Grand designs "eco house" won't sell, so they're having a lottery.

tomstickland

Still leveling off - projected total time now 331 days.

*Cheyenne*

"I wonder if they chose an Icelandic Bank?"
No, the monies are apparently in Paypal earning "zero interest" according to the sellers of Oldborough Retreat.

I bought a ticket for £25 some months ago - a 1 in 46,000 chance of winning a £1m property is much better odds than winning the Lotto.

Buyers of tickets (all 46,000 were sold) are supposed to be getting a refund if the draw doesn't now go ahead.

I could do with money right now, if it isn't going ahead, which as the days go by seems more and more likely.

Wish they'd just get on with it now.

tomstickland

Well, the Cheltenham house tickets are now at 9,991, so it's levelled off even more.

tomstickland

This site has re-launched announcing TCT (Teenage Cancer Trust) as our chosen charity and the competition will close on the 19th March 2009 or sooner once we reach our target.

3,344 entries.

As we all expected this competioned was flawed from the start, the competion has been cancelled due to legal advice, this is taken from their site

Due to the Gambling Comission raising concerns and advice from law firm Walker Morris we are launching a new competition with Spot the Frisbee. All entrants from the old format will recieve a voucher which will allow you to enter the new competition, or request a refund. If you have entered and not received a voucher please email [EMAIL="info@winthecheltenhamhouse.com"]info@winthecheltenhamhouse.com[/EMAIL] with subject: NO VOUCHER


Lots of people on this forum warned that this would happen and they have been proved right. This is the win the cheltenham house website they seem to have a new date of 19th March 2009 I would still not bet on this competition ever being a success so I would proceed with caution on this one.

http://www.offplanpropertyexchange.com/forum/eco-related-property-investment-forum/2590-cancelled-win-cheltenham-house.html

bubblesmoney

if i buy a raffle ticket and lose then i just lose the price of the raffle ticket

BUT

if i win, then i might win a castle which might ruin me financially maintaining it.

why do i say that

According to Tim, the property is perfect for those looking for a mortgage-free step onto the property ladder or a luxury pied-a-terre during the world-famous Cheltenham racing season.

http://www.winthecheltenhamhouse.com/thechelthouse/fullyfurnished.aspx

why do they say perfect for a mortgage free step into the property ladder. is it because it is being raffled or is it because the property is unmortgagable in the present climate where banks wont lend to a non standard construction ????????

if you look on grand designs, it clearly says the design and construction methods were different and the builders werent familiar with it. then it also says the owners halfway thru took over the construction themselves. since 60% of the house is underground it will have serious damp issues and mould issues if not waterproofed properly. the grand designs website says needed special waterproofing and insulation materials, the builders werent familiar with the method, then the owners took over the construction project midway, so it is natural to suspect whether the construction / waterproofing was good. even small defects in the waterproofing in a 60% underground house will cause serious damp issues. was this the reason why this property is unmortgagable and being raffled. are there any survey issues involved, since winner will get the house, he will likely have an unmortgagable house (free) but will have to consider problems reselling and also problems with huge repair bills incase of damp issues. i know its free but doesnt come free of thorns:o

*Cheyenne*

Still no sign of a refund from the Wilshaws following the cancellation of their competition to win a £1m property - Oldborough Retreat. Their website comes up with some hilarious delaying tactics at times - the most recent one blaming the snow!

They may well say they're keeping the 46,000 x £25 entry fees in a 0% interest-free Paypal account - but how do we know that? All we really know is that the Wilshaws have all that money and they still have their property (which has of course decreased in value immensely since the competition began).

They should be made to give refunds NOW or be investigated for fraud IMHO.

Generali

*Cheyenne* wrote: »

Still no sign of a refund from the Wilshaws following the cancellation of their competition to win a £1m property - Oldborough Retreat. Their website comes up with some hilarious delaying tactics at times - the most recent one blaming the snow!

They may well say they're keeping the 46,000 x £25 entry fees in a 0% interest-free Paypal account - but how do we know that? All we really know is that the Wilshaws have all that money and they still have their property (which has of course decreased in value immensely since the competition began).

