 and 11 ? that they'd have a minivan, a shopping spree, a savings account and a home with a back yard.

it's kinda sad that she thinks she can do all of that with 100 grand.

Grand Master

John S. Veteran

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It happened just less than a month ago, the lawsuit was just filed

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0623051grand1.html

it's kinda sad that she thinks she can do all of that with 100 grand.

586108538[/snapback]

maybe not in Seattle, but we're talking about Kentucky....very possible

Proficient

beardly

Posted
Posted

HAHA sucks for her. I think a radio station in Omaha did something similar. They did an April fools joke by saying they were going to give away a vacation or something like that. They said April Fools and the person who had 'won' it was ****ed and sued. They decided to change the station name instead of giving away the vacation. It sucks since they were won of the few good rock stations in town.

Grand Master

Fred Derf Veteran

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it's kinda sad that she thinks she can do all of that with 100 grand.

586108538[/snapback]

true that.... minivan (new)... ~$25,000.... a reasonable home... ~$80,000.... savings accounts anyone?

586108571[/snapback]

Many people have the resources to carry a mortgage (I mean, they're probably paying a similar amount in rent anyway) but they have trouble coming up with a downpayment.

She could have purchased a new minivan, placed a downpayment on a house and still had some decent money left over for shopping.

WAAF in Boston did that about 2 years ago and the DJs are still on the air.

586108598[/snapback]

Somebody else (the program director?) probably took the fall then.

Mentor

cyclingplatypus

Posted
Posted
true that.... minivan (new)... ~$25,000.... a reasonable home... ~$80,000.... savings accounts anyone?

586108571[/snapback]

I was thinking the same thing...she obviously has no concept of money. I remember I used to be like that too, granted I was five years old and I thought a dollar would buy me the world. :D

Grand Master

theyarecomingforyou

Posted
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It is disgusting that radio stations can do this and expect to get away with it - not just because they mislead her about the prize, but because they get a HUGE amount of "free" advertising from it. :no:

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acoustikrage

Posted
Posted
Many people have the resources to carry a mortgage (I mean, they're probably paying a similar amount in rent anyway) but they have trouble coming up with a downpayment.

She could have purchased a new minivan, placed a downpayment on a house and still had some decent money left over for shopping.

good point.

Grand Master

Orange Battery

Posted
Posted
Lol.

Pity she doesn't see the humor in it.  I don't think people should be able to complain when it comes to prizes..

586108534[/snapback]

:huh:

She was tricked, if she laughed it off whats to stop loads of other people being tricked like this. I'd be annoyed too

Rising Star

Sticktron

Posted
Posted

$100,000 for most people <= middle-class is more than enough to set their finances straight and give them room to grow happily, especially when you're a young mom with three kids. She could pay off $10K worth of debt, buy a nice new vehicle for $20K, put $40K down on a new (or first) home, and still set aside $10K/child for university. I'm sure to her that would mean the world.

As far as advertising/contests go, there is just waaay too much B.S. out there. You think you're clever and want to make up stupid claims or trick prizes? Screw that. I hope the station is forced to pay up. This isn't a joke, it's business and there are rules.

Grand Master

mAcOdIn Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
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:huh:

She was tricked, if she laughed it off whats to stop loads of other people being tricked like this.  I'd be annoyed too

586108661[/snapback]

I don't know, I guess I just never felt people were entitled to free stuff.

It was misleading yes, but I'm sure the contest wasn't hard. Now if the contest were to climb Mt. Everest for 100 grand, and 6 people risked death for a damn candybar, then yeah I'd say they had grounds for suing, but for a 10th call ro a radio station, nah I don't think so.

Besides those contests are freaking rare as hell, I haven't heard one for 100,000 dollars in years down here, I don't know of many radio stations that can give away 100,000 dollars, I would have been prepared for a switch myself.

Grand Master

RangerLG

Posted
Posted

I never heard any promos, but did the station ever say "100,000 dollars" or "100 grand in cash"? I know its misleading, but I don't think the suit can stand. It would have to be proven that they purposely misled the listeners. Bait and switch is a common sales practice to get patrons to come buy something, this was along those same lines. Caveat emptor.

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