Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

Newfoundland Woman Loses $100 Tim Hortons Prize To Social Media 'Friend'

The Canadian Press, 23 Feb, 2016 11:32 AM
    ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A Newfoundland woman says she lost a $100 Tim Hortons gift card — and a friend — after she posted a photo of the prize-winning cup to Facebook.
     
    Margaret Coward won the gift card in the coffee chain's Roll Up The Rim contest last Friday. But when she attempted to redeem the prize online about 45 minutes later, it had already been claimed. 
     
    She realized as she talked to a Tim Hortons customer service representative that someone was able to swipe the gift card by entering the security code on the cup, clearly visible in the photo Coward had posted.
     
    "He said, 'You didn't share it with anyone, right?' I said, 'Uh, kinda.'"
     
    Coward thinks her privacy settings limited potential viewers to her approved friends — but she has more than 900 on Facebook.
     
    "I'm a bit well-known around here," Coward said Tuesday.
     
     
    "Obviously I don't have a really good friend there. I really gotta go through my friends list and clean it up."
     
    She said Tim Hortons has since told her they will honour her win, and that her prize is now on its way to her through express mail.
     
    But the chain itself did not confirm that, saying only in a statement Tuesday that it introduced the PIN code as a convenience to allow winners to collect their gift card online, rather than having to mail in the winning tab as was previously necessary.
     
    "As these are unique PIN codes, we do not encourage our guests to post images of their tabs on social media until they have redeemed their prize," Jodi Bond, the communications director for the chain's parent company, Restaurant Brands International, said in a statement.
     
    Coward, a high school secretary who lives outside St. John's, said she had 903 Facebook friends before she posted about her win, but soon after was down to 902.
     
    "Beware of what you post," she said. "Not all friends are real friends. I'm a friend short."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger Makes Bevy Of Promises With Election Coming

    WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger promised money for a park, a non-profit agency and flood protection Tuesday as he capped off a pre-election announcement blitz that by law had to stop by the end of the day.

    Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger Makes Bevy Of Promises With Election Coming

    Ontario Police Ticket 80-Year-Old Man For Too Much Snow On His Car, Then Help Clear Snow

    Ontario Police Ticket 80-Year-Old Man For Too Much Snow On His Car, Then Help Clear Snow
    BRUSSELS, Ont. — An 80-year-old is paying the price after police say he cut corners clearing the snow from his car.

    Ontario Police Ticket 80-Year-Old Man For Too Much Snow On His Car, Then Help Clear Snow

    Surrey Search For A Wig-Wearing Suspected Bank Robber Has Ended With His Arrest

    Surrey Search For A Wig-Wearing Suspected Bank Robber Has Ended With His Arrest
    Police asked for public help identifying the man following the heist at a financial institution near the Guildford Town Centre on Dec. 29

    Surrey Search For A Wig-Wearing Suspected Bank Robber Has Ended With His Arrest

    B.C. Health Minister Says Feds To Join Province's Bulk-Buy Drug Alliance

    VICTORIA — The federal Liberal government is set to join other Canadian provinces and territories in a bulk-buying drug program that aims to lower the cost of prescription medications.

    B.C. Health Minister Says Feds To Join Province's Bulk-Buy Drug Alliance

    Mother Of Burkina Faso Victim Urges Justin Trudeau To Step Up Terror Fight

    Mother Of Burkina Faso Victim Urges Justin Trudeau To Step Up Terror Fight
    The six Quebecers were among those killed in an al-Qaida attack last Friday.

    Mother Of Burkina Faso Victim Urges Justin Trudeau To Step Up Terror Fight

    B.C. Wrestles With Real Estate Taxes To Cool Rising Housing Prices

    Finance Ministry forecasts that the province could lose $1 billion in sales and up to 4,000 construction jobs

    B.C. Wrestles With Real Estate Taxes To Cool Rising Housing Prices