rattlebrain, inc. contest....anyone ever signed up for this?

[The Successful Dropout]

i dunno if this has ever been posted....but....

ive seen this contest in magazines forever....and have always wanted to try it out....so i signed up and completed the first set of puzzles....now im waiting for the next set to be mailed to me....

it goes like this....in some magazines (recently the june 04 issue of psm on page 61) they have this contest advertised....where you pay as you play (a few bucks)...filling out mystery word grids and puzzles to compete with other people who are filling out different versions of the same puzzle for prizes....you can win "the ultimate gaming rig" of over $20,000 in prizes.......they have a computer contest, video game contest, and media rig contest......

does anyone know what im talking about? has anyone ever tried this? is it a scam?

[Ledhed]

Is it that silly crossword contest I always used to see in GamePro where the example crossword's answer is 'POWER'?

If so, yes I know what you are talking about. Seems like a rip off to me, but it ain't my money either.

[The Successful Dropout]

yeah....thats it....its like $5 so far for each time you send away for the next round of puzzles (thats if you signed up for all of the contests)....i figured id give it a try....if all else fails....i can at least warn others not to waste their money on it

[Pulsar]

That crossword puzzle thing was in my Nintendo Power in 1989, I swear it's still the same answers too. Hey, let me know how it works out though.

[Cornfedwb]

I always assumed this was a scam, but it has been around quite a while, so you never know.

[The Successful Dropout]

yeah....im hoping its legit....i dont think it would be able to keep its home in all of these magazines still if it wasn't legit

[bowsernieb]

Keep us posted...I always saw those and never understood how that puzzle could get harder as you go...

[rfoster9]

I always wanted to do it when i saw it in magazines and never had the disposable income to do it, a big concern of mine is that it probably goes on for years, bringing the cost up to 100 or more dollars.

[The Successful Dropout]

its supposedly only like 5 or 6 rounds....im either on round 2 or 3....i dont see how the puzzles get any harder either....but....we'll see.....ill keep ya posted as we go....im not supposed to receive the next round til mid-late may

[Kaijufan]

Ive always wondered if that was a scam. It would be great to get that TV in the ad though.

[LoganDX]

I've seen those for years and yes it seems like the same puzzles! Good luck I hope you aren't throwing your money out the door. If you win, you gotta post a pic of your winnings. So all of us who wouldn't do it can kick ourselves in the ass :wink: ......

[The Successful Dropout]

bump

[The Successful Dropout]

bump

[YoshiFan1]

I have seen them around for at least 6 or 7 years but never tried it.

What I didn't like about the rules was that it says if contestants are tied at the end, they split the prize value.

Now I'm not sure how many people make it to the last round and have the higest score possible but I am guessing it's a lot (judging by how simple the puzzles seem to be). Maybe once everyone splits the final prize, they get something like $20 or less because there are so many winners.

[The Successful Dropout]

the paper that i got in the mail with the first round states that (exactly) in the rules....but it also states that they have never ever had a tie before in the past

[eliotkarate]

I'm doing the phase one thing...( the first one you get besides the one in the mag) and i've done multiple searches on the company but i can't find anything... but nothing about it being non-legit either so there is no way to know

[Mr_Mcgee]

I decided to be so bold as to email Rattlebrain and ask them whether this contest was legit or was it a scam. Amazingly enough, they replied. The following is the letter from the contest director. None of it has been manipulated (BTW, I posed under a different name just in case):

Hi Stephanie,

I've been doing puzzle tournaments for twenty years. In that time, if I
had been a scam, none of the magazines would let me advertise. I do what I
say I will do and if you find yourself not happy at the end of the
contest, I'll send you a complete refund. This is why I have lasted so
long.

I hope you give us a shot.

Rick Lund
Contest Director
Baindramage, Inc.
503-889-4070

I also asked several other puzzling things about their contest. I'm waiting for their answers. I might just post them.

[triforcer]

have none of you seen that episode of Doug where he decides to enter it using his $50 US Bond his grandmother had given him? well long story short he didn't win because there were plenty of competition.

