Camelot withdraw scratch card because players are too dumb

[Andy]

Camelot have withdrawn a scratch card because players seem to be too dumb to understand basic maths:

 

The Cool Cash game was launched on Monday but was taken out of shops on Friday because players were unsure whether they had won.

 

To win a prize, users had to scratch off a window to reveal a lower temperature than the one displayed on each card, which was usually below freezing.

 

But dozens of players who could not understand how, for example, -4 was higher than -5, filed complaints with Camelot.

 

Tina Farrell, 23, from Manchester, called Camelot after failing to win with several cards.

 

She told the Manchester Evening News: "On one of my cards it said I had to find temperatures lower than -8.

 

"The numbers I uncovered were -6 and -7 so I thought I had won, and so did the woman in the shop. But when she scanned the card the machine said I hadn't.

 

"I phoned Camelot and they fobbed me off with some story that -6 is higher - not lower - than -8 but I'm not having it.

 

"I think Camelot are giving people the wrong impression - the card doesn't say to look for a colder or warmer temperature, it says to look for a higher or lower number.

 

"Six is a lower number than 8. Imagine how many people have been misled."

 

Full story here

 

Is Camelot's game misleading, or are some people just too dumb to be allowed to play these games?

[I1L2T3]

Idiocy. Camelot should have kept the game going.

[SpikeMac]

That is a magnificent story:D

 

Imagine how daft you have to be to:

 

a) Not understand numbers

b) Complain about it

and

c) Parade your stupidity in the press.

 

Priceless. Camelot should use this as the basis for all of their scratch cards.

[Ghozer]

What gets me, is she asked the woman in the shop, who still got it wrong? - Isn't basic maths skills a requirement to work behind a counter in a shop?

 

And yes, 6 maybe lower than 8, but they don't have a " - " symbol before them.. (we all know this)

 

Ooooh, winds me up.... Camelot should have just laughed and continued selling them!

[*_ash_*]

The story could do with a picture of the woman with a gloomy face. On the other hand it could be someone with serious learning difficulties, and the shop keeper was just being nice.

I can't believe it otherwise

 

Anyone notice the very top of the page? Let's hope the woman doesn't, she might think we're in the middle of a heat wave

[Andy]

I've just found the original article in the MEN - it seems this happened in 2007, so not sure why it's just appeared elsewhere. In any case, unfortunately there is no glum picture.

[Happ Hazzard]

I was going to say, I remember this story from years ago.

[cgksheff]

I've just found the original article in the MEN - it seems this happened in 2007, so not sure why it's just appeared elsewhere. In any case, unfortunately there is no glum picture.

 

As Andy says:

 

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cool-cash-card-confusion-1009701

 

lbc's story in the original link does acknowledge SKY as the source.

 

Sky had published the story but have since pulled the article (possibly they have been made aware of its provenance)

[Mikes10]

We are supposed to be a 'knowledged based economy' what hope is there for us if

the ordinary man/woman cannot grasp the basics of negative numbers?

 

And what do they think when weather forecasts says the temperature is going to fall

to -1 or -2?

[Super Hans]

I think they should make the lottery like buying fags, plain packaging and a warning on the front.

 

On the front, it just says "You have an 80% chance of losing your money", and when you scratch it off it either says "You win" or "You don't win".

 

I think some of the tactics they employ are a quite unethical actually and lead to problem gambling, some people just don't understand that if you got two £1000s, you didn't 'nearly' win £1000.