Pepsi puts wrong phone number on 50 million cans

[Guest]

Man sues Pepsi over error on cans

Wrong number: Misprint prompts hundreds of racing-fan phone calls to area home

JOLIET — A misprint on the back of a Pepsi can has prompted hundreds of pop-drinking, auto-racing fans to call Roger Zabel's house at all hours, day or night, in search of answers to their most pressing questions.

What's it cost to get into Chicagoland Speedway? Are they racing this weekend? Where can I buy tickets to see Jeff Gordon race?

Ahhh, the joy of Pepsi.

The soft-spoken Caterpillar worker has filed a lawsuit in Will County Circuit Court against Pepsico Inc. and the owners of Joliet's Chicagoland Speedway over the misprint on the backs of what he believes are millions of Pepsi cans. The promotional cans encourage fans to call the NASCAR track for information about the July 14 race featuring driver Jeff Gordon.

The cans should have listed the track's number as (815) 727-RACE, but the telephone number in the advertisement that hypes the race is off by one digit. The public has been ringing Zabel on his unlisted home telephone number since the cans hit market.

"I've been getting all kinds of calls," Zabel said. "I've had about 500 calls in the past five months. Most of them are asking for tickets. I've just been giving them the right number."

Zabel, who lives in a subdivision near the track, said he received his first telephone call in February from an Indiana woman. He drove to the store and bought a case of Pepsi to see for himself whether his home number is on the can. He said the soda won't go to waste; his son will drink it.

He has since received calls from across the country and as far away as Quebec. Twenty-five people dialed his number one recent Saturday afternoon while he was waiting for a call from the mechanic who was repairing his car. Fans have called him at 2 a.m. to ask about racing dates and tickets. The number of telephone calls increased as the racing season drew near.

Zabel said he has treated the callers with courtesy. Most of the fans have been polite in return, although some became rude and abrasive when they realized they had the wrong number, he said.

He has become increasingly annoyed by the calls. Zabel wants the racecourse and Pepsi to correct the error.

"It seems like they should have called the number before they printed it on their can," Zabel said.

Zabel's lawsuit says 30 million Pepsi cans containing the misprint are in circulation. Pepsi's attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit, other than to say that the corporation denies the allegations. A spokesman for Chicagoland Speedway said the track's policy is not to comment on pending litigation.

The four-count lawsuit, which seeks damages exceeding $50,000, alleges that Zabel has suffered anguish and distress over the volume of telephone calls he has received. It accuses the track and the soft drink giant of commercially appropriating Zabel's telephone number without his permission.

Zabel's attorney, Theodore Bednarek, is seeking an injunction that would require Pepsi and Chicagoland Speedway to recall the misprinted cans. The injunction also demands that the two entities purchase advertisements in areas where the Pepsi cans were distributed, telling people that the number is wrong and not to call Zabel with their questions.

"Obviously, this is wrong, and it needs to be corrected," Bednarek said.

Zabel is reluctant to give up the unlisted telephone number he has had for years. Because the last four digits spell out the word "race" on the telephone punch pad, the number has certain economic value, too, his attorney said.

"Why should someone like the race track or Pepsi be allowed to just come in and take his number?" Bednarek asked.

[Akira 0]

LOL

God I hate Pepsi! Sue their arse off!

[Shunt 0]

Just imagine how many calls he would have got if it had been the Microsoft supportline!

[ralphwiggum 6]

he should be thankful that it wasn't one of 'talk to Britney Spears' line. he could have been shocked and die from it.

for his payback, Pepesi should send Britney and have her do some lap dance

[cybrid 0]

Good, I'm glad to see somthing hurt Pepsi. I don't know if they had that pepsi challange outside of Canada but apparently more Canadians like the taste of Pepsi over that of Coca-Cola <Why?>. I took the challenge twice myself and picked coke over pepsi both times. I like Rum and Coke but has anyone ever tried Rum and Pepsi? I ruiens the damn drink.

I only drink the stuff when coke is not avalible.

[SFG 1]

Hahahahahha...

[Shunt 0]

Coca Cola is the most disgusting "Cola" drink there is!!

The only reason it is so successfull is because of their unlimited budget to advertise with etc...

The best cola i've ever had was an US cola called "Presidents' Choice" I think.

[cybrid 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Shunt Posted on May 24 2002,16:23

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Coca Cola is the most disgusting "Cola" drink there is!!

The only reason it is so successfull is because of their unlimited budget to advertise with etc...

The best cola i've ever had was an US cola called "Presidents' Choice" I think. <span id='postcolor'>

I don't know what your used to but Presidents Choice is a budget brand. Coca-Cola has a long traditional history going back to a time when men were men and machines were, well...more manly. Pepsi just gets all it sales by advertising to the young people of north america using celebrities like Britney Spears and Shakira. These shallow advertisments seem to be very effective as more teenagers seem to like pepsi over coke.

[Hilandor 1]

coke is brilliant it rots ur teeth rots ur stomach and makes two pence peices shiny and tastes great

and its not cos the adverts that coke do they dont affect me

holidays are coming holidays are coming

[R. Gerschwarzenge 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Hilandor @ May 25 2002,00:54)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">holidays are coming   holidays are coming  <span id='postcolor'>

no they are not no they are not

I like Pepsi.

