Coors Light Canada angered several potential customers Monday in Toronto when a contest it was running inadvertently disrupted the city's streetcar system at a busy intersection during rush hour.
CBC News reports the brand left a briefcase with its logo on it at the corner of Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West. Though the briefcase was merely a part of the brand's "Search+Rescue" scavenger hunt, a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service confirmed that a civilian reported it as a "suspicious package."
The ensuing police investigation caused delays on the 501 Queen and 510 Spadina streetcar lines, and led to this awkward Twitter interaction between the Toronto Transit Commission and Coors Light.
The Toronto Transit Commission gave the all-clear about an hour after it contacted Coors Light Canada, but not before snarky commenters and angry commuters gave the brand a piece of their mind.
@coorslightca found a briefcase, but the cops wouldn't let me have it (bomb squad called dibs) #searchandrescue pic.twitter.com/i1CJeQk3eF
- Selina Chan (@Selina50mm) July 7, 2014
.@coorslightca @TTCnotices Awesome. You're the reason it took me an extra 20 minutes to get home from work. I'll continue avoiding your beer
- andy gardner (@plorry) July 7, 2014
.@coorslightca @TTCnotices shouldn't your beer stand for itself? Why do you need to have the bomb squad called to get people to drink it?
- Adam McKerlie (@adammckerlie) July 7, 2014
@coorslightca do you guys even think before you plan this stuff? A lot of people are late, pissed off, and screwed over thanks to you.
- Alison (@roundraglanroad) July 7, 2014
As part of the Search+Rescue contest, Coors Light placed 880 briefcases across Canada, with each briefcase containing a summer-themed prize like a package of wakeboarding gear or a free rafting trip.
The brand announced Monday on Twitter that it has canceled the contest, and it is now working to make amends with the people whose commutes it disrupted, as well as the contestants who searched for the briefcases only to find out the competition had ended.
@TheRealBlair1 Let's see if we can make amends. Follow and send us a DM?
- Coors Light Canada (@coorslightca) July 8, 2014
