Sweepstakes Home
Sweepstakes can be fun - but shouldn't
cost you money
Sweepstakes offers sweep savings
out the door
Sweepstakes 'scams' unveiled through
series
Daughters vent their frustrations
at sweepstakes
Another area person also believed
he was a winner
USPE responds to local customers'
complaints
Attorney General wants to better
the odds in sweepstakes
Sweepstakes victim goes public
Sweepstakes industry hits unlucky
streak
Psychology lures people into buying
Sweepstakes victim getting her
money back
Sweepstakes legislation may carry
local victim's name
Buying club complaints piling up
Here's the key: Think, call BBB
before you sign
NEWS-SUN, EVENING STAR
& HERALD-
REPUBLICAN
|
Iowa has seen it before
By CINDY BEVINGTON
DES MOINES, IOWA - As tragic and incredible as it sounded, Betty
Weimer's story of going broke by making mail order purchases
in an attempt to better her chances of winning sweepstakes was
nothing new to Iowa officials.
One person who attended the national Public Hearing on Sweepstakes
and Prize Promotion in Indianapolis in February was Ray Johnson,
an attorney in the Iowa Consumer Protection Division offices.
After Weimer testified at the hearing, Johnson offered to
help Weimer get her money back from one sweepstakes company,
United States Purchasing Exchange.
Weimer called a special telephone number that Barb Blake,
an investigator in Johnson's office, gave her and, indeed, USPE
picked up all the merchandise she had ordered and began returning
her money. Thrilled, Weimer gave Johnson huge credits for his
part in her getting the refund.
"I'd love to take the credit but I was (at the national
hearing) and as I listened to her story, she mentioned USPE as
one company she'd lost a lot of money on," Johnson said.
"As compelling as it was, her story is by no means unique.
The point is, she didn't say anything I hadn't heard before."
Blake had been successful in helping some Iowa residents get
their money back from a lot of sweepstakes companies, including
USPE, Johnson said, so "All I did was tell (Weimer's daughter,
Georgie Sharp) that my office could help."
The special number Sharp used to contact USPE resulted in
immediate attention, Sharp said.
"I called their offices and asked for the man (Blake)
told me to talk to, but they told me he was in a conference and
couldn't come to the phone. So, I just told them how I got the
number and that my mom was the one who was on the Today Show,"
Sharp said.
"They put me on hold and the guy came straight to the
phone."
USPE wanted to come that night and pick up the merchandise.
"But I have a business and my sister owns a business and
we both had to work," Sharp said. "We couldn't just
drop everything and run to Mom's to help her get rid of all that
stuff.
"And besides, Mom had that stuff at my sister's house
as well as her house. We had to have time to gather it all up.
Yes, her garage was full but she'd run out of room so it was
other places, too."
A few days after Sharp talked with USPE, a truck arrived at
Weimer's front door and USPE representatives personally loaded
up all the merchandise.
Before they left, the representatives handed Weimer an $18,000
check.
A couple of weeks later a second check arrived in the mail,
addressed to Weimer for about $200. This refund came with a catalog
and a letter inviting her to spend the money on a purchase, she
said.
Weimer banked the check, as she did the next one when it came
- again, with an invitation to use the refund on more merchandise.
USPE, Johnson said, has been "pretty good" about
making refunds to people who request them. However, when he learned
about the later refunds that came with catalogs and invitations
to use the refunds on purchases, he seemed surprised.
"I find that kind of revolting - and you can quote me
on that," Johnson said. "We've run across that before,
with some of the more blatant marketers out of Las Vegas.
"But I hadn't seen it with USPE before. They're usually
pretty good about coming clean and giving a person all their
money back."
He hopes the refunds and catalogs are not a ploy to get Weimer
to start ordering again, Johnson added. "And, by the way,
that's a real problem. The majority of the time, with some of
the marketers, it's not really over after the victims get their
money."
The problem, he said, probably lies with getting people's
names off the companies' mailing lists once the victims get their
refunds. "I don't think the companies make a good enough
effort to get the names off the list, probably because they realize
a lot of people will order again," he said.
"Also, I don't think the marketers are really serious
about wanting to get people's names off their lists - after all,
they're their best customers.
"Even a 5 percent drop in customer response rate can
be major, and could mean a company's livelihood."
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STAR REPORTER'S
SWEEPSTAKES SERIES WINS NATIONAL AWARD
EXCLUSIVE TO THIS WEB SITE:
A letter to The Evening Star editor
from Indiana's Attorney General
Want to read another paper's stories
about sweepstake scams?
Why do the elderly seem more susceptible
to believing sweepstakes promises? Two experts give their opinions
Why do the elderly seem more susceptible
to believing sweepstakes promises? A gerontologist shares his
studies.
Iowa has seen it before
National issue, local example,
big news
Persons to contact if you believe you may be the victim
of a sweepstakes scam:
National Association of Attorneys
General
750 First Street, NE, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20002
PH: (202) 326-6000
FAX: (202) 408-7014
Office of Attorney
General
Steve Carter
402 W. Washington St.
Fifth Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
PH: (317) 232-6201
FAX: (317) 232-7979
National Fraud Information Center 1-800-876-7060
National
Consumer's League
1-202-835-3323
Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4357
(toll free)
E-mail
Cindy Bevington
or Evening Star
editor Dave Kurtz.
WATCH FOR ADDITIONAL STORIES EXCLUSIVE TO THIS WEB SITE!
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