What is indisputable, however, is that the best this multi-billion-dollar operation can do when it screws up is to offer a mere oops. This has happened yet again with their much hyped and cruel annual Rrroll Up The Rim to Win contest.
A technical error by Tim Hortons led coffee drinkers across Canada to falsely believe they had won a $55,000 boat as part of the franchise's Roll Up To Win promotion.
It's unclear how many people were impacted, but the chain told CBC Hamilton in an email it was an "unfortunate error" and some customers were sent an email with incorrect information.
Darren Stewart-Jones of Hamilton said he opened an email on Wednesday morning from Tim Hortons that recapped all the prizes he won this year and it included one he didn't recognize: a 2024 Tracker Targa 18 WT boat and trailer, which retails for $39,995 US (about $55,000 Cdn) — the only one available to participants.
"I thought, 'Wow, this could be really awesome,'" Stewart-Jones told CBC News in a phone interview.
But his initial burst of excitement turned into questions as he scrolled through his emails to find out when he'd won the boat.
After learning others had also received such an email, he began to suspect his good fortune was not what it seemed.
And he was right, as Tim Horton's facilely and callously pointed out:
Tim Hortons sent customers an email with instructions to "disregard" the recap email they received, saying "technical errors" may have allowed for some prizes they didn't win to end up in the recap email.
"We apologize for the frustration this has caused and for not living up to our high standards of providing an exceptional guest experience," read the letter, which Tim Hortons shared with CBC.
Shamefully, this is not the first time 'technical problems' have hobbled the emporium.
Just over a year ago, the Tim Hortons app mistakenly informed users they'd won $10,000.
Chris Rivett, another 'winner' from Edmonton, is considering all of his options.
Rivet said he has filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau of Canada and is considering filing a lawsuit.
On Wednesday afternoon, a Facebook group formed with over 200 people expressing outrage about the mistake and threatening to file lawsuits.
"NOPE. Not taking this as an answer!! Two words: CLASS ACTION," read a post from Christiane Marie.
Will the fine print under contest rules insulate Tim Horton's from legal retribution? Perhaps. But in the court of public opinion, they are already on trial and it looks like a guilty plea is pending.
One hopes that the coffee giant won't add insult to injury by offering a free cup of coffee to the winners/losers of this latest fiasco.
