OK! Listen Up!
There are some debacles going on about the way rafflecopter winners are being chosen. It’s bad enough us bloggers have control over hiding winners. We can seriously hit one small little flippin’ button and chose another winner. I understand we need that button for people who don’t respond and yada, yada; so we can chose another winner, but this button is being ABUSED!
Rafflecopter is designed for an order. The first name drawn should ALWAYS WIN THE TOP PRIZE! ALWAYS! There are only two reasons that winner should be re-drawn, they don’t respond or they didn’t follow the bloggers guidelines for entering the contest.
If bloggers want to do the raffle different or in a different order – they should explain in great detail how the winners will be chosen. With rafflecopter there are no rules and this is where we get our conflict. It is up to the bloggers to let the giveaway contests know exactly how the contest will work if it is not going to be the traditional way by order. That needs to be done before hand, in the post with the raffle giveaway!
It's pretty shady when the person holding the rafflecopter states that the grandprize winner is HIDDEN until they claim their prize.
All of you who follow Butterflies, Books & Dreams know how fair I am when i do my rafflecopters. It upsets me when I see a good friend get screwed out of The Grandprize because the author isn't being fair.
Rafflecopter is designed for an order. The first name drawn should ALWAYS WIN THE TOP PRIZE! ALWAYS! There are only two reasons that winner should be re-drawn, they don’t respond or they didn’t follow the bloggers guidelines for entering the contest.
If bloggers want to do the raffle different or in a different order – they should explain in great detail how the winners will be chosen. With rafflecopter there are no rules and this is where we get our conflict. It is up to the bloggers to let the giveaway contests know exactly how the contest will work if it is not going to be the traditional way by order. That needs to be done before hand, in the post with the raffle giveaway!
All of you who follow Butterflies, Books & Dreams know how fair I am when i do my rafflecopters. It upsets me when I see a good friend get screwed out of The Grandprize because the author isn't being fair.
I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter...Please feel free to state how you feel about this in the comment section below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
RAFFLECOPTER AND GIVEAWAYS
Okay recently I won something from a blog that had multiple winners/prizes and while I am happy about my prize I do not, nor, can not understand the method in which they decided on winners, which is what rafflecopter DOES for you.
If you have 50 prizes numbered 1 through 50 and you have rafflecopter pick 50 names then, IN MY OPINION, you should match them up one by one and give all winners time to respond whether it be 24 hours or five days.
write it on a piece of paper if you have to...I HAVE HAD TO DO THIS...do it in excel whatever works
prize A should go to first name rafflecopter picks
prize B should go to second name
and so on and so on
Bloggers am I wrong here? If you aren't going to do it this way then explain, otherwise you will have people shaking their head, saying what the fuck and how in the hell did they come up with those results.
You will aslo have some unhappy people!
just my two cents!!
We (the people that hold giveaways) also need to be very careful about this process. We need to be very specific so that people understand.
I want to understand! I am not about making things more difficult for any one person. I just don't feel like the giveaway was handled correctly and that in turn affects ALL winners as well as ALL the people that are giving the prizes away.
Courtesy ~ Kindlehooked
I think that as bloggers and as the ones buying or getting people to give us gifts, you can do your giveaway how you want, but not without some rules. It's not fair for us who do all the liking and tweeting and when the prizes are announced, they don't match the order, especially if there was no notice before hand. Just like people have to do a disclaimer to have giveaways on Facebook, rafflecopter giveaways should be the same. I'm not a blogger, just a potential winner, so I could be completely off base, but it's just my opinion. Just keep it fair and we'll all be happy, otherwise just give everything away to whoever you want and don't play like you are really doing a "fair" giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nicki! ♥
DeleteI don't understand why you would need to hide the winner anyway. That just feels like something sneaky is going on. I don't do giveaways often (after blogging for 7 years, it got tedious, needed a break, had manufacturers not send prizes, etc.) but when I do, the winner is always stated right there in the Rafflecopter.
