Not a win but every time I hire a car, check into a motel or a flight, I always ask for a free upgrade.
Managed to score at the Hilton earlier this year to a better room and access to the executive lounge. Just this week at Europcar asked for an upgrade and was told “you already got one”, so it seems my reputation proceeds me.
Haven’t yet scored a flight upgrade (mostly as I travel with my family) but have been informed as well as you’re on your own and well dressed you’re a good chance on an international flight to get one.
I won an Easter Egg raffle when I was young, Westpac maths competition in year 11 (one year later I managed only a participation certificate, which I think is pretty impressive), a few minor prizes in the RMH raffle and a number of suite hotel upgrades over the years. Best one was the St Regis Washington. I could have played indoor cricket in that room.
Won tickets to a Jethro Tull concert.
It was rigged.
DJ running it was a mate.
Ha.
When I was in the local fire brigade a few of the fellow volunteers who were under 18 were selling raffle tickets. They informed me that I would be the winner drawn out of the hat, and that I would be expected to share the slab of VB cans with them.
Was a bit awkward accepting the prize, but it was all for a good cause.
When I was 13, I won a Coca Cola comp for a group trip around Australia in a bus. A bit like a contiki tour. Being under 18 I was ineligible for the prize so they gave me a slab of coke instead. I was rapt.
Won the meat tray at the Mt Beauty pub a couple of years ago. It just fit in the freezer of the cabin at the caravan park we were staying at. Managed to last the drive back to Melbourne and was devoured over the next couple of nights.
Hahaha, me too! Good pub that one. We pop in there at least once on our yearly snow trip. The little brewery across the road is also good.
I’ve won a few baseball and cricket trophies over the years. Won $1000 in a raffle at my baseball club. Won a few trivia night competitions, including one on Daydream Island when it was raining and they put on an impropmtu trivia comp in the bar because they couldn’t do any of the usual outdoor activities. Was there on my own as the wife and kids were having an afternoon sleep, and proceeded to wipe the floor with everyone else that was there in large groups. Won a couple of bottles of wine, an Ipod and a reef-diving package. Best rainy day holiday ever.
Also won a Nintendo Wii as a door prize at a telecommunications conference/expo a few years ago. Has made for some hilarious drunken Michael Jackson Dance Experience displays.
A good mate of mine won the car on Deal or No Deal about ten years ago. It was a Renault hatchback IIRC.
Oh, and I also won one of those VB tinnie bar fridges at the Victory Hotel in Brisbane about 20 years ago. They used to do $5 jugs of beer and $7 jugs of spirits during their epic Sunday Sessions (those were the days!) and everytime you bought a jug of VB you got a raffle ticket. It’s still going strong out in the garage. They also threw in stubbie holders, t-shirts and other junk which has long since disappeared, but the fridge is still kicking.
Not a win but every time I hire a car, check into a motel or a flight, I always ask for a free upgrade.
Managed to score at the Hilton earlier this year to a better room and access to the executive lounge. Just this week at Europcar asked for an upgrade and was told “you already got one”, so it seems my reputation proceeds me.
Haven’t yet scored a flight upgrade (mostly as I travel with my family) but have been informed as well as you’re on your own and well dressed you’re a good chance on an international flight to get one.
I book all the flights for my family and always try to travel with the same airline. It’s about a 1 in 3 chance for upgrades for us at the moment. Economy to Premium. Premium to Business. Haven’t got a Business to First yet.
I’ve also won the renewal prize from PC User magazine. Won a Benq laptop at the time worth $4k. Funny thing was the winning letter sat on my desk for a couple of months cause I thought it was another reminder letter to renew.
Won my partners love and affection… Does that count?
When I was a little kid, I went to a big Melbourne Cup BBQ and drew the favourite. The second stage of that competition was the ability to trade horses; I did so, made a tidy profit from doing so, and then said horse didn’t place. I am so smart.
I won a dishwasher on Sale of the Century years ago and on three occasions have had five of the six tattslotto numbers.
But the best win ever was when I was a uni student in the late 70s and down to my last 17 cents with the next TEAS cheque (ask your grandparents) still a week away when a knock at the front door revealed a bloke who handed me $20 as runner up in a pub raffle I didn’t recall entering.
Not technically winning, but, when we were cleaning out a store room at the pub I was working at we came across a box full of those ‘bingo’ cards old school pubs used to sell.
These were before pokies, and for a dollar you got this card where you had to fold back 5 windows. If it spelt ‘bingo’ you won, then depending on the colour, the prize was $5-$100 cash from the barman.
So for fun we opened all these things just to see who could find the $100 ones. In the end there was a few hundred bucks worth of winners which we kept.
I told a few mates about it, and somehow they ended up acquiring a few ‘winning’ tickets and using them at another local establishment that was still selling the exact same bingo tickets.
Apart from some pretty decent size winnings on the pokies or my Sportsbet account I’ve won bugger all of any significance. Like others on here have said I always ask for upgrades on flights or accommodation and have a fairly decent strike rate going