The idea behind scratchoff games is that you scratch the surface of your ticket using a coin to reveal a discount or prize. Dunkin’ Donuts is currently running a trivia game promotion with scratchoff tickets. Sounds fun…except for how many of the game pieces are defective.

Last week, a Dunkin’ Donuts representative told Redeye Chicago that while there are some defective pieces out there, it’s not a widespread problem. “We have found a small percentage of game pieces are difficult to scratch,” they wrote. “I have had no trouble and I’m a frequent customer!”

Reader Doug is a regular customer, too, and he reports that he hasn’t found a game piece yet that he successfully scratched without destroying. “My cynical Consumerist mind is tempted to think it is deliberate to reduce the number of winners,” he grumbles.

We try not to attribute things to malice that could be due to incompetence or someone at the printer using paper from the wrong stack. We can’t disagree with hard evidence, though: Doug put some of his own game pieces in a scanner to illustrate the problem.

Even if this is a rare problem, it’s common enough that Dunkin’ Donuts has a dedicated site for claiming a replacement game piece if yours is defective. You can get replacements there if you rip your game piece. More importantly, know that you’re not alone.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.