I’m a sucker for online contests. I enter them all the time. Despite the fact I never win anything. And every time I lose, even though I fully expected it, I get mad. Then I begin to wonder- was any prize really given out?
My obsession with drawings started back in the 1980s, when a local car parts store was giving away a brand new Ford Ranger pickup truck. Entries were accepted at the store, by filling out a slip and putting it in a box, or by writing your information on a 3×5 business card. I opted for the latter. 658 times.
Yes, I actually sat at home and filled out 658 entries. I took them to the store and dropped them into the box slot in packs of 30 or so. It took awhile.
Looking back on it, I see that it was a colossal waste of time. More than likely, when that box was emptied, someone saw all those cards, probably stuck together, and took a bunch out.
After years of losing in virtually every contest I ever entered, I was about to give up when I stumbled across online entries. Lots of them. Never again would I have to hand write hundreds of entries. Better still, a lot of the contests have grand, first and second prizes.
And while I could be one of a hundred owners of a free t-shirt, there have been some pretty good grand prizes to lure me in. I particularly was interested in the special-edition Corvette given away as a Speed Racer (the movie) promotion. I knew I wouldn’t win- not even a poster- but I was really interested in seeing more pictures of the car. I was very crushed when I neither won nor was able to find anything out about the car.
You’d think that after all these years, I wouldn’t be disappointed when I fail to win a contest. But I am. One of the most disappointing was at Engadget.com. Instead of randomly drawing entries to determine a winner, they had a contest where you took a picture of your broke-down entertainment system. The most pathetic excuse for a home theater won a brand-spanking new home theater. I took my picture of my actual lame-o basement set up, titled "Daddy's 2×4 theater" and sent it in. I didn’t win.
In the Engadget case, I got to see the winner’s entry, but I waited and expected to see the winner send in a photo of the new stuff once it was up and running. If I couldn’t win, at least I could live vicariously, ever-so-briefly, through their good fortune. And since they had the ability to send a picture in to enter the contest, it shouldn’t be too hard to send in an update.
But no.
In fact, it seems pretty near impossible to find any stories online of winners proudly displaying their loot. There are websites telling us poor schmucks how awful it is to win the lottery- showing the bad luck that has befallen lotto winners. But I can’t seem to find any sites sharing the goodness of a lucky win.
Why?
Especially in the case of contests where you have to send in an entry- how damn hard would it be to send in a thank you note later, maybe with a picture or two? People write reviews of products they buy, why not something you got for free? You’d think in all the thousands upon thousands of contests run year round, there would be somebody who would want to share.
This makes me wonder- is anyone really winning? I know most contests let you send off for a list of winners names. But that's just a name. I could get names out of a phone book. I want to hear from the winner. I want a frickin’ testimonial about how great the prize they beat me out of is. Is that so much to ask? I’m not going to be mad at the winner. And I’m not asking them to post their address so some burglars can come clean them out. I just want something to pick me up out of the funk of losing.
Take Burn Notice’s annual contest. This great spy show on the USA network has given away 2 Saab convertibles now. You know, if I ever won a frickin’ car, I’d take a blue-million pictures of it. I’d pose the car to match scenes from the show. I’d do a whole virtual tour of the thing. Not to brag, but to share the fun of having won something.
Maybe it’s because I’m a giver. Literally. The only thing I have ever won in my life was an autographed basketball. It was at a charity event at Indiana University Southeast. I won a basketball signed by Bobby Knight and the whole IU coaching staff from that year. Ironically, I don’t like basketball.
That basketball sat in my closet, went with me all the way to Germany when I was stationed overseas. I didn’t display it or anything, I just liked keeping it around because it’s the only time I’ve ever won anything. But one day, I was talking with a friend of mine, and he was mentioning how he wished he could have bought one of the pieces of the IU basketball court when they redid it. Here was a diehard IU fan, who regularly wore IU logos, never missed a game, and absolutely loved the sport. He didn’t have a autographed basketball.
So I gave him mine.
Now, if I can give away the only damn thing I’ve ever won, can’t you ingrates that win prizes in online contests at least have the courtesy to share a word or two about your good luck? Can’t you help make the rest of us feel good for you, instead of moping that we lost, AGAIN?
I’m starting to think most of these contests are all a bunch of hooey. Like the guest questionnaires stores like Target and Home Depot put on the bottom of their receipts. Answer some questions and get entered in a chance to win a shopping spree. Yeah. Right. Show me someone who has actually won.
I’d give up at this point, but like any addiction, I can’t shake it. I just keep entering these stupid contests. And losing.
Loser!
I once won a putter at a golf scramble. I cherished it.
It had a graphite shaft. Why? Graphite is for drivers and fairway woods, so you can get more speed and flexibility. That makes no sense for a putter, though.
But still, it looked cool in my bag. I was proud.
'Burn Notice' has a contest where you can actually win prices?
I LOVE the show. So many out there with similar "ideas" but that one, imnsho, beats them all!!
Can't wait till it starts again in the summer (June I believe)
Man, I could watch that 24/7 and not get bored!
http://www.burnnoticeops.com/