Kat Surth is a model who runs her own video production business, specializing in “fetish modeling.” Her models shave their heads, throw pies at one another or get dressed in a shirt and tie. Some people will pay money to see other people do these things. Surth has also produced a series of photos and videos in which she torches Barbie Dolls or dismembers them with power tools.

Surth may not have the most conventional profession, but she does believe that running a business has some basic rules. And that’s why she was so perturbed when she won a costume contest but never received the promised cash prize.

“You’ve got to take care of your customers,” she said.

The flyer for the 1980s retro party at Bar Fly in downtown Minneapolis advertised $500 in “cash & prizes” for the winners of the lip-sync contest and “totally excellent cash and prizes” for the “Fashion Flashbacks Fashion Show.” Surth spent two days combing thrift stores to pull together her costume. Green-tinted hair, a pink fanny pack, striped leggings, and of course, roller skates. She never had any doubt she would win.

“I’ve been modeling for many, many years,” said Surth, who’s 28 and lives in Brooklyn Park. “When I have a goal, like winning something, like dressing up the part, I can do it.”

In a sea of off-the-shoulder tops, leggings and bangles, Surth was pronounced the winner. She didn’t hang around until the end of the party to learn what she had won.

In May, Surth exchanged emails with Omar Sharief, Bar Fly’s night manager, in which he said he would send $75 cash through the mail. Surth didn’t think that was a good idea. She asked for a check. No check arrived in the mail. Surth couldn’t get anyone at Bar Fly to call her back.

The winner of the lip-sync contest that night, Stephanie Holden, also hasn’t gotten any prize.

When I contacted Eric Olson, whose company organized the party, he said responsibility for awarding the prize lay with Bar Fly. Then I got a call from Bar Fly owner Crissy Kabanuk, who said she didn’t know that Surth was still awaiting a prize - despite acknowledging that the Better Business Bureau had called the bar as a result of Surth’s complaint.

“We wouldn’t stiff them for $75,” Kabanuk said. The fallout would be far more costly, she noted.

Kabanuk spoke to Surth on Tuesday night. Surth said she’s now been promised a $75 check and a gift certificate for a “bottle service,” essentially enough booze for a party with her friends at Bar Fly.

Not being much of a drinker, Surth isn’t sure she’ll ever use the gift certificate. She’s happy that she’s apparently on the verge of getting her prize, but said she’ll have to “see it to believe it.”

In the interests of full disclosure, the Star Tribune’s entertainment publication, vita.mn, was a co-sponsor of the party, but didn’t have anything to do with the prizes.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm and is filed under Complaint sagas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.