Can I enter holiday comps if single & prize is for family & friends? Can I take prize

Martinsforum

Hiya All,

If single, should I enter holiday competitions where the prize is for more than one person (couples, families etc.)? And most importantly, if I enter and win, is the competition, duty bound to let me have the holiday by myself?

CharleyYpres

I emailed a company not long back asking if myself and my partner would be okay to take a family holiday even though it was just the two of us. They said it was fine as long as we didn't take two adults in the space of the two children, if 4 people were to attend it had to be 2 adults and 2 children, but less than that would be fine.

If there is a long end date on the competition, it would be worth contacting the prize provider because they will all have their own terms and conditions about changes to the stated prize, but realistically if it's going to cost them less money I wouldn't have thought it would be an issue.

sleepyjones

This is a bit of a grey area, every competition will be different so you'll really need to read through the particular terms and if in doubt email them and ask.

If you entered a Family holiday comp' and won it and then decided to try and take a friend and no kids then they could deem that as an invalid entry and pass the prize onto someone else ... whether or not they can "legally" do this comes down to the small print.
To avoid disappointment, If it was me, I just wouldn't bother entering unless you're sure that you can actually win with no questions.

There's also the moral question of if you should be entering if you don't specifically meet the criteria (ie, have a family) ... I don't have a family so I don't really care but I know there are some compers that will hold it against you.

Just need to read through the terms, I'm afraid.

mjm3346

No they are not bound to let you have it if either or both the competition blurb and the terms and conditions make it clear the holiday is intended for couples or families including children.


The Sun were found against for a restriction on what children could be taken on a family holiday (Effectively the original winner was going to "borrow" some children when they were refused the holiday as a couple but the sun still refused) but from the judgement just the competition description was enough to communicate that children would be expected to be taken and there was no problem with the sun refusing the holiday to a couple

The ASA considered the description of the prize as a "family holiday" and the fact the holiday was to Disney World communicated to entrants that they would be expected to take children on the holiday.

This was then clarified in the Terms and Conditions which clearly stated that the prize was based on two adults and two children aged 2–11 years old. We therefore considered it was reasonable for The Sun not to award the prize to entrants who intended to use the prize only as an individual or a couple

Martinsforum

Thanks for the responses folks. I'll take it all under advisement.

Ktkoozal

I have often thought of this because I am single and I do not have any kids. I DO enter family holiday competitions intending to take just another adult with me, I rather nonchalantly enter them assuming that they couldn't possibly discriminate me just because I don't have children. Incidently, I would be intending to take my mother with me hence fulfilling the 'Family' part of the prize, rather tenuous I know. But everyone's comments have made me pause to think a little more carefully about it. Has anyone ever won a so-called 'Family' holiday and not taken children? I suppose I could continue to take the risk, I have nothing to lose, all I can do is be honest and state that I don't have children if I win, knowing that I may have to forfeit the prize. I imagine it's difficult for those with more than two children, or have older children. How many families actually fit the competition provider's 'perfect average family of two adults and two children?

Definitely thought provoking........to enter or not enter, that is the question.......

CharleyYpres

Ktkoozal wrote: »

I have often thought of this because I am single and I do not have any kids. I DO enter family holiday competitions intending to take just another adult with me, I rather nonchalantly enter them assuming that they couldn't possibly discriminate me just because I don't have children. Incidently, I would be intending to take my mother with me hence fulfilling the 'Family' part of the prize, rather tenuous I know. But everyone's comments have made me pause to think a little more carefully about it. Has anyone ever won a so-called 'Family' holiday and not taken children? I suppose I could continue to take the risk, I have nothing to lose, all I can do is be honest and state that I don't have children if I win, knowing that I may have to forfeit the prize. I imagine it's difficult for those with more than two children, or have older children. How many families actually fit the competition provider's 'perfect average family of two adults and two children?

Definitely thought provoking........to enter or not enter, that is the question.......

Usually if it doesn't state specifically in the T&Cs that it is for 2 adults and 2 children I just take the risk. But after reading about the Sun I have started emailing if there is enough time. I know there is nothing lost but how gutted would you be if you won then had it taken off you :eek:

Misslayed

Before I enter a family holiday comp I always ask im indoors if he would be happy to go there with our grandchildren, so sometimes we do and sometimes we don't.

I-Owe-You

I don't wish to sound sanctimonious so please don't take this the wrong way as I totally understand that we would all love to win a holiday but personally I'd feel a little guilty taking away a prize intended for a family when there are plenty of holiday competitions for 2/adults (in fact there are often more!)

I guess it's different if it doesn't state specifically 2 adults and 2 children in the T&Cs but often it does for family hols. I'd also absolutely hate to be told I've won a holiday only for it to be revoked because I don't meet the criteria (I have no children - nor none to borrow!)

I guess it's up to each individual but thats just my feelings x

sleepyjones

Ktkoozal wrote: »

I imagine it's difficult for those with more than two children, or have older children. How many families actually fit the competition provider's 'perfect average family of two adults and two children?

I think if you had 1 child you'd probably get away with it (or bring your kids best pal along too), or if you had 3 children you could always pay to get the extra child added.

It's get's a bit trickier when / if the 2 adults have a different surname to the kids (ie Mr Jones, Miss Ferguson, and (the kids) little John Bailey and James Smith) ... but if it was Mr Jones, Miss Ferguson, John Ferguson (the kid of the Mrs) and James Johnstone (the kids pal)... you'd probably be ok.
Obviously, not all parents will be married so you can probably get away with having different adult surnames but at least one of the kids will probably need to have a matching surname to one of the parents. Again though, depends on the terms.

taxiphil

Can anyone who's ever won a family holiday confirm if the promoter asks to see ID for every family member (like a scan of their passports) before awarding the prize?

If not, phantom names and DOBs could be provided for the "extra" members of the family to make the numbers up. The airline/hotel check-in staff wouldn't care if some members of the party failed to show up, would they?