[The Successful Dropout]

i forgot all about this thread...anyways, i didn't win...why? because the puzzles that they send you are all time sensitive and they sent the last set of puzzles to me later then the due date...great scam, bastards

[Mr_Mcgee]

I was smart enough to get my hands on their Official rules. If it came after the deadline, it is not their fault. It is the postage system's. I was worried that because of Hurricane Katrina, the mail system was clogged or destroyed or something like that. Not that I wasn't worried about the victims, either. I donated alot of money, it was just a thing that bothered me. It was like 4 weeks between the puzzles. So, yeah.

Anyway, their official rules explain alot, too. What caught my eye the most was the possibility of getting a FULL refund if my puzzle came past the deadline or if I'm not happy with contest results. I might just post it. Also, I'm in the finals and just mailed it out. On the off chance I do win something, I'll take pics or something.

[m0nkeybl1tz]

Damn man, I was totally gonna cite that Doug thing too...

[TheLameSauce]

im on the final phase of the video game system puzzle. i think i might have it figured out and im really hoping this isnt a scam...

[novotny1961]

When did you get the final phase in the mail......?? My son is waiting for his

[huerta_5]

What are/is your high score on final phase(s)?

mine are:
6,xxx for video games finished in June
12,xxx for media rig finished in August
14,xxx for computer finished in August

I put X's because I don't remember the exact numbers.
Just curious about how our scores compare.

rattlebrain@mac.com the correct email?
Haven't gotten responses to my emails.

[triforcer]

Damn man, I was totally gonna cite that Doug thing too...great minds think alike.

[Blade]

I'd say that it's a scam if they sent it to you past the contest due date.

There are most likely a hundred people who would tie with the highest score if they received the puzzles on time. That's probably why there's never been one.

[Rig]

I did it when I was younger. I made it to the final one, but it was very difficult. (And I was young) I don't think it's a scam, but I think you have to be very good to get the last one.

[Mr_Mcgee]

Oh man! It is a scam! CRAP!!!! I can't even get a refund the way they rigged it!! GAHHH!!!!!!!

[DaveMcCulley]

The puzzles start off very easy, and stay easy up until the final phase. That is the 'catch'. Even though I think it is a very legitimate catch. The last phase is a lot tougher because they dont give you the words you have to create your own, using various ways to put them into the grid, which is larger. They are legit, I get a response to the email everytime I send one to the guy, and like he said they would not be allowed to put their contests in the magazines for so long if they were found out to be frauds. I just finished the Video game rig on oct 29th (the due date) and now am awaiting the results of that, and my final phase puzzles for the media, and computer rigs. I asked the director of the thing why they changed their name from Rattlebrain inc to Baindramage and he said because he wanted to put the games on the internet and rattlebrain domain was already taken. So we will probably be seeing them on the net very soon. Hope this helps some and good luck to all y'all who are going against me and countless others!!!

[clariste]

I did it when I was younger. I made it to the final one, but it was very difficult. (And I was young) I don't think it's a scam, but I think you have to be very good to get the last one.

Ditto.

I think the ad was in EGM when I did it.

[Cmosfm]

Man I can't believe they are doing this, it sounds EXACTLY like the same contests they used to run 15 years ago in Game Pro. I don't know if it's a scam or not though.

[Mr_Mcgee]

BTW, just kidding.

[TheLameSauce]

on the final videogame i got 16,xxx i think i was in the 300's but im not sure...

[huerta_5]

What were the 26 point letters?
VideoGames - W
Media Rig - Can't Remember
Computer - L

[DaveMcCulley]

They are in the judging stage right now on the video game contest. They say it takes 10 weeks for them to figure out who won. I hope it is much sooner than that tho.

