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Sears Discounts, Deals and Coupon Codes

Contests & Sweepstakes Tips, Advice, and Questions

58,150 56,135 June 2, 2008 at 07:50 PM in Other (6) Get Sears coupons Coupons
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Last Edited by BostonGirl March 8, 2015 at 07:18 AM
+89 Deal Score
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The intent of this thread is for users, both new and not-so-new, to ask questions, and help with tips/advice. This is not by any means the "gospel". Please feel free to add your words of wisdom, and if you have questions, just ask! If you have a tip that will make sweeping easier for folks, please feel free to share. This is a community effort. We all will benefit in some way.


The Basic Advice/Tips for the new-to-sweeping folks.
Enter for the items you want/need. If you have no interest in trips, avoid the sweeps where the only prize is a trip. If you know you can't afford the tax on a new vehicle, avoid entering for those.

Set up folders in your bookmark/favorites. Create a separate one for each month, and file any sweeps you are interested in into the folder corresponding with when it ends. Then, if you have a day where you're pressed for time, enter at least the ones ending that day.

Play the instant win games.

Follow the rules! If a sweep is restricted to only females, a certain age group, certain states, etc, make sure you fit the criteria! If you don't, move on to another sweep that you do qualify for. Do not create a bunch of email addresses so you can enter something more than once, or so you can play an Instant win game more. The Sponsors can tell, and will DQ you. You're better off playing by the rules than cheating and getting disqualified and having NO entries.

Don't immediately dismiss essay required sweeps (or recipes, photos, etc)....well, unless you know you don't want to write something. A lot of people pass on them, so you might have a better shot at winning something.

Don't expect this to be lucrative enough to become a job. Yes, a lot of us win, and often, but not nearly enough to quit a job!

Expect things to go slow at first. It takes a while for the wins to roll in. But once they do...look out!

Expect to occasionally hit a dry spell. It happens to ALL of us.

DEFINITELY USE YOUR REAL INFO! If you use a fake phone number, and a sponsor is calling to notify people of wins, you'll never know what you missed out on. I, and many others, have been doing this for a long time, and we have no problems with sales calls. Also, use your real name. If your name is Robert or Catherine, using Bob or Cathy is ok, as they are known acceptable shorter versions of that name. if your name is Matilda, and you go by Fluffy, don't use Fluffy. Looking at your ID to get an affy notarized, they may reject it because the names don't match. The sponsor may also say "Fluffy won, not Matilda". So stick with using your real name, or something close to it.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! And don't be afraid to ask questions. We were all new to this at one time. Any one of us would be happy to answer questions.


For easy form filling, check out Roboform [roboform.com]. Google Tool bar and the autofill feature on IE also work well.

For Mac users, the best form filler is 1Password: http://agilewebsolutions.com/products/1Password (thanks javaFlower!)

FireFox Form Filler browser extensions: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/...ll&cat=all

To set up the autofill feature in IE: Click on Tools, then internet options, then choose 'content'. When that pops up, click on "Autocomplete", and make sure to check the boxes for forms and passwords on forms. This is not a good idea if you are on a shared/public computer!

February 17, 2009, 3:10 am: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.

July 12, 2010, 3:23 pm: System Notice: This thread has been automatically renewed after reaching a post limit. Most of its content has been moved to this thread for reference purposes.
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Community Wiki

Last Edited by JD123 November 1, 2014 at 11:13 AM
Before we had this thread, limpstar posted this site for info on sweeps & taxes in the I Won Thread:
All About Sweepstakes Taxes
http://contests.about.com/od/taxe...gtaxes.htm

Also consider talking to your tax preparer and/or researching further into your tax responsibility.


I have found this page helpful in understanding some of sweep's law - a sweeps law co.'s site:
The Lustigman Firm; Attorneys at Law
http://www.sweepstakeslaw.com/
The Lustigman Firm provides experienced legal counsel that helps protect the business interests
of its advertising and promotional clients around the United States and Canada

What does " age of majority in your state or province " mean?

(sometimes abbreviated as AoM+ )

it's the legal age of that state or province...

The Age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as it is conceptualized in law. It is the chronological moment when children legally assume majority control over their persons and their actions and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents over and for them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_majority

there's a list by country and by US State there....

