My Perfect iTunes Scam

[mystixman]

I run the snack bar at my school, and the latest shipment of about 100 Pepsi and Sierra Mist bottles had the iTMS contest on them. Anyway, I hand picked the winners ( 25 in all ) and seperated them from the others. Whenever someone from the cosmetology class comes by ( Most of them wouldn't even know what a computer is ), I offer them a "Garunteed Winner" Pepsi. Even if they didn't want a Pepsi, they will still buy one. All of these bottles are still warm ( I intentionally didn't refrigerate them ), so I also get them a cup with ice and pour the Pepsi in it. In this whole process I write down the code. They get their "winning" bottle, and I get the code.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

wow, that's pretty scummy

 

[agreenster]

Very scummy. I love it.

 

[Laslo Panaflex]

Whatever you think is fair. I personally would not pull a scam like this on innocent people. Seriously, this scam is no better than just downloading music from Kazaa or whatever. I really don't think that Jobs and Pepsi had what you are doing in mind when they came up with the promotion.

 

[mystixman]

wow, that's pretty scummy

Nah, not really. These girls wouldn't even use the codes anyway!

 

[wordmunger]

It's amazing how low people will go for a lousy 25 bucks worth of music. I personally would not bother, but if others are willing to commit immoral, if not illegal acts in order to get a CD or two, I suppose that's the trade-off they make. Shoplifting would probably be easier.

 

[jenniff]

Nah, not really. These girls wouldn't even use the codes anyway!

You don't know that. I'm female, I use computers, and I've taken classes like that.

 

[mystixman]

You don't know that. I'm female, I use computers, and I've taken classes like that.

I'm not stereotyping females, I am talking about 95% of this one class that consists mostly of people that have *no* idea about iTunes

 

[agreenster]

Awww jeeez. C'mon guys (and gals). Immoral? Illegal? You're acting like he killed somebody. Is it a little bit slimy? Maybe, but he's not 'ripping them off' because they pay for a pepsi, and get a pepsi. Its a FREE promotion by Pepsi and Apple.

Okay, so what should you do? Show them the cap and say that they've won. If they ask what it is, tell them, and chances are they wont care. If one of them wants the cap and is an iTunes user, then maybe you can spark up a conversation and get a date. Cosmetology students are hot.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

why not just download the stuff for free if you're going to go to that much effort? lots more selection on kazaa or whatever it is people use these days

 

[beefcake]

Wow, nice work, criminal mastermind.

If you're looking to branch out, old ladies rarely see it coming when you run away with the groceries you offered to carry for them.

 

[raiderz182]

"good job"?
more like get a life..

 

[17th Hole]

You all are missing the fact that there were only 25 winners out of 100 bottles, which means that Pepsi's claim that 1 in 3 is a winner is false. There should have been at least 33 winners. I'd sue Pepsi for 8 free downloads or make them send you check for $7.92. However, since you didn't pay for any of the bottles...

Of course, I'm just kidding, but seriously...shouldn't there have been a few more winning caps in that batch? Just a thought...

 

[jenniff]

You all are missing the fact that there were only 25 winners out of 100 bottles, which means that Pepsi's claim that 1 in 3 is a winner is false. There should have been at least 33 winners. I'd sue Pepsi for 8 free downloads or make them send you check for $7.92. However, since you didn't pay for any of the bottles...

Of course, I'm just kidding, but seriously...shouldn't there have been a few more winning caps in that batch? Just a thought...

It's all part of the scam. I've noticed in college campus vending machines, the ratio of winners to losers is much closer to 1:2 or even 3:5 than 1:3. Makes sense: get the college kiddies hooked on downloading iTMS music.

What bothers me so much isn't that you are taking the winning caps, but that you're not telling the people that you are taking them. If you just asked, they probably wouldn't care. On campus, I told everyone that I was collecting them, so people just started giving to me. I got six or seven in a couple days that way.

 

[rainman::|:|]

who the hell cares? seems pointless to take a moral highground on such an issue... My thought is usually, if you're clever enough to come up with it, more power to you...

paul

 

[dxp4acu]

Man, this guy's a loser...

Not that that's bad. We're all losers at some things.

 

[SiliconAddict]

wow, that's pretty scummy

Gotta agree. Scum thy name is mystixman. Not really anything to be proud of.

 

[D*I*S_Frontman]

Wow. If you spent half the effort in actually finding something PRODUCTIVE to do that you have put into this lower-than-pond-scum ripoff scheme, you could legally buy all the iTunes you want. It would be great if someone else from your school trolled this board and reported you to the school administration. You are an idiot for doing it and twice the idiot for bragging about it online.

I hope one of these "girls" gives her winning cap to her captain-of-the-football-team boyfriend who gets denied by Apple when he tries to download his favorite track. He screams, she cries, and after a few moments of reflection they figure out the scam. The next day at school he and the rest of the defensive line meet up with you in the bathroom...

 

[Kwyjibo]

good scam, work smarter not harder

hes not really doing anything wrong if they are not seeing this its half their fault. Pt Barnum always said theres a sucker born everyday ...


Hes not going to get beaten up over this.... thats just dumb. I mean if a gang of guys gets pissed over $1 then well hes got bigger problems than this guy messing around with his girlfriends chances to win music ...

 

[OutThere]

If people here drank Pepsi (they don't) I might just tell people that I was collecting the caps, most people wouldn't care and give them to me anyway. Just put out a jar on the snack bar counter that says "Give me your winning caps.", and remind people when they come by. You'll get quite a few caps that way.

 

[jenniff]

hes not really doing anything wrong if they are not seeing this its half their fault. Pt Barnum always said theres a sucker born everyday ...

What kind of logic is that? It's half their fault?

Someone hands me a pop top and says I'm a winner, I don't assume that they're going to jot down the code so when I go home and try it out it's invalid. I think "Oh, woot, I won a song. I'm going to go home and type this in." How could it ever be half their fault??

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Whenever someone from the cosmetology class comes by ( Most of them wouldn't even know what a computer is ), I offer them a "Garunteed Winner" Pepsi.

quick question: would any of these dumb bimbos you are apparently so knowledgeable of know how to spell the word "guaranteed" correctly?

 

[mystixman]

quick question: would any of these dumb bimbos you are apparently so knowledgeable of know how to spell the word "guaranteed" correctly?

Umm, it's a typo. I'm sure you make them too!

And holy crap guys, I didn't expect everyone to be so passionate about this!

 

[tomf87]

I guess you are seeing that most people, including myself, think stealing anything is stealing, no matter what way you look at it.

Imagine reaching into any person's wallet/purse and plucking a dollar out. I would hope most people would say, "Hey, you stole that dollar!" not "Hey, since you got away with it, that's okay." Bring that up to a larger scale, say stealing a car, computer, etc, and I think everyone would think that is stealing. Now, at what point is it OK to take and where does it cross the line stealing?

To put it another way, would you want someone to do the same thing to you? I know I wouldn't at least.

Cheers,

tomf87

 

[jenniff]

Wow, nice work, criminal mastermind.

If you're looking to branch out, old ladies rarely see it coming when you run away with the groceries you offered to carry for them.

I just read that again. I didn't get it the first time I read it (probably because I read it fast and didn't read the whole thing). That's hysterical. I have to give you kudos, man, because these forums almost never make me laugh out loud.