DATE: Monday, April 21, 1997                TAG: 9704190058

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Larry Maddry 

                                            LENGTH:   85 lines

THE COOKIE RECIPE CRUMBLES IN INTERNET HOAX

THE INTERNET is well named.

At least the ``net'' part. There are some monstrously big stories to be caught.

But be warned, lies bigger than whales can flop across your computer screen. Some surface in your e-mail.

I got the following e-mail message this week, passed along by a good friend who wanted to share a good story about getting even. The sender believed it was true.

Here's a story forwarded to me about corporate greed. THIS IS TRUE - PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT AND PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON YOU KNOW WHO HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS. . . . THIS IS REALLY TERRIFIC.

My daughter and I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because both of us are cookie lovers, we decided to try the ``Neiman-Marcus Cookie.''

(The writer injected a comment explaining that Neiman-Marcus is a very expensive department store.)

It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe, and the waitress said with a small frown, ``I'm afraid not.''

Well, I said, would you let me buy the recipe? With a cute smile, she said, ``Yes.'' I asked how much, and she responded, ``Only two-fifty, it's a great deal!'' I said, with approval, please add it to my tab.

Thirty days later, I received my Visa statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, ``Cookie Recipe - $250.'' That's outrageous.

I called Neiman's accounting department and told them the waitress said it was ``two-fifty,'' which clearly does not mean ``two hundred and fifty dollars'' by any POSSIBLE interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge.

They would not refund my money, because, according to them, ``What the waitress told you is not our problem. You have already seen the recipe - we absolutely will not refund your money.''

I explained to her the criminal statutes which govern fraud in Texas; I threatened to refer them to the Better Business Bureau and the state's attorney general for engaging in fraud. I was basically told, ``Do what you want, we don't give a c--p, we're not refunding your money.''

I waited, thinking of how I could get even, or even try and get any of my money back. I just said, ``Okay, you folks got my $250, and now I'm going to have $250 worth of fun.'' I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the United States with an e-mail account has a $250 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus . . . for free.

She replied: ``I wish you wouldn't do this.'' I said, ``Well, you should have thought of that before you ripped me off,'' and slammed down the phone on her.

So here it is:

(A complete cookie recipe followed.)

After reading the message, which had been sent to dozens of Internet users in Hampton Roads - possibly hundreds - I thought Neiman-Marcus should be ashamed of itself.

But upon phoning the Dallas headquarters of the department store, I learned that - like others - I had been taken in by a hoax.

It turns out the fraudulent story is not only a fake, but an old one as well. ``The story not only isn't true but it has been kicking around for about 10 years,'' said Jodie Corley, the director of corporate communications for Neiman-Marcus.

She said it was one of those urban myths like alligators in our sewers and the one about Reggie Jackson's getting on an elevator. (The myth was that the huge former New Yankee got on an elevator with his dog, told it to sit and was so intimidating that all the passengers sat along with the dog.)

Corely said the cookie story has been given new life on the Internet even though Neiman-Marcus debunks it on its web page.

Over the past 10 years the department store has gotten many, many letters and phone calls complaining about treatment of the fictitious woman who was bilked out of her $250 for a cookie recipe. ``We've heard from about every state and Canada,'' Corely said.

She said that when the story first surfaced, Neiman-Marcus didn't have a cookie or a recipe but - because of the hoax - has since added a chocolate chip cookie to the menu and gives free copies of the recipe for it upon request.

And, just for the record, the department store doesn't accept Visa cards (just its own cards and American Express).

Corley has no doubt that the story will resurface somewhere - in another part of the country - before long.

``Here at Marcus we refer to it as the `cookie that won't crumble,' '' she said with a sigh.

Just an urban tale on e-mail.

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