ReplyDeleteMy point exactly! Someones getting screwed out of a great prize, probably went to a friend! GRRRR ♥
DeleteI feel the same way and I have wondered about this I see a name come up on a lot the giveaways and it could be that they are that lucky but it was always something that I wanted to know how easy it is to change that I guess I know now that they do do it and that sucks
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to change, move, and delete the winners...Its unfortunate, but true... ♥
DeleteIt could be set up that the person doing the giveaway is giving it to a friend or someone who reviews their books, does stuff for their blogs, etc, etc.. I like when you win something and the person giving it away never follows through.. Makes me not want to do it anymore..
ReplyDeleteDO NOT stop entering giveaways because of a couple stupid rafflecopters....Not everyone is dishonest! ♥
DeleteI ALWAYS post my winners on the rafflecopter for all to see as well as award the prizes to who the rafflecopter picks first. For instance ------> Prize pack # 1 goes to the first name picked and so on all the way down the line. It's a shame people abuse the rafflecopter and have to act like asses! Shame on them! Thank you for speaking out about it! I completely agree with you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Brandelyn... ♥
DeleteI've won two giveaways where the people never followed through. It's really sucks but it's not like I can do anything... ya know except unlike and unfollow everything, lol. Yea, that'll teach them ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great giveaway :)
Your welcome...♥
DeleteIve had that happen to me too... It bites!
They aren't all as sweet and honest as you are Thomas...You are one of the most caring and trustworthy authors I know out there right now....You are always giving, giving, giving...Not taking!!
ReplyDelete♥ you for your honesty and boldness
I have seen examples of exactly what you are talking about and I have stopped following 2 blogs where the same names kept coming up as a winner- I can only assume that these people were friends (and in one case I found it was a fellow blogger). I don't paint everyone with the same brush so to speak but it is pretty disappointing when the results are not being fairly chosen. I do agree, first name picked should win top prize and so on
ReplyDeleteI completely agree!
DeleteI totally agree with you. I don't have my own blog but I do help review on one, I did a giveaway for an author and the winner didn't fill out all of the required entries so I did choose another winner. In some cases it is a justifiable push of the button, but If the rules do not specify a picking order for prizes, it should go by first winner first prize. But ppl are shady and always will be. And I've also had it happen to me that I enter a giveaway, and never received The prize. I follow tons of blogs and I enter giveaways so I can get new reads. If I've already read and have the book I do not enter it, I feel it's not right and rather give the other ppl who didn't read it or have it a chance. It's fun to enter giveaways whether I win or not, but when you keep seeing ppl not following rules or being unfair it just takes the fun out of it. I'm glad that you said something and I'm sure there are plenty of others who feel the same way. If having blogs and giveaways is about sharing new reads and authors with readers, for the love we all share of reading, than there shouldn't be all of this preferential treatment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! And giveaway :)
Thank you Emi
DeleteOMG I agree! I hold giveaways on my blog and it always is first name drawn not pick who wins what!
ReplyDeleteIt does sound shady....
Some bloggers who hold giveaways like to help people they know win and that sucks... I haven't seen it happen in awhile but, I think they think they are doing a good thing for there friends but,what about the person who is following there blog? That's a good way to LOSE followers....
Sorry this happen to you or your friend just remember karma is a wonderful thing and IT ALWAYS COMES THROUGH IN THE END!!!
<3 you Carrie!! And, yes it is a def good way to lose followers
DeleteIt's sad that these authors and bloggers do not follow through with their rules for their own contests. In the end other authors and bloggers will not trust them and donate to their contests. They are hurting their own credibility. When I enter a contest I do my best to follow all the requirements and by all means if I have not then my name should be thrown out. But don't throw it out so a friend can win dishonestly.
ReplyDeleteI have won something from a blogger and have not received the item after emailing back and forth to be told the person is laid up with a personal issue, then it was a back problem and they can't get to the post office. Okay fine, but it has now been 5 months and I have given up on getting the item. But I would think that she surely there had/has to be someone that could go to the post office for her. I mean I have had a sciatic nerve pinch with a swollen disk in my back and my family and friends have gone above and beyond to help me out when needed, and if not I just sucked it up and did for myself what needed to be done back pain be damned! And the blogger is still having contests on her blog and I just wonder if the winners are receiving what they win or if they are getting excuses like I did. My name is posted on the rafflecopter and I have noticed she does not post names on her rafflecopters anymore. (Go Figure!)
Thank you Jodi for your RANT and allowing me to RANT too!