British Gas / Centrica / Hive won't honour substantial prize win - what can I do?

nator

Hi all, a long one here, I'll try and keep it as short and to the point as possible.

Earlier this year, we attended Grand Designs Live event, and entered a competition run by Centrica Hive (British Gas) for a full installation of an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP). I have never won a prize so was delighted to get a call a few months ago telling me I had won, and arranging the survey.

The surveyors came round and spent a few good hours looking at the house, and we discussed a number of options and locations for installation, with a couple of seemingly viable options. One small snag appeared to be getting the equipment through the house, as it is effectively terraced, but there was an opportunity to get it in over the neighbour's garden fence, which they are happy to accommodate, and I was happy to pay for. The pipework itself could run round a single storey extension and into the utility room. The radiators and internal pipework were checked and found to be fine.

They said they would go away and prepare the design, but I never heard back. I started calling British Gas, got sent round the houses for weeks, but eventually managed to get a contact in complaints. She told me that the installation was too technically challenging, and they would not be proceeding. She said the terms clearly stated that there was no cash alternative.

As i corresponded further with the complaints team, they did not address my queries and started coming up with more reasons not to proceed, for example saying that that all the radiators would need replacing, clearly contradicting what I had be told by the surveyors. It is clear that, having run their promotion, they are just looking for excuses not to deliver the prize and forget about it.

In the latest email they have stated that they will not be proceeding, and if I had a complaint I have to take it to arbitration with RECC - Renewable Energy Consumer Code. It is unclear to me if this would be within their remit, as I have not paid money or had any equipment installed.

I am not an engineer, but have worked in property and construction for over twenty years, so have a pretty strong grasp of the technical issues. Clearly, retrofitting an existing building with a system like this is always going to have a level of complexity, and they must have known this when they decided to run the promotion. I can't see how my case is any more complex than any other.

I'm very disappointed and I don't really want to let this go. It's ironic that I was told by everybody that I was "a VIP"; I'd hate to find out how normal customers are treated.

Should I attempt the RECC mediation? It doesn't really seem to be what they have been set up for. Is it a matter for the Advertising Standards Authority?

Here are the full T&Cs of the competition, which I managed to get out of the complaints team:

Hive Prize Terms & Conditions
Hive products competition
Grand Designs Live Show 2025
1. The Promoter
1.1. The promoter is Centrica Hive Limited, whose registered office is Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD
(“the Promoter”).
2. The Event
2.1 The Grand Designs Live Show will take place from the 2 May 2025 to 5 May 2025 at the ExCel London (“the Event”).
3. The Competition
3.1. The competition will run for the duration of the Event.
3.2. Entries must be submitted on one of the four days of the Event.
3.3. There is one (1) prize for this competition:
3.3.1. Samsung 5kw or 8kw Heat Pump
3.4. The winner of the prize will be allocated as per section 4.
3.5. The winner of the prize will be allocated as per section 6.
3.6. No purchase is necessary.
4. Eligibility
4.1. The competition is open to all residents in the UK aged 18 years or over except:
4.1.1. employees of the Promoter or its holding or subsidiary companies;
4.1.2. employees of agents or suppliers of the Promoter who are connected with the competition or its administration;
4.1.3. members of the immediate families or households of (4.1.1.) and (4.1.2.) above.
4.2. There is a limit of one entry per person. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted, and joint submissions are
not allowed.
4.3. The Promoter reserves all rights to disqualify you if your conduct is contrary to the spirit or intention of the prize competition.
5. The Prize
5.1 One (1) winner will be selected at random, subject to their property meeting all qualifying criteria for a Heat Pump installation.
5.2 The prize for this competition, as outlined in section 3.3, is a Samsung 5kW or 8kW Heat Pump. The specific size of the Heat Pump
awarded will be determined based on the winner's property size. The assessment of the property size and the corresponding Heat
Pump size will be conducted by a qualified professional selected by the Promoter. The winner agrees to provide necessary access and
information for this assessment to ensure the appropriate Heat Pump size is allocated.
5.3 The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become
unavailable for any reason.

