My daughter is getting to that age where she has certain passions about certain things in life, one of those passions is food and cooking. She loves helping momma cook, and she loves baking. I have a feeling she will grow up to be a famous Chef. Maybe she will be a famous Chef and land her own Food Network show!
I love entering giveaways and awhile back I had noticed several Head Chefs giveaways so I figured I would enter and maybe win Gillian some cooking gear, that would be her very own! So I started entering and when I got an email on November 16th, 2010 telling me I won Fun Savings Money’s giveaway for some Head Chefs products I was super excited. I wasn’t sure what all I was getting, but that didn’t matter Gillian would be tickled no matter what it was, as long as it was her own cooking gear.
So I emailed the blogger back, and waited for them to show up, I figured we would receive before Christmas, this would go great with her own cookbook! After a few weeks I contact the blogger to let her know I was still waiting on the products. Now 4 weeks has gone by and nothing, so I contacted the blogger again, again my email went unanswered. I waited a few more weeks, then on the 31st of December I let the blogger know I was going to blog it. I mean the whole blogging thing is about honesty right?
Well shortly after emailing the email stating I was about to blog it, the blogger contacted me back, she let me know she had been getting my emails, just been busy and she wasn’t sure what the delay was, but she had tried several times to contact the person she was dealing with from Head Chefs only for her emails to go unanswered as well…
I understand things in life happen, but I also think bloggers should contact winners and such back even if it is a 2 second email… this way the winner knows that the blogger has received the emails. For all I new my emails were getting lost in the cybermail.
Fast forward, I also posted on head chefs facebook letting them know what was going on, again they ignored me. Until I decided I would give them a heads up I was blogging the situation… If companies are going to work with bloggers on reviews and giveaways they need to follow through, and send out the product to the winners. Just because they got their links, and got buzz and traffic to their site, doesn’t mean their no longer required to ship product to the winner of the giveaway.
Jammie Morey Just a heads up I will be posting a blog post next week how this company agrees to do reviews and giveaways, but does not follow through and send the product to the winner. I am pretty sure the blogger is also doing a post. When a company does not follow through not only does it make the blogger who posted look bad, but it makes the company look bad as well.
January 12 at 6:05pm · LikeUnlike · Comment · View Feedback (2)Hide Feedback (2)*
Head Chefs Jammie this is the first we have heard about this issue. Which blog did you win a prize at? We work by supplying the individual mom blogs with prizes that they then award and give to the winners of their contests. If you tell us more details we will be happy to help you. Sorry for the confusion. The Headchefs Online Support Team
Friday at 2:09pm · LikeUnlike ·Jammie Morey I won from www.funsavingmoney.net in November, she has also made several attempts to contact the rep she worked with. I do not know this information. I posted on your wall in December and got no response. I understand the company works with several bloggers, and I am sure there is more then one rep for the company, but when something is not followed through it looks really bad on the company. Thanks,
As you can see from the above Head Chefs is blaming this on the blogger. I personally do not know who was the one that was suppose to ship the product, all I know is the product was never sent.
Companies need to realize when they do not follow through with the agreement this makes their company look bad. I am extremely disappointed in not receiving these products, but I am quite sure there is other kid cooking product companies out there that ROCK!
However, my lesson has been learned, I will steer clear of the giveaways with Head Chefs products, no need for another failed win.
About Jammie Morey
I agree! I really don’t agree with sponsors sending the products to bloggers to give to the winners. It just leads to issues (like when the blogger I won the cooking.com gift certificate from used the codes for me and the other winner!). It also leads to incidents where the blogger has to front the shipping bill. The sponsor could save themselves and the blogger shipping by sending the products to the winners themselves.
In the end, though, it has to do with the honesty of bloggers. Bloggers are nothing without their readers and to ignore your multiple emails was really rude! I find it worse that she saw your emails and never emailed you back! How do you read someone’s email, SUPPOSEDLY email the sponsor, and never respond to your reader to let them know what’s going on?? Even if it WERE the sponsor’s problem (which it doesn’t sound like it is since the company specifically says they sent the product to her), the way the blogger handled it was no way to keep readers!
I went and googled some Head Chefs giveaways, some look like they might have had to ship to the winners, and some don’t. Head Chefs isn’t saying they for certain shipped to the blogger, this blogger might have been working with a pr firm, and they made the agreement to ship product. If it is a pr firm, then they are hurting companies by not following through.