[Tromp]

Hi all, im in this too, just started looking around to see if anyone else had heard of them too. I'm on the second finale puzzle...they are rather hard. you have to make your own grid, using legit words from a nationaly published source. they have a strict set of rules you have to follow. Trik is to use only the letter worth one poin in the "FD" (force divider) and the rest use high count letters, with a few vowels. my sore on the first one is alittle over 16,XXX.X. could any one whose e-mailed them give me that address? im gonna call them with that number above sometime today and ill give an update. PS. if they do refund, then have to be legit.... thanks for help

[Tromp]

+++UPDATE+++

i called them and....got a message, but they say they will return my call. im in a fix, i was wanting to know if i can use the same gride from the videogame puzzle on the media puzzle...well anyways im writing them a letter thats going with this puzzle stating their lack of response. (cause i sent this question to them the day i got my FIRST puzzle.) and if im disqualified ill get my money back, their attention to customers needs improving...but if not im good cause its a pretty high score, and the max is 18 somthin'. respond with any thoughts :)

[Mr_Mcgee]

you could probably use the same answers, but the scores for each letter will be different. For example, "h" might equal 24 in the video game one, but might equal 2 in the media rig one. I would've used all the same answers, but like I said, the scores will change.

[Tromp]

oh ya...oh man i feel really dumb...but they called back, i got to talk to Rick, and he said that the reason this time we're having e-mailing everyone back is because of all the sore losers that didnt make it. said something like this is the most contestants this year ever. Then I pointed out its cause of the next-gen systems your giving to the winner. so thats that, if i win anything ill post a pic of the loot. :bouncy:

[huerta_5]

Making it to the final automatically gets you a prize. Correct?
I got to the final on all 3 and currently have received nothing.
Do you think they hold different sets of contests simultaneously?
I begin to worry because my deadlines were June(VG), Aug(MR), Sep(COM).
Others barely receiving their finals last month while I finished mine months ago and received no prize(s), notices, or responses to my emails.

I'm currently thinking (until or IF I receive something. Anything) that this is a waste of time and money.

[Mr_Mcgee]

I was told that if you messed up on anything on any of the puzzles (say, a calculation error or something), then you would be disqualified. according to the official rules, you would get nothing in the mail telling you that you lost. That may explain why some never got some of their puzzles.

One time I waited 4 weeks for a single puzzle and I was fretting, but it eventually came. Also, as I said before, on the off chance I win and all, I take pics and such.

[Mr_Mcgee]

oh, and to answer huerta_5's question(s), I'm pretty sure you don't win a prize if you get to the finals, but , of course, you do if you win. You should've received a copy of the winning puzzle, unless you're the winner, which then they would call you.

[huerta_5]

I remember reading correctly on the back of the sheets that getting to the final gets you something.

[o0SwishaHouse]

WTF is rattlebrain?

[Mr_Mcgee]

long story

[DaveMcCulley]

You do not receive anything at all for making it to the final. You did not read that because they never stated that anywhere. The only thing you can win is the final puzzle. Only one winner. I too got in the 16,000's. I hope the winner is on this site so we can actually see the stuff if they win.

[m0nkeybl1tz]

Do you get to keep a copy of the puzzles? Could we see one if you do?

[DaveMcCulley]

You have to make your own copies if you want to keep them. I dont know if anyone has saved theirs.why do u wanna see? are you in the contest?

[m0nkeybl1tz]

Nah, like I said, saw the Doug episode, turned me off them forever. But what kind of puzzle is it? Is it like a crossword puzzle, or what?

[Hartliner]

Man I'm glad I found this thread I thought for sure I already pissed my money away. So what I can shine some light on is that there is a consolation prize for those who made it to the finals and... that's the good thing. The bad thing is I don't think I have a chance at winning. how many of you are in the finals? For the video game one I got 16,5## and for the computer I got 15065. and my last due date was just two weeks ago.

[DaveMcCulley]

I haven't recieved my finals puzzle for computer or home theatre yet and I know I completed both the phase 4's correctly on it. I'm gettin worried, but the same thing happend with the video game. I thought I had lost and it showed up eventually. I think they might have different deadlines and times for different people in these contests. I'm not sure tho. I didn't think there was any consolation prize. Where did you hear that? I also got 16,5xx on the the video game i think. I asked for a copy of hte winners sheet so hopefuly we can see who did the best

[Hartliner]

Gee I'd hate to say Dave, but I think you may have lost on that computer one. All of my finals have been sent out for 2 weeks. Unless of course you're right about the due dates being different. About that consolation prize... I think he may have mentioned it in an email he gave me once, since I was worried my definition's list was supposed to be included with the puzzle. he told me not to worry and gave me extra info (hence the mentioning of the consolation prize) Kinda funny though now that you think why didn't he mention a consolation prize in the puzzle in the first place.

