Vol. 4, No. 803
How to deal with sweepstakes letters
from the Reader's Digest
Allan R. Andrews
American Reporter Correspondent
Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON -- This week I read that several states'
attorneys general
are investigating to determine if Reader's Digest in its sweepstakes
promotions is misleading consumers, especially older Americans,
into
thinking they've won big prizes.
Some investigators are saying Reader's Digest is technically violating
consumer laws by not prominently displaying the odds of winning
and not
printing qualifying language in large type.
There have been waves of complaints about the Digest including
keys in
its mailings, leading some consumers into thinking they've won
a new
car. Well, something has to be done.
Let me first admit I'm one of Reader's Digest's best customers.
I grew up with Reader's Digest.
Every year at Christmas, an aunt and uncle in Florida sent our
family a
gift subscription to RD. Copies gravitated to the bathroom where
the
whole family enjoyed the humorous tidbits the Digest uses as filler
between its published features.
In college, I learned smug criticisms of the Digest's conservative
leanings -- most of which rang true -- but I never stopped enjoying
a
laugh between the articles.
And yes, I've snickered at some of the Digest's anthropomorphic
health
titles: "I'm Joe's gall bladder," or "I'm Joe's
impacted molar." I
waited in vanity for "I'm Joe Jr.'s pimple."
As a student, I also practiced reading German by seeking out "Das
Beste" in the college library.
The Digest has become a cultural phenomenon -- like traffic jams,
summer lawn-mowing or television ads -- that seems annoying but
necessary to modern American living.
Furthermore, the Digest is just that -- a digest -- and with selective
reading, one finds interesting stories from high-powered publications.
The logic of a digest in our fast-paced world seems to be dawning
on us
as we're inundated with Internet postings.
I subscribe to the magazine. I've purchased several of the how-to
books
for homeowners, gardeners, fix-it dreamers, etc. I've bought volumes
of
fiction and non-fiction condensations (and read a few). I've succumbed
to the promos for Christmas music, inspirational videos and
CD-collections from aging or deceased pop stars.
And I've entered the sweepstakes. (One of 250 million people who
have
entered since the Digest began its contests in 1962, according
to a
report in USA Today.)
As a result, I get all the mailings the 76-year-old RD sends from
its
factory town in Pleasantville, N.Y., offering me chances to win
millions of dollars and new homes or cars.
While working overseas, my wife and I had an APO mailing
address. It
was always fun to receive a quasi-personal form letter from RD
saying
something like this:
"Dear Mr. Andrews, you are one of only seven people living
in the town
of Apo who qualify to receive this mailing."
Believe it or not, there are towns and villages named Apo in Peru,
Nigeria, Mexico, Liberia, and Papua New Guinea, but they ain't
where we
were.
Despite the Digest's computers' failure to pick up on a government
mailing convention, I usually took a minute to respond to the
sweepstakes offers.
I fall into that category of what-the-heck respondents who think
no
matter what the improbable odds may be, someone has to win --
and it
might be me.
During my years on the Digest's mailing list I've developed
a few
strategies for analyzing the company's sweepstakes advertising
and a
few tactics for coping with such mail. Here are my 10 free suggestions
for not being annoyed or victimized by a Reader's Digest sweepstakes
(be aware that some of these suggestions represent guerrilla tactics
for combating junk mail):
+ Notice the postmark on the envelope you receive. If
it has the words
"bulk mail" anywhere on it, you're holding junk mail.
Any prize
notification should come to you via first-class or certified postage.
+ Recognize that all those stickers are gimmicks to
get you to read the
letters. This is basically a kindergarten exercise. You can turn
this
into a game for your children or grandchildren by having them
find
where to paste the stickers.
+ Don't even read the fine print. Simply remember this
principle:
Whatever happens, the outcome ain't in your favor.
+ Odds are irrelevant. Sure, they're astronomical, but
so are the odds
of being hit by lightning or finding a buck in the street -- and
such
things happen to people. So don't throw away the mail, enter the
sweepstakes.
+ Don't scrape hidden numbers off any inserted cards
or open any
separate envelopes (unless your children or grandchildren insist
on
these activities, too.) Simply stuff them all back in the entry
envelope; then they can't say you didn't return them.
+ Always use the "No" envelope. Always! This
is crucial to avoid
putting a token or key or other item in the wrong place that might
end
up costing you money. (In fact, the wisest action is to immediately
destroy the "Yes" envelope.)
+ If a bank official or financial organization official
has written an
enclosed letter saying he or she is in charge of delivering the
prize
money and would love to come to your house, return the letter
to the
address of the bank. Tack on a welcoming invitation, but insist
that he
or she bring money. That, however, will cost you postage.
+ Reader's Digest often puts its own return address
on the entry-return
envelopes so do not put a U.S. postage stamp on the envelope.
The party
at the return address may be charged. (So what if your entry goes
undelivered? One or two are bound to get through.) If you really
prefer, stamp it. For 32 cents, you'll be assured you're entered,
and
no postal inspectors will come calling at your door for stamp
fraud.
+ Never retain the list of winning numbers or the enclosed
calculation
of how far an invested one million dollars will go; such useless
clutter will merely heighten your fantasy. Send them back with
the
entry, too.
+ Repeat to yourself: Few if any have ever started a
new car with a
silver- or gold-coated piece of cardboard in the shape of a key.
Allan R. Andrews is a news
editor for The Stars & Stripes in
Washington, D.C. He can be contacted at allan.andrews@reporters.net
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