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VO Tech ZEAL Choose Freedom Photo Contest

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yar56

Unlisted Vendor
Hello everyone,

Wanted to let the VU community know that our team at VO Tech are running a photo promo contest with the ZEAL pod system on www.usvofficial.com it's a cash prize pot for the top 3 users who bring in the highest vote count on their entries. Our Grand Prize is $5,000 USD, Runner up gets $1,000 USD, and Third Place grabs $500 USD.

Link: ZEAL Choose Freedom Photo Contest

We're calling it the Choose Freedom contest as the ZEAL is aimed as an entry level vaping device that makes it accessible to everyone, from experienced users to new users looking to switch.

zeal-contest-logo-005b-2000px.png

Details:
  • Users must include their usvofficial.com ZEAL order # in their description box as proof of purchase to prevent sharing of devices, failure to do so will disqualify the entry.
  • All photos must be original pictures from the entrant
  • Users must verify they are 21 ages or older in the post by stating "I am 21 years of age or older" this is something we'll verify for all finalists before prize distribution
  • Optional is a short bit about the photo chosen, how you might plan to use the money, has it helped break old habits, and other topics you might feel like sharing.
  • Voting is allowed once per day, users can return to vote daily throughout the duration of the contest
  • International entries are welcome, payments will be made in USD
  • Image file size limit is 1MB per photo
Important Dates:

Entry window
- April 1, 2019 - June 1, 2019
Voting window - April 1, 2019 - June 30, 2019
Winners are chosen - July 1, 2019

Winners will be disclosed in this thread upon completion of the event. We welcome the VU community to join in with us for what we hope is a creative and competitive event.

Thank you all for your time and good luck to all who enter!
 

yar56

Unlisted Vendor
I did consult the moderation team prior to this posting. Going over rule 13 though

- - -
Vendors cannot require winners to buy the product outright and then wait for reimbursement back from the vendor. Winners should not have to pay for the product they are winning in any form. (Other than shipping or a minimal amount for FDA reasons).

- - -

This is a cash prize on a photo contest, centered around a specific product. I understand the problem they're trying to avoid but I don't see the parallel here.

If we we're giving a ZEAL away and requiring the winner to buy it and be compensated later then yes I would agree. This isn't the case here, it's a contest for existing owners and new users. On top of that, it's a photo contest for cash prizes and I have never stated any form of reimbursement promise nor will I.
 

lordmage

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here is my personal take on it not as a staff member...
since this contest requires the use of a product if you dont own it then you can not participate in it.
if a vendor wants to advertise it sure go ahead but maybe find a way for those who dont own it to also enter.
a contest should be for all people not just owners if that is the case why not advertise it thur your past order history to known customers.

however Rule #13 is possible to be in violation. with the quoted bold added"
  • Users must include their usvofficial.com ZEAL order # in their description box as proof of purchase to prevent sharing of devices, failure to do so will disqualify the entry."
So if i wanted to participate in it and a friend did as well and they owned it.
i would have to order it as well there by making it mandatory for me to buy a product for something i may not win and if i won it would basically be a reimbursement with interest.

perhaps @SMOKIE can also weight in publicly about how he feels from an official stand point.

And @Countrypami may also shed some light on how you reached out about the contest

again this was my own feelings on the matter
 

SMOKIE

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The contest is not held in the forum but on the vendors site. They are just advertising it on the forum.
So I leave it up to Countrypami since she runs this section.
 

yar56

Unlisted Vendor
here is my personal take on it not as a staff member...
since this contest requires the use of a product if you dont own it then you can not participate in it.
if a vendor wants to advertise it sure go ahead but maybe find a way for those who dont own it to also enter.
a contest should be for all people not just owners if that is the case why not advertise it thur your past order history to known customers.

however Rule #13 is possible to be in violation. with the quoted bold added"
  • Users must include their usvofficial.com ZEAL order # in their description box as proof of purchase to prevent sharing of devices, failure to do so will disqualify the entry."
So if i wanted to participate in it and a friend did as well and they owned it.
i would have to order it as well there by making it mandatory for me to buy a product for something i may not win and if i won it would basically be a reimbursement with interest.

perhaps @SMOKIE can also weight in publicly about how he feels from an official stand point.

And @Countrypami may also shed some light on how you reached out about the contest

again this was my own feelings on the matter

Just as rule 13 likely is designed to protect against bad actors with a "you won! ooh, but you couldn't pay in advance so we can't send you a product" system or worse where they vanish overnight with the money and never send a product. The proof of purchase is required so people don't make 4-5 entries with a single unit. If we had a different authentication system for it, that would likely be run instead. Without safeguards, we don't have any way to verify that users aren't borrowing things or stopping by their vape shop to make a quick shot.

Also, this is a product promotion contest, it's pretty standard practice, show us how much you love [brand a] in a photo with your story. People wouldn't drop in and expect to win by talking about how much they love [brand b,c,d,e,f, etc...]. Inferring that this is the same as the rule implies is more or less an insult, we're not trying to defraud people nor do I feel it's remotely accurate to say that $4,972 roughly is interest on taking part.

I approached Countrypami early on to hopefully avoid a scenario such as this, unfortunately, it came up. If the thread itself is destined to just be accusations of ill intent though I'd rather see it gone as it's not helping anyone with general negativity brewing.
 

Countrypami

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@yar56 Did check with me before posting. :) I left it up because it is not being held in the forum. Also, folks will either enter or not. But it's a good, legitimate chance for our members to win $5000. With that said, @yar56 was made very clear of the forum rules and how our members felt about contests not held in the forum.

We have always allowed our vendors and YouTube reviewers to post contests held outside the forum, I don't see any reason to stop now. :rolleyes:
 

lordmage

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Just as rule 13 likely is designed to protect against bad actors with a "you won! ooh, but you couldn't pay in advance so we can't send you a product" system or worse where they vanish overnight with the money and never send a product. The proof of purchase is required so people don't make 4-5 entries with a single unit. If we had a different authentication system for it, that would likely be run instead. Without safeguards, we don't have any way to verify that users aren't borrowing things or stopping by their vape shop to make a quick shot.

Also, this is a product promotion contest, it's pretty standard practice, show us how much you love [brand a] in a photo with your story. People wouldn't drop in and expect to win by talking about how much they love [brand b,c,d,e,f, etc...]. Inferring that this is the same as the rule implies is more or less an insult, we're not trying to defraud people nor do I feel it's remotely accurate to say that $4,972 roughly is interest on taking part.

I approached Countrypami early on to hopefully avoid a scenario such as this, unfortunately, it came up. If the thread itself is destined to just be accusations of ill intent though I'd rather see it gone as it's not helping anyone with general negativity brewing.
again i did say your free to advertise and said "since this contest requires the use of a product if you dont own it then you can not participate in it." no where did i say that you could not or that your intent was to do anything that you are suggesting above. since @Countrypami is the staffer who handles this section i will defer any further to her. again your free to leave it up and just be aware that since the contest is off site others may feel the same as i do... yes its a product promotion contest and perhaps you can look into systems that allow you to advertise to current owners as well as a smaller prize for those who do not own but what a change to enter but your free to do what you like. just as we are free to feel what we will.
 
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