If you didn't already know, my wife won the grand prize in the Fiat Score a Scorpion contest. Normally we don't enter contest for cars because of the tax liability, but this was actually a fun contest that involved figuring out clues to where hidden icons are on the internet on various web sites and clicking on them. We never thought we would actually win the grand prize. The Prize is a 2013 Fiat Abarth convertible which is the racing/high performance version of ours which I would love to have.
Lori got notified via e-mail July 3rd, everything is closed the 4th, so she called Detroit HQ on the 5th to make sure it wasn't a scam. The e-mail was dated the 2nd and we had 10 calendar days (not business days) to get everything to the people that make sure Lori is actually eligible to claim the prize. Lori scrambles and gets everything faxed and Fedex'd and she got it to them.
Now we have questions. The official rules state you get a base Abarth which msrp's for 26500, but the grand prize value is 35k msrp, so do we get money with it to cover taxes (the latest contest that Chrysler group (which Fiat owns) says the grand prize is a Ram truck AND 15k)? Also, is there a cash out option? Rules say there is none, but also say it's up to the people dispensing the prize whether there's a cash out option or not. Everytime we try to get in contact with someone, we kept getting referred back to the people who made sure Lori was eligible, not the people dispensing the prize, and they keep saying the same thing...just the car, even though the official rules hint there may be options.
So we wait, and about a month or so later, a lady from QEK (which happens to be some kind of fleet services company) contacted Lori. She states there's no cash out option. Just the car, also we don't get the difference between the msrp of the car which is for the base version 26k, and they state the grand prize is msrp of 35k. She also says that the way people get around this is to sell it back to the dealer to get something. Mind you we have to pay income tax on the prize already, also the sales tax and registration too. So hopefully we'll end up with some money after all taxes are paid and we "sell it back to the dealership". So when do we get the car? She states there is no actual car set aside someplace for the contest. We can go to the dealership and pick out any car we want worth up to 35k (most expensive Abarth with all the bells and whistles is 31k, and we don't get the difference). Doesn't even have to be an Abarth, She just needs make sure it's ok with the local dealership and they credit it out of their inventory and "give" give it to us.
They're ok with it, we pick out the most expensive one at 31k (we're hoping to have about 10k to stick in the bank after we finish paying all taxes and selling it back to the dealership). The Abarth is so new here there's no blue book on it yet, but if you do the hard top version, a "used" brand new one blue books for trade in at a dealership at 19k, and figure you add 3-4k for being a convertible so I'm hoping for 23k on the car.
We're back to waiting and checking in every week or so, and when we do, we get the same "dance". Dealership saying they have the VIN to give them...but waiting on Fiat to contact them, and the lady is faked disbelief this isn't resolved yet, will look into it, waiting on the dealership, she's not the one that actually credits back from the dealership, will get a hold of that person...etc. I usually have to call her because she's really bad about not replying to e-mails. She also states we can even pick out the cheapest car....the Fiat hardtop 500 so easing our tax burden which is about 15k msrp (there again...on a 35k grand prize..where does the other 20k go?) She also states that we will probably have to pay income tax on it twice if we sell it. First on the prize itself, then on what we sell it for, but she'll look into it and confirm it later. I call our lovely tax lady who cried bullchit, and to never take the word of a car salesman (which I didn't..that's why I called her). It's only if you sell it for more than the prize is worth, than taxed on the additional amount. Called a capital gains tax.
Now I'm really feeling like they're trying to talk us out of accepting the prize. I mean...there's 35k someplace set aside for the grand prize by Fiat. If we finally say "just keep the fricken car", does someone get a 35k Christmas bonus? It's really feeling that way to us. I mean everytime we inquire....it's constant finger pointing, and them dragging this out for as long as possible.
Well last friday, when I inquire, dealership says he'll get the bid from the NEW used car manager on what they'll give us. Get the e-mail and it says 16k....on a 31k car with like 500 miles on it, also has to have a clear title and all taxes paid (it has a clear title, no liens against it, and my sister who was in the biz for a while says..even though it may vary from state to state, there's a way dealers shuffle car titles around without having to deal with sales tax)(after taxes and everything, we would be lucky to end up with maybe 2k, which is more than we had, but if we have another medical emergency with Lori, probably wouldn't cover co-pays and deductibles, which is the main reason I want to end up with 10k after it's all said and done, to put into savings). He says that the used car manager stated the use car market has bottomed out due to the Gov. shutting down and Obama care...no one wants to spend money now. (people blame Obama care for everything else...why not this) I think even the Fiat dealership manager thought it was low, and we could call Carmax to try to sell it (tried that...they need the car before they can make me an offer).
Lori replied back that we would just take the car, and I replied back when we could get it. That was last friday...no response. Lori told me to "back off". She wants to give them this week. the 120 days...according to the rules we have in getting the car is up this week. If we still don't get an answer...then next week she's going to try a different route. This whole thing has really soured me on the Fiat brand to the point I don't even want to drive the one we have anymore.
It really does feel like they're hoping we just say we don't want the car that way they don't actually have to give out the grand prize. Fiat, they're marketing people (Ignite Social Media, they're the ones that came up with the whole contest. On their website they "brag" about how the contest increased web traffic, volume....etc for Fiat. Oddly enough they're the ones that contacted me about doing a "story" on Lori and I since we're such huge fans of the car, not so much now.) got what they wanted out of the contest...Fiat USA did a blog on Lori being the winner on their "Behind the Scenes" thing...even making the blog sound like she got the car already at the time of the interview. Now they just have to get us to "decline" the prize, that 35k would make for a nice bonus....huh.