[DaveMcCulley]

I dont know if anone saw but in the latest issue of xbox magazine there was a new rattlebrain contest. Same as the ones we've been doing. I think they just do these over and over and make a killing on them.

[159357]

yeah, they also had it on the new PSM issue

for my finals i got in the 3***. **

if you guys really got 16*** , then i have no chance of winning

P.S I JUST got my Final Video Game Contest Puzzle in the mail...(12/19/05)

Also , there IS a special prize for anyone that makes it to the final puzzle , i called Rick Lund (a.k.a baindramage) and he said the special prize was a magazine subscription....i forgot which magazine

[huerta_5]

I kept saying in my previous posts that getting to the final gets you something.

Completed my finals in June, August, and September. All with pretty confident scores. Currently nothing received. Not even responses to my emails.

[159357]

How come everybody has gotten the finals at different times????

Maybe they run more than one contest at a time???

[huerta_5]

That is a question I asked in one of my emails, but no replies yet.

[Mr_Mcgee]

Yay! Rick finally answered my email (Which I sent in about a month and a half ago) and I'm getting a full refund! Huzzah!

[159357]

Yay! Rick finally answered my email (Which I sent in about a month and a half ago) and I'm getting a full refund! Huzzah!

Thats good for you

I hope i have a chance at winning this

has anybody else noticed that he is starting another contest
I keep seeing the entry form in magazines

[anAmericanwerewolf]

ok so what is lund's email again?

[Mr_Mcgee]

Well, it was Baindramage@mac.com, but due to spamming and the such, they changed it to Baindramagehelp@mac.com. Here's the email they sent out concerning it:

To All Customers of Baindramage Who Have Sent Us Email:

Once again we are extremely sorry about out slowness to respond to
emails. We have had an ongoing problem which has rendered our email
completely unusable. A couple of disgruntled contestants who were
angry at losing the contest have embarked on a massive phony email
solicitation campaign. They have used our email addresses to bury us
in a sea of SPAM which has made it impossible to have the time to
distinguish between customer mail and spam. We're talking about
THOUSANDS of emails per day (this, of course jams our inbox and
prevents many emails from even getting to us).

We humbly ask that you forgive us for this problem.

We have now established a new email address for you to direct your
questions. It is:

baindramagehelp@mac.com

If the questions you may have had are still relevant please re-submit
them there and we will respond in a timely fashion (slowly at, first
and then more quickly as we catch-up).

If you had questions which hurt your participation in the contest
when they went unanswered, let us know, and we will send you a prompt
refund of all entry fees if you so request.

Once again, we apologize for this deplorable situation and we thank
you for hanging in there.

Sincerely,

Rick Lund
Contest Director

[DaveMcCulley]

well i just got my final phase 4 for the media rig contest this week and it is due on Feb 4, 2006. Obviously we are playing different ones because some of you others got your finals alot earlier than i did. Hope we can see some one win so we know it's legit

[159357]

well i just got my final phase 4 for the media rig contest this week and it is due on Feb 4, 2006. Obviously we are playing different ones because some of you others got your finals alot earlier than i did. Hope we can see some one win so we know it's legit

oh my god!!!!, i got the same one too! Mine is also the Media Rig Contest and it is also due on February 4th! anyway, i hope at least one of us wins. best of luck to both of us!

[newstead_jr]

I entered the guitar rig contest and am in the finals right now. Upon seeing this thread I called up Rick and asked when I would get the puzzle. He was very polite and told me when I would get it, and I was in first for the contest w/ full scores on each puzzle. Judging from the e-mails from him which you all have posted, I'd say he's telling the truth. Good luck to everyone in a contest right now (just don't beat me)

[nakanenui]

hmmm. i wonder if its just one guy running a pyramid scheme. its been going on for decades and as long as he pays out once, its legit. how much does it cost to get to the final at $5 each entry. think about how many thousands, tens of thousands, and once on the net, hundreds of thousands... bloody marvelous idea.