I agree the email should have been responded too, for all I new she didn’t get the emails. I do understand things happen, but like you said if they was getting open and read, a quick I got it, and I will contact again, would have been great. I think sometimes bloggers forget the reason they are getting products and getting traffic is because of their readers, and if they treat their readers like they do not exist then before too long their readers will do the same.
I just have a different outlook on things is all.
Wow, it really makes you wonder who really is at fault, the company or blogger. So will you be getting it or is it just a loss?
Chances are it will be a loss, I am okay with that though, because now, I know to personally stay away from this company, and if really does make you wonder who is at fault. I do know what some times companies will send extra and not say why, this might have happened and the blogger assumed it was just extra, or the company has a rep and they themselves are not dealing directly with the bloggers.
I just wanted to let companies know that just because reviews are up doesn’t mean they do not need to follow through with their end of the deal.
I can’t tell you how many times i’ve had this happen to me. It’s sad when your children are waiting for something with such excitement and it never comes.
Luckily I didn’t tell Gillian it was coming. However there is another product I am currently waiting on that she knows is coming and shes bugging about it, this again was a win about 3 weeks ago. I know the blogger was suppose to be shipping it, and I know she had some family problems so I understand the delay but she says it was sent out a week ago, still nothing so maybe it is lost in the mail… “shrugs” I have started to back away from entering giveaways on blogs, because it is starting to seem like sweepers are just a number, and its getting annoying. You always see bloggers talk about how thankful they are for their readers, and asking for votes for this and that, but when it comes down to their readers needing their prize all that “appreciation” goes out the door. I am not saying this is with all bloggers, but this is what I have been noticing.
MY RANT !!!
I have won several products I have never received, some from over a year ago. It is so frustrating. I’m dealing with a blog owner now that claims she never received the emails I sent her about a prize I won back in November and like you, it was going to be a Christmas gift for my grandson.
As a blogger myself, I follow up with my prize winners to make sure they are getting their gifts.
Why don’t other blog owners feel responsible for making sure prizes are sent?
I sent the blog owner a email yesterday, which, humm, she answered right away? She sends me nasty emails claiming I never sent her any emails to let her know I didn’t get the prize!
The sponsor was Mattel, so I’m going to try to find out today how to get a hold of the company.
I know bloggers are not responsible for the delivery of prizes, but the least bloggers can do is continue to contact their sponsor until the problem is solved.
If they are too busy to answer emails and do follow up “Customer Service”, maybe they shouldn’t be hosting giveaways, just stick to reviews
My Rant….
I do not follow up with winners to make sure they got the product, most the time they will email me letting me know they got it and thanking me for hosting the giveaway, I email them thanking them for letting me know and let them know how happy I am they got it and like it.
Some bloggers are just absolutely rude when it comes to responding to their winners, they need to step back and look at what their readers have done for them. It is just like a multi million dollar company you can think your crap don’t stink all you want, but if it wasn’t for the people you look down on you would have nothing, and it can all fall in the matter of minutes.
I also agree with you if bloggers are to busy to return emails they need to stick with just reviews, the thing about just reviews though is they wouldn’t get the hits as a giveaway brings this would mean they would not get good products to review…
I am not saying the sweepers are all innocent either though, last year I had a girl email me telling me she never got her product I emailed this company several times for them to inform me all products was shipped to her, she won several of the same product from different blogs, and she was telling me she got nothing, she didn’t tell me about the other wins, come to find out she had received product for at least 2 of those wins, and she was still saying out of about 6 she got nothing. I started talking to other bloggers she had won from and found out yes indeed she got 2 for sure… this just throw out any trust I had in her, and I have since banned her from any giveaways I host.
Funny thing about that one, is she kept telling me to ask for a tracking number, she new they didn’t come with a tracking number, I think she was trying to play the company as well as me. I hope the matter with you get resolved and the blogger gets off her high horse.
Thanks Jammie,
Like I said, the majority of bloggers really do care about their readers. They know their readers keep their blog reviews going.
There is always those bad apples.
I’m not going to name call, YET.
I have stopped following her blog, unsubscribed from her blog, facebook and twitter accounts.
I think if everyone started doing that, it might open their eyes.
Customer Service in number one in any business and Blogging reviews and giveaways are A BUSINESS!
I agree with you totally, review blogging is a business, and when a blogger doesn’t correspond with the readers, they look just as bad as the companies not fulfilling their end of the deal.
