Hurricane Relief Benefit Auction
Phone Scoop and several other tech web sites are holding a charity auction to benefit the Red Cross in this time of urgent need. With the help of several generous donors within the industry, we're auctioning off some truly top-shelf gadgets.
Those of us lucky enough to have avoided Hurricane Katrina's wrath sit awestruck in front of our TVs and computers, staring at images of the hundred thousands of people who have been forced to abandon their homes and the uncounted who weren't as lucky. We're sad, angry, shocked and frustrated. There's so little we can do stuck at a computer or in a store all day long. So what can we do?
A few months ago we auctioned off a few goodies from Motorola to raise money for the EFF and it worked out very well. With just two phones and a Bluetooth kit we raised $900. We did it before and we can do it again. Only this time we have more phones, and hope to raise much more money. And this time we've brought along some friends too, so if you aren't interested in any of our auctions, Gizmodo, All About Symbian and Geekzone are doing auctions as well. (See below.)
As you no doubt already know, this isn't for just any charity - it's absolutely the most urgent call for help that the American Red Cross has ever made, and you only have to turn on a TV or read a newspaper to understand why.
...and that's why many of you have already donated as much you can, which is certainly appreciated. But we also know that many of you have a budget set aside for your gadget needs, (or addiction, as the case may be,) and so perhaps this is a way to contribute even more than you thought possible, by buying a new gadget while donating 100% to charity - a truly win-win-win situation.
(Even if you can't bid, or are out-bid, please see "Other ways you can help" below for ways you can help hurricane victims that you may not know about.)
So many choices
Our contacts at various companies have been moved to generously donate some great phones for you to bid on:
Bidding is now closed on the Nokia 5140, Nokia 7270, Audiovox SMT5600, Siemens SX66, and Sony Ericsson S710a, but two auctions are still open:
NEW! As a last-minute addition, we have an exclusive white version of the stylish Samsung P207! (shown at right) Actually, we're auctioning off two of 'em! You can't buy these in stores!
Other previous auctions (now closed) included a Kyocera KX2, Audiovox XV6600, Nokia CK-1W pro-install car kit, and a Parrot EasyDrive car kit. We also partnered with Gizmodo to auction off a set of Oakley Thump MP3-playing sunglasses, and an Atari Flashback 2 games console.
NEW! And finally, The Gizmo Ranch is auctioning off an i-mate JAM here on Phone Scoop. The JAM is truly tiny for a full-featured device running Microsoft Winows Mobile for Pocket PC.
How to win
We are auctioning off the phones in the Phone Scoop forums. In order to bid, you need to register as a phonescoop.com user if you are not one already. This does not cost anything and we value your privacy so you will never be spammed.
Once registered, bidding is simple. Go to the thread for phone you want to win and place a bid at least one dollar higher than the current winning bid. Your bid should be in the subject line of your post. All bids should be in whole dollar amounts. The bidding for the remaining items will end at 1 pm Eastern time (10 am Pacific) this Friday, September 16. The highest bid in each thread when bidding ends will be the winner.
Remember, this isn't just an auction, this is an auction for charity. Phone Scoop will not get a cent of your money. That is why we are starting the bidding higher than your typical eBay auction.
Once you have been notified that you are the winner, you can make a donation directly to the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina fund for the amount of the winning bid (or even more if you're feeling generous). The Red Cross accepts credit card payment forms online, by mail or by phone. Do not make an anonymous donation or we will not be able to verify it. After donating, you will receive a confirmation email from the Red Cross which you will forward to an address we give you. Once we can verify you have donated an amount equal to or greater than your winning bid, we will request your mailing address and send your prize to arrive within 14 days. (It will probably arrive sooner, but we need to cover our behinds, OK?)
Start your bidding
NEW! Bid on a white Samsung P207
Gizmo Ranch auction:
Auctions on other sites:
Other ways you can help
The Red Cross accepts more than just your money.
- Donate blood.
- Donate frequent flier miles from many major airlines' frequent-flier programs to help the Red Cross get qualified aid workers where they are needed.
- Volunteer.
- Donate goods, such as food, clothing cleaning supplies to help get families back on their feet.
The Salvation Army is also accepting similar donations as well as cash to assist families as they try to restore their lives once allowed back into their homes.
If you would like to help in a high-tech manner, there are a number of things you can do yourself or to help those who are in the trenches. You can use your surfing and writing skills to help connect survivors or keep fellow surfers informed. Or you could help Jake and Joel gather the supplies they need to help get communications (an FM radio station, internet access and phone service) running at the Houston Astrodome and other large shelters.
Rules & Disclaimers
- The deadline to bid is 1 PM EDT (10 AM PDT) Wednesday, September 14. The list of eligible bids will be frozen at that time. A bid placed at 12:59:59 will be valid, but one placed at 1:00:00 will not be considered valid.
- Winners will be contacted via e-mail by Wednesday, September 14.
- A list of winning usernames will be published on this page by Thursday, September 15.
- Please allow 14 days after your donation to the Red Cross has been confirmed to receive your prizes.
- All above dates and times are extended 48 hours for the white Samsung P207 auction and the i-mate JAM auction, and those auctions only.
- Winners are guaranteed the prize they bid for, but we cannot guarantee the phone or car kit works with your current wireless service / handset.
- Phones do not include wireless service.
- Any suspected attempt to cheat or subvert the bidding process in any way will result in unconditional disqualification of involved user(s).
- Microsoft, Audiovox, Siemens, Nokia, Kyocera, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, their affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, representatives, agents, and employees (collectively the "Entities") will have no liability or responsibility for any claim arising in connection with this auction or any prize awarded. The entities above have not offered or sponsored this auction in any way. By participating in this auction, bidders agree to release and hold harmless Entities from any and all liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising from or in connection with, either directly or indirectly, 1) the awarding, acceptance, receipt, possession, use and/or misuse of any prize awarded herein; or 2) participation in the auction or any prize related activities, including but not limited to traveling to or from any prize related activity.