[159357]

i think the contest is legit, anyway, best of luck to u guys

[redrocker00]

ok, today i got phase lll and lV on one sheet. i already finished it, and have it ready for shipment tomorrow. when i first started the contest, the FINE print stated that the contest ends on Mar. 6th 2006( give or take a few days, cant quiet remember the exact day ). now if i also remember correctly, if you dont get it right on the highest total on the previous stage, you dont get the next stage, or do you? im ready for stage 5( should be the final one right? ), but i would like to know how many people im competing against in this one. so i will call him tonite, and see what he has to say, and will reply tomorrow.

[Tripletime]

OK guys, I was surfing trying to find out more on this puzzle my son entered. He entered all three puzzles and has completed two of them with the third (Final Computer) coming in today. The first was the Video Gaming puzzle and it was due October 29th. I made copies of it for him and he scored over 17,000 but have not gotten a reply. I don't have a copy of the second but he scored a little over 16,000 on that one. Does anyone know who won those contests??? Thanks for the info.

[Rig]

I think they have an address you can send a SASE to them and they will send you the winner's list. I think it's like six to eight weeks after the contest is over though. And this is just from memory. It's been quite a few years ago that I entered.

[nakanenui]

any CAGs win?

[159357]

possible, but not likely

[Carcharoth]

Hi everyone that entered the baindramage contest.I in the past I had entered this contest when it was known as Pandemonium Inc. at that time I didn't win but when I entered the second time I won all 3 finals.Thats where the fight began.At that time Rick the contest owner lived in Minnesota and proceeded to move to Oregon with no forwarding address to me.After 3 or 4 months I tracked him down to where he is now and confronted him over the phone.He gave me a sob story that he had no money was going through a divorce and had no money to pay me.I didn't care I wanted my winnings and after more phone calls and heated arguments he sent me a small portion of what I was owed about a fourth of the total.It took almost a year from when I won to when I received even that much.You can imagine my surprise when a month later I noticed the same contest advertised again only this time under the name Puzzle-Me.So to see what would happen I entered again and I won 2 of the 3 finals (computer and Home Theater).Once again months went by with no prize winnings.Again I phoned him and this time he told me he was declaring bankruptcy and would'nt be able to pay me a dime.I thought it was a lie but a month later I received court documents from Oregon asking me to put a claim in but as he had no assets left in all likelyhood I would receive nothing so I didn't bother.Well imagine my suprise when about a year later the exact same contest contest was advertised yet again but know under the Rattlebrain.This time I couldn't enter because I had just turned 30 but I kept track of his company looking for problems through the better business bureau and sure enough a complaint was lodged against this contest as well.I hope this time will be different for whoever wins but from my own personal experienc I have my doubts it will.Also my winnings scores ranged from about 17,500 to a high of 18,418 anything under 17,000 unless the high letters are x or j will in all likelyhood not win.I hope this helps wondering about this contest

[Carcharoth]

One more thought on this. No one would know whether this contest was legitimate or not except the winner.Hundreds maybe thousands of people enter but only 1 to 3 people win.You do receive a winners copy but as 99.99% of the time it will be higher than your score(unless you win) the contest will seem legit as there is no second place prize.As far as ties go, in the video game contest there was a tie in April 10 1995 the score was 17,619.50 this occured when the contest was run under the name Pandemonium, so even that statement is false.

[159357]

WOW, Rick really wants to get rich quick

I have finished my Final Video Game and Media Rig Contests. I am expecting final Computer Contest Puzzle. I called Rick today and he said that it's going to come in March. He told me that he has already notified the Video Game Rig Contest Winner. As you may know, anybody that makes it to the finals gets a "special" prize, which is a magazine subscription, and he said that I should get it in April.

I hope that he's changed his scamming ways

[159357]

still waiting for my Computer Contest Puzzle

[159357]

bump

[Etude]

I entered one of these a looong time ago from Tips and Tricks. I think they mailed me one late, so I lost. I was pretty young, so I didn't think much about it.

[159357]

!@#$% rick lund

[Malth]

I enjoyed reading all the posts on this page, and decided to post my own story in case anyone else is trying to research this "company." Another page you need to read is: http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/12-week/, which shows many if not all of the advertisements for this contest. It is hard to find real information about the "company" that offers this contest. That is your first clue.

