To end our first week of starting to let promoters know about automated entry competition services we’re having a spot the difference competition. It involves one of the sites, Prize Draw Centre. They’re the ones who seem to ignore competition terms and conditions about accepting automated entries!
Anyway – here’s the competition!
Image 1 – Prize Draw Centre Prize List, Google Cache 23rd September
Image 1 – Prize Draw Centre Prize Lists, 24th September
Spot the big difference?
Oh yes! Within a week of Loquax and Accolade Publishing asking compers to let promoters know about automated competition entries and their impact on comping, they’ve removed the sitenames from their prize list. Strange, don’t you think?
Perhaps they have something to hide? Something like the fact that they ignore terms and conditions of some of the competitions they enter on behalf of their subscribers. Given the comping knowledge of those behind the site you’d think that reading the rules was a top priority – especially as on one site they own, they even explain to compers in an FAQ “You should abide by the terms and conditions of the competition”.
Of course PDC won’t take responsibility for entering their subscribers into a competition that doesn’t accept automated entries. They state in their terms that they “cannot be held responsible for the disqualification of an entry based on the breach of the promoter’s terms and conditions”… even if they ignored them in the first place!
By the way, we’re told that there’s nothing illegal about automated entry services. This means that they will continue. You can also bet your bottom dollar that they won’t contact promoters and take up our challenge to be upfront with them (removing the sitename from the prize list isn’t proactive now is it?).
This further underlines the fact that compers need to get involved!
By letting promoters know how these sites work (and the above spot the difference is a case in point) and what steps they can take to do to stop them, then you can help make a difference.
Don’t let automated entries win!
Have tweeted, let’s hope the campaign raises awareness of automated entries.
[...] name details from their list of sites targeted. Now why would they do that? Another site – this one – likes to make their prize descriptions glib too. Again why do that? Most certainly not [...]
was just nosying through old blogs, really interesting. i noticed that the list of prize winners dated the 23rd sept actually states prizes being won on the 30th sept, seven days in the future. the fact that its not possible does make you question really