Also remember that where there is a contest there MUST be a winner If not....it is not a contest.It's a request. Pretty simple,right ? Contest - Win - Loose - Draw It's a competitions.Not a request ground.
I do agree every contest should have a winner and I don't like when some contest holders don't choose one, they just say sorry I didn't like any of them. Saying that however, if the contest holder clearly states that there isn't going to be a guaranteed winner, then the designer knows this before creating his or her entry anyway, so they can't complain if the CH turns around and cancels it.
I think the contest holder should always have the right not to award the prize if no entry is truly worthy of it. That said though, matters are complicated by revisions. Holding a contest, not finding an entry you like and declaring the contest winnerless is way different from holding a contest, asking each contestant to do multiple revisions and then disappearing without a trace. The first instance is understandable. The second is, unfortunately, quite commonplace.
Personally i ever was in that situation.. well i have been but with providers on getafreelancer that i have paid and received nothing.. well what i have received is worthless.. I created a little website about them.. brought a .info for like $3, sorted, told them i would take it down if i got my money back.. i got my money back but have left the site online Submitted it to google and yahoo etc.. the page contained e-mail address information, company information, whois lookup details.. usernames for other coding forums and things...
If that's the way you see it, I guess I could create contests all over the place and then cancel it after a week. Sounds fair?
xfactorlogo, i think what daveyboy i trying to say is that as designers, we enter DP contests with the knowledge that we are basically at the mercy of the contest holders. I don't think he's trying to say that running off without declaring a winner is fair or right.
Exactly l3fty, like I said i don't agree with it at all and think it sucks just as most people here do, but at the same time if I enter a contest with these rules, I know in advance that this could be the outcome. That's all
As a newcomer here, please let me know what you think I should do. I ordered a header from someone on DP, and he told me to pay before he would begin. I paid through PayPal. He never delivered the header per our agreement. I have sent messages, emails, and posted on the thread, but he does not respond now. I paid on Feb. 24. Looks like I was scammed. There are more details, but I do not know how much I should post and where. Your thoughts?
I think a lot of the contest holders are entering with the best intentions but are reacting depending on the response they get. If you walk into a store looking for the best movie ever and end up finding 25 mediocre movies, chances are your gonna leave with your money in your pocket. This is the nature of commerce....
No offense meant, but that's a horrible metaphor. If you walk into a store, you aren't held liable to buy something. The employees are paid regardless if you make a purchase or walk out empty handed. If you create a contest and have tens of designers constantly creating new concepts and revising for your needs, you should at least award a prize (however paltry, seeing the $20 contests everywhere now).
Imho, The nature of commerce....yes indeed but in the wrong place.This is a contest ground not a store ground. Besides, DP already make other grounds for us, not just contest,right ? There are Services that have a lot of sub forums in it like design,programming,content creation,etc. No offense please.I'm a newbie in here,too.I just want to discuss it more further about these issues.I think it is interesting to discuss Contest - Competition - Win - Loose - Draw Store - Come in - Look around - Like it - Buy it It's just my opinion.What do you think, guys ?
Just because it's a contest doesn't mean you are guaranteed anything. If no one fulfills the criteria to win the contest then no one gets the reward. Same reason that you don't get the million dollars if you don't hit the half court shot blindfolded. The way I see it the contest holder is offering to buy something of value and if they do not get entries that correspond with that value, they are absolutely within their rights not to buy anything. It may be disappointing to those who spend time and effort to realize their ideas but if you don't want to be disappointed, don't enter. Everyone who starts or contributes to these contests takes a risk with their time, work, money, etc.... I don't think it's fair to enforce some sort of right to payment and make it more risky for a contest holder. If everyone who held a contest was required to offer a prize it would force down the prices their willing to pay and scare some of them off completely. Seems I'm in the minority on this one though.....
There are good intentioned people who don't get the thing they want. And there are those who just waste people's time. The latter is a criminal offense. Time is very precious. Atleast each contest that doesn't find worthy entries should offer a nominal compensation to those who entered and gave decent entries. 1 or 2$. [Utopian suggestion]
How's this for something proactive that all us designers can do in addition to background checks and vigorous watermarking: If you see a non-paying CH starting a new thread, rate the thread with one star for "terrible". And then we should check the ratings of each contest before deciding to join. I'm sure those of us who've been burned before will remember those CHs.