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I've wanted to say this for a while: If you are going to give away blog candy on your blog and you announce a winner and the winner sends you their address, PLEASE remember to send that blog candy off right away.
It's not like you didn't know you were going to give it away, it's not a surprise to you. Don't make the blog candy winner uncomfortable by having to contact you to ask if you've sent it yet.
It should not take asking you to send the candy and a month or 6 weeks later for the winner to receive it (or not receive it at all).
I can understand family emergencies or illness but come on having to ask where it is 6 weeks later? Just don't offer it if you don't really want to give it away.
I've wanted to say this for a while: If you are going to give away blog candy on your blog and you announce a winner and the winner sends you their address, PLEASE remember to send that blog candy off right away.
It's not like you didn't know you were going to give it away, it's not a surprise to you. Don't make the blog candy winner uncomfortable by having to contact you to ask if you've sent it yet.
It should not take asking you to send the candy and a month or 6 weeks later for the winner to receive it (or not receive it at all).
I can understand family emergencies or illness but come on having to ask where it is 6 weeks later? Just don't offer it if you don't really want to give it away.
I won blog candy a few months back and never received it. But it would never occur to me to contact the person and let them know. Anything could have happened, it could have been lost in the mail for all they know. I would never want to make someone feel bad when they never had to offer the candy in the first place. For all I know they never sent it... but I'm still not about to ask them for it.
I won blog candy a few months back and never received it. But it would never occur to me to contact the person and let them know. Anything could have happened, it could have been lost in the mail for all they know. I would never want to make someone feel bad when they never had to offer the candy in the first place. For all I know they never sent it... but I'm still not about to ask them for it.
Oh, I don't know. If it were my blog, I'd rather have the chance to let the winner know that I did send it and it must have gotten lost in the mail. I would prefer that than have the person think I'd just blown them off, kwim?
Oh, I don't know. If it were my blog, I'd rather have the chance to let the winner know that I did send it and it must have gotten lost in the mail. I would prefer that than have the person think I'd just blown them off, kwim?
I do... later on down the road it occurred to me that they might have sent it, and thought I didn't think enough of it to send a thank you card when in fact it just never got here. That bothered me, so maybe I should have said something. But then... what if they never sent it? Months had gone by... and since it was "a gift" so to speak, I just didn't feel like making them feel bad.
I don't know... this is a tough one. I'm interested in hearing how others feel about this, or if it's happened to them and how they've handled it. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
I would contact the blogger. I was supposed to send something to someone unrelated to blogging and I had it packed and addressed and clear forgot about it. She emailed me to remind me and I had it out the door pronto.
Sometimes we just make mistakes.
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
Wow - it never even occured to me not to get the blog candy in the mail right away. In the past when I have done candy I've already placed the goodies in the envelope ready to go. For me, I would want to know if the winner never received the candy.
Whether I am giving prizes away, or shipping orders, I always email the recipent to let them know it's been mailled. Then a week later I follow up to see if it has arrived safely. Seems like common courtesy to me
Karen
I HATE how you have to check back on their Blog to see if you even won! They should be contatcing you to tell you!!! That drives me insane.
Unfortunately, many folks don't leave their email addresses when they comment/enter a candy. One site I know of had three winners and NONE of them left their emails. So, the only way to get their candy to them, is if they come back and check . . .
What else can the candy sponsor do?
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
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I won a t-shirt from SCS that I never received. It's been two years since I won. So, I know how you feel. I sent a PM to the person hosting the contest who said she hadn't forgotten but was waiting on such and such. And, that was the last I ever heard of it. I agree - don't offer a prize if you have no intention of following through. I never would have missed it if I hadn't looked forward to it in the first place.
I don't mind checking back, I love looking at the blogs and all the inspiration. I think checking back is no big deal. But having to "ask" for the blog candy they told you they won isn't fair. It should be mailed out right away.
... and since it was "a gift" so to speak, I just didn't feel like making them feel bad.
