1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY: NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. PURCHASING PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FROM MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC (THE SPONSOR) OR FROM ANY AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS, WILL NOT INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. CHANCES OF WINNING WITHOUT BUYING PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FROM THE SPONSOR OR FROM ANY AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS ARE THE SAME AS THE CHANCES OF SOMEONE WHO PURCHASES SUCH PRODUCTS OR SERVICES.
ELIGIBILITY: Except as provided in this paragraph, the "Mercedes-Benz Southern California Dealer Service Sweepstakes" ("Sweepstakes") is open to all legal residents of California who, at the time of entry are (i) eighteen (18) years of age or older, (ii) reside in one of the following zip codes, 90001 through 93199, (Excluding: 92267, 92328, 92384, 92389), 93214, 93243, 93254, 93427, 93429, 93434, 93436 through 93441, 93454 through 93460, 93463, 93464, 93510, 93524, 93532 through 93539, 93543, 93544, 93550 through 93553, 93563, 93584, 93586, 93590, 93591, 93599 and (iii) can provide proof of current ownership or leasehold of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. Persons in any of the following categories are NOT eligible to participate or win prizes in the Sweepstakes: (a) persons who are residents of any state other than California; (b) persons engaged in the development, production or distribution of any materials associated with the Sweepstakes or in the operation of the Sweepstakes; (c) persons who are employees, officers or directors of the Sponsor, the Illinois limited liability company known as Core 12, LLC, any Authorized Mercedes-Benz Dealers or any other business entity engaged in operating the Sweepstakes or selecting the winners of the Sweepstakes; (d) persons who are immediate family members (spouses, biological or step- mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, or son, or the spouse thereof) of persons identified in categories "(b)" and "(c)" of this paragraph. The Sweepstakes is subject to applicable laws and regulations, and is void where prohibited. Sponsor reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of Sweepstakes winners by any reasonable method, including, but not limited to, requiring Sweepstakes winners to execute and return an affidavit of eligibility within a specified time prior to receiving any prize awarded in the Sweepstakes.
3. HOW TO ENTER: There are two ways to enter, online and by mail. To enter online, go to mbsocalservice.com during the Entry Period and follow the link to Enter. You will be taken to the Mercedes-Benz Southern California Dealer Service Sweepstakes registration page and asked to register (registration is free). To register, provide your name, address, city, state, zip code, e-mail address, phone, confirm age over 18, make, model, year and years owned of current vehicle. Registration is limited to one entry per household.
HOW TO PLAY BY MAIL, WITHOUT PURCHASE OR ONLINE ACCESS: To play by mail, submit a 3"x5" card legibly hand-printed with your name, address, city, state, zip code, e-mail address, phone, confirm age over 18, make, model, year and years owned of current vehicle and mail to: Mercedes-Benz Southern California Dealer Service Sweepstakes, 600 W. Van Buren St., Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60607. Entries will be accepted beginning December 14, 2008, must be postmarked by February 15, 2009, and received no later than February 20, 2009. All entries must be stamped and mailed separately. No metered mail accepted. No online participation is necessary to enter or win any prize. Online participation will not increase your odds of winning.
ADDITIONAL SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES: Additional sweepstakes entries may be obtained by referring up to ten (10) eligible participants to register for the sweepstakes via either the online or mail registration method. Additional entries will be credited for each additional email address submitted by the participant that subsequently registers for the Sweepstakes. Limit ten (10) additional entries per household.
FOR BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE ENTRANTS: In no event may one entrant, email address receive more than 11 Sweepstakes entries, regardless of method of entry.
4. ENTRY PERIOD: The Sweepstakes begins at 12:00 a.m. (CST) on December 15, 2008, and ends at 11:59 p.m. (CST) on February 15, 2009.
5. PRIZES/APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUES/ODDS: 1st place prize is a $3,000 debit card affiliated to a gas station of the winners choosing. Only one (1) 1st place prize shall be awarded. The odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received.
6. WINNER SELECTION/NOTIFICATION: After the conclusion of the Entry Period, a random drawing of all the entries submitted during the Entry Period will take place to select the winner. The first name drawn that is a valid entrant will be the winner. The winner will be contacted first by email and secondly via the U.S. postal service. Sponsor reserves right to verify prize award and compliance of winner with Official Rules, including requiring the signing and return within a specified time of a Declaration of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release. Failure of any entrant to timely sign and return documents that may be required by Sponsor or to timely provide address for prize delivery or return of any prize will result in forfeiture of prize and where feasible an alternate winner will be selected.
