Why didnt I think of that.....

Subby didn't RTFA.

Write a great "pet lover" essay. And win an Ocala mansion.

Mr. Hands unavailable for comment.

Chummer45: Subby didn't RTFA.

True, but from what I actually read, this sounds brilliant.

actually owner does keep the money... "processing fee"

"Florida tag trumps asinine, stupid and dumbass tag"

That's generally a given, subby.

RTFA...gets to keep $20 not $200 as a processing fee

/Fark submitters about as accurate as Environment Canada

I smell a scam.

Plus Giovannetti gains the right to use the 100-to-300-word submissions, and the photos of the pets that must accompany them. Her latest book, Caesar: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by a Dog, is based on life with her golden retriever.

So she can get these stories under the guise of this contest, turn around and cancel the contest, keep $125,000, then use these stories and write her book possibly making a nice sum of money.

Whatthefark: So she can get these stories under the guise of this contest, turn around and cancel the contest, keep $125,000, then use these stories and write her book possibly making a nice sum of money.

Ho-lee crap.

You actually RTFA.

Shes a dog person. Send a story about your cat and it gets tossed in the shredder.

Whatthefark: I smell a scam.
Figure that out all by yourself?

FTFA: "Entrants must agree to arbitration if there are disputes, meaning they can't sue."

Is this even legal? Just because someone states that someone else can't sue doesn't make it so.

i can see "selling" a $100k house like this to the best of the first 500 essays, each one with a $200.00 entry fee.

but i don't think it makes much sense to ask for 6000+ entrants to poney up $200 each.

let's say you entered and paid your $200.00. great, now you have a 1.25 million dollar property. taxes on that are what, $70k a year? when you sell it, guess what your basis on the house is? yup: 200.00

that's gunna hurt.

..but, but... it's in Ocala...

"I believe in miracles and sincerely want to bless someone else's life with this magnificent house."

So someone giving someone else something is considered a miracle now? God farming out to rich authors, I see.

er: "pony"

oh, and that $1,250,000.00 mansion you just "won?" it smells like dog.

and it's in florida.

ocala, florida.

Been done various times. Not new.

I'm actually from Ocala (living in Miami now - hate it) and I heard about this a week ago. Sounds like a really creative way to get rid of an unsaleable house. Who wouldn't put up $200 and a few hours into an essay for the chance to win someting worth that much? Even if you can't afford to keep it, the mortgage will be paid, and you can sell it to someone else for half that much.

A lot better homes to choose from if you are interested, just GS it: Results, Pops, no R/Roll

farkwell: i can see "selling" a $100k house like this to the best of the first 500 essays, each one with a $200.00 entry fee.

but i don't think it makes much sense to ask for 6000+ entrants to poney up $200 each.

let's say you entered and paid your $200.00. great, now you have a 1.25 million dollar property. taxes on that are what, $70k a year? when you sell it, guess what your basis on the house is? yup: 200.00

that's gunna hurt.

I don't think that anyone who enters this contest is going to actually think it through.

/just sayin'

Donald_McRonald: Write a great "pet lover" essay. And win an Ocala mansion.

Mr. Hands unavailable for comment.

Neigh

I forget where I heard this, but:

1: I'm raffling off my mule. 100 tickets, $2/ticket.
2: But your mule is dead.
1: I won't tell 'em that.
2: Won't they complain?
1: Only the one that wins, and I'll give him his money back.

Spazholio: Is this even legal? Just because someone states that someone else can't sue doesn't make it so.

It's legal, but not bulletproof. I'm no expert on this type of law, though, I just know that it's something that's pretty common in a lot of formal contracts.

airbornbrian: Who wouldn't put up $200 and a few hours into an essay for the chance to win something worth that much?

Is that a trick question? I've read it 10 times and I still can't figure it out. The answer would be "anyone with any brains!". Are people really that gullible?

lol @ she tried to start a church (unsuccessfully). That and the fact that she bought a house in 2006 which she tried to sell in 2007 speaks volumes about this person. As soon as she brings God into it though, you know she'll get some suckers.

Just reading that made me feel dirty. Well, I suppose those that lack so much integrity help the rest of us realize we have quite a bit.

airbornbrian - Who wouldn't put up $200 and a few hours into an essay for the chance to win someting worth that much?

Me.

Ready_Cents: lol @ she tried to start a church (unsuccessfully).

That entertained me, too. Fred Phelps and Scientology should've conclusively proven that anyone can sell anything as "a religion", and yet, here we are...

