2 Really BAD experiences with recipe contests... HELP

saram2018

saram2018

New member
I love cooking & have been entering recipe contests for awhile now. This is the 2nd time I've gotten burned & I have to vent about it.

I found the Meatloaf recipe contest for AllMeatloafRecipes.com here on SA. The prize was $250 restaurant GC. I spend a good amount money on ingredients & put a lot of time into creating, cooking, perfecting & taking photos of recipes for this contest. I submitted 3 recipes. The submission form said it would take 3 - 5 business days for the recipes to appear on the site - weeks went by and they never did. I contacted them 3 times to inquire & never received a single response. The "contest" ended on 7/31. I checked today and the site no longer exists !!

Back in April, I entered a contest on SoulFoodand SouthernCooking.com. Again, I spent money on ingredients, took time to make something, take photos, write the required essay... Then I invited ALL my Facebook & personal friends to go comment & vote on the recipe. 4 months have gone by. She never picked a winner. She doesn't respond to emails or Facebook comments.

Is this fair or legal for sites to advertise a contest, have people enter, then not follow through on it?
 
:cry: wow! That's really disappointing to hear. I have never entered the recipe contests but have really considered starting to enter them. I can only say that I f I was going to enter I would enter with sponsors that I know are reputable and that have run recipe contest in the past. Please don't give up, your chances of winning are greatly improved with these contests. I wonder what they did with the recipes.
 
pmeek said:
:cry: wow! That's really disappointing to hear. I have never entered the recipe contests but have really considered starting to enter them. I can only say that I f I was going to enter I would enter with sponsors that I know are reputable and that have run recipe contest in the past. Please don't give up, your chances of winning are greatly improved with these contests. I wonder what they did with the recipes.
Click to expand...

That's what I was going to say :crazytongue:

saram2018 could you post the listings please? It's hard to say what to do without more info, thanks! :wave:
 
Thanks Amy, I checked again today & oddly, the Meatloaf contest page is running again, but my recipes are still not up. No one's are - It says there are only 3 recipes up in all 6 categories. Here is the page: http://www.allmeatloafrecipes.com/ & here is the SA listing:

AllMeatloafRecipes.Com - Recipe Contest
Grand Prize: Restaurant.com gift certificates in the total amount of $250. (Please note: "The redemption of a Restaurant-Specific Gift Certificate requires additional consideration paid to the restaurant. Restaurant-Specific Gift Certificates have no value without additional consideration.") 3 Thank you Prizes (random): a Restaurant.com gift certificate in the amount of $50.
Restrictions : 19+ US, DC & Canada (Excluding Quebec) | Hits : 132 | Added : 07-07-11 | Expired : 07-31-2011 | Rules
Entry Category : One Entry Sweepstakes

For the southern recipe contest, here is the active page: http://www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com/recipe-contest-entry-form.html
 and here is the SA listing:

SoulfoodAndSouthernCooking.Com - Recipe Contest
Overall, participants can win one of three prizes as listed below. Prize winners can selection a CASH gift card from either Amazon.com, Walmart.com or Target.com. 1st prize: $150 gift card 2nd prize: $75 gift card 3rd prize: $50 gift card
Restrictions : 18+ US | Hits : 426 | Added : 02-08-11 | Expired : 04-30-2011 | Rules
Entry Category : One Entry Sweepstakes

Neither site has updated their contest page. There is no mention of a winner or anything saying the contests have been cancelled.
 
:wave: saram2018 thanks!!!

At first glance, this looks odd:

AllMeatloafRecipes.Com {Brought to you by A to Z Recipes .com} - which I can't find {link takes me to a domain for sale?} - but I did find: www.a2zrecipes.net :scratch:

But SoulfoodAndSouthernCooking.Com has:

http://twitter.com/#!/soulfoodwebsite
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Soul-Food-and-Southern-Cooking/113660715377075

Which is where I'd post to see if I could get a response.

SA lists, it's on us to check out the sites, their privacy policy, etc.

Please do try to not to let this experience sour you on recipe contests/sweeping - I'd use it as a life lesson and move on, good luck!!! :sunny:
 
I already contacted the SoulFood site via her website, email & Facebook - at least 1 to 2 times a month & haven't received any response. I would have been the 1st or 2nd place winner & it's disappointing that I put so much effort into that contest, for nothing.

The Meatloaf contest only has a "contact us" on their site, which I've done 4 times already. In the rules it said winners would be announced mid-August - but if none of the recipes are up on their site, I doubt there will be a winner chosen.

I've had great experiences with other sweeps & other recipe contests on the site so I'm definitely not going to stop. I just wanted to vent, get some advice, & see if anyone else had the same type of experience w/ these. Thanks Again =)
 
Ok saram2018 :sunny:

I felt bad I couldn't "fix" things and was afraid I gave the impression I could. :crazytongue:
 
Amazing! It's 4 months late, but I finally got an email from the Soul Food & Southern Cooking contest this morning announcing the winners. My Cajun Style Mac & Cheese won 2nd place :sunny:

Good Morning,
We are pleased to announce the winning recipes of our First Annual Recipe contest. And the winners are....
1. First Place ($150 gift card): Haitian Pumpkin Soup
2. Second Place ($75 gift card): Cajun Style Macaroni and Cheese
3. Third Place ($50 gift card): Creamy Chicken Noodles and Bacon

Thank goodness !! Hoping I'll actually hear from that Meatloaf contest next.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top