I don't know... this is a tough one. I'm interested in hearing how others feel about this, or if it's happened to them and how they've handled it. Thanks for sharing your opinion.
From my perspective, giving away blog candy is a means to an end -- a blogger trying to get more interest in and traffic to their blog. In that respect, it's not really a "gift" to my way of thinking. Yes, it's fun, and giving free goodies is a nice thing to do, but if the blogger has promised to deliver a prize then their promise should mean something. If they simply forgot to ship it out, then they will probably appreciate a reminder. If they shipped it and it got lost in the mail, they will want to know about it. If they had no intention of ever giving away the blog candy, I personally would not be worried about making them feel bad by asking about it because they chose to lie on their blog in order to generate more hits for whatever reason.
If you planned to mail off a fun, special little gift to your Great Aunt Ethel and mentioned to her that she should keep her eye on her mailbox, and three weeks later she hadn't received it yet, either due to you forgetting to send it, it getting lost in the mail, or you not following through on your plan, would you rather she let you know and possibly make you "feel bad" about it, or would you prefer she pretended the whole thing never happened and never brought it up with you again? I myself would prefer the former, because the latter would be awkward, fraught with unspoken social expectations, and less-than-honest. That is just my take on it. ETA: diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks!
__________________ Melanie
Last edited by Mahloumel; 10-27-2007 at 03:07 PM..
Reason: Wanted to reinforce the content as my opinion only, and that I try not to judge others for holding different opinions than me
Whenever I ship something or have an order shipped directly from SU! I always check to make sure it was received. I hope people not getting their "candy" is due to it being lost or a forgetful (but good intentioned) blogger. But, if I won something and didn't receive it, I would email and ask about it. Mainly, because I would want to receive the email if roles were reversed.
I do giveaways when I have extra products and although I try to get it out quick, it sometimes takes me a while to get to the post office when my husband takes the car to work, especially if it is a big prize. I do try and keep in contact with the winner if it is going to be late.
When I have a winner, I usually have their email, so I contact them first and then announce it on my blog.
Let me just say that if you don't get your blog candy from me, please let me know. I have a two boxes here that I never got emails from the winners and I have no way to contact them. So PLEASE, email me if you won something from me and didn't get it.
Thank you!!
Gina K.
__________________ Be polite to those who are rude to you. Not because they are nice, but because you are.
Owner- Gina K. Designs
Wow - I'm new to this whole blog candy thing. I went to a blog yesterday and that was the first time I had seen it being done. I don't remember who it was, but she wrote that if you put a comment to her post, she would put your name in the hat for a drawing. The prizes sounded really cool so I tried to post a comment. I spent half an hour trying to figure it out. I could see where to comment to other posts, but that one had no way to do it. I went back later that night and saw the button, but the box was out of whack - there was a javascript error on the screen, and because the error, there was no way to even tell her that her page wasn't working.
But I like looking at the different blogs, and if people want to give out prizes too, I think that's pretty cool.
Let me just say that if you don't get your blog candy from me, please let me know. I have a two boxes here that I never got emails from the winners and I have no way to contact them. So PLEASE, email me if you won something from me and didn't get it.
Thank you!!
Gina K.
Gina,
I think you may be looking for me.....**wink** **wink**
I have been lucky enough to win blog candy a few times. The bloggers always let me know when the prize is sent, and I always follow up with an email to let them know it arrived (and send a thank you card). Sometimes folks have sick family members or live far away from a post office that delays mailings; I always think of blog candy as a gift and am thankful for the opportunity to win, even if there is a delay receiving it.
Susie Q,
You are so soft hearted. What a sweetie.
That said....I'd contact the sender/candy gifter to let them know I hadn't received it.
You did go to the site and peruse it etc. You did take them up on their offer etc.
They offered it - maybe to get you to the site or whatever - but it was offered.
Things happen and life goes on (don't I know it!! ;O)) - but - we all have to take responsibility.
