I am frustrated with some of the sweepstakes out there and here is some just to name a few. Feel free to add your rants.

White cloud worst bathroom contest, they have yet to put the finalists up to be voted on and was suppose to back in January. I have emailed them and no response yet. This sweep completely ends the beginning of March but, how will winners be chosen if no finalists was placed to vote for?

International delight- How is it that the same people are winning over and over again yet, a majority of us cannot even win once? I am happy for the winners but, this game takes so long to do it would be nice to see some NEW winners.

Sweeps with thousands of prizes, why is it so difficult to win any of them? I cannot even win the Tide sweep with 1000 prizes given away each day nor the philly sweep that is giving away 100 prizes a day.

People entering several people into contests. Don't you know that you are taking away from even yourself by doing this and not just other sweepers? The only sweepers in this house is myself, dh and sometimes my kids if they qualify. I don't enter for my mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, siblings, dog, birds, etc. You get the picture. Heck, even if I wanted to I don't know how people find the time! I barely have enough time to enter my own sweeps much less anyone else.

Here is one for you. It wasn't here at SA but, I have my mp3 player up for sale at a few places. The sweep specifies that the retail of the mp3 is $250. I have been offered $50 or less for it....I am not looking for even close to the retail but, come on..please if you are going to make people offers for something? Please try to be a little more serious and fair with the offer. It doesn't matter if the prize was "free", it was my time and many, many tries to win these items. This happens to me all the time, especially with gift cards. A majority of the time people tell me I should give it to them for free since it didn't "cost" me anything. 

If a sweep says "one instant win per household" please abide by that rule! It is taking away from everyone else by winning multiple prizes after you win the first time.

Alas, I still love entering sweepstakes. It's a great hobby for me and I have aquired many wonderful things since I began sweeping.

GOOD LUCK SA!

I agree with you 100%.  I can't figure out how some win over and over on the same sweeps.  I know International Delight hates me...lol. I also agree with you about the multiple entries.  I myself, play fair and that is the only way I want to win a prize.  It's not a true win if you have to cheat to win it.  OK, now that I've vented, back to sweeping.  Good luck!

Rant on honey - I'm right behind you.  I swear I will never buy another tin of International Coffee!  EVER.  I hate that game.  And as for the people that enter themselves, their mom, their dad, their dog, their cat, their hairdressers cousins mother-in-law  -    May their computer crash at the very instant that they get a winning screen!!!!!!!!

Clearly the technology is available to refuse multiple entries from the same household or IP, since I get a "you've already entered today" message on some of them if it has been less than 24 hours since my last entry.  Why don't more sweeps just build one entry per household into the system?  It would be fairer to those of us who are single or don't have children, parents and extended family living with us, and prevent cheating via multiple e-mail addresses. 

A while back I didn't believe that people were actually pushing it any further than the reasonable entries for members of their immediate households, but I am seeing lots of posts now about grandmas, sisters-in-law, etc.  That stinks.  As a person with a 2 member household, I can see why I don't win very often.

Oh yeah, those are more sweeps I cannot win. Allure, lucky breaks, etc. and the same people win numerous times.

Never thought about it that way Amy.  Excellent point. 

The one on the top of your head was a good one   But, your comment about sponsors preventing people from winning and enjoying the contests that they put out there.  I know several that my daughters fuss over who is going to enter.  I have two daughters but one IP address soooooooo, only one entry for the most part.

   Ditto to that! If I'm not the winner I am happy as heck    to see a SA member announce that they won! To me it's like someone in my family won when I see the post!  And big kudos to the people that can win the limit on any instant, my hat goes off to all of you! 

I only have one child (well, he's an adult now  ) but when he was younger, I'd find sweeps for him and that's when I 1st noticed the limits -  I never understood the logic behind that - seems to me the stress/strife that the parent(s) would endure having to decide which child can enter would forever put them off that product/service!!! 

Not to mention how the kid(s) would have a negative connection with them!!! 

Just seems kinda mean to me 

You misunderstood my post. My husband and children have entries into sweepstakes also. I am talking about people who enter for anyone and everyone including people not living in the household.

miki - are you seeing posts here at SA where people are winning multiple times from a 1 win per HH? Or people posting they enter for anyone besides immediate family/those in their house? 

I know I saw posts like those elsewhere, but it seems to me that SA sweepers are of a far different caliber!!! 

I know your post was a vent, and I took it as such - that White cloud worst bathroom contest must be especially vexing!!! 

And I do get your point on the International delight, but those that posted win(s) on it recently might have felt you were unhappy with them, rather than the sweeps/your lack of timing on it.

When we post, what we write is open to interpretation - people can't see our expressions/hear our tone of voice, so posting our true feelings on a subject is bound to get responses we don't anticipate. 

Remember when CBS sportsline started up and you could get a point a page click to trade in on stuff? Well, I automated it so it would click and click all day. I got coffee, and a nice flashlight...when MSN came along, I knew how to cheat at that, but did not. And as a result did not win a thing. The CBS thing was so long ago (this was before iwon existed, that long ago) that I had no idea what I was doing was wrong, it just seemed like a nifty way to get cool stuff.
You may kill me at your leisure

I used to enter sweeps for my mother when she was alive, and a trip to the Atlantis/Paradise Island was won under her name. The trip was FABULOUS, and one of my happiest memories of time spent with her. She was computerly challenged, and happy that I entered for her. I don't see any lack of ethics entering for a senior citizen who couldn't coordinate a mouse properly, and won't apologize for it. If I had a husband, I would enter for him as well.

My personal ethic is not to enter for things I don't want. If I see a valuable prize, like a baby carriage and crib set, I'll not enter and leave it for a mother or grandmother who could use it.

Whatever somebody else admits to doing, it's best not to act out by dissing those people, because every one of us has done some entering that another sweeper would not approve of.