Action 9: Man fights to receive cruise he won in raffle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Huntersville man won a raffle for a cruise but had trouble getting the people behind the prize to make good on it.

Jean Claude Guerrier couldn't believe his luck.

He attended an event last year at Charlotte Country Club, an event for people with ties to France. He's from Haiti.

He entered the raffle for the cruise and won.

He thought of using the trip to return to Haiti and maybe see relatives. But, months passed with no clear information on how to claim his prize.

"Everybody kept giving me the runaround," he said.

He was still waiting 10 months later.

"I thought maybe right now I'd have a choice where I want to go, been planning, been booking my cruise," he told Action 9 at the time.

Better Business Bureau president Tom Bartholomy said in cases like this, when a prize is awarded, see if there's a disclaimer.

If not, the donor and event organizer can't just back out. 
 
"They advertise something that was supposed to take place and, if it doesn't take place, there's a responsibility there," he said. 
 
If you win a prize and have trouble collecting it, you may want to sue if it's that important to you.
 
Just make sure you go after the event sponsors. 
 
Your relationship is with them. Let them go after the donor.
 
So for five months, Action 9 went back and forth between the company that donated the cruise – Paycation -- and the group that put on the event -- The French Alliance. 
 
Paycation's owner told Action 9 she had suffered a stroke, didn't attend the event, and was "under no obligation to" provide the cruise. 
 
Ultimately, The French Alliance resolved the situation, but won't say how.  
 
The group made Guerrier sign an agreement not to share those details publicly. He got his prize but it just took longer than expected.

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