For most purposes, the age of majority in the U.S. is 18,
except for 2 states with the age of 19 (Nebraska,Alabama)
and one state with the age of 21 (Mississippi)
and two (American Samoa and Puerto Rico) that retain 14 as the age of majority.
Occasionally PA is listed under the 19+ or 21+

~javaFlower

Regarding missing prizes
If you were expecting a prize you've never received you can complain 1st to the sweepstakes administrator, then to the sweepstakes sponsor and finally to USPS Postal Inspectors

https://postalinspectors.uspis.go...laint.aspx

-Kotik


ePrize Contacts
[email protected] - Bob Marsh, Senior Vice President, Midwest Region, Phone: 248.543.7522
[email protected] - Darlene Morris, Business Manager, Phone: 248.543.7403
[email protected] - Alesya Opelt, Vice President, Marketing, Phone: 248.543.7440


Occasionally a....less than ethical sweep will get posted.
You might end up finding unauthorized charges on your phone bill. Unauthorized charges on the phone bill are what's called "Cramming". Once you contact the company that's charging you, and you have requested your phone company remove the charge, if you so choose, you can file a complaint with the FCC.

FCC Online complaint form: esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm

You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY

You can fax your complaint to 1-866-418-0232

Or by snail mail:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554.

I also recommend a 3rd party block on your line to prohibit this from happening. 3rd party blocks don't affect your phone in any way, except by not allowing some company outside of your local phone company from adding charges to your bill.


Slickdealers on Twitter
(I don't really know where is best to start this list, but I decided to just start it here. If anyone thinks we should move it somewhere else, please do so.)

SD name Twitter name
kdka421 k8fenner
Starbelly Lunachique
dodgers77449 michael0902
sanaperv @slicksweepberry
blueeyeleo  
Slickdealers on Facebook
(Hopefully, it is allowed to post this here. If anyone thinks this link should be deleted, please do so.)
You can find the facebook slickdeals sweepers in this group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/310504039006252/

Track incoming packages
UPS
http://www.ups.com/mychoice/
FedEx https://www.fedex.com/login/web/j...n.jsp?TYPE
USPS https://www.usps.com/manage/manage-your-mail.htm




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Joined Aug 2008
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lemontart68
12-07-2012 at 05:04 PM.
12-07-2012 at 05:04 PM.
Ohhh I see, thank you both for your help! Smilie
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BaconCommando
12-07-2012 at 11:33 PM.
12-07-2012 at 11:33 PM.
Do you guys check your junk mail for these sweepstakes?
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KMA
12-08-2012 at 04:52 AM.
12-08-2012 at 04:52 AM.
Quote from BattleCry :
Do you guys check your junk mail for these sweepstakes?
Yes and for wins.
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Wuvsnoopy
12-08-2012 at 01:57 PM.
12-08-2012 at 01:57 PM.
Quote from Jang :
Instants are good for instant gratification but they can also have a disappointing effect and turn you off if you keep getting too many "Sorry, you didn't win this time." messages.
Oh goodness.... you nailed that one LOL ~~~ it can get depressing
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RebootSequence
12-08-2012 at 05:09 PM.
12-08-2012 at 05:09 PM.
Question about the Facebook contests, since a ton of them seem to be through Facebook:
Almost all of them require you to "like" the page. Will unliking the pages disqualify you from the sweeps? I'm using my real Facebook and really hate having a million random facebook pages in my likes...
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KMA
12-08-2012 at 05:54 PM.
12-08-2012 at 05:54 PM.
Quote from justinmyser :
Question about the Facebook contests, since a ton of them seem to be through Facebook:
Almost all of them require you to "like" the page. Will unliking the pages disqualify you from the sweeps? I'm using my real Facebook and really hate having a million random facebook pages in my likes...
You don't need to unsubscribe - just remove them from your feed. To do that:
1. Hover over the name of the page
2. Move your mouse over to the right and hover over the "like" box; a drop-down menu should appear.
2. Un-check "show in news feed."
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Joined Jun 2009
It's fun to do bad things
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Jang
12-08-2012 at 06:34 PM.
12-08-2012 at 06:34 PM.
Quote from justinmyser :
Question about the Facebook contests, since a ton of them seem to be through Facebook:
Almost all of them require you to "like" the page. Will unliking the pages disqualify you from the sweeps? I'm using my real Facebook and really hate having a million random facebook pages in my likes...
Lots of times they require you to be a fan/like the page at the time of the drawing.
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Joined Nov 2012
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RebootSequence
12-08-2012 at 07:26 PM.
12-08-2012 at 07:26 PM.
Quote from KMA :
You don't need to unsubscribe - just remove them from your feed. To do that:
1. Hover over the name of the page
2. Move your mouse over to the right and hover over the "like" box; a drop-down menu should appear.
2. Un-check "show in news feed."
Yeah, that's what I've been doing... but still, it's kinda annoying. I don't like having them "liked" when I don't actually like them... haha.

