Comments on: Pepsi Rock Band Contest Crashes and Burns: Everyone's an Instant Loser? http://5frets.com/95/pepsi-rock-band-contest-everyones-an-instant-loser/ Guitar Hero Techniques and Controller Repair Guides Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:15:54 -0500 hourly 1 By: Steve-O http://5frets.com/95/pepsi-rock-band-contest-everyones-an-instant-loser/#comment-302 Steve-O Mon, 05 Oct 2009 06:32:59 +0000 http://5frets.com/?p=95#comment-302 I entered eight codes on 9/12. The Seven of them I used for DLC. All were winners. Towards the end of the contest, as more people became aware of the promotion, it became more difficult to win DLC. However, I discovered that if you used your codes between midnight and 2 AM or so, you could still use a bunch of codes and never lose. My guess is that the system was set up so that the 5,000 tracks a day counter reset at midnight. When there were still lots left to give away, it would hand them out like candy. Later in the day, when there were fewer left, it would get more stingy. I entered eight codes on 9/12.  The Seven of them I used for DLC.  All were winners.

Towards the end of the contest, as more people became aware of the promotion, it became more difficult to win DLC.  However, I discovered that if you used your codes between midnight and 2 AM or so, you could still use a bunch of codes and never lose.

My guess is that the system was set up so that the 5,000 tracks a day counter reset at midnight.  When there were still lots left to give away, it would hand them out like candy.  Later in the day, when there were fewer left, it would get more stingy.

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]]> By: PlumeNoir http://5frets.com/95/pepsi-rock-band-contest-everyones-an-instant-loser/#comment-159 PlumeNoir Sat, 19 Sep 2009 01:31:56 +0000 http://5frets.com/?p=95#comment-159 Saw the link to this story on CAG and Consumerist, and figured I'd throw in my two cents. I was fortunate enought to win a RB2 360 bundle and about $20 in Wii points from this, so I'm not really complaining. However, I can probably add some info. Saturday night, 9/12. I emailed Yahoo about the "No points to play error" that occurred when you tried to play for ANY system, which ended up eating my points anyway, but never went to a win/ lose page. I received the following response Sunday morning (9/13): "Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Pepsi. I understand that you are experiencing difficulties using your Pepsi Rock Band Codes. If the Codes seem to be faulty in any way, please contact Young America for assistance. You can do so by calling 1-800-452-8400 or by sending email to: PepsiRockBand@Young-America.com I apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Pepsi. Regards, Amber Yahoo! Pepsi Customer Care Pepsi Rockband Promo Tech T1" By this point, (about noon EST) I had emailed Yahoo again, because now the options to play were completely blacked out! I had asked in my email if the contest ended earlier and quoted the rules. The response I received to that email a few hours laters? "Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Pepsi. I understand that you are experiencing difficulties using your Pepsi Rock Band Codes. If the Codes seem to be faulty in any way, please contact Young America for assistance. You can do so by calling 1-800-452-8400 or by sending email to: PepsiRockBand@Young-America.com I apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Pepsi. Regards, Amber Yahoo! Pepsi Customer Care Pepsi Rockband Promo Tech T1" Seem familar? Note, in my second email, I never mentioned anything about codes, only if the contest had ended early. (I had mentioned this on CAG and SlickDeals. In addition to my email I still have, you could see my timestamped posts at http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1321757&page=66 ) I replied to the second email, stating that I had not even asked about codes in the second email, and that I had gotten the same response verbatim for two different questions. By this time, the promo was over, but I did get a reply on Monday, 9/14, which stated: "Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Pepsi. I understand you are contacting us regarding the "No points available for instant win" error you received. Pepsi Rock Band has performed a system scan and found that there was a messaging error on the site, which caused the "You are not a winner" message to display as "No points available for instant win". We apologize for the issue and the confusion caused by this messaging error. Additionally, the concern regarding the ability to access the "Enter a Code" and "Play for Prizes" links was resolved 9/13/2009 prior to the end of the promotion. Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Pepsi. Regards, Amber Yahoo! Pepsi Customer Care Pepsi Rockband Promo Tech T1" So, when people, like myself, started reporting the "no points" error, that just meant we lost. As stated in the article, I hadn't heard of a single song win after that. Working in IT myself, once the site was up and running again, I could tell it wasn't even trying to "decide" winners and losers on Sunday, given the speed in which the losing screen came up. I don't mean to beat up Pepsi/ Yahoo because I have always done well in their promos. But, it does seem sort of odd the way the last days went down, no pun intended... Saw the link to this story on CAG and Consumerist, and figured I'd throw in my two cents.