My friends bought a house in a small town in Jersey. Soon after they moved in people slashed their tires, broke windows, vandalized the property, sent threatening letters, the whole nine yards. They found out that the house they bought was offered as the "prize" in one of these essay contests, and the people ripped everyone off, sold the house, and split with the money.
My friends ended up having to get the police to watch the house until people stopped messing with the property (and their kids).
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Old trick, perfectly legal pretty much anywhere.

farkwell

i can see "selling" a $100k house like this to the best of the first 500 essays, each one with a $200.00 entry fee.

but i don't think it makes much sense to ask for 6000+ entrants to poney up $200 each.

let's say you entered and paid your $200.00. great, now you have a 1.25 million dollar property. taxes on that are what, $70k a year? when you sell it, guess what your basis on the house is? yup: 200.00

that's gunna hurt.




agrees with your line of thinking
/obscure?
//probably not, here.

ThatGuyOverThere: Whatthefark: So she can get these stories under the guise of this contest, turn around and cancel the contest, keep $125,000, then use these stories and write her book possibly making a nice sum of money.

Ho-lee crap.

You actually RTFA.

this type of scam is really old, there have been essay, poetry (that one was popular 10 years ago with many doing it) and so on. Basically they would run a contest promising some prize, they would have an out if they didnt get enough in their minds, they would publish a book with the story (submission grants rights) they keep all the publishing money and will sell you one of those books if you want - so you can show people you were published of course (what does kinkos charge again for this?) and basically ask for $200 or so as an entry fee.

Many aspiring writers will enter these because they want to be published, they want to be known and dont realize that any idiot can publish a book even in quantities of 1. So they basically give up a chunk of money to some guy who will make that dream come true, and feel good about themselves. They dont realize that everyone who enters gets published after all your $200 includes a $3 book and a chance to win even more!#$!

xX hhallahh Xx: Spazholio: Is this even legal? Just because someone states that someone else can't sue doesn't make it so.

It's legal, but not bulletproof. I'm no expert on this type of law, though, I just know that it's something that's pretty common in a lot of formal contracts.

It's an adhesionary contract, one created unilaterally by one party and agreed to by the other. That's not necessarily a problem, though. For a contract to be found unconscionable and void for public policy, it has to have both procedural issues (adhesionary contracts count) and have substantive issues, and while an arbitration clause may fall under the latter, it also might not... There was a case in which a concert promoter agreed to a union's contract that had a mandatory arbitration clause, with the arbitrators being the board of the union. That was unconscionable. But, there was another case with ETS (the SAT people) which had an arbitration clause that was fine, because it was an independent arbitrator. So, they really could go either way.

/and now back to studying contracts

I should add given the RTFA proclamations above, that yes I did read the article and the prosecutor is calling it a raffle in essence, the same type of thing has been going on and that is why I said all that just now.

trixter_nl: ...the prosecutor is calling it a raffle in essence...

there are three elements to an illegal lottery:

1) prize (check, that's the house)

2) consideration (check, that's the $200.00 entry fee)

and 3) chance. (BZZZZZZZ, takes mad skills to write a mansion winning dog essay.)

farkwell: trixter_nl: ...the prosecutor is calling it a raffle in essence...

there are three elements to an illegal lottery:

1) prize (check, that's the house)

2) consideration (check, that's the $200.00 entry fee)

and 3) chance. (BZZZZZZZ, takes mad skills to write a mansion winning dog essay.)

Well ok not legally a raffle but in essence it is, which is what I said. And the article does state what you said, and they are calling it a contest for legal reasons but the reality is that she wants $1.25M for the house, the entry fee multiplied by the numer of essays she wants to consider having the contest is exactly $1.25M ($200 * 6250 = $1.25M). The reality is as I stated, in essence its a raffle and the prosecutor is stating that in essence its a raffle, he even made mention of how it skirts the gambling laws.

Thanks for clearing that up, we would be lost without you.

She lives in a retirement community near Ocala? Hmm I bet it's the Villages - a seniors only town of like 80,000 people who apparently don't realize they still need condoms at any age:
Link (new window)

Your booty shivers me timbers: I bet it's the Villages - a seniors only town of like 80,000 people who apparently don't realize they still need condoms at any age:
Link (new window)

My parents live there. It's a farking terrifying place. All white people, all programmed, all robots.

But I don't know that there are any houses there worth a million dollars.

Theaetetus, today is one of two days in your life when your brain will hold so much arcane stuff about contracts. The other will be the day before you take the bar exam. After each of these two days, it will all fade away.

