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

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

nator said: i.e. having to make some holes in the building has become a reason for them to say no

Not sure how else they'd expect to get the pipework from the air pump situated outside into the cylinder situated inside without making a hole in the wall? 

I think the above is correct, if you can show that such a system can be installed in your property without extremely excessive costs you could look to make a claim for the cost of having a system installed.

If there was a cost limit you'd expect it to be detailed in the terms, "qualifying criteria" is very loose without anything to define it. 

nator

Okell said:

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?

I have gone back to them repetedly, their explanations are inadequate, they keep adding more reasons that don't match the conversation we had on site, none of the issues they mention cannot be overcome and I've offered to pay for any abnormals.

I can't post links here, but the T&Cs refered to in 6.3 can be found on hivehome dot com /terms. I cannot find a section that covers ASHP installations, and what qualifying properties are. The only line I can possibly find that would cover this is:

"We reserve the right at our sole discretion to refuse a service for any customer." under the "July 2025 Hive Terms and Conditions". Otherwise nothing.

Grumpy_chap

nator said:

3.3. There is one (1) prize for this competition:
3.3.1. Samsung 5kw or 8kw Heat Pump

Can you just Receive the unit and not the installation?

Okell

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

nator said: i.e. having to make some holes in the building has become a reason for them to say no

Not sure how else they'd expect to get the pipework from the air pump situated outside into the cylinder situated inside without making a hole in the wall? 

I think the above is correct, if you can show that such a system can be installed in your property without extremely excessive costs you could look to make a claim for the cost of having a system installed.

If there was a cost limit you'd expect it to be detailed in the terms, "qualifying criteria" is very loose without anything to define it. 

But is a prize in a free to enter competition enforceable under any law?

I dunno.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Okell said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

nator said: i.e. having to make some holes in the building has become a reason for them to say no

Not sure how else they'd expect to get the pipework from the air pump situated outside into the cylinder situated inside without making a hole in the wall? 

I think the above is correct, if you can show that such a system can be installed in your property without extremely excessive costs you could look to make a claim for the cost of having a system installed.

If there was a cost limit you'd expect it to be detailed in the terms, "qualifying criteria" is very loose without anything to define it. 

But is a prize in a free to enter competition enforceable under any law?

I dunno.

I think the Gambling Act applies, although I'm not 100% sure on that or what it imposes, but the CPRs (now the DMCCA) does apply from what I understand. 

eskbanker

nator said:

I have gone back to them repetedly, their explanations are inadequate, they keep adding more reasons that don't match the conversation we had on site, none of the issues they mention cannot be overcome and I've offered to pay for any abnormals.

But have they expressly made the connection between these issues and the relevant clauses of the qualifying criteria they may rely on?

In a more general context, I don't think it's unusual for companies to overrule what their site surveyors say in front of customers, so in itself that discrepancy isn't necessarily significant.

Grumpy_chap

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Okell said:

But is a prize in a free to enter competition enforceable under any law?

I dunno.

I think the Gambling Act applies, although I'm not 100% sure on that or what it imposes, but the CPRs (now the DMCCA) does apply from what I understand. 

I thought about that as well.  In short, gambling wins cannot be enforced.

I think there may be a simpler reason why the prize may not be enforceable.  A contract requires offer and acceptance.  A contract also requires a consideration by both parties.  A free to enter competition seems to be without consideration on the part of the entrant/winner.

user1977

If they didn't think it enforceable at all then why bother with any terms and conditions?

Alderbank

The T&Cs say (5.2) that assessment of the property size and the corresponding Heat Pump size will be conducted by a qualified professional selected by the Promoter. 

One of the assessor's objections seems to be radiator size, which is a common issue because of the limited temp rise achieved by an ASHP compared with a gas boiler.

OP, do you have a professional assessment, which includes a proper room-by-room heat loss survey, to say that the Samsung 8kW heat pump will be adequate for your home without upgrading to larger radiators?

BG are clear that they intend to use your actual installation in their ads.
They do not want you saying the house is always cold, nor do they want you to say you had to spend thousands of pounds extra on larger more intrusive radiators.

themadvix

Re legal enforcement of prizes, you should post in the competitions forum - they might well be able to help you.