An official from Tribeco confirmed that the company does not intend to pay the prize-winner, claiming that the ticket was invalid.
An’s winning ticket may be worthless
Ta Van An, 62, from southern Binh Duong Province, found a VND100 million (USD4,708) winning ticket in a package of instant noodles made by Tribeco, who was holding a sweepstakes. He contacted the company only to be told that the ticket was invalid because it lacked a stamp and a signature. An said that after he was offered a lesser sum and refused it. After receiving no further response from Tribeco, he hired an attorney and began preliminary legal proceedings on July 24.
Vuong Duc Thien, head of Tribeco's legal affairs department said, that they could do nothing.
“We won't pay An. His ticket is invalid. A standard winning ticket must have a stamp and a signature by the head of our company. We’ve issued only three such cards. Two people have already claimed their prizes and we are completing procedures for their payment,” said Thien.
When asked whether the company might have forgotten stamping and signature, Thien said it was not a possibility because the process is so heavily supervised that there could be no such mistake.
An's ticket (above) and two "Standard" winning cards with stamps and signatures.
“The printer of the tickets, Liskin, said that it would be difficult to verify the authenticity of the ticket. They have asked for help from a lab with the proper technology to confirm the ticket's origins," he added.
When asked about the company's earlier offer of VND5 million (USD235.4) to An, he said that it was to compensate him for transportation costs.
An has said that he is not satisfied with the Tribeco's explanations and intends to take the case to court.
Nguyen Van Ban, chairman of the Binh Duong provincial Association of Consumer Protection, said if the company made a mistake in issuing the card, they would be liable to make compensation to An, and would have to negotiate with the prize-winner to find an appropriate amount.
“It’s unacceptable to issue a winning card and then claim it's invalid to get out of paying the promised prize," An added.
