Won a competition and just been told prize has now gone to someone else

Watto30

I shall eat my words as said previously I would no longer comment on here but thank you for the helpful replies

Ok if anyone can shed any light on this competition it would be a great help it may or may not have been put on here but worth a go.


The competition end date was 3rd of October 2013 and until Friday 24th Jan I had no idea I had won as no phone call or email and I check the emails daily including spam, it was with bodyfit magazine to win a proform tour de france excercise bike worth over £1000.


The supplier of the bike was Icon fitness, the first call I got on Friday 24th Jan was from Highways express home delivery saying that they needed to arrange the delivery of the excercise bike to me, and because I was unaware that I had won the competition I naturally queried it with the delivery company the girl just said oh right then put the phone down as I had said I will need to check this as have not ordered any excercise bike, I called back later and spoke to someone else and explained that it could potentially be a competition win or someone has scammed my card and that could he please check the origin of the order, I also checked what address he had for me it was correct apart from the postcode - I would have thought for such an expensive prize I would have had to have confirmed correct details before it got to the point of the delivery company being involved which proves that I did not have any notification of the win.


Shortly after me calling the delivery company I then get a phonecall from icon fitness to say yes just to confirm you have won the bike and we will tell the delivery company to deliver it, me being an impatient type I called the delivery company to say yes great can you please deliver it on wednesday this week when partner will be at home working to save me taking a day off to be at home or neighbours taking in a huge heavy box, all ok there.


That was until yesterday when I get a phone call from a lady from a company called munro and forster to say she was the bearer of bad news and apparently because I queried it in the first instance they then gave the prize to the second correct entrant. At no point on Friday or yesterday did anyone from Bodyfit mag contact me to explain anything it was all done via munro and forster. I called to speak to Bodyfit and the lady on the phone seemed reluctant to deal with me but asked for my email address, two minutes later I receive an email to say "unfortunately because you did not accept the prize when you were originally contacted we had to select another winner" so I have replied attaching the original rules of the competition and asking for it to be investigated... it rules state nothing about 3rd party entries, any winner will be contacted by phone or email and nothing about prize being forfeited or a time limit for acceptance etc the lady replied and said she would look into it and come back to me today but I highly doubt I will hear back but just wanted to ask if what they have done is fair or if I am making a mountain out of a molehill?


Thanks again

The_3rd_Zebu

I couldn't find that particular competition but I found some more recent competitions on the Bodyfit magazine website.


http://www.bodyfitmagazine.co.uk/competitions


If you look right at the bottom of the page one of the terms and conditions is


** Automated entries are disqualified.**




-

Watto30

Thanks 3rd Zebu - the lady from munro and forster who delivered the bad news sent through the rules for the particular competition I had apparently won and there is nothing in there about 3rd party entries so am guessing they have changed the rules since then, as I say I doubt I will hear back but just seems a bit unfair that they took the word of delivery company rather than contact me

softpad

Just email back and say if they do not supply your prize you will go to the ISP and ASA. It is quite natural to query a delivery and it can not be classed as refused. IMO dont let it drop.

As to all the people making judgemental comments about the way the OP enters competitions - mind your own business as it is not for you to judge. The OP came on here asking for advice on getting a prize. The OP HAS NOT BEEN disqualified for anything to do with third party entries so stop wittering on about that, surely. Nobody has any right to judge.

I hope you get your prize and I would not drop it if I were you.

twinklenicci

i would definately go to imp or asa with this , it doesnt seem right to withold a prize just because it was questioned

mjm3346

The_3rd_Zebu wrote: »

I couldn't find that particular competition but I found some more recent competitions on the Bodyfit magazine website.

http://www.bodyfitmagazine.co.uk/competitions

If you look right at the bottom of the page one of the terms and conditions is

** Automated entries are disqualified.**


-

While that is nothing to do with the reason for the prize being withheld there is also nothing to indicate the entry was automated and simple 3rd party entries are not excluded.

It would take around 10 seconds to enter the 17 competitions on that page and that is almost a third of the weekly entries one "enter for you" site makes per person - works out they would make about £6 per minute*, £360 per hour per person for manually entering those ones, well worth doing.

(*based on 1/3 of the weekly subscription fee)

messia07

i think these companies are meant to abide by strict laws when running comps. you could always get in contact with the citizens advice bureuo for some advice.

(and/or Trading Standards.)

JessicAhh

I think they've messed you around enough, and I'd be going to the IPM now - http://www.theipm.org.uk

(I think others have said on the boards that Edwin at the IPM has been very successful in fighting claims for them)

createbeauty

jessicawshoscombe wrote: »

I think they've messed you around enough, and I'd be going to the IPM now - http://www.theipm.org.uk

(I think others have said on the boards that Edwin at the IPM has been very successful in fighting claims for them)

I can confirm that Edwin at the IPM is the chap to go to. Eventually got my iPad 2 from Miss Gym seven months after winning. :P

Watto30

Hi thanks again for the helpful advice I really do appreciate it, just a small update the lady I emailed at bodyfit yesterday responded to my email stating that apparently I was disqualified due to it being an automated entry...yesterday I was told it was because I effectively forfeited the prize by questioning it with the delivery company... seems like they are coming up with different reasons now but it does state on their website about automated entry so from the sounds of it I would not have a valid case

If I am genuinely not entitled to it due to the rules then that is fair enough but I can't help feeling that they have made a big balls up and just trying to cover it up, firstly it was apparently due to me questioning the origin of the delivery order and now I was disqualified due to automated entry.. I am not sure how they tell this from looking at the submitted entries I would not know as not clued up on that aspect but the communication has been hopeless as had three different parties call me and none of them were bodyfit


Glad you managed to get your ipad through Edwin Createbeauty