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I spend enough to have a shot of winning.

So GW decide to send me an already 'losing ticket'. It even has its own product code. I was pre-selected to lose. Utter shambles. It's not the fact I lost - it's a competition - but selected to lose from the outset then sending me the delivery note - itemised!

This is the worst I have seen from this company's declining customer services.

I had two but didn't get that.

EDIT: Maybe raise some hell with customer service?

The packing list is good for a laugh, but it's a pretty sad and pathetic thing to whine about.

Of course they knew if you had a winning ticket or not as they filled your order. It's not like they just had a big box of loose tickets and just shoved one into every order before sealing up the box.

 Portugal Jones wrote:
It's not like they just had a big box of loose tickets and just shoved one into every order before sealing up the box.

That is exactly what should be happening. If GW are basically picking the winners, that's pretty much the definition of a rigged competition.

Or the randomness is not in the hands of the guy packing the box.

 ClockworkZion wrote:
I had two but didn't get that.

EDIT: Maybe raise some hell with customer service?

Already done!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Portugal Jones wrote:
The packing list is good for a laugh, but it's a pretty sad and pathetic thing to whine about.

Of course they knew if you had a winning ticket or not as they filled your order. It's not like they just had a big box of loose tickets and just shoved one into every order before sealing up the box.

This is GW picking a losing ticket - of course it's worth pointing out! I think it was included by mistake and they've been caught.

I'm sure it's a per-assigned lottery system, done at web order entry, so either you win or you lose as soon as you pay.

I think it's more like, they fill out the product code/VAT/etc and then an automated system checks if the customer wins or not, and then posts either, "winning ticket" or "losing ticket" and then the person, who was checking whether or not the order was a winner or a loser, simply forgot to delete the results in the description. At least, that's my assumption of it.

You can accuse GW of many things (and rightfully so) but poor customer service, in general, is not one of those things.

The issue with that idea is that there then must be winning and losing tickets available for packing, and if people know what tickets are the winners, that could leave it open to abuse.

I am sure there's a legitimate explanation for this, but I'm struggling to think of a plausible one...

 Azreal13 wrote:
The issue with that idea is that there then must be winning and losing tickets available for packing, and if people know what tickets are the winners, that could leave it open to abuse.

I am sure there's a legitimate explanation for this, but I'm struggling to think of a plausible one...

Since the system knows which order got the winner, I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to track down if some stocker's buddies got a bunch of golden tickets.

Only if people check.

I doubt anyone could play the system, assuming you'd have no control of which orders you packed, but if the competition is anything less than double blind, it does seem a bit suss.

They almost would have to keep track of who gets the winning tickets. I'm sure there is some language built in there to prohibit you from transferring the ticket, as people would try to sell the ticket otherwise (and could probably get a pretty penny for it if they did). If you link the ticket to the buyer's identity at the time they make the purchase, you can police that kind of activity.

I didn't win. I think I should have won. Can I complain?


;-)

 Asmodas wrote:
They almost would have to keep track of who gets the winning tickets. I'm sure there is some language built in there to prohibit you from transferring the ticket, as people would try to sell the ticket otherwise (and could probably get a pretty penny for it if they did). If you link the ticket to the buyer's identity at the time they make the purchase, you can police that kind of activity.

Would they not make more money by collecting the models and selling them on individually, or even returning them to a GW store?

 Asmodas wrote:
They almost would have to keep track of who gets the winning tickets. I'm sure there is some language built in there to prohibit you from transferring the ticket, as people would try to sell the ticket otherwise (and could probably get a pretty penny for it if they did). If you link the ticket to the buyer's identity at the time they make the purchase, you can police that kind of activity.

That's no skin off GW's nose though, they're still only giving out one prize. To do anything other than have a big bag of tickets with the appropriate number of winners mixed in and require the winner to claim the prize will require a bunch more effort for no apparent gain.

 statu wrote:

 Asmodas wrote:
They almost would have to keep track of who gets the winning tickets. I'm sure there is some language built in there to prohibit you from transferring the ticket, as people would try to sell the ticket otherwise (and could probably get a pretty penny for it if they did). If you link the ticket to the buyer's identity at the time they make the purchase, you can police that kind of activity.

