'I’m upset': Several Windsorites frustrated after Tim Hortons prize email sent in error

Some Tim Hortons customers in Windsor are feeling dismayed and considering legal action after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.

Amber Myers told CTV News Windsor that she received the email from the coffee chain on Wednesday afternoon informing her that she had won a boat through the digital Roll up the Rim to Win contest.

“I open up an email from Tim Hortons just recapping all my roll ups that I won throughout the month, so I was just scrolling through it and it said that I won an 18 foot boat and I was like NO WAY!” Myers recalled.

“I went and told my fiancé and my parents. I even told my boss at work who was more excited than I was.”

Myers explained, “After being on hold with Tim Hortons to find out how I can claim my boat, they're like, Oh, this might be a glitch, but we'll look into it for you.”

Myers said after waiting several hours, she received a disappointing email informing her there were technical errors.

“I got a wide copy and pasted email that a whole bunch of other people got stating you know, this was a glitch. Not even a sorry. That you just disregard that email but you know, continue to buy our products.”

According to Myers, many others found themselves in a similar situation and are now considering legal options.

“I'm upset about it. It's a life changing opportunity prize to win and I could have really either used the prize money or the boat.” Myers added, “I could have paid off my student loans you know, in this economy been a little bit more comfortable.”

“They could pay it out and give the people a nicer prize,” said Rita Framalico of Windsor who also found herself disappointed upon learning she didn’t win a boat on Wednesday either, after initially believing she did.

“Not only Windsor,” Framalico explained. “Toronto, Barrie, Vancouver.”

“I was very upset.”

She continued, “Ever since they have the download app, they have errors everywhere like c’mon, a billion dollar corporation worldwide!”

CTV News contacted Tim Hortons, which confirmed the mixup and provided a letter addressed to "a valued Tim Hortons guest."

It reads, in part, that technical errors are to blame, and it asks customers who received the congratulatory email to "disregard the content of the email."

"Unfortunately, some prizes that you did not win may have been included in the recap email you received. If this was the case, today's email does not mean that you won those prizes," the Tim Hortons letter stated.

The letter concluded by apologizing for the frustration caused by the error.

“We apologize for the frustration this has caused and for not living up to our high standards,” the company said in a statement to CTV News.

A similar incident happened in March 2023 when customers were told in an email that they had won a $10,000 daily prize meant to be awarded to one person per day.

The company said at the time that it offered a $50 gift card as compensation to players who received the award notice. The company also said it was in the process of contacting the false winners to express "regret for the disappointment caused by this error."

- With files from CTV Toronto