Winning but not claiming/attending

serenity2012

weeowens wrote: »

I'd not enter for an event that I could not attend or a prize that I could not collect etc.
Other than that I have no ethics :-)
Baby comps,ladies comps,mens comps etc are all fair game so long as the prize was not too whacky as to be useless to me or as a gift.

What he said , almost exactly:)

Also to be honest if the woman wants to use her fridge freezer as a home for badgers in the garden its her business. It might miff you a bit, but still her business. I won't enter for events I couldn't attend but have and will enter comps for babies, children, men, women, donkeys and horny bulls to get a win of something I can keep for myself, sell for cash money or give at some point as a present. I have boxes of childrens toys and babies toys and appliances in my spare room and I have no young children anymore. Hard to sell and no idea what to do with them but often family come and have a lucky dip or some go to the local childrens ward. Some have sat there for over a year.

Also there are plenty of people who would travel from Devon to Scotland to pick up a prize they really want, if its value makes it worthwhile.

Good luck for many wins, but remember that we are compers, not nuns or missionaries. The idea of comping is to help ourselves in some way financially and to gain items we could not normally afford maybe.

Sunny_Saver

Someone won a prize to attend a sell-out concert (VIP tickets too) and put it on a swap thread. I was too late as I would have loved to have gone. I asked why she didn't go, she said she lived three hours away, I felt like asking her 'didn't you live three hours away when you entered?'.

What's annoying is when they tell you the day before or two days before the event you've won. I recently won tickets to the ballet and was only told two days before. I rang up and told them woman to redraw and she said 'it did say on the comp that the date of the ballet was xxx'. I can't plan my life around the possibility that I might win a ticket. They should give you more notice, IMO.

Kirri

Sunny_Saver wrote: »

I recently won tickets to the ballet and was only told two days before. I rang up and told them woman to redraw and she said 'it did say on the comp that the date of the ballet was xxx'. I can't plan my life around the possibility that I might win a ticket. They should give you more notice, IMO.

Totally agree with that - even worse with holidays and booking time off work or even just arranging with others to go.

Some holidays have a long end date but then the date of the holiday itself may be within a week of the end date which is just silly.

WeAreGhosts

serenity2012 wrote: »

What he said , almost exactly:)

Also to be honest if the woman wants to use her fridge freezer as a home for badgers in the garden its her business. It might miff you a bit, but still her business.

It probably miffs the people who live across the road from her more than it does me. They have nothing and rely on a foodbank and charity handouts.

Mummyof2boys

Ahhh this is predicament I've had, I won boardmasters tickets for this weekend coming. Was all sorted to Go, really excited VIP tickets!!. Then my ex says he can't get the time off work to look after our kids (never happens!)
. I've got no one else who I would trust my kids the whole weekend too. Gutted was a understatement. I don't tend to Go for any holiday comps unless I can take the boys. I do enter festivial comps because I've always wanted to Go to one and normally my ex can have my kids. And I wouldn't enter ones that are pick up only

LadyMorticia

I only enter for prizes that I could use/give to friends and family or for events I could attend. I also never enter for things that are "collection only" unless it's a place or shopping centre I could get to (so, usually within a 30 mile radius.)

Princessfee

Agreed, it does miff me a bit too if it was something I would have liked, although I don't know people's circumstances. They may very well have wanted to go but life gets in the way with work etc or you only find out a week before.

I work shifts, They aren't set and I can't change them so if I won something despite wanting to go I probably wouldn't get to, or I wouldn't have childcare, along with living in Stirling so not easy to get to most arenas etc in the south.

I therefore don't enter comps for tickets, don't want the disappointment but if its long enough away and I want to go I can request the shift off but no guarantee I will get it. So only enter the rare ticket comp, if any. Nights/weekends away similar if its too far south I don't enter, or even too close to home unless its a spa type thing...us nurses need a spa weekend regularly lol am sensible too have 4 kids so need to arrange childcare



Anything else is fair game, :-):)

Fergal1982

I'm fairly "complex" when it comes to the ethics of comping. I only enter the comps for things I want/could use - or could pass to a friend/family member in some cases.

Some comps I don't get a "good" feeling about, and will avoid those. Some Facebook ones are like this.

I often won't enter a comp on a site specifically devoted to women/mothers. Likewise comps aimed at kids are off limits (even if I want the prize).

I don't particularly check what my availability for prizes are (e.g. holidays), but I run on the concept that if I win it, and it turns out that I can't use it - then I'll ask them to re-draw.

The thing to remember, I suppose, is that you usually enter for first prize. So if you win second prize you might not be that interested - or first prize doesn't require collection (a holiday) but second prize does (a PS3).

In those cases though, I think you should tell the organisers if you really can't get it, and ask them to re-draw.

Sunny_Saver

Nah,sometimes second prize is better than first, eg 1st might be to meet someone famous, but second an iPad... I'd prefer second.

Fergal1982

Sunny_Saver wrote: »

Nah,sometimes second prize is better than first, eg 1st might be to meet someone famous, but second an iPad... I'd prefer second.

True, but in that case you don't care about at least one of the prizes. You wouldn't necessarily be looking too closely at the details of the first prize - so if you were to win it you may end up not being able to accept/take it. My point still stands - you enter focusing on a particular prize.