winning a competition by mistake?

t3rm3y

last week i had an email from e.on with a new competition, where you could spin a wheel and potentially win prizes,
I had a go, and it came up a notification saying i had won sky Q.
i then received an email "confirming i had won, and that its only for e.on customers, once confirmed my prize will be with me within 28 days"
2 days later i received a 2nd email saying that there had been an error on thursday evening and i may have received a win notification by mistake and they will issue an amazon voucher as good will..
This is very disappointing for me, as i would never be able to afford sky/sky q so winning it was really exciting. It feels like they just dont want to give me the prize (maybe i dont spend enough per month on my bills with them)
Is there a way i can get them to honor the win? i know they probably have terms stating that they dont have to give a prize out or something, but i feel its just on their word that there was an error - i havent seen it posted all over facebook or forums etc.
Anyone managed to receive their prize in a situation like this?

sleepyjones

Depends on what the terms say really.
A company like e-on will probably be pretty water tight with their legal stuff, so probably nothing you can do ... would need to see the terms and conditions though.

It's probably not that they chose you as a winner and then decided they didn't want you to win, £200 Sky Q, or however much it is is nothing to them ... probably more likely that they sent out a lot of winning emails by mistake ... human / computer error 'caused by a human as opposed to them deciding they didn't want you to win.

libra10

The T & C are here


https://www.eonenergy.com/for-your-home/nice-little-extras/wheel-of-extras/terms-and-conditions


List longer than what I have copied and pasted. Don't have time to look now, but there may be something useful there.
Wheel of Extras

Terms and conditions

1. This Promotion is open to United Kingdom residents aged 18 or over who are E.ON customers (including any E.ON employees who are E.ON customers), but excluding: (1) employees of Sky UK Limited and their families; (2) any agents of E.ON or Sky UK Limited; or (3) anyone else professionally connected with this promotion.
2. Draw Promotion Period: 00:01 on 17 November 2016 until 23.59 on 8 January 2017.
3. Instant Win Promotion Period: 00:01 on 17 November 2016 until 23.59 on 8 January 2017, split into 8 Mini Instant Win Promotion Periods each a week long running from the Monday at 00:01 until Monday at 00:00 EXCEPT THAT the first Mini Promotion Period will run from 17 November 2016 until 20 November 2016.
4. No additional purchase is necessary to enter; internet access will be required.
5. Maximum one spin of the Wheel of Extras per E.ON account per day.
6. Maximum 1 Sky Q package per person and 1 Main Prize per person.
7. Prizes may only be won by E.ON customers. The Promoter will verify you as a customer before confirming your entitlement to any prize.
8. To enter the prize draw: Access the E.ON Wheel of Extras game here during the Draw Promotion Period. Submit your personal details as specified and you will gain an entry into the prize draw to win the Draw Prize of £1500. You will then be able to spin the Wheel of Extras to enter the instant win (see clause 9) and win an Instant Win Prize. Any Instant Win Prizes that aren't won will be available to win at the prize draw, see clause 10.3.
9. To enter the instant win: Access the E.ON Wheel of Extras game here during any of the Mini Instant Win Promotion Periods. After your first entry into the prize draw (see clause 8), any further spins of the wheel during the Promotion Period will result in your winning one of the prizes available during the relevant Mini Instant Win Promotion Period, including additional entries into the prize draw for £1,500.
10. Draw Prizes:
10.1. Main Prizes: 10 winners will each win £1,500.
10.2. Instant Win Prizes: There are a variety of prizes available to be won during the 8 Mini Instant Win Promotion Periods, with different amounts of each prize available each week. Please see below these terms and conditions for the full schedule of prizes available in each of the 8 Mini Instant Win Promotion Periods.
10.3. Additional Draw Prizes: If not all of the prizes for a Mini Instant Win Promotion Period are won during that Mini Instant Win Promotion Period, or are won by a winner who is subsequently confirmed not to be an E.ON customer and therefore ineligible to win, those Instant Win Prizes as indicated in the table of Instant Win Prizes below these terms and conditions will be allocated in the Prize Draw.
11. All prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for any cash alternatives in whole or in part. The Promoter reserves the right to provide an alternative prize or reward (as applicable) of equal or greater value in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
12. Instant Win Prize Allocation: The Promoter has made all the instant win prizes available to be won using an algorithm which is based on an estimated volume of entries.
13. Prize Draw Winner Selection: All valid entries will be submitted into a prize draw to be conducted within 20 working days of the end of the Draw Promotion Period. The winners of the prize draw will be selected at random by an independent body.
14. Instant Win Notification: Winners will be contacted and advised that they have provisionally won (subject to confirmations of eligibility) and what they have won, by an on-screen message at the time of the win and by email to the email address associated with their entry. Winners must respond within 15 working days from the date of the email confirming (1) eligibility (including a valid E.ON customer number) and (2) acceptance of the prize. If a winner is not contactable or fails to respond to initial winner notification within 15 working days of the notification, the relevant prize will be added to the Prize Draw Prizes as set out below.
15. Prize Draw Winner Notification: Winners will be contacted and advised that they have provisionally won (subject to confirmations of eligibility) by email to the email address associated with their entry within 5 working days of the winner selection. Winners must respond within 15 working days from the date of the email confirming (1) eligibility (including a valid E.ON customer number) and (2) acceptance of the prize. If the winner is not contactable or fails to respond to initial winner notification within 15 working days of the notification, the prize may be reallocated by the Promoter to a reserve winner selected in the same manner who will be required to respond with required confirmations.
16. Further Instant Win Prize Information: Prize will be delivered within 28 days of winner verification and receipt of valid delivery address (whichever is the later).
17. Further Prize Draw Information: Prize will be delivered within 28 days of winner verification and receipt of valid delivery address (whichever is the later). Prize draw winners will be sent a cheque for £1,500.
18. Incomplete, illegal, misdirected or late entries, or entries not in accordance with these terms and conditions will not be accepted. Proof of sending will not be accepted as proof of delivery. The Promoter takes no responsibility for entries delayed, incomplete or lost due to technical reasons or otherwise. The participant is responsible for the accuracy of the contact details provided. Personal data must be true.
19. Bulk entries made from trade, consumer groups or third parties will not be accepted. Incomplete or illegible entries, bulk entries, entries by or via third parties or syndicates, entries by macros or other automated means (including systems which can be programmed to submit entries), and entries which do not satisfy the requirements of these terms and conditions in full will be disqualified and will not be counted. If it becomes apparent that a participant is using a computer(s) to circumvent this condition by, for example, the use of ‘script’, ‘brute force’, masking their identity by manipulating IP addresses, using identities other than their own or any other automated means to generate additional entries in a way that is not consistent with the spirit of the promotion, that person’s entries will be disqualified and any prize award will be void.
20. Winner Name publication: The name and county of the Prize Draw winners, and of the major Instant Win prizes as indicated in the table of Instant Win Prizes below these terms and conditions will be made available here between 15 March and 10 May 2017.
21. Winners agree to take part in publicity regarding this promotion. If winners do not want their name to be published (except that no-one may opt out of publication of their name in accordance with clause 20, which is an industry compliance requirement) they should inform the Promoter when accepting their prize.
22. Data Privacy: The Promoter will only use the personal details supplied by you on entering this promotion in order to administer and run this promotion unless you consent to receive future Sky UK and E.ON updates upon entering the promotion. In all cases, your personal details will at all times be kept confidential and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Click here for the Promoter’s Privacy Policy.
23. The Promoter shall take appropriate technical and organisational measures against the unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
24. The decision of the Promoter is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
25. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted or misdirected entries.
26. Liability: The Promoter cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury suffered by any entrant entering the promotion or as a result of accepting any Prize. Nothing shall exclude the Promoter’s liability for death or personal injury as a result of its negligence. The Promoter is not liable for any defects in the prize, any concerns with the prize should be directed towards the manufacturer of the prize.
27. If for any reason any aspect of this competition is not capable of running as planned, including as a result of infection by computer virus, network failure, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any cause beyond the control of the Promoter which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this promotion, the Promoter may in its sole discretion and subject to any written directions given under applicable law:
1. cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the promotion, or
2. invalidate any affected entries; or
3. disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process.
28. If an act, omission, event or circumstance occurs which is beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter and which prevents the Promoter from complying with these terms and conditions the Promoter will not be liable for any failure to perform or delay in performing its obligation.
29. The Promoter and its associated agencies and companies will not be liable for any loss (including, without limitation, indirect, special or consequential loss or loss of profits), expense or damage which is suffered or sustained (whether or not arising from any person’s negligence) in connection with this promotion or accepting or using the prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law (including personal injury, death and fraud) in which case that liability is limited to the minimum allowable by law.
30. Entrants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
31. Any question concerning the legal interpretation of the rules will be based on English law and the Courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction.
Promoter: E.ON Energy Solutions Limited, Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park, Coventry CV4 8LG.

