2008 .... Better half decides its time to get a bit fitter and loose some weight ... goes out to one of the big sports stores and buys a big arse very expensive treadmill ... one of those 36 month interest free deals. Treadmill gets delivered and we all give it a hammering and show some results ... we're all really happy
Couple of months later we start getting strange calls on the home phone, and answering machine, from someone looking for the wife, but wouldn't leave any contact or call back details with the kids (who answered the phone as we were both at work whenever the calls came in) .... which the became strange messages on the answering machine ... which she religiously deletes as she thinks they are just phone spam. She's not a patient person
3-4 weeks after the calls started the wife's got a day off .... she's at home when another one of the calls comes in and she answers it .... not the kids .... guess what
When she purchased the treadmill, and she had no idea at all, it included and entry into a prizedraw for a trip for 2 to the 2008 Olympic games in China !! Airfares, 5 nights 4 star accomodation, games entry, tours, meals, etc, etc .... WOW!!! We NEVER win anything .... to say we were knocked out would be an understatement ... so we scramble to get Passorts renewed, sort Visa's, and get our ducks in a row for a trip to China
The caller was about to give up and get the prize re-drawn because they'd been trying for weeks and weeks to contact the wife with no luck .... dodged a bullet there !!
Some weeks later we get another phone call ... "Can you come down to the store ?? We are doing a media event and would like to present you with the prize in person, and get some media coverage and photo's ?" .... so she duly toddles off to the event as planned. During the presentation, she's given the prize, and is told (unbeknown to her) that it also includes an additional 7 nights in a Hotel in southern Beijing for 2 with all meals included !!! WTF !!!
... she comes home in tears. We get to go to the Olympics and then spend a week on our own in Beijing !!!
So we're off to the 2008 Olympics for 5 days, then 7 days on our own in Beijing to do as we please ... MAN talk about luck !! By this time we are both pumped.
2 x weeks before we're due to leave we get ANOTHER phone call .... voice on the other end says "Hi, it's Sam from XXXXXX .... your trip to the Olympics is about to start .... can I have your bank details so we can deposit the spending money for your trip please ?" .... Spending Money ?? SPENDING MONEY !!?? WHAT SPENDING MONEY
?.... The prize ALSO included (again, we had no idea and hadn't been told) $3000US spending money ..... JAW DROP !!!
So off we go to the Olympics, all cashed up, spend our week rubbing shoulders with the Chinese after the Olympics part of the trip, enjoyed the Olympics and every bit of the trip, and arrive home STILL with $2000US spending money unspent .... Believe me, we tried hard to spend spend spend, but stuff, food, entertainment was so soooooo cheap (all our meals and accom' were already covered) that we only managed to spend 1/3 of the prize money.
So she wants to pay out the treadmill by cashing in the US$ for AUD$ .... but the exchange rate is good, so I convince her to sit on the money .... 6, maybe 9 months later the arse has fallen out of the Aussie dollar against the US$ and we cash in the remaining $2000US for close to $3500AUD .....
..... THEN we pay out the interest free treadmill finance and pocket roughly $2500AUD.
So .... We had a trip to the Olympics, a week in Bejing on our own recognizance, bought a flash treadmill and pocketed $2500AUD for FREEEEEEE !!! (we paid for passports and visas) ... someone PAID us $2500AUD to go do all that !!
Hows that for lucky !!
... and that will be the last time in our lives that we win anything !!