WANTED: Your comping questions

Hi Di, I have a question!

Is there anything you can do if a prize is not as described. I recently 'won' a competition that was advertised as a prize pack worth over a £1000 but when it arrived it was just a box of fliers and a few posters- Definately not worth what the promoter was saying! I know a few other people who have also won with this competition and have been really disappointed with the prize.Is there anything I can do about this?

I recently entered a Facebook competition where the promoter does not appear to have carried out the prize draw when they said they would. I posted on their wall asking when the prize would be drawn but no response. Is there anything I can do?

I would definately like to know if the automated entry services are worth investing in. I also am unsure how applications like tweetdeck can help you when comping on twitter. I know a lot of compers use it but I don't have a clue!

Great questions Esther - I'll use your first two in the first 'clinic ' about how to complain!

As for Automated Entry Services - definitely DO NOT invest in them. There are lots of reasons why, which I'll cover in a future blog. For now, read more at my Superlucky blog at http://super-lucky.blogspot.com/2011/09/say-no-to-automated-competition…

Some comps require you to play a game and acquire points or complete in the shortest time. Some people are getting impossibly high scores or short timings. I believe there are software tweaks that allow you to 'cheat' I'm sure it is not sour grapes on my part.

I know you've probably been asked this a bazillion times, but how do you win so much? Predominantly on about web comps (FB, Twitter, websites, etc). I've been comping for close to a year now, I follow everyone elses lead basically, do everything right, but I've won very little for my efforts, I think the last comp I won was an Advent! I'm reaching the end of my comping teather! I enter as many as I can, not 100's daily, but pretty close to that, I just don't know what to do anymore!

Does it matter what your profile pic is (when it comes to entering comps)?
And does using a nickname make a difference?

Do promoters ever choose winning entries based on location?
I live in the South East but often enter comps promoted by radio stations or magazines based hundreds of miles away, not the sort that are for meals out or show tickets in local places and so on, but for more general prizes. It must be clear from my address that I'm not a listener to or a reader of their products and I wouldn't blame them if they did favour local people, but as they don't have any restrictions on who can enter I often wonder.

Hi Di, I just wondered if it's worth the extra effort and cost to enter postal entry comps?! do these tend to get less entries? in your experience have you won more with postal entries than online comps? thanks!

I have created a twitter account, but have no idea of how to enter the comps using it. Some advice on the basic do’s and don’ts of competition tweeting would be really helpful.

Whenever a winner is interviewed on Daybreak, This Morning etc, they always mention the fact that they won after sending in a text. I was wondering if it's worth doing the free entry ? Thanks !

.. in response to Carolle's comment to Di re: Daybreak and This Morning competitions ... ive not won those particular competitions (yet!;) but I did win on Dickensons Real Deal last yr and I always do the free entries only... I never expected to win as the odds are im sure pretty scant! Wishing you luck!

I find this site more difficult to get around now it is "improved" I don't know if I'm putting this in the right place but when I enter the comps they don't change colour or fade so I don't know what i've entered Also what happened to the friendly message board where we posted our winnings and other people said 2Well done or "i got one too" etc.

Hi all, I'm having a problem with new competitions by date not changing colour recently, although competitions entered are still fading out - anyone else experiencing this? Thanks :)

Hi Di

Facebook competitions are a minefield but is there any benefit of sharing a competition when they ask more than once? I try and share more than once if I can but I have been told some promoters think this is spamming. Surely promoters want you to promote and share their competition and their Facebook page
Some actively ask you to share all their posts.
Mel

you went on the box to advertise and recruit users to your site. How does this help your existing users. How did you lobby to get on the telly?? I unsubscribe, its hard enough to win without you telling people you have found the magic formula to win £200000, when i have won a considerable less amount. Ta ta

hi di , you have done amazing with your wins , i have been with prizefinder now for years but no much to write home about boks,cds ,i do check alot of winners pages and there is never alot of wins from scotland area ,do you think we get discriminated against if we live in scotland or our postcode is too far away , thanks

is there a official body i can complain to if i think competitions are being unfairly run, on the whatsontv site it seems to be the same names appearing on the winners list every month, now some may think it is sour grapes, but check it out, it seems to be the same names over and over, i noticed one month, the same person won the same prize twice