t3rm3y

Looks like clause 27 protects them. wonder if this was added after they found an error?? Oh well. It was nice believing I had won something decent..

mjm3346

t3rm3y wrote: »

Looks like clause 27 protects them. wonder if this was added after they found an error?? Oh well. It was nice believing I had won something decent..

Unlikely to have been added later, it or something like it is a fairly standard condition.


This one that was faulty with everyone winning at the start had a similar condition that they used (although later changed their minds and honoured all the prizes and gave a bit extra as well).

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5369331

serenity2012

The comp stated it was only for Eon customers and so it was your error. Sorry Disappointing for you though.

mjm3346

serenity2012 wrote: »

The comp stated it was only for Eon customers and so it was your error. Sorry Disappointing for you though.

The OP is an Eon customer.

2013yearofthehouse

I did read about an error on their Facebook page on Thursday evening (I think?).

Several people posted within a few hours saying they had all won and how do they claim. A few of them had received lots of emails at once and each one said they had won a different prize, which was an error as apparently winners are only supposed to get one email and one prize. Obviously you only got the one email, so you weren't caught up in that, but perhaps your were caught up in the part where multiple people were told they had won, when only one person was supposed too?

Hopefully you win something else soon

POPPYOSCAR

Discussed here with EON rep

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5565467

see post 44

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Good morning all,

I'm sorry about the issues that we had with spinning the wheel.

There was a technical blip with the competition on Thursday evening and some players were told wrongly they had won a prize. We're looking at what happened and will be in touch with all those affected with more information shortly.

The company responsible for facilitating the game had a server change and this caused the erroneous emails to the players. The issue was rectified immediately, an investigation will take place to find out what went wrong.

So any customers affected will be contacted.

Thank you


Helena