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January 20th, 2008
11:26 pm
News
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An article in The Sunday Mirror reports that lucky Lorna Carr has won £1million from a newspaper scratchcard. She spotted the scratchcard after it fell from her sunday newspaper magazine and had a go. The result was she became Purely Creative’s first million pound winner.
So who are Purely Creative?
Well, they’re the company who produce the scratchcards - and they’re owned by DM PLC. Yes, that’s the same company who are behind The Prize Register and The Winners Club (ironically who The Sunday Mirror investigated in a previous article)!
The good news then is that people do win big prizes with these scratchcards, but let’s put this in a bit of perspective. Lorna is the first million pound winner in 18 years! According to The Sunday Mirror’s report calls to the hotline cost £1.50 and can last up to 6 minutes.
That means you’re potentially paying £9 to see if you can become a scratchcard millionaire - currently with one winner in 18 years! Who knows what the actual odds of winning are!
With chances like that is it really worth spending money on a premium rate phone line? The National Lottery probably has better odds.. and at least there are regular winners!
Popularity: 7% [?]
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January 19th, 2008
11:52 am
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This week compers have been receiving letters from a brand new localised Prize Register service. Stockport, Milton Keynes, Cardiff, Wigan, Birmingham, Manchester, Portsmouth, Wolverhampton, Stoke on Trent, Torquay, Sheffield and Carlisle are just some of the “lucky” UK areas who now have their own Prize Register. We’re also told there’s a Northern Ireland one too!
The letter, though, is very familiar to experienced compers: You’re told you’ve won something from a list of prizes and to ring a premium rate telephone number to collect your prize or you can contact the UK Prize Register, PO Box 78, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 9ZU for a no purchase necessary entry.
So why is it familiar? It’s because this it is fact are old friends at the Unclaimed Prize Register. These are also known as McIntyre & Dodd Marketing or The Prize Winners Club Or Purely Creative or Strike Lucky Games and all are owned by the same company DM PLC.
If you’re wondering why you’re getting this kind of mail through the door then you can contact DM PLC for an explanation. Apparently, according to information they gave The Guardian, they’re happy to explain to you details of your previous competition entries with them on request.
So should you enter these competitions?
We’d suggest binning it and shredding it. If it’s a letter from the Prize Register or a scratchcard in your newspaper - put them in the bin (or recycle them if you can to be environmentally friendly). There are better competitions to enter and they won’t cost you a penny.
However, if you’re tempted to spend money on a premium call then it’s worth reading the reports from The Guardian and The Mirror, both of whom investigated these offers.
Many thanks to the compers who provided details and information!
Popularity: 8% [?]
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January 11th, 2008
11:15 pm
News
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Susmans Suspend Their Competition
As of 11th January Biltong have stopped their competition. A note on their website states “Unfortunately we have suspended this until further notice due to a sad person abusing this great competition”. Loquax has contacted Biltong and are hoping to find out what has happened. Why anyone would abuse this competition is beyond us, but it’s sad that a long running competition could be lost.
Mansized Limit Entries To Regulars
Most competitions simply require you to answer a question and send in your details. You might have to register too. Mansized have taken things a huge step futher - for their new Xbox 360 competition “You need to post 50 times on our message boards to enter”. If you’re a regular poster then you have a good chance of getting a brand new console. In their recent competition a Macbook went to a ‘non-regular’ and so it seems to us that Mansized have reacted to keep their regular contributors happy.
Selling Prizes
We all know that many compers enter competitions to get something for nothing, and on occasions may sell their winnings. Fair enough! However, promoters often don’t like the idea that their giveaways are ending up on eBay or being sold, especially if the prize is high value or limited to specific usergroups (e.g. signed guitar, diving gear etc). By all means sell or swap your prizes (they’re yours to do what you like) - but perhaps it’s best not to announce you’re doing it from the roof tops, eh?
So how are these three items related?
Well, Loquax believes compers should be aware of the promoter and respect them for giving something away for free - and by not respecting the promoters could lead to more suspensions or tougher entry limits.
As compers we should be at least seen to be engaging with the promoters website, taking time to read their competition details, taking in their terms and conditions, answering the questions as required (not waiting to be handed the answer) and if we’re lucky enough to win - thank the promoter accordingly.
OK, the above is a utopian idea, but the point is this - just stop for a moment when filling in a form to enter a competition and consider the promoter and the site you’re visiting. It might not stop competitions being suspended or having hefty entry restrictions imposed or the prize eventually ending up on eBay, but at least promoters will know that some compers are trying to be a bit more considerate towards them!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Loquax has received a number of emails today from the latest competition winners at computer game review site AceGamez. This is obviously in response to a note we’ve had on Loquax about if anyone won prizes with this site.
We can safely say that they do! Here are just a few of the emails we received today:
I’ve recently won a DVD and a PC game from Ace Gamez, they asked me to let you know.
Last year I won a game at Acegamez. I did post about it but as I have another email from them asking me to let you know (again) I am therefore doing so
My first win on AceGamez was a PlayStation 2 game called Safari Adventures Africa I am a regular visitor to Loquax and AceGamez.
Loquax regularly visits a vast number of sites that run numerous competitions and it does concern us that so few have winners lists or wins reported, not just from compers from this site. It is of concern to compers too as demonstrated in the Have You Ever Seen a Winner… thread on the forums.
By announcing winners a website demonstrates that their competition has been completed and (in the case of ongoing monthly prize draws) is still running. In turn a winner announcing their win on a competition forum can generate interest and good will for that site too.
Well done to AceGamez for making the effort to demonstrate that they are a comping friendly site.
Popularity: 1% [?]
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December 30th, 2007
11:48 pm
News
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After an annus horribilis for phone in competitions there’s some good news to start 2008! The BBC have decided to resume premium rate phone in competitions (for example Goal of the Month on Match of the Day and Popmaster on Radio 2), however call costs are capped at just 15p!
The news follows publication of The BBC’s new code of conduct for competitions which put in simple terms means “every entry to a contest should have a fair chance of winning” and that winners should be genuine”.
There’s currently no news if online competitions will also resume, however BBC local radio prize draws had been in decline well before the phone in scandals were unveiled. BBC Film, Drama and Sport competitions were also few and far between. It may well be that with the low premium rate entry costs online competitions will be replaced by promotion of these competitions.
The BBC are the last of the TV companies to resume competitions. GMTV are back running online prize draws, whilst ITV now offer free online entry routes for their premium rate competitions that appear on the likes of This Morning and Saturday Cooks. Channel 4 who were recently fined £1.5million for problems with Deal or No Deal and Richard and Judy competitions have axed all premium rate competitions.
Popularity: 1% [?]