[Wobble 1]

DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeeahaaa the un-disputed king of Texas soft drinks!

[Warin 0]

In an attempt to cut back on junk food, I stopped drinking Coke in January.

Had one at a friends a few weeks back. Good lord, it was like drinking sugary syrup and tasted horrid.

I dont miss it anymore

Now.. as to pepsi... pepsi=ass-cola

Bland sugaryness. Bleah.

I hope this guy takes Pepsi to the cleaners. They screwed up and he deservres compensation. Mebbe a judge will hit them with a million dollar punative damages decision for pain and suffering.

[SKULLS_Viper 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">coke is brilliant it rots ur teeth rots ur stomach and makes two pence peices shiny and tastes great

and its not cos the adverts that coke do they dont affect me

holidays are coming holidays are coming <span id='postcolor'>

It also causes "kidney stones". Then you go to the hopital to get rid of them, they use a special "ultra sonic machine" and then you just piss out the kidney stones.All kidney stones are, are just crytals.

[SKULLS_Viper 0]

Oh, i like pepsi.

Pepsi-emmm, good.

Oh and Moutain Dew really causes kidney stones.

[Die Alive 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (cybrid @ May 24 2002,15:04)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Good, I'm glad to see somthing hurt Pepsi. I don't know if they had that pepsi challange outside of Canada but apparently more Canadians like the taste of Pepsi over that of Coca-Cola <Why?>. I took the challenge twice myself and picked coke over pepsi both times. I like Rum and Coke but has anyone ever tried Rum and Pepsi? I ruiens the damn drink.

I only drink the stuff when coke is not avalible. <span id='postcolor'>

It's mostly because of the Quebec market where most francophones drink lots and lots of pepsi. That's why one of the slang term for a francophone in Quebec is "PEPSI". And Dr. Pepper wasn't sold here for years (well, was sold but very hard to find, usually in stores where they got their shipments from Ontario). Dr Pepper was a shuned by the French because another slang term for a francophone is "PEPPER".

-=Die Alive=-

[nordin dk 0]

Let me take this opportunity to repost this wonderful image:

Anyways, I'm a Pepsi guy.

I can drink Coca Cola, but when given a choice I choose Pepsi.

One thing though: warm Pepsi = worst drink on the planet.

[Nic 0]

Hey, did any of you guys ever have "OK" brand soda. It was like some project coca cola had years back. It was only sold to certain areas so maybe some of you never heard of it.I thought it was a pretty good drink, plus it had a real funny advertising campaign. Sadly it was discontinued cause most everyone felt differently than I....Check this out, maybe will refresh your memory. OK SODA PAGE

[Major Fubar 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Wobble @ May 25 2002,00:29)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeeahaaa the un-disputed king of Texas soft drinks!<span id='postcolor'>

Ah, Dr. Pepper...I really like that stuff, but it's almost impossible to get in Australia these days.

It was released here about 5 or more years ago, and sold very poorly. All my friends hate it, but I liked it.

Dr. Pepper, Coke, Pepsi...it's all good, as long as it contains caffeine.

[Renagade 0]

pepsi sux as it has too much artificial sweetners and other crap that makes it taste not nice :|

[Benze 0]

Pepsi sucks hard. It's just flat coke. That's all it is.

If you want to make your own pepsi, buy some Coke, open it all up, let it sit for a few months, and BAM, you have pepsi!

[red oct 2]

"warm Pepsi = worst drink on the planet."

i can live w/ warm pepsi, warm beer on the other hand is the worst, matter of fact i never really like beer, gets sickining after a while, best cola drink is RC cola, but all soft drink only taste its best when they still have their fizzyness, after when they go flat, its not as good.

[theavonlady 2]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Wobble @ May 25 2002,01:29)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">DR. PEPPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<span id='postcolor'>

I'm a Pepper!!!

Too bad they don't have any here. They've got cherry Coke here - ugh! Kids won't touch it either.

[Warin 0]

They dont have Dr Pepper in Israel???

Wowser..a cultural wasteland!  

So Moses and Jesus walked around there ages ago...big deal! You dont have Dr Pepper! Oi!

Hehehe.

I havent had a Dr. Pepper in years....

*wanders off to get a Dr Pepper*

[advocatexxx 0]

I like water, not-from-concentrate juices and so forth. You think Pepsi is all artificial ? Try Sunny Delight. It's like drinking some fluid that just got out of the laboratory. Whoa, wait, this thing has something like "0.2% Juice" written on its side.

Here we go world. Engineered drinks, Chicken that are injected with shit only to make them grow faster and fatter so they could be slaughtered.. Cubic watermelons.

Hell, few more years and farmers will need to re-school as genetic engineers.

[Warin 0]

Actally, the square watermelons are the same as the round ones. The difference is that they grow the square ones inside a special glass cube to make them that shape. Then they break the glass to get them out. That's why they are hideously expensive even by Japanese standards

I do agree with you about the other stuff though. SUnny Delight is more petroleum product than juice product.

If you're really concerned about it..buy only 'organic' foods. When I buy chicken I look for 'Free Range' labels...as they are usually raised normally.