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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!ihnp4!ihuxk!rs55611
From: rs55611@ihuxk.UUCP (Robert E. Schleicher)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: $2.00 diamond ring
Message-ID: <560@ihuxk.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Feb-84 13:22:22 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxk.560
Posted: Mon Feb 20 13:22:22 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Feb-84 04:18:48 EST
References: <980@minn-ua.UUCP> <475@abnjh.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 25

Speaking of "too good to be true" promotional gimmicks,  just about everyone
has at one time or another received a letter saying "You've won one of the
following prizes; to claim your prize, all you have to do is to attend our
sales presentation on lovely vacation home sites in Podunk!"

The latest one I've gotten listed prizes that all seemed relatively decent,
such as a car, an APPLE computer, a microwave, a "sport boat", and $100
cash.  At first glance the $100 looked like the worst prize.  However,
these things now have to list the odds of getting each prize, and upon
looking over the fine print, it said that the 99.9% probable prize was
the sport boat.  Apparently this boat was not some speed boat, but rather
a miniature radio-controlled boat, with a suggested retail price of
$49.95, but probably costing about $15-$20.

This kind of thing is typical.  The junk prize is usually not the one that
appears worst at first glance.  It's usually something that is not
described too completely, and thus could be anything from junk to a
fabulous prize.  Another example is another one of these real estate
deals that had "gold ingot" as one of the prizes.  Seems pretty good, huh?
Wrong, precious metal breath!  This "ingot" was about .5 gram, and worth
about $7.  

Bob Schleicher
ihuxk!rs55611
AT&T Bell Laboratories