I guess I'm the huge minority here, but I state my opinion. The way I see it, blog candy is free for you. Sure the blogger gets benefits as well...new hits, more ads, more money.
As we all know...life sometimes just get in our way. There will be times when you get *YOUR FREE GIFT* two days later, another time you may have to wait a month and another time you may have to wait 2 months.
I'm sorry, but 1) Blog candy is free to you! You don't have to even cover shipping costs 2) You don't lose anything if you don't receive it....you never had it to begin with. 3) Go check a Kid's cereal box or those promotion tickets you get with DVD...etc..."please allow 4-8 busines weeks for delivery".
4) IT'S FREE!!!! I don't think I EVER heard so many people complaining about not receiving a FREE GIFT that was due to them because a random machine picked their comment.
I hope a few bad apples won't ruin the fun for others. Those others who would glady sit on their ***** for some free papercrafting goodies. I know I would wait...and wait...and wait...Because (altogether now!) IT'S FREEEEEEE!
Please give these people a break. They have spouses, kids, jobs, house and a life to take care of. I'm sure posting this only hurt someone's feelings because they knew you were referring to her/them.
So...give them my name and address the next time you when an will gladly wait a year for a neat little gift...that was...FREE TO ME!
hum... I know this happened to me receintly... I was unable to send out some freebees right away because of some personal issues... and then one giveaway that I was coordinating with another crafter just got lost in the shuffle and I mistakenly didn't forward the address... I felt so badly that I forgot... I guess I just had a lot going on in my life!
Sometimes "stuff happens" and people get busy or make mistakes I guess... I felt badly I couldn't get the gifts out sooner... but since I am only human... and these are GIFTS... I figured my gift recipients would roll with it and wait patiently.... or keep bugging me (which is fine too!)
Sorry, these are not "free gifts" they are prizes won in a contest that the blogger held to drum up more readers to her blog. It was their choice to hold it, no one forced them to do it. Do not offer them if you don't want to uphold your end of the contest. It's as simple as that. I also don't see why you would not contact the winner of the prize to tell them that something came up and it will be a while before it's sent. Everyone can understand an emergency. What I can't understand is not telling the winner of the problem and them having to ask where or if it was sent weeks later. You would want to know if it was lost in the mail wouldn't you?
No, I didn't post this to hurt someone's feeling and as you can see you ARE in the minority here. This isn't about just one blogger and a blog candy win that was a problem. Ask around with the other stampers here, some gals are waiting on a lot of stuff for months, I know I'm waiting on 5 of them right now and NOT ONE of them let me know there was a problem with sending it out. One emergency or mishap...ok, but come on, 5 ? By the way, only one said she had an emergency, the others all said they forgot, or they misplaced it or never responded.
Yes, I know everyone has lives, kids, families, etc. But common courtesy would be to let the winner know there is a problem. I'll say it again, the winner should not have to keep asking to make sure it wasn't lost in the mail. Update your winners, you have their emails.
No, I didn't post this to hurt someone's feeling and as you can see you ARE in the minority here. This isn't about just one blogger and a blog candy win that was a problem. Ask around with the other stampers here, some gals are waiting on a lot of stuff for months, I know I'm waiting on 5 of them right now and NOT ONE of them let me know there was a problem with sending it out. One emergency or mishap...ok, but come on, 5 ? By the way, only one said she had an emergency, the others all said they forgot, or they misplaced it or never responded.
Yes, I know everyone has lives, kids, families, etc. But common courtesy would be to let the winner know there is a problem. I'll say it again, the winner should not have to keep asking to make sure it wasn't lost in the mail. Update your winners, you have their emails.
You are one lucky duck if you won 5 blog candy contests...I never win ANY!!!:(
(I am NOT saying that snarky or sarcastic...I'm staying out of the conversation at large...I just really do think you must have a run of good luck to win that many!)
__________________ Colleen Schaan - Education Specialist at Imagination International Inc.,/Copic Marker
Blog - Distinctive Touches;My Copic Books!
Pet Peeves about bloggers........