/Good luck with finals.

Your booty shivers me timbers: She lives in a retirement community near Ocala? Hmm I bet it's the Villages - a seniors only town of like 80,000 people who apparently don't realize they still need condoms at any age:
Link (new window)

I hate you. So much.

Robo Beat: Your booty shivers me timbers: She lives in a retirement community near Ocala? Hmm I bet it's the Villages - a seniors only town of like 80,000 people who apparently don't realize they still need condoms at any age:
Link (new window)

I hate you. So much.

Hey, don't blame me - blame Viagra!

trixter_nl: The reality is as I stated, in essence its a raffle and the prosecutor is stating that in essence its a raffle, he even made mention of how it skirts the gambling laws.

all i can say to the prosecutor is: "good luck finding six people to agree with you on that."

bubbaprog: Your booty shivers me timbers: I bet it's the Villages - a seniors only town of like 80,000 people who apparently don't realize they still need condoms at any age:
Link (new window)

My parents live there. It's a farking terrifying place. All white people, all programmed, all robots.

But I don't know that there are any houses there worth a million dollars.

Yeah, nothing there really that would go for $1.25M but then again she doesn't have the $1.25M yet. She must need it to buy a fancy new golf cart though. I'm sure if she lives there it's for the single seniors swingers lifestyle though. And man, old farts seem to have the greatest pick up lines in that article link "So, should I bring the little blue pills over tonight?" *LMAO while also wishing I could unread what I just read at the same time*

The lady running this contest must have seen the movie "The Spitfire Grill" Where a lady was holding a raffle for her restaurant, but in the movie she actually gave the restaurant to the winner.

Theaetetus: It's an adhesionary contract, one created unilaterally by one party and agreed to by the other. That's not necessarily a problem, though. For a contract to be found unconscionable and void for public policy, it has to have both procedural issues (adhesionary contracts count) and have substantive issues, and while an arbitration clause may fall under the latter, it also might not... There was a case in which a concert promoter agreed to a union's contract that had a mandatory arbitration clause, with the arbitrators being the board of the union. That was unconscionable. But, there was another case with ETS (the SAT people) which had an arbitration clause that was fine, because it was an independent arbitrator. So, they really could go either way.

Whoa, think we have a first year law student in the house! Might want to study contracts a bit more, though. Tell me, what has the promoter bound herself to do? Since she can cancel the contest for any reason (well, because she did not get enough entries, but "enough entries" is defined by her), she has no actual responsibilities under the contract.

Unilateral or billateral, the offeror must show intent to bind themselves. There is no such intent here. No offer, no contract. The district attorney didn't mention anything about that, though, cause that would be a civil matter. It's not illegal, but there's no way she stays out of court if someone gets pissed, arbitration clause or not.

Donald_McRonald: Write a great "pet lover" essay. And win an Ocala mansion.

Mr. Hands unavailable for comment.


Winner!

airbornbrian: Who wouldn't put up $200 and a few hours into an essay for the chance to win someting worth that much?.

Someone that didn't feel like throwing away $200 and a few hours?

Manic_Repressive: My friends bought a house in a small town in Jersey. Soon after they moved in people slashed their tires, broke windows, vandalized the property, sent threatening letters, the whole nine yards. They found out that the house they bought was offered as the "prize" in one of these essay contests, and the people ripped everyone off, sold the house, and split with the money.
My friends ended up having to get the police to watch the house until people stopped messing with the property (and their kids).
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Do they have a castle doctrine in that state?

If yes, I would have camped on the roof with a gun and waited for someone to slash my tire then shoot them. Wouldn't have any more trouble with vandals after that.

Supercheeks: ..but, but... it's in Ocala...

An "Ocala mansion." Must mean it's on a poured foundation instead of blocks.

farkwell: i can see "selling" a $100k house like this to the best of the first 500 essays, each one with a $200.00 entry fee.

but i don't think it makes much sense to ask for 6000+ entrants to poney up $200 each.

let's say you entered and paid your $200.00. great, now you have a 1.25 million dollar property. taxes on that are what, $70k a year? when you sell it, guess what your basis on the house is? yup: 200.00

that's gunna hurt.

It will hurt if you choose to live in the house (and don't readily have the resources to pay the taxes, perhaps by selling your current home to pay part of it, and paying the rest with a refi of the new home). You could also sell it and be ~$833,000 ahead (based on 33% taxes, don't know exactly what it would really be). Seems like if that's the worst case scenario, then there isn't a whole lot to be worried about.