His dream of glory turns into a nightmare. This is the story of Mickael M., a forty-year-old from Péronne, in the Somme, convinced of holding the world record that was to change his life. In search of fame, both on the networks and by skimming the castings, Mickael hoped that a diploma stamped Guinness World Records would help him open doors that remained hopelessly closed to him. Except that despite himself, he bet all his savings on the wrong horse.
Persevering, Mickael has been appearing regularly at castings for years without ever landing the role of his life. After a while, he still said to himself that he was going to try another approach. “To attract attention, I had to do something tough, that’s how I thought of a world record. Quite simply,” he recalls. And since he frantically posts videos on TikTok, it was a friend who suggested he go in this direction. “I have about 12,000 videos on my page. No matter how much I looked at the accounts of very popular influencers, no one had as many as me, ”he says.
“In my head, there was only Guinness”
Mickael therefore undertakes to contact Guinness to go down in history as the record holder for posting videos on the Chinese social network. He therefore types “world record” on the Internet and clicks on the first link that appears. It is this click that will change everything, but not in a good way. “In my head, there was only Guinness, so I didn’t ask myself any questions,” he admits. But instead of arriving on the site of the famous Guinness Book, Mickael finds himself on that of the Official World Record (OWR), a kind of competitor of the prestigious institution.
To organize the approval of his record, Mickael must bring three judges from the OWR to Lille. Between the transport costs, the hotel and the miscellaneous expenses, he is claimed 5,200 euros. “I knew it was going to cost money, but I considered it an investment,” explains the forty-year-old. Without a job, he saves money by quitting smoking, tightening his belt and borrowing from friends. In a few months, he manages to collect the sum, which he pays to the OWR in five bank transfers. The last comes on February 18. “The next day, I realized that I had confused this site with the real Guinness, admits Mickael. So I asked for a refund. »
Guinness is almost free
Of the 5,200 euros, he only recovers 1,200 euros, the organization explaining to him that a contract binds them and that costs have been incurred. The forties, he invokes his European right to withdrawal and filed a complaint for “fraud”. Contacted by 20 minutes, the DGCCRF is a little perplexed. “If there is a start of the execution of the service but that all the service has not been rendered, it will remain liable for what has already been done by the organization”, we are told. And if the OWR does not want to hear anything and the conditions for withdrawal are not met, it has only two solutions left: “Either an amicable agreement, or a court decision which breaks the contract”, specifies the DGCCRF. And for this last point, it is not enough to say “oupsi, I confused”. Mickael will have to prove that the OWR maintained the confusion with Guinness, which is not the case.
Especially since, contacted by 20 minutes, the “real” Guinness, ensures that its record approvals can be free. “It is free to apply for a Guinness World Records title. If you want the opening of a new title, there will be an application fee of 5 books”, we are told. It is up to the applicant to pay a bailiff to ensure the conformity of the record or, if he wishes, to request the presence of an official judge. But in this case, the rate is no longer the same, negotiated directly with the Guinness consulting service.