ITV Comps - URLs avoiding captchas

Hadden01

Whether the 'cheat' route of avoiding captchas is mentioned here or not, people will use it - perhaps it would be best if ITV were aware (as they no doubt are) and changed the route required to stop this happening - dropping it here won't make it go away elsewhere

mjm3346

Hadden01 wrote: »

Whether the 'cheat' route of avoiding captchas is mentioned here or not, people will use it - perhaps it would be best if ITV were aware (as they no doubt are) and changed the route required to stop this happening - dropping it here won't make it go away elsewhere

They don't need to change the route required as the correct one has the captcha so as long as entries don't count from the wrong entry route then it doesn't really matter and the data collected from those entries may be useful to them (basically if you watch the programmes and follow the onscreen instructions you will only get to the correct form).

CheCazzo

Interesting point Hadden - do you suppose that means that all those people who enter a zillion times under however many different phone numbers are actually doing themselves no favours at all?

Daza

Although I do recall a recent winner saying he entered with his home phone & his mobile ........... the winning call was to his mobile
So I presume using more than 1 number is fine

jmilli2

It isn't some kind of cheat to get a non captcha entry form...

go on google UK and type itv real deal competition

the second link gets you to a non captcha version of the entry form...

mjm3346

jmilli2 wrote: »

It isn't some kind of cheat to get a non captcha entry form...

go on google UK and type itv real deal competition

the second link gets you to a non captcha version of the entry form...

Google is not an entry route and the link you mention takes you to an entry form that has a different url to the one you reach following the entry instructions shown on air.
I haven't called it cheating and if you want to risk an invalid entry just to save a couple of seconds typing the captcha that is up to you.

jmilli2

The page with the captcha isn't an official entry route then if you're going to be pedantic because it says to go to itv.com on the show and that has no mention of any competitions. You have to navigate/search around the site to get to it on your own. The non-captcha link can also be found by searching on the itv.com site.


edit - I'll stop posting non-captcha links though if people are so against it - I was just being helpful for people who can't get the other form to show up really - the captcha was a bonus.

mjm3346

jmilli2 wrote: »

The non-captcha link can also be found by searching on the itv.com site.


edit - I'll stop posting non-captcha links though if people are so against it - I was just being helpful for people who can't get the other form to show up really - the captcha was a bonus.

As I posted earlier

If you follow the entry instructions and get a form without a captcha there should be no problem

so if you can get to the form from itv.com there shouldn't be an issue of the entry not counting.

Sadly that opens it to automated entries (hopefully they will be detecting and discounting them as per the T&Cs).

JessicAhh

mjm3346 wrote: »

As I posted earlier



so if you can get to the form from itv.com there shouldn't be an issue of the entry not counting.
.

I don't think you can...

If I go to the show page for Dickinson's Real Deal at http://www.itv.com/beontv/shows/dickinsons-real-deal
Then click the competitions link...
I get a form with frames and a captcha.

The version posted above is without frames, as well as without the captcha. I imagine they can trace the link used for entry, and if there is not a direct hyperlink from ITV.com that links to the without frames/captcha version, they will know for certain that you didn't click through the website, as you are instructed to do in the Ts and Cs.

Now, maybe this is still a valid entry - I'm not convinced, though. However, there is the issue of not entering via the ITV website, not seeing the top frame which advertises the links to other things on the site. ITV make their money from - hopefully - tempting people to browse their site, and use the frames that have been put in place to do so. Without those, as others have said, it's even more likely that all comps will go to postal ones. :mad:

From a personal viewpoint, I think it is potentially cheating not to use the correct form, and potentially detrimental to those entrants who enter using the genuine route (which really isn't that much more time consuming). (Sorry, Hadden )

The fact that you ask here rather than ask ITV directly whether these links are valid suggests that you suspect you shouldn't be using them....

Hadden01

The fact that you ask here rather than ask ITV directly whether these links are valid suggests that you suspect you shouldn't be using them.... from above

Interested in peoples views - I'm sure ITV would say it's cheating but I also sure they would say sharing answers with people who don't watch the program is cheating as well