Lotto error

bullinn1

The code scanner on the iphone app was broken and many people - including me - threw away tickets that might have been winning ones. There seems to be little reporting in the press but this is theft is it not ?

theonlywayisup

No, it is not theft.

DoaM

How is it theft? You have eyes, do you not? If you rely solely on a scanner app (is it an official Lotto app?) on a particular brand of phone then more fool you (and others).

No consumer rights here at all, sorry.

Bogalot

rogertb wrote: »

The code scanner on the iphone app was broken and many people - including me - threw away tickets that might have been winning ones. There seems to be little reporting in the press but this is theft is it not ?

Theft requires intent. Are you suggesting this was some mastermind operation to deprive you of your winnings?

Or was it, perhaps, just a fault?

bullinn1

Of course it was a fault and of course it wasn't a mastermind operation and I'm sure Lotto are not happy that it happened but there are people out there who could have missed out on hundreds if not thousands of pounds because the lotto app didn't recognise that they had a winning ticket !

wealdroam

You have already been asked... is it an official Lotto app?
Link please.

bullinn1

https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/apps/download


... and in the news:

http://news.sky.com/story/lottery-app-fault-may-have-stopped-people-claiming-their-winnings-10633198

JReacher1

Although not a crime it is incompetence. If you look on the official lottery website they say the problem was caused by a software deployment on android on the 13th and on iOS on the 20th October.

So nobody spotted between the android and iOS deployment that they had broken it! as if they had then it would have been madness to deploy the iOS release

TadleyBaggie

They probably submitted both apps at the same time, but it took Apple an extra week to approve it.

daytona0

rogertb wrote: »

https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/apps/download


... and in the news:

http://news.sky.com/story/lottery-app-fault-may-have-stopped-people-claiming-their-winnings-10633198

That news article is funny! Sky news says:

Sky_news_link_above wrote:

Mr West asked: "So one could have thrown away potentially winning tickets?"

The customer services worker replied: "It could be a case."

Later in the chat, she added: "I am sorry that it was not announced, the error was reported to us on Monday afternoon and we have been working to get this fixed."

But the original transcript is actually provided as a jpeg on the same article! the live chat agent actually said:

it could be a case. we can still check to see if it was a winner, we would need some more information about the ticket but we can check for you

so, whilst an unfortunate error has occured, they seem to be very happy to fix their mistake by checking tickets which were binned in error..... Unless someone does not read news and the lottery doesn't put a notice on their website, everyone who has potentially missed out should get their money.

Love how news companies try and put on a negative spin though! If anything, have a go at the news company for not making it clear that you can still have your binned tickets checked!

bullinn1

Sorry how can you have your binned tickets checked ?