TOH Win - Advice Needed

B

betsyl224

New member
A couple months ago (September) I won a This Old House Sweepstakes which consisted of $2,600 worth of tools from DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Stanley, and Bostich. It is a great win and we are not to look a gift horse in the mouth however we have only received tools from DeWalt and Porter-Cable after we completed the afadavit. On the Porter-Cable shipment they also cancelled about $400 worth of items it looks like on the shipment log as well. The other items we received only totaled about $800 according to the retail value on their websites.

I've tried to follow up with the sweepstakes company however they did not offer up much in regard to answers. I just don't want to have to pay taxes on items we never received. Any advice?
 
continue to follow up with sweeps company . If needed ask for a contact name at sponsors company. I have had issues but have always gotten them resolved by just following up the chain politely. Good luck!
 
I can only say what I would do: Make sure your packing slip, or any other paperwork that shows the total of what you actually received, is included in your taxable income receipts. I would also check the discount sites to see if the items you received sell for less than DeWalt's and Porter Cable site lists. It is my understanding that you only have to pay taxes on the lowest price you can find for these items. I understand how you feel about your tax situation. I have to pay taxes on $821.00 worth of Big Green Egg that I can't use and can't seem to sell, around $200.00! Good luck!
 
Betsy, a few years back I was having a heck of a time getting a company located in New York City to send me a check for $1,000 that I won. I finally contacted the NY Attorney General's Office and got quick results. They put the fear of the Lord into them. If you continue having problems consider doing the same in the state where the sweepstakes company is located. Most companies do not want the State Attorney to look into their operations!
 
I too had that happen...I wrote a thank you letter for the things I Did receive...and politely questioned if there was a problem with my getting the rest of my prize...they had not been aware of the shortage, and immediately finished it off....so try ...nicely!!
 
Contact the better business bureau of the state the company was located in. I had something similar happen and ended up getting more than the win amount.
 
It's horrible that these things happen. We enter with hopes and win with a smile, and then..... This is a good thread, and I hope it doesn't happen over and over, but it may. I hope you get it resolved quickly and that you get your rightful win. Makes me wonder why I daily enter that new TOH.
 
If tax time rolls around and its still not resolved, I would contact the accountants that send you the tax form - tell them you will be disputing the amount and letting the IRS know why you are doing it - you should not have to pay taxes on something you do not receive!
 
Good win gone bad. I've never experienced this so I don't have advice, sorry. I just think that with perseverance, good record keeping and continued letters/calls to all involved this issue will resolve itself in your favor. Best of luck!
 
You only have to pay taxes if the company files tax paperwork. I won $1500 HDTV but they substituted a $1000 HDTV. I made copies of the package slip which had value of TV on it and sent a copy to the judging company. However, the judging company EPRIZE never filed tax paperwork. No taxes were paid. If you have the name and address of the of the sponsor, sent them a letter telling them what you have and have not received. Then follow up to see if they received the paperwork. You need to keep on top of this as tax time is coming up. The HDTV I won in one year but did not receive the tv until the next year. You should only pay tax on what you have received.









[]A couple months ago (September) I won a This Old House Sweepstakes which consisted of $2,600 worth of tools from DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Stanley, and Bostich. It is a great win and we are not to look a gift horse in the mouth however we have only received tools from DeWalt and Porter-Cable after we completed the afadavit. On the Porter-Cable shipment they also cancelled about $400 worth of items it looks like on the shipment log as well. The other items we received only totaled about $800 according to the retail value on their websites.

I've tried to follow up with the sweepstakes company however they did not offer up much in regard to answers. I just don't want to have to pay taxes on items we never received. Any advice?[/QUOTE]
 
When I had a problem getting a prize and getting a sponsor to answer me. I posted a message on the companies facebook letting them know that I entered their sweepstakes and won a prize but never received it, they told me to send them a direct message on facebook. I guess they contacted the sponsor because I ended up getting my prize after that
 
I had a similar problem that kind of was resolved, kind of not - After several weeks they told me they "found" the box I didn't get and they did forward it... but it was still short about 10 of the items that were listed - I finally just gave up. Quite frankly - by law they are required to give you whats listed in the prize otherwise its fraud... but it still comes down to how far you want to push it. I ended up just giving up on my last 10 items - of the items I am still missing only 1 of them did i really care about getting so... it wasn't worth the hassle for me.
It's really is a shame though because you go from this high of WOO HOO i won to... oh... well wait...
Good luck to you... and be patient hopefully it will all work out soon for you.
I will be thinking good thoughts.
 
I had a big win this year as well (Channellock Ultimate Outdoor Giveaway), this also contained tools (and other stuff). It took over a month to receive everything and not everything came at once. However, I was able to keep in touch with the individual running the promotion for Channellock. Maybe a little bit of time is what you need and see if there are any other ways to communicate with the promoter.
 
betsyl224, I sent you a PM to let you know I moved your post here. Ken asked us to keep the Winner's Circle just for reporting wins, since it links from the home page.

I see you have received lots of helpful replies from experienced sweepers. I hope you are able to get everything resolved.

Thanks to everyone who replied!
 
lk107 said:
When I had a problem getting a prize and getting a sponsor to answer me. I posted a message on the companies facebook letting them know that I entered their sweepstakes and won a prize but never received it, they told me to send them a direct message on facebook. I guess they contacted the sponsor because I ended up getting my prize after that
Click to expand...

Yep, FB seems to do the trick!
 
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