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Energy'Win a farm' flops as no-one buys the farm
Filed under: Shopping & Deals
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David Cheskin/PA Archive/Press Association Images
It's an appealing notion, and one that garnered 267,000 entries in desperate pursuit of the rural idyll. The trouble was that the way they ran the competition meant no-one won.
The competition
The company printed up promotional packs with a unique code on each, but although 267,000 of these codes were entered into the site, none of them was the winner. The owner of that lucky pack must have chucked it out without bothering. There was no mechanism in place to deal with this situation, so there was simply no top prize awarded.The company admitted it on Facebook, and fans of the page were decidedly unimpressed. Those commenting pointed out that a draw would have seemed more fair, that they could have had a fall-back in place, allowing them to pick another code. Others felt cheated, and some even asked whether the whole promotion was a scam.
Your rights
Defence
Nigel Parrott, Group Marketing Director at New Covent Garden Soup Co told AOL Money: "We appreciate that people are disappointed that the 'win a farm' prize wasn't won, we are just as disappointed and we take the feelings and comments of our customers very seriously. We had 267,000 entries to the competition, had all packs been entered, someone would definitely have won."Annie Swift, chief executive of the Institute of Promotional Marketing said there was nothing wrong with the competition itself, saying: "The IPM looked at this promotion before it went live, as we do with thousands of these promotions every year; there was nothing wrong with the terms and conditions. It was legal and it followed the CAP Code, the rules which cover promotions like this."
Disaster
However, the promotion has left a nasty taste in the mouth for many consumers. What started out as a competition costing the company millions of pounds in order to generate good publicity has ended in a sorry farce. Parrott said: "We are now reviewing how future promotions should be run and are taking these comments into consideration."The Facebook commentators, meanwhile, continue to demand that the company finds a way to award the prize.
But what do you think? Does it seem fair to you? What should the company do now? Let us know in the comments.
Save money on shopping
- 1) Know the price of everything you buy<p> </p> <p> This takes time, but once you know the cost of a phone call, putting the dryer on, or a bag of potatoes, it enables you to judge far better how much you can afford to consume.</p>
- 2) Shop around<p> </p> <p> Once you know the base price, you are in a position to keep your eyes open for a better offer. If you see a discount you can judge for yourself whether it actually constitutes a bargain. For bigger things like utilities it enables you to do a proper price comparison and see if you can cut your bills.</p>
- 3) Trade down<p> </p> <p> Don't just assume that the premium range is better, try the every-day brand, or even the basic version and see if you spot the difference. Likewise, consider trading down your supermarket from one of the big players to local markets or discounters like Aldi.</p>
- 4) Plan<p> </p> <p> If you plan what you buy to match what you actually cook and eat then not only will you be able to budget far more effectively, but you'll also waste much less and find your money goes further without you having to try.</p>
- 5) Think creatively<p> If you can't think of a way to get your meat for less, consider a vegetarian day once a week. If you can't find petrol any cheaper, then work on making your driving as efficient as possible. The more you can think of clever alternatives the less you will have to make painful cuts to make ends meet.</p>
