BARTOW, Fla. — Annie Collier loves to play the lottery. She has a ritual of buying tickets each week and playing certain numbers.
Occasionally, she'll hit.
Last Thursday, Annie's lotto tickets were piled in her purse. She bought them earlier in the week and didn't even pay attention to what the numbers were.
Talk about lucky!
On Valentine's Day, Annie love for lotto paid off big. She won $800.
Annie's son called to share the good news. "My son had called me and told me, 'Mom, you know that 3131 came', and I said, 'Uh uh, you joking'. He said, 'Yes it did, I'm looking at the print out right now,'" Annie said.
Annie couldn't wait to get to her favorite Publix store in Bartow to collect her winnings. When she went to the lotto clerk, Annie handed her the ticket.
Since she won more than $600, Annie was told she would now have to drive to Tampa to get the money. So, Monday afternoon, Annie went to the lottery office.
She got some bad news.
The ticket she had was only a receipt. It wasn't the original winning ticket. She thought the clerk had given her the original ticket, but it was actually a continuation ticket. In addition, she was given a receipt showing that she had won.
But, the lottery officials wanted the original and she didn't have it.
Annie said, "I said, 'What, just like that?' You know, I was shocked that wasn't the ticket. I left there and came back to Publix."
Annie claims when she went back to Publix, they gave her even more bad news. They told her a cashier accidentally threw the ticket away.
Annie's niece, Contina Williams, said, "The manager came out and said there's nothing they can do because they're not liable. But if it was his cashier that just didn't give the ticket back, that makes them liable."
We spoke with Publix officials who issued this statement, "Our loss prevention unit is looking into the matter as to what happened with the lottery ticket. Once we have the results of our investigation, we will handle the situation."
Annie says she's disappointed with what she calls "bad treatment" by Publix management. She says the store manager told her never to come into his store again when she asked him for the cashier's name who threw away her lottery ticket.
Annie says she'll keep playing lottery, but she's not sure she'll go back to this Publix again.
Thanks to BobP for the tip.
That sucks!
precicely why you should educate yourself on any game you play, even the lottery. If she played the lottery so much she should have read the rules about winning tickets over a certain amount. She could have saved herself the trouble of going to Publix.
Many Publix have a small terminal where you can check tickets yourself .... might have been easier if she'd used it if it was available. If she knew it was a winner she could have requested a photo copy of the ticket (for taxes) at the customer service counter where tickets are purchased. Also she should have signed the back of the ticket if she knew it was a winner.
In the future she could use a yellow highlighter on the top edge of the ticket to make sure it doesn't get set aside.
She will get the money eventually. With the ticket receipt and continuation ticket, the lottery dept. can confirm it is a valid claim. At worst, she will have to wait until the 180 days to claim timeframe is up. After that, if no one else claims the money for that ticket her claim will be honored. Even though the actual ticket is a bearer instrument "required" for payment, there are exceptions...
anyone else would have to be a straight up moron to try to cash that ticket after the press it has been given.
I don't blame Publix, I blame her irresponsibility. That's like one of lottery's common sense; if you have the winning ticket, you need it for proof.
While possible, I doubt that it's anything more than an honest mistake, since the woman was given the receipt and continuation ticket. That would mean nobody has stolen the ticket with an intent to cash it, but somebody could potentially find it in the trash. Since it's not the only winning ticket, how would anyone else know it's the same ticket? Though the article didn't say, the lottery has presumably listed the ticket as paid so that it can be recovered if somebody does try to cash it. As duckman says, she should see the money eventually.
What's a continuation ticket? They don't give those out in MI. U would
just b up S--t creek without a paddle. Broke and disgusted
Well that sucks for her. That's a hard and costly lesson to learn. Always, get your ticket back if win more then the store is able to cash. Plus, one should check their own numbers to see how much they won. I hope that the reciept that she received will be enough for her to get her winnings if the investigation finds out that she really did have a winning ticket.
Smoothjuice- You might want to re-consider reading the entire article. The lady HAD the ticket. It was the clerk who kept it , tossed it or misplaced it. Once the lady turned the ticket over, short of her jumping the counter for it back, it was the clerks duty to return it.
For Publix's to ban the lady for speaking up on a matter is extremely poor customer service and BAD publicity.
While I agree everybody on LP is going to lecture her about being more responsible, with her lottery playing, and ticket keeping up with,
Mabey the Manager found it in the trash, and he was very rude with, "Don't ever come in this store again".
I'd probably be in Jail if he said that to me, .......ala a little gasoline down the 'ole, ventalation duct in the middle of the night.
She's right to avoid that store in the future I guess.
These young clerks don't care...most of the time they don't even want to be bothered with your lottery ticket. That lady should write a letter to Publix's headquarters.....no....she should just get an attorney and sue for emotional distress, etc. I'll bet they'll investigate a lot sooner then. All they have to do is give her the money for the ticket that THEY threw away.
I[m with you Dopey! I had a hunch that one of my numbers was coming straight and put on my ticket the straight version as well - I remember the number too - 681 - I gave the slip to the clerk and he didn't put it in - I fault myself because I should have checked behind this Joker. I lost 500. that day and it taught me a lesson.
