A marked decrease in winnings

pebbles691

@marcia_ do you mean it led to much higher people using the comps threads or just general entries went up? It sounds very selfish of me but I remember many years ago reading a few articles in the paper of people talking about how much stuff they won by entering competitions and how to go about it, and all I thought was no don’t advertise it, more people to reduce my chances of winning haha

pebbles691

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81999960#Comment_81999960

@Gottobeinittowinit it’s been 5 months since my last win but I do remember in the past giving up and prizes coming in the post months later. I won an instant win of a big prize maybe first or second day back after the hiatus which definitely led me into a false sense of security!

pebbles691

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000091#Comment_82000091

@captainjack2 I definitely used to think like that but 5 months on and nothing. Fingers crossed they are just lost in the post and will appear one day! In my hey day of competition entering I don’t think I ever won close to 100 in a month, have you geniunely had that before?

WoodyWoody6

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000478#Comment_82000478

Won four comps in a year. Which I’m grateful for. But in terms of time spent vs. reward, you’d have to say it wasn’t worth it.

That said, it’s hard to stop comping, as you always feel like a big win is just around the corner!

OrangeMoo

I feel lucky I've won multiple prize over £1000 over the years, computer, holiday, fancy working from home setup including a touch screen graphics monitor, Samsung galaxy smart phone. All things I love and I'm very grateful for. Its been about a year and a half, maybe two, since my last big win and I've not won much this year. I've still got a few hundred pounds of vouchers to spend at a fancy hotel / restaurant from last years wins so it still feels like a win for this year.

I don't bother much with socials so it might be expected my wins are decreasing, but I'm still hopeful another big win is just around the corner.

For me a its not the periods of not winning that make me think of quitting, its when you win a prize and they dont give it out, worse still when they deliberately make it awkward and blame you for it to the point you dread every communication with them until you give in, such an awful feeling. But then you get the really good ones where they go out of their way and take a real interest to tailor the prize, making the whole experience a joy.

marcia_

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000479#Comment_82000479

yes that is what i meant. After the MSE articles about people making money comping the competition forum has had an influx of newbies assuming they were all entering as many as they could.
Selfish yes but I wished they hadn't posted the article 🤣

pate-ci0

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000657#Comment_82000657

I agree with all you say; luckily I've had very few wins which required a lot of chasing or just never arrived. On the other hand, those promoters who go the extra mile for you revive your faith in human nature and make winning a wonderful experience. Mentioned a win to the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo above, it was two nights with chauffeur to and from Nice airport but flights from Glasgow only went every three days. We contacted the promoter to suggest that we could pay for a hotel in Nice for a night but they replied by saying that it was not a problem, we could have an extra (bed and breakfast) night in the Fairmont! Found out the room we had was over 750 Euros per night!

captainjack2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82000505#Comment_82000505

Yes that's the thing about comping. Companies may be slow contacting winners and then you get contacted all at once. Also delivery companies and couriers can fall behind or struggle to find your address. I imagine my name is being drawn now and in a minutes time and the minute after but when they will contact you is another thing.

thebenjamin82

Very grateful for this thread. Have been back comping for around 2 months after a long break and have so far won zilch from thousands of entries. Good to know I’m not the only one finding it harder than it used to be. Will keep plugging away nonetheless. Cheaper than gambling and provides a similar rush.

seolas

I have been entering competitions daily for around one-and-a-half years as I'm stuck at home a lot (mental health) and so far have won some Red Bulls and some really bad board games. It hardly seems worth the time and the amount of spam I get is unbelievably, but it's just part of my routine now.

I sometimes wonder if companies just fix it so friends win or if it's just simply more and more people have the same idea to make competitions a hobby.