Olive and Cyrus competition winners

[Andrew Everard]

Winners have been drawn for a couple of our recent competitions.

Winners in our Olive O3HD competition were:
Peter3110
ginganinga
neilphilip
adam_clarke
Cpt.Issues

Winners in the Cyrus Streamline competition were:
joelgarthwaite
revad123
chrisbaume

Congrats to all - we'll be in touch soon re delivery of your prizes

 

[Anonymous]

in the words of monty python

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EI7p2p1QJI

 

[Anonymous]

Well done. Maybe one day for me!

 

[bballtom]

I wonder how many people enter the all the different competitions on this web site?

 

[The_Lhc]

Well I do, but I haven't signed up just to enter the comps, like most seem to. I'm here for the love as well. Errr...

 

[MajorFubar]

Not necessarily the case here, but I wonder how many such winners are 'serial competition addicts' who join to win expensive prizes they have no intention of keeping longer than the duration of a 7 or 10 day ebay listing?

There is a very famous magazine whose name I won't mention which concerns itself with the preservation and restoration of classic cars. A couple of years ago, they bought an old battered Rover P6 V8 and documented its nut-and-bolt rebuild over the period of about six months. It looked absolutely stunning. After the rebuild they gave it away in a competition. Utter chaos broke out on the magazine's forum when its winner, a 'competition-addict', had it auctioned on eBay within a week, confessing in their listing that to be honest they hated old cars, they had no intention of keeping it or even driving it, and they had only entered the competition because of the car's potential value.

Not a lot can be done about it though :/

 

[Rob998]

Didn't something similar happen here with a load of (IIRC) Naim kit a year or so ago? I think the guy said he sold it to keep his business afloat?

 

[MajorFubar]

that sounds more like an unfortunate act of desperation 🙁

 

[chebby]

It's none of our business who enters the competitions or how the winners decide to enjoy what is - essentially - their property once it's been delivered.

 

[The_Lhc]

No, but it would be nice to think that people were entering because they've got a vague interest in the subject, rather than simply to make as much cash as they can.

 

[pwiles1968]

Cant even see a single post on the forum for several of the names up there, hopefully the kit will encourage tham to contribute.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Cant even see a single post on the forum for several of the names up there, hopefully the kit will encourage tham to contribute.

There's no requirement to post on the forum to enter a competition, only to be registered with the site; they're magazine/website competitions, not forum ones.

 

[Big Aura]

Andrew, while I agree that they're not a jolly for forumites, there are a large number of people who troll the web looking for easy competitions (and the questions you pose are generally on the easy end of the skill/chance continuum!). It's just a pity that so many people with no interest in Hi-Fi/AV products sign-up purely to try and win the prizes which manufacturers (presumably) donate to raise profile / awareness of their products among the people who do take an interest in Hi-Fi/AV products. If you were to limit it to magazine subscribers and those that have 2 or more (genuine) forum posts, you'd probably eliminate 85% of the opportunists...

 

[Paul.]

Dont forget, a lot of people will lurk without posting. Ive frequented dozens of forums over the years, but can count on one hand the number I have posted on.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Andrew, while I agree that they're not a jolly for forumites, there are a large number of people who troll the web looking for easy competitions (and the questions you pose are generally on the easy end of the skill/chance continuum!). It's just a pity that so many people with no interest in Hi-Fi/AV products sign-up purely to try and win the prizes which manufacturers (presumably) donate to raise profile / awareness of their products among the people who do take an interest in Hi-Fi/AV products. If you were to limit it to magazine subscribers and those that have 2 or more (genuine) forum posts, you'd probably eliminate 85% of the opportunists...

As we understand it, competitions law requires such contests be open to all, so it's impossible to introduce an element of qualification into the process.

 

[Big Aura]

what better way to lure a lurker into social interaction than require them to make 3 non-spam posts before they acquire the right to win lots of lovely shiney things!

 

[Big Aura]

It's quite interesting. The Gambling Act regulates games of chance and lotteries. If the competition has an element of skill which is reasonably likely to deter a significant portion of entrants, it may fall outside the "game of chance" controls in the act. For example, if a question is too easy "Is the Pope a Catholic?" or if the answer is given near to the question "To win these Grado SR80 headphones answer the question below - "Do Grado make (a) headphones; (b) tupperware; (c) ballpoint pens; or (d) small children cry?" it fails the "deter a significant portion" test.

The next hurdle is a "payment to enter" one (if you have to pay, it may be a lottery, and so subject to the Gambling Act). Having the competition only open to subscribers would possibly fall foul of this. Open to subscribers (paid route to enter) and website members (free) will be okay, provided its no less convenient to enter, the competition is likely to come to the attention of all and the promoter doesn't discriminate in favour of paid entrants (subscribers) versus non paid.
It's possible that holding forum members to a higher standard (2 or more posts) will mean there's an element of discrimination, however that could be easily solved by applying the 2 post rule to subscribers also. Lurkers and shyness notwithstanding, if it increases the potential likelihood of winning severalfold, I'm sure most people would do it. FAOD, these are general musings and should not be considered to be legal advice - you should consult your own legal advisers before revising your competition terms. 😉

 

[The_Lhc]

If you were to limit it to magazine subscribers and those that have 2 or more (genuine) forum posts, you'd probably eliminate 85% of the opportunists...

And 85% of the reason for the manufacturers to provide the prizes in the first place.

 

[The_Lhc]

FAOD

That's a bit harsh...

 

[Lee H]

Silly me. I thought the forum was here for help, advice and banter rather than a qualifying tool for competitions. 🙂

They entered, they won. Good for them. They may subscribe and pay Haymarket every month rather than simply use this site for free (yes, I know many on here do that too)

I've entered the Award winners competition. There's some things there that I really want. There's others that I don't. If I win something I don't want, I don't plan on keeping it. It'll be sold and put towards something I do want.

 

[Paul.]

FAOD

That's a bit harsh...

Titter 😳

 

[Andrew Everard]

There's also the small matter of competition prizes being supplied by the UK distributors or manufacturers, neither of whom may want to tread on the toes of their overseas distributors by offering prizes to entrants in their territories. Hence the 'UK only' nature of the competitions.

 

[kevin7.1]

This is actually the first time i have been into the hifi forum because i am that little bit more interested in home cinema at the minute ( and probably till i can buy a bigger home and unbox my stereo system from the loft ).

Now i too like the rest of the haters on this thread am gutted i didn't win. Maybe next time!!! I guess at the very least if someone wins and throws the prize on an auction site then it gives someone who can't quite strech to the item the opertunity to get it for that bit less.

 

[psurquhart]

Silly me. I thought the forum was here for help, advice and banter rather than a qualifying tool for competitions. 🙂

They entered, they won. Good for them. They may subscribe and pay Haymarket every month rather than simply use this site for free (yes, I know many on here do that too)

I've entered the Award winners competition. There's some things there that I really want. There's others that I don't. If I win something I don't want, I don't plan on keeping it. It'll be sold and put towards something I do want.

Well put.

 

[scene]

Silly me. I thought the forum was here for help, advice and banter rather than a qualifying tool for competitions. 🙂

They entered, they won. Good for them. They may subscribe and pay Haymarket every month rather than simply use this site for free (yes, I know many on here do that too)

I've entered the Award winners competition. There's some things there that I really want. There's others that I don't. If I win something I don't want, I don't plan on keeping it. It'll be sold and put towards something I do want.

Well put.

:clap: exactly.