![]() I suppose I felt a high when I initially came across one, but then it was just sadness. “I remember feeling really depressed as I cut out the UPCs and bagged them. ![]() “My lowest point was walking around looking for discarded cigarette packs on the ground,” she tells me. Heatherly admits that the project was a grim endeavor. Over time, she was able to get her first haul of supplies - a Zippo, a leather backpack and the big prize, a red Fuji folding bike, which cost 2,200 miles, or 440 packs of cigarettes. Luckily for her, her parents owned a bar so she was able to build quite a collection by salvaging miles from discarded packs. To make it a reality, she gathered as many Marlboro Miles as she could find. Inspired by Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train,” her fantasy included riding the rails to freedom and embarking upon a life as a train hopper. Want to earn real cash back and miles try the Dosh app or Ebates program when you buy things such as vapes online.ĭetailed consumer complaints about the Marlboro Miles campaign can be found at the Consumer Affairs website: /misc/marlboro.In the mid-1990s, Heatherly was a teen who dreamed of escaping her dysfunctional family. ![]() It seems that perhaps the Philip Morris company had plans to end the Marlboro Miles campaign before it stopped printing the Miles on packages in April 2006 as the 2006 catalog only contained ten items.Ĭonsumers with Miles can no longer redeem them for prizes, as orders had to be postmarked on or before Septemto be filled. After keeping up their end up the deal, many consumers were disappointed to find out that Marlboro was not keeping up their end. In some cases, consumers spent thousands of dollars on Marlboro cigarettes to accumulate the number of Miles required for prize redemption. Customer service also told consumers their documentation was never received or the consumer was not listed in the system. Phone calls to the customer service department proved unsuccessful as many consumers were told they never qualified for the merchandise for some reason or another. Some consumers ended up sending in documentation several times only to receive the same response – it was not correct. In numerous cases, Marlboro stated the identification was invalid and requested another copy. Miles redeemers were required to send a photocopy of their driver’s license as proof that they were legally purchase cigarettes. In another tactic used to avoid sending out merchandise, Marlboro told consumers their documentation was incorrect. After a few weeks, another letter would be sent making the same statement. ![]() The company sent letters to consumers stating the merchandise was delayed and would be sent in a few weeks. Consumers found that, after accumulating the Miles and sending in the necessary documentation to receive their prizes, Marlboro would give every excuse for not sending the merchandise. Consumers that had existing miles were allowed to redeem them through September 2006.ĭuring the period of time Marlboro Miles was in existence, many consumers ended up disappointed as they were given the runaround for their prizes. In April 2006, Marlboro began phasing out their Miles campaign. All the consumer had to do was send in their Miles, along with an original order form from the Marlboro Miles magazine, and a photocopy of their identification, to prove they were of legal age to purchase cigarettes. After accumulating a certain number of Miles, consumers could then order Marlboro merchandise from a catalog using the Miles they’d earned. The campaign encouraged consumers to purchase packages of Marlboro cigarettes to accumulate points, which, in this particular campaign, were known as “Miles”.
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