Newbie, with Q's

laura.88_2

Hello everyone, I've just joined MSE as I would like to start comping.
I've set up a Gmail account all ready to be spammed lol.
I'm going to stick t only entering comps from here, especially since im new and don't really know much and I dont want to enter twice and be disqualified.
But I have a few Q's .... sorry Im new and want to be starting off right.

• With your email address. How do you spot spam from and actual win? How often should you check your mail?

• When entering you details for comps. Is it best (In relation to texts charging you and annoying calls) to put a mobile or landline phone number?
• Should you always answer an annonmous number telephone call, just in case it is a win? or just reject and same time.
• Do you enter both the 'regular comps' and the comps on the 'Threads in Forum'? or just one? are there any dupes in the 'Threads in Forum' of regular competitions?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to be clear on things and start off right. Any other tips would be great. Thanks.

sophie27x

Hi, good luck

A lot of competitions vary on the time you have to claim your prize. Some are 28 days, I've had some which are 48 hours. I'd recommend checking your email at least once a day.

Generally, spammy winning emails are ones which ask you to click on a lick, or tell you you're down to the last few entrants. Or are over-the-top emails for big prizes (iPads/Cash prizes). I'd also recommend checking the email address. I tend to find WEMs come from emails such as [EMAIL="employeesname@business.com"]employeesname@business.com[/EMAIL] etc. Spammy emails tend to have spelling mistakes or random numbers. Gmail is good at filtering out spam though, although I'd say you should still check your spam often

I always put my mobile number. Haven't had any spam calls or unwanted charges. Since you're comping off just this forum, the sites on the whole are trusted and shouldnt pester you too much. I personally avoid allowing contact from third parties, just because these can often be by phone.

Most companies will leave a voicemail message if you don't answer, or try and call again later. I do always answer my phone if I'm not busy though, because it doesn't harm and it's nice to find out about a win as soon as possible

The main part of the forum is 'Competitions Time' (I think that is the one you see as Threads in Forum' We all comp from there and it's updated constantly. The regular competitions are worth a check, but aren't needed as often as the main board. A few are duped in the main board too, but hopefully they aren't too hard to spot. Since you're starting out, you probably wont have much time to visit the regulars anyway :rotfl:

Hope that helps, you might want a glance through VelvetGloves comping guide if not: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1014121

laura.88_2

Thank you so much, thats a great help and answered everything. Although I've done a bit more searching and have yet another Q...

-Do you use a Auto Fill? Such as add-ons to firefox that will enter in your details. If so, can the business of the comp tell? and if they can tell does it disqualify you on their comp?

Thanks

becky004

laura.88 wrote: »

Hello everyone, I've just joined MSE as I would like to start comping.
I've set up a Gmail account all ready to be spammed lol.
I'm going to stick t only entering comps from here, especially since im new and don't really know much and I dont want to enter twice and be disqualified.
But I have a few Q's .... sorry Im new and want to be starting off right.

• With your email address. How do you spot spam from and actual win? How often should you check your mail?

• When entering you details for comps. Is it best (In relation to texts charging you and annoying calls) to put a mobile or landline phone number?
• Should you always answer an annonmous number telephone call, just in case it is a win? or just reject and same time.
• Do you enter both the 'regular comps' and the comps on the 'Threads in Forum'? or just one? are there any dupes in the 'Threads in Forum' of regular competitions?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to be clear on things and start off right. Any other tips would be great. Thanks.

Personally as you have stated I would only enter from the one site so you can keep track and avoid disqualification by duplication,

As for win spotting in your emails, even after 19 months of comping I still find it hard. Majority but not all say "Congratulations" in title of email, had one in spam which just said "you haven't claimed",
I use my main mobile for comping purposes, but do have a cheapy mobile for the ITV comps (but it has never rung!).
I enter anything that I know myself and family would benefit from, but not for things that are of no use to me xx

sophie27x

laura.88 wrote: »

Thank you so much, thats a great help and answered everything. Although I've done a bit more searching and have yet another Q...

-Do you use a Auto Fill? Such as add-ons to firefox that will enter in your details. If so, can the business of the comp tell? and if they can tell does it disqualify you on their comp?

Thanks

Most people on here use autofills. I like Firefox because it can remember your details better than some browsers.

A lot of people use Roboform or Last Pass, which doesnt come with your browser but can be downloaded (Last Pass is free, Roboform is only a free trial for some people) as they save all your passwords and your details. I personally prefer just using addons to firefox, but if you're interested in reading more about these above, this thread is probably best: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4266559

None of these are 'automated' so it companies wont know or disqualify you from comps.