I have had this happen also to me. The blogger holding the giveaway told me she had the prize and would send it out on Monday since she contacted me on Saturday or Sunday and was out of town. After awhile I sent an email with no response. I then wrote another email asking if she was really a legitimate site and then she responded that was she was indeed a legitimate site and seemed very offended. She told me she didn’t recieve the gift card yet and it was the company’s fault and she was too embarassed to return my emails. I have the initial email saying that she specifically told me she had the gift card at home. She then proceeded to tell me that fine, she will go out and just buy one for me and send it herself. It was all very weird and extremely akward and I apologized deeply for offending her and she said she had a bad day and apologized back. I did finally get the gift card but the situation never made sense at all….thank God this was the only time I had to deal with that.
Wow, when it comes to gift cards, I do not know why companies send to the bloggers. I know I have won a few gift cards and the bloggers had to send, and I received them. That does seem odd she would say she had it then say she didn’t. Maybe something came up and she needed the money so used the gift card, then was waiting on money to replace the gift card. Still seems all odd. When bloggers cant be honest with the winners, it makes you wonder if they are being honest with their reviews.
Another company that doesn’t come through is Brilliant Lenses
I will make sure I add them to the list of businesses to steer clear of, it is really sad that these companies do not follow through, giving away products is cheap advertising in my opinion. If I win something I love I make sure and brag it up, and the company! I wish I could win me an ipod touch, I would brag up apple for ever!
I am sorry you got screwed out of a prize as well.
You are so right there! I have been waiting on my win of some Brilliant Lenses spray for months. I know the blog owner contacted Brilliant Lenses, she was kind enough to send me copies of what she emailed to them (CUSTOMER SERVICE). I sent them several emails, not one of them was answered.
I signed up and was approved to do a screen wipe review for them months ago, have the wipes arrived, NO. I will not work with Brilliant Lenses in the future.
I had a similar experience but this was with a blogger who joined April Blogmania and then when I won, only to tell me she didn’t have a copy of the book and she will ask the company. I e-mailed her after a couple of weeks and no reply and then another e-mail and still no reply. But I didn’t blog about it, maybe I should have. .. then there is this sponsor at Etsy who didn’t send my prize but I see she is again sponsoring a giveaway now.
Etsy people I will not work with, because I have heard lots of bad from them. I hope things work out and you get your wins!
I am a new subscriber!
Thank you so much for this post. I am dealing with two blogs right now that I have not received prizes from. I understand that companies sometimes do not follow through with their promises, but what is even worse is when the blogger does not even take two seconds to communicate back to you about the prize.
I am starting to feel a little burned out on giveaways because you spend all this time entering, tweeting, sharing on FB, to win, only to not receive your prize and then made to feel insignificant by the blog owner! Ok, well, they are not all bad! lol I am grateful for the many prizes I have won and received. I have been fortunate enough to be able to give my girls many wonderful things for Christmas that I would never be able to afford otherwise!
I thank you for posting the name of the company, and for any others that have shared their difficulties! It helps protect my time from entering giveaways with companies and blogs that do not fulfill their promises!
Thank you!
I at one time entered giveaways daily, if I new I was going out of town I would enter for the times I was not going to be home, I have got burnt out, and now I enter every so often. Winning for me meant the same to you, it gives our children things we can’t afford, and you are absolutely right, when a blogger doesn’t communicate either it makes it that much worse.
After all companies and bloggers are getting awesome advertising based on reviews and giveaways. Word of mouth is huge now for advertising, but it can also back fire on companies, specially if they do not follow through. I am so sorry you are having issues getting your prizes on a few different blogs, I am sorry the bloggers are not taking the time to contact you back, and I hope you do finally get your prize.
Thank goodness there is still some awesome bloggers out there that take the time to contact the winners, and keep in contact. I know a few ladies that will email you back letting you know they got your information. All the best to you hun, and good luck with all your hard work and winning goodies!
I am so with you…I have 2 giveaways that have never shipped to people yet. I’ve emailed and emailed the pr reps and companies, I’ve even resorted to giving the email to the winner to see if it will go anywhere. I am not great about checking on winners to see if they receive products and when I win I usually don’t think about emailing to say I have it. Bur I do make sure I reply to anyone that emails me.
I hate having to ship the products out to winners because I often forget to bring it with me or I am scared the kids will ruin it, Thank goodness I got everything out quickly for Christmas. I never tell my kids when I win stuff because I am scared it will happen to me.
I have never had no issues with the companies I have worked with, I have had a sweeper lie about a product not being received, and I have had some oops mistakes but usually when I email the company they get it out fast! I to am not all that great with following up, but I do contact the sponsor and the winner as soon as I get one of those, I have not got item yet.