Am I the only one who doesn't answer anonymous calls? Suggestion to sweeps sponsors:

avtechdave

avtechdave

Active member
Sweepstakes Plus Subscriber
According to the rule on 2 different trip sweeps posted today, the sponsor will make 1 attempt (CMT) or 4 attempts (Nascar-XFINITY) to contact the winner by phone before declaring them ineligible and drawing another name. And they will not leave a message.

I don't answer calls from unknown numbers. 99% of the time they are telemarketers.

Why can't the same official rules list the phone number of the caller, so I can program it into my contacts and know "Hey! Answer that call!?!" My suggestion is something like: "Sponsor will make 1 attempt to contact the winner from 888-555-1234..."

That small addition to the rules could mean the difference in winning, or being forced to answer every call that comes in. This is not the 1960s. Caller ID and voice mail are there for a reason! I decided to skip entering for those two nice trips, since I wouldn't answer the winning call anyway. :(
 
If you invest your time in sweeping, you need to answer all calls. There are times when they notify winners by phone and if they don't answer they move on and this is NOT noted in the rules. I have received many a winning phone call and they can be regular phone numbers, 800, private, cell phone of the rep or it could be all 000 or 1234567890, etc. I cannot imagine a JA listing a phone number they will be calling from. In cases where they plan to move on to the next caller, they don't want their number shown on caller id because they don't want you calling them back.
 
I understand the company not wanting to publish their phone number and have everyone on earth calling them to see if they won........
however, they need to make more than 1 attempt at contacting people. Not everyone sits at their phone all day. We do have lives...we do work. I am not one of those people who walks around with a blue tooth thing in my ear, or my phone in my pocket, all day.

There's no reason why they can't leave a message and allow 12-24 hours to return the call.

Of all the ''hoops'' we jump through to enter these things, and give them free advertising on our social media pages, this is the LEAST they could do for a winner.
 
Because I don't answer anonymous calls, I don't enter sweeps that only notify via phone.

I get your point, but sponsors get to decide {within the law} how they wish to run their promo.
 
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fyi - sponsors don't read SA's forums for advice - they pay people for that - so if you really want to make sure you are heard, tell those specific sponsors
 
I have answered anonymous calls in the past: aluminum siding, credit card consolidation loans, various television/cable/satellite offers, political surveys... all are reasons I stopped doing that. Okay, sweeps might also call me if they draw my name, but I agree 100% with hairbandgirl: it would be courteous to leave a message and a time limit to call back before moving on to the next name. I don't expect the sponsors to read this, just venting at the futility of it all.
 
Ah, since you posted in General, not Gripe, I thought you were asking for solutions avtechdave.

I remember giving up on VALPAK sweeps because they notify by phone only.


avtechdave said:
I have answered anonymous calls in the past: aluminum siding, credit card consolidation loans, various television/cable/satellite offers, political surveys... all are reasons I stopped doing that. Okay, sweeps might also call me if they draw my name, but I agree 100% with hairbandgirl: it would be courteous to leave a message and a time limit to call back before moving on to the next name. I don't expect the sponsors to read this, just venting at the futility of it all.
Click to expand...
 
Amy, it looks like the only solution is to start using my cell phone number on entries. I have been using my home phone number, but I'm rarely there to answer. If winning depends on answering a single call, with no message left, I've been using the wrong strategy.

Maybe it's time for a "throwaway" phone number to complement my "throwaway" email address. :) I'd love to know how many wins I've missed... no, on second thought it's better not knowing.
 
I bought a "throwaway" phone {$20 Tracfone} in 2006 I think? I *could* text w/it if I could just figure out how :p:o

But since I don't enter for trips, I only use it if they ask for my cell#

Yeah - no TY, I really do NOT want to know that I blew a win or even "missed it by that much" I'm looking at you Instant Win Prizes from Searching, Free Online Sweepstakes | PCHSearchAndWin


avtechdave said:
Amy, it looks like the only solution is to start using my cell phone number on entries. I have been using my home phone number, but I'm rarely there to answer. If winning depends on answering a single call, with no message left, I've been using the wrong strategy.

Maybe it's time for a "throwaway" phone number to complement my "throwaway" email address. :) I'd love to know how many wins I've missed... no, on second thought it's better not knowing.
Click to expand...
 
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