On to a winner with comping: Winning competitions online
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 06:07
Compers - people who enter competitions as a hobby - are a growing tribe.
Sarah Routledge finds out if this is just a harmless past time or a serious part-time cash cow.
Entering
In the UK, there is still a huge demand for the National Lottery, despite best-tightening in the recession - National Lottery sales across all games hit £5.15 billion in the year to March, an increase of £182.8 million on last year.
A life-changing win is certainly attractive, but there is a growing group of hobbyists chasing lesser prizes with far better odds.
And websites that scour the internet for competitions are making it easier for compers to bag a prize.
"It's always good when you can get something for nothing! Also when entering competitions you get to choose what you want to win," says Vicky Hill, spokesperson for Data Media & Research, which runs several instant win competitions online and in magazines.
Jason Dale, spokesperson for online competition site Loquax.com, says comping is becoming increasingly popular.
"Since the credit crunch, activity on the site has increased but whether that's due to the recession I couldn't say.
"Some people most certainly have taken up comping in hope of winning something nice or that's needed, but comping online has increased in popularity, it's more accessible and people do like the chance to win things.
"However, trying to win prizes isn't an easy way to money making, and therefore I think most people see it as an enjoyable hobby with the benefit of getting something for nothing if the luck is with them."
No purchase necessary
Companies want as many people to enter as possible, in order to increase sales. But they are not allowed to charge you to enter, unless there is a degree of skill involved, so there is generally an option to enter without buying the product at all.
If you look closely at the small print in the terms and conditions, you will notice an address you can write off to.
There are several competition websites that have sprung up to take advantage of this fact, bringing hundreds of competitions together so the serial competition player can enter many at once, increasing their chances of winning.
These include: www.loquax.com, www.theprizefinder.com, www.compaholics.co.uk, www.competitionslist.com, www.UKwins.co.uk and www.Guide2Win.co.uk.
Twitter has also become a popular forum for competitions, with prizes offered in return for a retweet or simply by becoming a follower.
The easiest way to find these competitions is to follow as many celebrities and brands as you can.
Tips on winning
"Read the instructions carefully on what you are required to do to enter.
"It's amazing how many people disqualify themselves by misreading the question or by not giving their details properly," advises Steven Higson, editor of theprizefinder.com.
"The standard answer from most people will be 'enter as many competitions' as you can," Mr Dale says.
"This is actually bad advice!
"Enter as many competitions as you can for the things you'd like to win - the extra bit is important as many new compers dive head first into things and quickly get disillusioned by their lack of success. Smaller prizes tend to attract less entries plus look out for competitions with lots of prizes on offer - for example if The Sun has a 1,500 DVD giveaway."
Mr Dale also advises joining a forum, such as the one on Loquax, which can point you in the direction of new competitions and meet fellow compers.
"Be positive and have fun - it won't guarantee you win, but you'll enjoy comping much more," he adds.
Scams
Scammers often use the chance of a big-money win as a lure to trap consumers into paying out cash to 'release' their prize, or trick them into giving away too much personal information.
But according to a spokesperson at theprizefinder.com, there is a fairly simple way of avoiding scams.
"Enter competitions run by familiar companies and brands," says Mr Higson.
Using a reputable competition site is also a good way of avoiding scams, Mr Dale says.
"Competitions that we list on Loquax are reviewed before being accepted.
"Hopefully that keeps things safe for our users. However, there are some simple rules to follow.
"Be careful with your details - treat comping like any shopping site you visit. If you don't like the look of a site, or you think it's not right - ask for a second opinion!"
Mr Dale also recommends compers look for terms and conditions - "so many people don't bother but they can help you find out who's running a site," he says.
And importantly, if someone asks you to pay for a prize, this is not a real competition and likely to be a scam.
"Similarly, if you've been told you've won a prize in a lottery you've never entered - you haven't," Mr Dale warns.
Usually the scammer will either ask you for money to pay for the 'administrative costs' involved before giving you the prize - that doesn't exist - or you will be forced to phone a premium number, only to eventually find the 'prize' is actually money-off vouchers or a similarly low-value offering.
Junk mail
Another potential downside to entering competitions is the potential for unwanted marketing material in the form of junk mail, spam and text messages.
"There are some websites which run competitions in order to collect people's data to put them on a mailing list or database.
"If you are concerned about that, you should read the privacy policy and terms and conditions of the website running the competition," advises Mr Higson.
Make sure you check all the terms and conditions to ensure you are happy before sending off your details.
"Watch out for marketing messages - these are popular in some competitions, tick this to get that, don't tick this to not get the other," Mr Dale adds.
"Marketing messages (e.g newsletters) are part and parcel of entering competitions and a distinction between 'spam' and opted in for communications needs to be acknowledged.
"From a siteowner's point of view it's frustrating being called a spammer when you send one newsletter a week and the person has signed up for it.
"There are some competitions though that will happily sell your details if you've ticked boxes, not ticked boxes or not read the small print. So be careful, have a 'comping email address' and read on forums for the sites that people tend to avoid."
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