They should be made to give refunds NOW or be investigated for fraud IMHO.

Complain to the Gambling Commission.

ad44downey

*Cheyenne* wrote: »

Still no sign of a refund from the Wilshaws following the cancellation of their competition to win a £1m property - Oldborough Retreat. Their website comes up with some hilarious delaying tactics at times - the most recent one blaming the snow!

They may well say they're keeping the 46,000 x £25 entry fees in a 0% interest-free Paypal account - but how do we know that? All we really know is that the Wilshaws have all that money and they still have their property (which has of course decreased in value immensely since the competition began).

They should be made to give refunds NOW or be investigated for fraud IMHO.

How many tickets did you buy? I can't believe 46,000 fell for this. I think the government via the Gambling Commmisssion have virtually outlawed this sort of property lottery scam now.

*Cheyenne*

Generali - I did put a complaint in to the Gambling Commission. They responded saying I should address the complaint to the organisers of the competition (obviously didn't take in a word I said). I will see if I can copy/paste the GC's reply in here in a moment.

I only bought one ticket, so it's only £25, but that's not the point. I bought a ticket in what was advertised as a legal competition, then the GC declared it illegal, and the draw was cancelled, so we should all be entitled to a refund.

*Cheyenne*

As promised, here's a copy of my email and the response from the Gambling Commission to my complaint about the Wilshaws' competition to sell their Oldborough property:

“Dear Sirs,

I would just like to add my complaint to what I am sure, must be a pile of them you will have already received regarding Wendy Wilshaw and her family, who sold 46,000 tickets at £25 each last year, the prize being their property Oldborough Retreat in Devon, valued at £1,000,000.

The draw was to have taken place no later than December 2008, however I understand that the Gambling Commission intervened and questioned the legality of the competition.

As the draw has still not taken place, and does not look as though it will take place in the future, I have emailed the Wilshaws to seek a refund of my £25 but to date, I have not received this and as of today, 10 February 2009, the draw has still not taken place. Since there are a great many people involved - all 46,000 tickets were sold - is there any pressure the GC can bring to bear on the Wilshaws to either get them to cancel the "competition" and refund all monies, or withdraw your objections, thus permitting them to hold the draw?

Yours faithfully”


And the reply to me from the Gambling Commission:

“Thank you for your email about a ‘house competition’ scheme, it is not our policy and it would not be right for the Commission to comment publicly on individual cases.

In general terms the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) specifies that lotteries are the preserve of charities and other good causes, they cannot be run for private or commercial gain. Lawful lotteries are subject to regulation under the Act and many are required to be licensed by the Gambling Commission or registered with their local authority.

In providing for the distinction between lotteries and prize competitions, the Act specifies that a scheme will be treated as relying wholly on chance when the element of skill, judgment or knowledge cannot reasonably be expected to either:

a. prevent a significant proportion of people who wish to participate from doing so; or

b. prevent a significant proportion of people who participate from receiving a prize.

If either one of these barriers to entry or success can be shown, the process will not be deemed to rely wholly on chance and the arrangement will not be a lottery.

The Commission monitors the boundary between prize competitions and lotteries in order to ensure that those operating lotteries are properly licensed to do so. Guidance on the boundary between prize competitions and lotteries is available on the Commission’s website at: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Clien...asp?mediaid=304

The Commission has become aware of a number of schemes that are intended to operate as prize competitions in line with the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) that we believe may in fact be lotteries. We have a duty to ensure that we take time to properly consider what, if any, further action is necessary using our powers under the Gambling Act 2005.

Where there are questions over the legality of such schemes the Commission has taken the step of writing to the operators in order to question whether the skill, judgment or knowledge element of their schemes to win a house is sufficient to meet the requirements of the Act.

We have always advised operators to read our guidance and to take legal advice before proceeding with such schemes. Our guidance was published in 2007 and we recently published a press release on the wider issue at: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Clien...id=404&id=4

We would recommend that if you do have any enquiries about the details of any particular scheme, you should contact the organisers directly.

Yours sincerely

James Cook
Licensing Officer
Gambling Commission
0121 230 6666"