Would they not make more money by collecting the models and selling them on individually, or even returning them to a GW store?

Sure, but that's a lot of hassle, and you could probably just sell the ticket to an online reseller who would be more than happy to do that work for you. GW probably didn't want the winner to have that option (or the option of returning them to a GW for cash, particularly as the marginal price of giving away free product is much lower than the retail price).

I was informed by my local gee dubs to hold onto my receipt as it was needed to redeem the ticket if i got it.

my assumption is that its based on your order number and that random ones where picked by computer.

a better question would be, does anyone know WHO got the golden tickets so far?

 Azreal13 wrote:

 Asmodas wrote:
They almost would have to keep track of who gets the winning tickets. I'm sure there is some language built in there to prohibit you from transferring the ticket, as people would try to sell the ticket otherwise (and could probably get a pretty penny for it if they did). If you link the ticket to the buyer's identity at the time they make the purchase, you can police that kind of activity.

That's no skin off GW's nose though, they're still only giving out one prize. To do anything other than have a big bag of tickets with the appropriate number of winners mixed in and require the winner to claim the prize will require a bunch more effort for no apparent gain.

Eh, not worth arguing about, but I see what you're saying. The point is there are rational business reasons why they might want to make it non-transferable, and tracking the winning ticket to a given receipt allows them to enforce that.

I'm surprised they didn't put 'WEB PROMOTION - FREE LOSING TICKET'

 Spaced wrote:


I think it was included by mistake and they've been caught.

Caught doing what? You're whinging over nothing.

 Azreal13 wrote:
I am sure there's a legitimate explanation for this, but I'm struggling to think of a plausible one...

It's really not hard at all. They don't just have a big box of envelopes that someone stuffs into an order right before it ships. If I had been setting this up, then whether someone got a winning ticket or not would've been determined when the order went to the warehouse to be packed, based on, 'projected number of orders during February x % chance per order.' With an additional floating variable that accounted for time and order volume trends that made sure that all tickets were given out during the month (which is again why a big random box of tickets doesn't work).

That means there'd be an entry on whatever internal documentation is used for packing, for what kind of ticket went in for when the order was dispatched. It just happens in this case, the warehouse-only info accidentally was included in the customer invoice. No harm, no foul, no need to get your mechadendrites in a bunch.

Yeah, I've already addressed why that's potentially a bad idea.

Well that's a totally valid thing to bash GW abou....Wait a second, why are we complaining over a piece of paper that says losing ticket? Still can't quite track down in the thread why it's worth whining about...

They didnt say it had a draw date, just said randomly selected orders. This means that they can have predetermined losers as long as its random. Yours could very well have been randomly determined when you hit order to be a loser.

Nothing wrong, but at least you were told you lost early and can not get any hopes up.

I seriously doubt there was any foul play involved. Here in Texas, USA all contests like this must be approved by the state gaming commission MONTHS in advance and comply with very strict rules, lest the company be assessed an astronomical fine.

I would be gob smacked if the UK didn't have regulations at LEAST as stringent, if not much more so.

Be gob smacked. To my knowledge, there's next to no regulation unless there's a gambling element or a cost to enter.

Dont get your knickers in a knot guys, I am sure this was just sent out as you didn't win the random prize, not because they chose you as a loser.

 Azreal13 wrote:
Be gob smacked. To my knowledge, there's next to no regulation unless there's a gambling element or a cost to enter.

I seem to recall the cost tp enter was £40.

 SilverMK2 wrote:

 Azreal13 wrote:
Be gob smacked. To my knowledge, there's next to no regulation unless there's a gambling element or a cost to enter.

I seem to recall the cost tp enter was £40.

was it £40 to enter and every entry wins £40 worth of stuff or was it free entry when you purchased £40 of stuff?

Exactly, there's a difference between cost to enter and qualifying criteria.

Yeah, let's complain this and not GW's prices, policies, finecast, etc. Way to stay focused guys.