How Local is Local?
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How local is local?
I have had three competitions removed today because they were deemed to be local and therefore not allowed. They were for meals in Devon. Yesterday I had another removed also for being ‘local’ – a meal in Cornwall.
I understand that LD wants competitions ‘that everyone can take advantage of’ but I think that this rule needs looking at as in this case you are not allowing the people of Devon and/or Cornwall (or anywhere else for that matter) to take part in competitions that they might want to and people who don’t live in the area are completely free to ignore it!
I get the impression that if the comp was for a holiday it would be allowed, as there are plenty of comps some to stay in medium/small villages. In fact this has been borne out as the fourth one that I posted (from the same site) did involve an overnight stay and was allowed to remain as a comp!
I think it is counterproductive to prevent people posting and entering these comps as when they realise that you won’t allow certain comps that they might want to enter, they may look for an alternative source for their competitions, however, I would assume that you would prefer them to stay loyal to LD.
Local holidays are allowed but local meals aren’t - unless they are included in the holiday. I think that the ‘local’ situation needs to be discussed as some things are allowed and others aren’t.
It’s a shame that in this modern, all inclusive, world ‘locals’ are being given short shrift and even those of us who have been comping for years are left feeling confused.
Some comps have restricted entry requirements, they specify that they only except entries from certain postcodes or areas, and I understand why LD don't accept these as they want competitions that the majority can enter- I believe it does say somewhere in the guidelines that competitions should be open to the whole of the UK.
I come across a lot of overnight stay type competitions in particular areas, but they are open to the whole UK and it's up to people to decide whether or not they think paying the travel costs to get there is worth it should they win- those type of comps shouldn't be removed because you can enter no matter where you live in the UK, there are no restrictions.
I come across competitions with nice prizes that I can't share because they only allow entries from one particular area, and it's a shame but if LD allowed them to be shared here, mixed in with the other comps it could cause problems. If people started sharing local entry comps but didn't mention that in the description/title, many people would waste time clicking on comps that they couldn't enter, and that would lead to complaints/issues for LD.
I do think people who live in the relevant areas are missing out on entering some good comps, but I'm not sure how LD can include them, unless they had a separate area just for local entry ones.
Personally I don't see the problem. Whenever you look through the comps you either decide to enter, to save & look at it later or just ignore it.
Surely as long as a particular area is specified in the short name people shouldn't be worried about looking through additional comps, they may find something really good near them that they didn't know of - and win because of there being less entries! They are free to ignore those that they don't want to enter.
tumblespots The problem would be with people who didn't specify that it was a local entry comp. If it's not mentioned in the title or description on here, then you wouldn't know to ignore it. You'd click on it, go to the actual comp page, and then find out. That would be a waste of people's time, and would just lead to complaints.
Some of the people who wrongly post restricted entry comps now don't mention it- I came across a couple a little while ago that were only for people who lived in London to enter, but it wasn't mentioned in either the title or description on here. It would likely happen more if they actually allowed these comps on here, as some people who share comps don't mention all the relevant info.
In a chat with ACR below it was suggested to mark a comp as 'postcode restricted' but perhaps a 'postcode restricted' button could be brought into play and then put full details in the details?
I understand the frustration but isn't it so they can maximise the competition entry amounts? Wouldn't it only appeal to people within in say a 40 mile distance? I'm from Newcastle so winning a meal wouldn't make me travel hundreds of miles, though a meal and accommodation and I might be interested.
Why would getting more entries be a benefit to LD?
I would answer your 40 mile distance point by saying that if it was within 40 miles of you, wouldn't you like the opportunity to enter?
tumblespots More internet traffic and more referrals from LD? I don't know how the site is running but more people being directed to a site from Latest deals must beneficial to LD.
I don't understand why those kinds of local comps aren't allowed. I live no where near Cornwall or Devon, yet I entered those anyway because I am willing to travel and make a day out of it. Would be nice to have a day out. 
I agree, those who are prepared to travel will enter and those who don't won't.
I would prefer if there was a regional section on LD. If you live in a large city or particular region a more local or post code restricted competition, offer or freebie could still interest a lot of people. There are plenty of deals, freebies and competitions on here that are only going appeal to a relatively small number of members. I don't see why every competition needs to be open to everyone. If you add Post Code Restricted to the Title and include restrictions info in the Description box. It's easy to determine who can enter.
You have hit the nail on the head there, I seriously doubt that all members enter ALL comps, I know I certainly don't, therefore, it can't be to do with traffic.
You only have to look through the comp listings to see how many have entered each and every comp and some have relatively small entries.
That sounds ideal - a button to annotate that a comp is postcode restricted, then check for further details to see if it is relevant to you or not.
Thank you very much for your feedback - it's certainly a tricky one and always good to have a discussion, and to listen to what you would like!
I think you're right that ideally, we'd be able to accept every competition from everyone and everything, and to have them individually vetted and approved before being posted on site, to be sure they are legitimate and safe for members to apply for. Perhaps one day Latest Deals will be able to cater for that, if we had a larger team, and if we designed the site so members can filter for location etc.
As things stand, unfortunately the site and team is not set up to do so. For now, we accept competitions that are more relevant to a nationwide community, with the understanding that winning a holiday is a bit more applicable, whereas winning a meal at a local restaurant may not be. I totally agree it's a fuzzy line, some will disagree, and I'm sorry that moderation decisions are not always consistent.
Again, hopefully in the future we can focus on improving the competitions section some more, perhaps enabling some filters for location, and that we'd be able to afford a bigger team to support the moderation side of things.
Thanks,
Tom
Thank you for taking the time to consider this. I do think it's a shame that they can't be allowed now as the meals I had posted weren't just for an insignificant bag of chips, they were 1) Sunday roast for 4 people 2) Six course tasting menu at a brasserie & 3) Three course lunch for two. It seems I shall have to remain expectant that permission for such comps will be granted in the future.
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