Since 2020, the legendary Canadian sweepstakes known by many as “Roll Up” has been digitized, requiring a smartphone, a QR code, and plenty of patience for technical errors.

The most recent error has left many Tim Hortons customers feeling disappointed after they learned that a recent grand prize win was the result of a “human error” and should be disregarded.

“I was ecstatic,” Lisa Brooks recalls in an email to CHCH News. “I was sent an email congratulating me …  I thought, ‘Finally we won something!’ [only to] see on Facebook that several people received this notice and that it was a terrible mistake.”

She says she went from being completely elated to “super disappointed and depressed.”

lol I also won a boat lol. Went to Tim Hortons and they said they have had 10 people come in and say the same thing. I think they owe us all.

— Jay Walker (@jaywalker_24) April 17, 2024

Brooks, like many others, is sharing their disappointment after a 2024 recap in the Tim Hortons app mistakenly told her and many others that they had won a boat.

The prize was a $55,000 boat with a trailer, one of the grand prizes of the entire competition. According to Tim Hortons prize list, only one was slated to be given away, not hundreds.

“Please disregard the content of that email”

The mistake has drawn the ire of many, and in the wake of the glitch, many have taken their thoughts to social media, prompting the coffee chain to do some damage control.

“We’re reaching out to let you know that technical errors may have resulted in incorrect
information about rolls or prizes being included in your Roll Up to Win recap email which
you received today,” the company said in a statement. “Please disregard the content of that email.”

Tim Hortons says that customers who have won will know instantly during the revealing process, adding that any large prizes will have a verification process that goes along with them.

Troy Ledger was another Tim Hortons customer who received the disappointing news about his recent ‘Roll up the Rim’ win.

Ledger says he was excited about the win and could have used the money from selling the boat to help him and his family get by in today’s tough economy.

“I got an email back saying it was a technical error please disregard the following email you’ve got saying you won a boat,” said Ledger.

“We know that the millions of prizes won in our contest were distributed to winners
accurately and as per our contest rules. The issue we are addressing in this email is solely
related to the accuracy of the recap email from today, which in some cases may not have
been correct,” it said, before going on to issue an apology.

This isn’t the first time the digital version of the Roll Up competition has been marred by technical error.

Last year, the company mistakenly awarded several $10,000 American Express card wins to its customers — a mistake it again had to rescind, instead offering up a $50 gift card as recourse for their trouble.

READ MORE: Roll Up to Win contest glitch causes multiple fake $10K wins

Alanna O’Hoski and her husband Marcin Sambor were also dreaming of what they’d do with the prize after getting the winning email.

“I do have my boating licence but I know the money would be better for us right now,” as they planned to use the money to pay off student loans and place a down payment on a house.

A Tim Hortons “You Won A Boat” Facebook Group, is also growing online with well over a thousand members.

O’Hoski said she is disappointed in the way the company is handling the issue.

Across Canada, there have been calls for lawsuits and boycotts of Tim Hortons.

“I’m just an everyday guy working and when you get something like this you kind of think your day’s going to be a little bit brighter, you see the light at the end of the rainbow kind of deal, everybody’s in debt right, this would have been nice to help out (with some of the debt that I have),” says Ledger.