Quote from Jang :
Lots of times they require you to be a fan/like the page at the time of the drawing.
That's what I figured... seems like it would take forever to figure out which ones are safe to remove.
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Joined Oct 2012
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erueo139
12-08-2012 at 09:26 PM.
12-08-2012 at 09:26 PM.
Quote from justinmyser :
Question about the Facebook contests, since a ton of them seem to be through Facebook:
Almost all of them require you to "like" the page. Will unliking the pages disqualify you from the sweeps? I'm using my real Facebook and really hate having a million random facebook pages in my likes...
You can also hide ALL of your likes from your facebook. To do this:
1) Go to your fb main page by clicking your name up top.
2) Go down to your likes, click "see all".
3) Hover your mouse within the likes area and an "edit" button will show up. Click it.
4) Scroll down to the bottom of your "favorite" likes area to where it says "other pages you like", change setting to "only me".

*You can also keep certain likes, for personality or whatever lol, in the favorites up above, like music.
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RebootSequence
12-09-2012 at 01:07 PM.
12-09-2012 at 01:07 PM.
Quote from maimaimai :
You can also hide ALL of your likes from your facebook. To do this:
1) Go to your fb main page by clicking your name up top.
2) Go down to your likes, click "see all".
3) Hover your mouse within the likes area and an "edit" button will show up. Click it.
4) Scroll down to the bottom of your "favorite" likes area to where it says "other pages you like", change setting to "only me".

*You can also keep certain likes, for personality or whatever lol, in the favorites up above, like music.
Thanks for the tip!
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Joined Nov 2007
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chuckecheez
12-09-2012 at 05:40 PM.
12-09-2012 at 05:40 PM.
Quote from maimaimai :
You can also hide ALL of your likes from your facebook. To do this:
1) Go to your fb main page by clicking your name up top.
2) Go down to your likes, click "see all".
3) Hover your mouse within the likes area and an "edit" button will show up. Click it.
4) Scroll down to the bottom of your "favorite" likes area to where it says "other pages you like", change setting to "only me".

*You can also keep certain likes, for personality or whatever lol, in the favorites up above, like music.
I wouldn't recommend doing that if you are entering sweeps, as they won't have a way to confirm your "like". What I tend to do is just let all the likes pile up and then go back about once a month and unlike anything from a sweeps older than 3 months ago. I do the same for apps; figure anything older than 3 months should have already picked and notified winners so not much risk. That keeps the backlog manageable without risking DQ's.
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erueo139
12-09-2012 at 07:30 PM.
12-09-2012 at 07:30 PM.
Quote from chuckecheez :
I wouldn't recommend doing that if you are entering sweeps, as they won't have a way to confirm your "like". What I tend to do is just let all the likes pile up and then go back about once a month and unlike anything from a sweeps older than 3 months ago. I do the same for apps; figure anything older than 3 months should have already picked and notified winners so not much risk. That keeps the backlog manageable without risking DQ's.
I'm pretty sure a page can see everyone who likes them (it shows up on as list like friends do), well the page admins can at least.
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Joined Jun 2007
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> bubble2 14,586 Posts
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Jessibell
12-09-2012 at 07:58 PM.
12-09-2012 at 07:58 PM.
Is anybody else having issues with the Firefox Roboform add-on? Mine stopped working the other day (there may have been a Firefox update, not sure), and I still haven't been able to log back in even after reinstalling it.
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Joined Jun 2009
It's fun to do bad things
> bubble2 1,844 Posts
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Jang
12-10-2012 at 08:02 AM.
12-10-2012 at 08:02 AM.
Quote from maimaimai :
I'm pretty sure a page can see everyone who likes them (it shows up on as list like friends do), well the page admins can at least.
I agree with you on this but can anyone else confirm?
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Joined Dec 2009
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DamianMom
12-10-2012 at 08:40 AM.
12-10-2012 at 08:40 AM.
I've been wanting to try Twitter contests, but having a hard time finding them. How do you find Twitter contests to enter? Thanks!
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