CHECK YOUR TICKETS
DEMAND THAT ALL YOUR LOSERS BE RETURNED TO YOU
And if they are not paying attention to your slip I would find someplace else to play or complain to the management.
YOU are making a purchase just like those that are buying a bag of chips or gas and should demand the same respect.
I can't wait for them to make more self serve machines and make them easier to use. As it is now its a pain to use the self serve machines with it going back to the menu and not letting you say with the pick 3.
I have one place near me that takes lotteries seriously, and they have two machines going all the time, its a mess parking there, but they are friendly, attentive and make sure your tickets are right. Once I played a number there and Mike (Oh my God this MAN is a hunk!) gave me two tickets on that number - straight - and it came out. They also give you promotional tickets that the Lottery Commission gives them that are suppose to go to customers, and this is the ONLY place I have ever played that gives those tickets out FREE. I do get a little mixed up with Mike there, but its the only place to play. If I run short of cash I can come back later and pay and they don't hold your tickets for ransom.
Never leave the ticket out of your hands. It is like cash. It's hard to get it back or proof that it was yours after you lose it. What is with the recipt anyway, seems like an dumb and unnecessary step.
I agree. If she was told not to come back, she must have gotten very excited and yelled at the manager. I've been in a lot of Publix supermarkets and they are always polite, even when customers are not.
Hire an attorney for an $800 prize? Are you joking? The average cost for an attorney is $200 to $300 an hour!
This is bad news indeed. Let this unfortunate event taught everyone else its lesson...we can only hope.
She should have known better! I hate when people play and don't even check their tickets or are careless with the tickets. I hate when people play and don't bother finding out what the basic rules are in the game. I can't tell you how many "scratch-offs" I've found in the garbage can inside the lottery store that where winners ($2-$10). For heavensakes, take some responsibiltiy and use some common sense if you are going to play.
Some people should never play the lottery and this woman is the head of the class..
Small Claims Court.
Something doesn't jive here.
" She bought them earlier in the week and didn't even pay attention to what the numbers were. "
Then it says
Annie's son called to share the good news. "My son had called me and told me, 'Mom, you know that 3131 came', and I said, 'Uh uh, you joking'. He said, 'Yes it did, I'm looking at the print out right now,'" Annie said.
Did she call her son or did he call her? If she didn't know what numbers she played, how would her son know she won? Maybe it's just the way the article is written.
Anyway, I agree with Duckman. If a ticket is validated but there is no payout, the Lottery should pay the bearer of the receipt and the continuation ticket if nobody else comes forward.
Isn't a continuation ticket issued when you purchase advance plays and want to claim a prize? I would have just waited.
It's a poorly written story.......just cause it's in print it's just a poorly written story that is printed.....It does not flow. I agree with justxploring................I have a copy machine it's a HP Deskjet F335......and when my ticket wins.....I make a copy of it..............winning .50 cents to 400 dollars........."Just in case" something "happens" to my ticket..........they are good people where I get my ticket......sometimes they don't have enough money........then I have to go to the "chain" grocery store.............to get the cash!
Here in NSW, players can register if they wish. If registered, prizes are mailed to winners. For large prizes, they call you with the good news, and arrange for you to come to a lottery office to collect. US state lotteries should give players the same option.
I'd be upset after winning $800 then forgetting to pick up the ticket after being scanned by the store guy. Maybe she's not as broke as I am.
Young clerk?? The article says nothing of the clerk's age, for all we know they could have been someone your age, whatever age that might be, maybe older.
Anyway, she should have made sure right there she had everything, I'm sure the Publix has cameras set on the area so it'd be easy to tell, hope the manager enjoys the bad publicity from at least what was said in the story. Oh and I'd guess that her son knew the numbers that she routinely played since the article makes mention of her "ritual" of playing certain numbers.
A "continuation ticket" is a ticket which is issued when a person purchases a ticket for several draws in advance, and wins a prize before the entire draw range is completed, the lottery machine issues a ticket for the remainder of the time the ticket is valid.
I am sure that ticket wasn't thrown away and has already been cashed.
Let's not blame the victim. Many people would not realize they need to keep the original ticket if given a receipt. However, if she was a regular lottery player and knew she won over $600, why in the world did sheLclaim it at a supermarket? In Florida you can't collect over $599 without going to a Florida Lottery office and the rules are very clear about that.
As I wrote earlier, this story is very confusing. Don't you get a receipt when you collect the money? I've cashed in a small win for $100 and handed a receipt when the clerk paid me. Why else would you get a receipt? Please explain this to me. To me the word receipt means that you got something. If it's for the winning ticket, then it makes no sense that the Florida Lottery won't honor it without the original ticket.
I just saw on the news that Publix gave the woman the $800.00. GO FIGURE!!!!!! The lady looks like she was in her late 50 or early 60. I don't like the manager telling her not to come back there. It's just poor training on the part of the employee. For the store manager to be demeaning to this woman, leaves an eye brow up for me!!! Everything is on camera these DAYS.,they could easily match the tickect stamp time and the employee to see what happen. A nasty store manager and a poorly train employee!!!!! The Manager could have handle it much better then he did! ,If the lady 's family didn't go to the media ,she would just have been S@@@ out of luck.