7. LIST OF WINNERS: The name of prize winner will be available after March 15, 2009 and until July 31, 2009. To obtain a list of winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Mercedes-Benz Southern California Dealer Service Sweepstakes, 600 W. Van Buren St., Suite 1010, Chicago, IL 60607, ATTENTION: SWEEPS NAME WINNER LIST.
8. SPONSOR OF SWEEPSTAKES: The Sponsor of the Sweepstakes is Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC 1 Mercedes Drive, Montvale, NJ 07645
9. GENERAL CONDITIONS: By participating in the Sweepstakes, entrant agrees to be bound by all applicable laws and regulations, and by these Official Rules, and further agrees that the decisions of the independent judges of the Sweepstakes shall be final and binding in all respects. Acceptance of any prize constitutes permission for Sponsor and its agents to use the prizewinner's name and likeness for advertising, promotional and other purposes without additional compensation, unless such use is prohibited by law. BY ENTERING THE SWEEPSTAKES, PARTICIPANTS AGREE TO HOLD SPONSOR AND ITS RESPECTIVE SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, PRIZE SUPPLIERS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS, INCLUDING THE ILLINOIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES KNOWN AS CORE 12, LLC, AND ALL AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS HARMLESS FROM ANY INJURIES, LOSS, DAMAGE OR LIABILITY OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SWEEPSTAKES OR THE ACCEPTANCE OR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SWEEPSTAKES.
10. SPECIAL COMPUTER/INTERNET CONDITIONS: SPECIAL COMPUTER/INTERNET CONDITIONS: MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC AND CORE 12, LLC and each of their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents, and employees (the "Released Parties") are not responsible for technical, hardware, software, telecommunications, network, electronic, or telephone malfunctions or failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, incomplete, inaccurate, garbled or delayed electronic communications caused by the user or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Sweepstakes or by any human or other error which may occur, or for entries which are late, lost, stolen, misdirected, postage-due, garbled, delayed by computer transmissions, damaged or illegible. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify this Sweepstakes if fraud, technical failures (including but not limited to computer virus, bugs or unauthorized intervention) or any other factor beyond Sponsor's reasonable control impairs the integrity of the Sweepstakes, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. In such event, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prizes at random from among the eligible, non-suspect online and mail-in entries received up to the time of the impairment. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the Sweepstakes or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an online entrant based on a submitted e-mail address, entrant will be deemed the "registered subscriber" of the e-mail account at issue. The "registered subscriber" shall be deemed the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. Proof of mailing or entering information at website does not constitute proof of delivery or receipt. The use of any automated launching or entry software or any other mechanical or electronic means that permit the entrant to automatically enter repeatedly is prohibited. ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PERSON TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAW, AND, SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. SPONSOR'S FAILURE TO ENFORCE ANY TERM OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF THAT PROVISION. Internet access and usage charges applicable to an online entrant's account, including local, long distance, or other access charges to reach an internet service provider, and/or any usage charges applicable under an entrant's internet service plan and any applicable taxes may apply while an entrant is online in connection with this Sweepstakes, and will be the sole responsibility of such entrant.
11. GOVERNING LAW: All aspects of the operation of the Sweepstakes, as well as the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, as well as the respective rights of the Sponsor of, participants in, and winners of the Sweepstakes, shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of California, regardless of any choice-of-law or conflict-of-law rules that would result in the application of any other law. By participating in the Sweepstakes, all participants agree that any dispute they may have with the Sponsor of the Sweepstakes or any other person or entity involved in the development, advertisement or operation of the Sweepstakes, or that they may have with respect to the award of any prize(s) offered in the Sweepstakes, will be resolved individually, without the resort to any form of class or representative action, in accordance with those laws and in the courts of New Jersey.
12. TAXES ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNERS: Any local, state or federal taxes associated with any prize awarded in connection with the Sweepstakes are the sole responsibility of the winner of the prize. Neither Sponsor nor any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, prize suppliers, employees and agents, including the Illinois limited liability company known as Core 12, LLC or any Authorized Mercedes-Benz Dealers shall be liable for the payment of any taxes associated with such prizes.