5.4 There is no cash alternative for the prize.
5.5 The prize is not negotiable or transferable.
6. Winner Announcement
6.1. The winner of the competition will be contacted by Centrica, within seven (7) days of the Event’s conclusion, using the
telephone number or email address provided at the time of entry.
6.2. To claim the prize, the winner must confirm acceptance within seven (7) days of being contacted.
6.3. By accepting the prize, the winner agrees to comply with all applicable terms and conditions as set forth by Hive. For further
details, please refer to the Hive Terms and Conditions available on the official website at [I can't post links here].
6.4. The selection of the competition winner is final, and correspondence will not be entered into. If the selected winner does not
confirm acceptance of their prize within seven (7) days of being contacted, they will forfeit their right to the prize. In such
cases, the prize will not be reallocated or awarded to another participant.
6.5. The prize may not be claimed by a third party on your behalf.
6.6. The Promoter accepts no responsibility if you cannot take up the prize.
7. Data Protection and Publicity
7.1. If you are the winner of the competition, you agree that the Promoter may use your name and town or county of residence to
announce the competition winner and for any other reasonable and related promotional purposes.
7.2. By entering the competition, you agree that any personal information you provide with the competition entry may be held
and used only by the Promoter or its agents and suppliers to administer the competition.
7.3. You can find our Privacy Notices at hivehome.com/privacy.
8. General
8.1. The Promoter reserves the right to hold, void, suspend, cancel, or amend the prize competition where necessary.
8.2. These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales.

la531983

5.1

Your property did not meet the qualifying criteria.

sheramber

Point out   to them

5.3 The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become
unavailable for any reason.

What are they going to offer instead?

eskbanker

la531983 said:

5.1

Your property did not meet the qualifying criteria.

But it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect these to be visibly defined somewhere?

la531983

sheramber said:

Point out   to them

5.3 The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become
unavailable for any reason.

What are they going to offer instead?

The prize isn't unavailable though. They are willing to offer it to a qualifying property.

Undervalued

la531983 said:

5.1

Your property did not meet the qualifying criteria.

Has an independent expert confirmed that? If not and if the OP could get an expert opinion that their property was suitable they may have a case.

sheramber

la531983 said:

sheramber said:

Point out   to them

5.3 The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become
unavailable for any reason.

What are they going to offer instead?

The prize isn't unavailable though. They are willing to offer it to a qualifying property.

The surveyors sent out did not consider the property didn’t qualify or they would not have  spent hours completing the survey and suggesting options. 

libra10

It's worth contacting the ASA.  They cover many areas, and their website explains what they can help with.

https://www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint.html

Good luck

Okell

We don't know what the qualifying criteria were and whether the OP's house satisfied them.

What we know is that the surveyors spent a "good few hours at the house" and discussed a number of options.  They said they'd come back to the OP with a design.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the OP's house did not satisfy the qualifying criteria as it was technically too challenging

I wonder if the qualifying criteria are contained in the Hive T&Cs the OP mentions in 6.3?

The OP needs to go back to BG/Hive and ask for a proper explanation and/or a link to the qualifying criteria


NB - what is the law regarding free to entry competitions like this?  Are prizes legally enforceable?

sheramber

Possibly costs were more than anticipated.

nator

la531983 said:

5.1

Your property did not meet the qualifying criteria.

The text is actually:

5.1 One (1) winner will be selected at random, subject to their property meeting all qualifying criteria for a Heat Pump installation.

It isn't clear what "all qualifying criteria for Heat Pump installation" are. My view is that it does, but a little complication, i.e. having to make some holes in the building has become a reason for them to say no, I don't meet the criteria. I cannot imagine that any other retrofit would be any different.

The surveyor did say that "British Gas" are the most difficult and reject installations other companies would carry out. I suspect this is what happened here, but again, what retrofit doesn't require a little technical complication, such as running some pipes and making some holes?