Every now and then, businesses blunder by running less-than-well-thought-out promotions, providing canny consumers with the opportunity to take advantage of these windfalls for very little (if any) outlay. Alternatively, sometimes the fabulous giveaway is naught but a widespread rumor.

These are tales of promotions gone wrong and the companies who either paid up or found some wiggle room as well as stories about legendary promotions and freebies that never were.