I was fortunate enought to win a RB2 360 bundle and about $20 in Wii points from this, so I'm not really complaining. However, I can probably add some info. Saturday night, 9/12. I emailed Yahoo about the "No points to play error" that occurred when you tried to play for ANY system, which ended up eating my points anyway, but never went to a win/ lose page. I received the following response Sunday morning (9/13):

"Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Pepsi.

I understand that you are experiencing difficulties using your Pepsi
Rock Band Codes. If the Codes seem to be faulty in any way, please
contact Young America for assistance. You can do so by calling
1-800-452-8400 or by sending email to:
PepsiRockBand@Young-America.com
I apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Pepsi.

Regards,
Amber
Yahoo! Pepsi Customer Care
Pepsi Rockband Promo Tech T1"

By this point, (about noon EST) I had emailed Yahoo again, because now the options to play were completely blacked out! I had asked in my email if the contest ended earlier and quoted the rules. The response I received to that email a few hours laters?

"Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Pepsi.

I understand that you are experiencing difficulties using your Pepsi
Rock Band Codes. If the Codes seem to be faulty in any way, please
contact Young America for assistance. You can do so by calling
1-800-452-8400 or by sending email to:
PepsiRockBand@Young-America.com
I apologize for any inconvenience.
Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Pepsi.

Regards,
Amber
Yahoo! Pepsi Customer Care
Pepsi Rockband Promo Tech T1"

Seem familar? Note, in my second email, I never mentioned anything about codes, only if the contest had ended early.

(I had mentioned this on CAG and SlickDeals. In addition to my email I still have, you could see my timestamped posts at http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=1321757&page=66 )

I replied to the second email, stating that I had not even asked about codes in the second email, and that I had gotten the same response verbatim for two different questions. By this time, the promo was over, but I did get a reply on Monday, 9/14, which stated:

"Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Pepsi.

I understand you are contacting us regarding the "No points available
for instant win" error you received.

Pepsi Rock Band has performed a system scan and found that there was a
messaging error on the site, which caused the "You are not a winner"
message to display as "No points available for instant win".  We
apologize for the issue and the confusion caused by this messaging
error.
Additionally, the concern regarding the ability to access the "Enter a
Code" and "Play for Prizes" links was resolved 9/13/2009 prior to the
end of the promotion.
Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Pepsi.

Regards,
Amber
Yahoo! Pepsi Customer Care
Pepsi Rockband Promo Tech T1"

So, when people, like myself, started reporting the "no points" error, that just meant we lost. As stated in the article, I hadn't heard of a single song win after that.

Working in IT myself, once the site was up and running again, I could tell it wasn't even trying to "decide" winners and losers on Sunday, given the speed in which the losing screen came up.

I don't mean to beat up Pepsi/ Yahoo because I have always done well in their promos. But, it does seem sort of odd the way the last days went down, no pun intended…

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]]> By: Pepsi Rock Band Contest May Have Been Unwinnable At The End [Unwinnable Contests] | Unit1 http://5frets.com/95/pepsi-rock-band-contest-everyones-an-instant-loser/#comment-153 Pepsi Rock Band Contest May Have Been Unwinnable At The End [Unwinnable Contests] | Unit1 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:32:46 +0000 http://5frets.com/?p=95#comment-153 [...] over a Pepsi contest that gave out free instant-win Rock Band codes. Apparently the powers that be shut down the contest before it was supposed to end Sept. 12 and 13, while still proclaiming on its website it was going [...] [...] over a Pepsi contest that gave out free instant-win Rock Band codes. Apparently the powers that be shut down the contest before it was supposed to end Sept. 12 and 13, while still proclaiming on its website it was going [...]

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]]> By: Lane http://5frets.com/95/pepsi-rock-band-contest-everyones-an-instant-loser/#comment-152 Lane Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:43:02 +0000 http://5frets.com/?p=95#comment-152 Call me cynical but that's exactly why I mentally filter out all of these contests and promotions by large corporations like pepsi. There's an old saying that asserts "If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is". I'm not saying that's the case here but it doesn't make me feel like I've been wasting my time ignoring promotions either. If I want to participate in a "a chance to win for a micropayment" system I'll just play the lottery. Call me cynical but that's exactly why I mentally filter out all of these contests and promotions by large corporations like pepsi.  There's an old saying that asserts "If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is".  I'm not saying that's the case here but it doesn't make me feel like I've been wasting my time ignoring promotions either.  If I want to participate in a "a chance to win for a micropayment" system I'll just play the lottery.

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