No, not really . . . because 'somehow' our survey online produced a fraudulent winner. Really? How does that even happen AND how many people did this happen to? LoL Of course this is the response we get - I mean who even wins these things anyway?
I copied the 'Instant Winner of an iPod web page' when it showed up on my computer screen and sent it to my husband in email. Why? I guess I doubted that we would really be winners ;)
Here's the email I received:
Thank you for your submission of a winning iPod notification. Upon further investigation, we have identified that you are not on our winner records generated by our system. Therefore, I have now forwarded this issue to our Fraud Detection Department to determine the cause of the issue, and we will require the following information from yourself:
Name
Phone #
Confirmation of claimed date of win
Email Address
Store location from where purchase receipt was obtained (used for your entry into the online survey)
Any other record/ printout you may have
Upon receipt of this information, our investigation will take 7-10 days to complete and we will follow up with you via a phone call at the contact details provided above. We thank you for your patience in this matter and we hope you can appreciate our need to properly investigate this matter.
Regards
Romie Damle
Contest Administrator
Empathica Inc.
2121 Argentia Road, Suite 200
Mississauga ON L5N 2X4
Canada
Tel 905.542.9001 ext. 215
Fax 905.542.8170
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Update 4.23.2010:
Guess we did win an iPod . . . nano . . . after all =) Someone did not like my blog about NOT winning one when the survey online already flashed I was a winner ;) 
I seriously can't believe that for $150 retail Empathica & Red Robin tried to tell me my 'instant winner' ticket was a fraud - I'm sure this prize didn't cost them $150 - so what was the big deal in the first place?? Cheapos ;) I'm not being ungrateful, just saying it's pretty pathetic that I had to blog about not being a winner for them to honor the prize.
1st: Email:
We appreciate your patience as we checked into your winning notification. Congratulations, we would like to award you the winning iPod!
Kindly print, complete the required consent document and send it to me via email or fax or mail at the address below. Following receipt, we can ship out your prize. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Once again, I do appreciate your patience and understanding regarding this issue.
2nd Email:
Thanks for sending the form. Your iPod will be dispatched this week. I would also like to request to you to kindly take your blog down as this may cause fraud as your blog has a live link. As Empathica & Red Robin have now resolved the issue, I would appreciate if you can kindly so the needful. Please let me know if you have any questions.
I copied the 'Instant Winner of an iPod web page' when it showed up on my computer screen and sent it to my husband in email. Why? I guess I doubted that we would really be winners ;)
6 comments:
you are nothing but an ungrateful person! if you were grateful for finally getting your prize (a free IPOD) you wouldn't post this blog. Seems like your one of those people who are never happy/satisfied with anything in life!
You don't know me and obviously you don't want me to know who you are so you posted anonymously. Since you missed my point, it was ONLY because I posted about not winning one when after I filled out the survey it told me I was a winner and them telling me that I didn't really win. How does that even work? Plus, the prize is SMALL - so since I had all the proof, they should have honored the prize without it being a hassle in the first place. It's too bad I had to complain with a blog post for them to all of a sudden want to give me a prize and make the bad publicity go away. My post helps them be honest to the rest of the people this could happen to. Where's the integrity of either company if I just delete my post. It's not like I won a $50K car! BTW, it's iPod and 'your' should be 'you're'. Why are you even getting all worked up over my post anyway - sounds like you're the one who's unhappy =) I'm sad for people like you.
I know exactly what has happened with the survey as I was one of the winners too and I got the same email. So initially I was unhappy but after they sent me the iPod it was all OK. Unlike you who is making such a big deal out of this!
How do you know it was because of your blog, they honoured our prize? There could have been a genuine problem, ever thought of that? I spoke to Lyndsi at Red Robin and she explained the situation and I was OK with it.
You are just sad in general! Red Robin should flag your name & make sure you don't win in future as your so ungreatful!
I googled Empathica and scam and found this blog. I was curious if anyone won these competitions.
The person isn't ungrateful. In fact, she did the company a service in highlighting their mismanagement of the contest so to not make the same mistake again. All you haters are probably jealous of her.
I've just come across this blog because like you guys, I've also had the same 'fraud problem' with Empathica. They have refused me my prize on exactly the same basis for a customer of theirs (a pub chain called All Bar One here in the UK) It seems that Empathica regularly try to avoid/delay paying the instant prizes and in fact, I have had emails from a guy in Kansas who won $1000 and is still waiting for his check - 8 months after getting the 'winning' notification. It seems the fraud excuse is good to delay paying and hoping that people won;t chase for the prize. I for one congratulate you guys on your perseverance - it's all a matter or principle and Empathica should consider the fraud implication very carefully. This has put me off providing feedback for other locations now.
Totally agree with all 'winners' . I too 'won' an instant prize of an iPod for an Empathica survey completed for Debenhams here in the UK.
Despite getting the winning notification, Empathica have still yet to come back to me, despite 6 emails and calls to their UK office.
These Empathica surveys must be a scam otherwise why not simply see us winners the prizes?
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