I entered the contest about 10 years (and countless incarnations of the "company") ago. I worked really hard on the final puzzle, which is difficult and variable enough that only one person is likely to get the high score. It requires you to use the Oxford English Dictionary and other dictionaries to find really obscure (and small) words, and fit them into a grid in such a way as to obtain the highest possible score. Long story short, I won. Imagine my pride at having beat all the thousands of people who entered the contest, and my anticipation of winning all this awesome stuff. Guess what?

That's right. I got nothing. What I did get was a series of what I believed to be official courtroom proceedings of the bankruptcy of what was "Pandemonium." I could not make a claim on what was due to me because the amount was too small. I went so far as to obtain a consultation from a lawyer, who directed me toward the Better Business Bureau. I was in college, and decided not to try to pursue legal action, because who has the time and money for that when what you're owed is relatively small (c. $20000), and you're trying to get it from a bankrupt company? And you're a broke college student?

I still have all the paperwork from everything I did for the contest, all my countless words that I found and the myriad grids I filled in trying to achieve the best score that I could, and let's not forget the documents of the bankruptcy proceedings. It all serves as a reminder of the hard work I did, which I am proud of, and the fact that there are people out there in this world like Rick Lund who are failed, worthless human beings who make a living preying on the dreams of innocent young people, stooping to the lowest depths and using the loopholes in the court system to continue to perpetuate a business scam, calling kids "sore losers" when they justifiably complain and critisize the operations of this puzzle contest. Just look at the number of times this "business" has changed names and addresses over the years, folks. Legitamate businesses change locations maybe once in 10 or 20 years, when they outgrow their location, want a bigger demographic, buy out another company, etc. But rarely do they change names frequently. Caveat Emptor. Yes, I probably should have known better, but like the others on this page I had seen the ad for a long time and was curious to see if it really was legit, and if so whether I could actually do what it took to win. What I got was a lesson in the dark side. Do not enter this contest. Put your money and energy to work in other endeavors that are likely to pay off.

As for Rick Lund, if I ever find him, I'm going to chop off his you-know-what and feed it to him. If someone hasn't already beaten me to the punch.

[Maklershed]

:-k

[abigoria]

Hello everyone...

It has been a long time since I entered Pandemonium and Puzzle Me contests. I have been a winner 3 times while under the name Pandemonium and 3 time winner under Puzzle Me. So a total of 6 times I have won.

As of this day though, I have only recieved enough money to pay just one out of the 6 times that I won. I have called Rick Lund so many times , and been so patient with him, and always when I talk to him on the phone I was giving a story of why he cant pay me, but always kept my hopes up that in the future he was going to be able to pay (example, after he runs another contest he would have money to pay me then)... So yeah I kept my hopes up, and yeah I got paid only $500 a month, and that $500 a month only lasted a few months because the company filed bankruptcy, and started up again under the name Puzzle Me.

I enter puzzle me contests and won 3 , but it didnt matter because the same thing happened again, although I got a little more this time then before, but still, I nearly won $50,000 total between the 6 contests, and maybe recieved a total of $6,000.. The figures are vague as its been so long ago and I can only base it on memory, although I do have all my records of my winnings.

So to anyone that enter this contest, its impossible to win if you dont know what you are doing, and if you do know what you are doing its still a slim chance on winning.. And finally , if you do win, I wouldnt expect to actually recieve what you won, based on my past experience with Pandemonium, Puzzle Me, and Rick Lund.

I am in total shock to find out that he has yet another contest going again under another name??? It is unbelievable how this can keep on going for all these years, but I guess its people like me that won, and just sit back and accept what he pays us and don't push it any further or take legal action, and that is why I am guessing he can still keep on running these contests!

If anyone on this forum wins the recent contests, I like to know how it turns out, with actually getting your prizes/money.

Good luck to anyone doing these contests!

[aduckie]

They had a Hey Arnold episode or something about this scam.

Quite funny.

[Sooner]

Doug had an episode about it.

[Ub3rChief]

Why doesn't somebody sue this guy?

I know we've got to have a few lawyers in here.