"No purchase necessary" ,whats this all about ?

[emale]

i see and hear this line in ads in radio and in the papers.usually,its for some contest or giveaway.....if you have to enter the contest or receive a gift,you have to make a purchase....so,whats the point of this statement ..... ?

[number8888]

There's usually a alternative way to enter the contest that would be free. Not sure if it's a requirement, but many contest do have this extra rule, usually hidden in the fine print of course.

For example you can send in a request to McDonalds directly to get those Monopoly pieces for free when they were running that contest. You just pay for the return envelope.

[Max62]

i see and hear this line in ads in radio and in the papers.usually,its for some contest or giveaway.....if you have to enter the contest or receive a gift,you have to make a purchase....so,whats the point of this statement ..... ?

If there is a requirement to purchase something before entering the contest, it falls under the rule of lottery law or some such law. So whoever is putting on the contest have to abide by some rules and regulations and also pay more in fees/taxes to the government.

Essentially, if there is "no purchase necessary" it sort of lets the company who is putting on the contest off the hook as they're not legally mandated to pay any winnings or honour the contest for whatever reason they deem necessary.
However if there is a requirement to buy something to enter contest, then there is a an obligation by law for that company to actually provide payout. So if your payment is required to enter contest, you get more protection to ensure to get paid if you win. If there is "no purchase necessary", there is no guarantee even if you win as the company makes their own rules pretty much.

[Max62]

There's usually a alternative way to enter the contest that would be free. Not sure if it's a requirement, but many contest do have this extra rule, usually hidden in the fine print of course.

For example you can send in a request to McDonalds directly to get those Monopoly pieces for free when they were running that contest. You just pay for the return envelope.

No. "No purchase necessary" means that you dont have to provide proof of purchase to enter contest. This came after some law cases involving home-less people who found some winning tickets/wrapper (dont remember) and went to claim the prize. But company declined citing you had to buy something to win.
So afte some court cases this sort of behavior, essentially, became highly regulated.

And if you have to "pay", the contest becomes a "lottery" in the eyes of law and depending where you are this may be illegal (only government is allowed to issue a lottery) or company must adhere to some additional laws and regulations regarding "lotteries".

Just google "No Purchase required" phrase. You'll get more info.

[brunes]

No. "No purchase necessary" means that you dont have to provide proof of purchase to enter contest. This came after some law cases involving home-less people who found some winning tickets/wrapper (dont remember) and went to claim the prize. But company declined citing you had to buy something to win.
So afte some court cases this sort of behavior, essentially, became highly regulated.

And if you have to "pay", the contest becomes a "lottery" in the eyes of law and depending where you are this may be illegal (only government is allowed to issue a lottery) or company must adhere to some additional laws and regulations regarding "lotteries".

Just google "No Purchase required" phrase. You'll get more info.

No, other poster is correct.

In Canada, various regulations state that you can't require someone to purchase something to enter a sweepstakes or contest. If you do, then you are now falling under a different set of regulations, that companies do not want to be under.

There always is a way to enter these contests without buying anything. Usually it involves sending a self addressed envelope to some address, and they will mail you a game piece.

[condor11]

There always is a way to enter these contests without buying anything. Usually it involves sending a self addressed envelope to some address, and they will mail you a game piece.

Hm, So how come noone does it? Especially RFDers, I've never heard it here from anyone anyway.

[Impossibles]

I remember calling the 1-800 number when I was a kid to get the mini stanley cups that came with labatts. The automated message just tells you to send a SASE of a certain size but then they say the address so fast you can't understand it, and have to keep calling back to hear it again and again.

I gave up.:o

[number8888]

Hm, So how come noone does it? Especially RFDers, I've never heard it here from anyone anyway.

There's a lot of these in the "contest" forum:
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34

I am reminded of a contest a few years ago from Pepsi/Dorritos for winning an Xbox360bundle when it was launching. You go to a website every hour to get free codes for entering the contest (instead of buying stuff). Good times. :lol:

[goojoomoonoo]

Hm, So how come noone does it? Especially RFDers, I've never heard it here from anyone anyway.

It's too much of a hassle for certain contests. You usually have to mail in the entry and/or are required to write a short essay.