Well, that is your opinion. If giveaways are your #1 focus or if it bothers you that much you might be on the wrong site, yet here you are. 🤔🙄🤦♂️
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MacRumors Giveaways... Why are they only open to U.S. residents?
- Thread starter Fabian90
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Well, that is your opinion. If giveaways are your #1 focus or if it bothers you that much you might be on the wrong site, yet here you are. 🤔🙄🤦♂️
I didn’t mention it’s my #1 focus, but it feels disrespectful and it’s MY opinion. If it bothers you that much you might be on the wrong quote, yet here you are 🤔😳🤦🏼♂️
Sorry then, the comments below sound like they came from someone that is really upset about being excluded from giveaways, my bad.
#2 focus then?
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I try to be very respectful, those kind of disclaimers just shows the lack of appreciation and effort from the website team for foreign customers. Any type of discrimination and difference should be disincouraged.
Thats my opinion, and this is the right place to manifest, isnt it? So thats what I am doing.
Honestly I would feel really stupid accepting a ridiculous disclaimer like that.
And after reading 22 pages of people manifesting, If lived in US I would be the first to stand behind those and to optout in such a giveaway to empathize with foreigners….
its no easy to change big things or improve life but we should try.
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The problem with the majority of giveaways is that MR is just an advertising portal for these giveaways. Members are required to contact the company doing the giveaway because it is the company that does the sending of the prizes, not MR.
If prize giving companies are not prepared to send their winning prizes to countries outside of the US & Canada then MR should refuse to accept to advertise the giveaway. The membership base of this forum is worldwide but yet MR seems to be disingenuous towards their foreign members when it comes to prize giveaways. To foreign members to appears that the only members that matter to MR are US & Canadian members.
US and Canadian members are wanted, foreign members are an after thought.
If prize giving companies are not prepared to send their winning prizes to countries outside of the US & Canada then MR should refuse to accept to advertise the giveaway. The membership base of this forum is worldwide but yet MR seems to be disingenuous towards their foreign members when it comes to prize giveaways. To foreign members to appears that the only members that matter to MR are US & Canadian members.
US and Canadian members are wanted, foreign members are an after thought.
I agree, and for the record I think it sucks that things aren't cheaper or easier to implement worldwide. Do you have any expertise in operating worldwide giveaways? I don't, so I tend to lean on believing MR when they argue "complexities", what possible benefit do they have to exclude anyone? If it was easy I assume they would do it.
I do however take issue with the faux outrage and participation trophy mentality of some members here. If the giveaway doesn't apply to every square inch of the planet then it should apply to none is overly simplistic. I doubt most foreign members here at MR have any clue as to what the customs charge would be to receive an item from the US. I don't have any clue as to what I would be required to pay if I won a giveaway from any country outside my own. If I would win a giveaway from across the planet and find out that I had to pay a 50% of the value in a customs charge I might not want the item anymore. If it were a free MacBook I would pay that all day long, if it were one of the Anker portable battery systems then I would probably pass, it would have been nice to have for free but it is not worth it to me to pay even 50% of its value.
As @laptech stated, MR is probably just running the giveaway and probably ships nothing so MR would need to do the following as an example:
1) Run a giveaway
2) Notify the winner
3) Wait for the winner to respond (I believe they have 1 week)
4) Find out the winner is from Australia, which is roughly the antipode from Virginia
5) Either figure out all the customs information for them or wait for a member to find out the customs charge they would incur and make a decision as to ship or not ship the item. If they chose to not receive the item it goes back to #2 rinse and repeat.
6) If all is ok and agreed to then notify the manufacturer of the winner and provide their info.
So #5 is time and effort. That does not include any other "complexities" such as Quebec and their language barrier. Yes a French translation is relatively easy to create but if every country in the world requires this just for entry that quickly becomes a problem. Would you want to manage a giveaway site that required you to have all of your giveaway information in say 20 languages? I am fairly sure other countries have other requirements.
In closing, I get it, other sites have found a way. That way probably costs money. I can only guess that MR has decided that the costs or risks are not feasible for the percentage of winners that come from outside the allowed countries. I doubt very highly it is because the "dislike" their foreign members.
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You sound very confident asserting something you've apparently not even researched, even by reading the previous posts in this thread. This has nothing to do with shipping costs and import duties. The point here is that different countries have different laws applying to competitions and giveaways, regardless of whether they're local, international or online. For example, some countries stipulate that the draw must be made in that country, or set different requirements as to how the draw takes place or is witnessed. Some countries specify what must be included in terms and conditions, and what language(s) they must be made available in. There's plenty of other examples too if you care to read through this thread.
Multinationals have the money to hire legal teams to understand and ensure compliance with every participating country's appropriate legislation when running international competitions. MacRumors certainly doesn't.
If the prize giveaways said they were only for Jewish people or for white people or for Latino people or LGBTQ people, there would be uproar and rightly so but when the prize giveaways is only for people living in the US and Canada suddenly it becomes OK and every excuse it given to make it OK for MR to do so. Not it does not make it OK. This forum is worldwide. It is disgraceful that this forum once accepted subscriptions from people outside those two countries but yet still excluded them from prize giveaways. This is not the early 1990's in the beginning of the internet. We are way past that and yet excuses are still be made on behalf of MR. Companies both big and small are capable of sending large and small packages to any country in the world and yet MR and many of their supporters make excuses as to why companies involved in prize giveaways cannot.
It is either prize giveaways for all or not at all.
It is either prize giveaways for all or not at all.
I think you're confusing "excuses" with "valid reasons that you don't want to accept". Give credence to your argument by explaining why differences in national legislation governing giveaways is just an empty excuse, and how you would overcome it. Notwithstanding the time you've first got to invest in investigating and understanding the appropriate legislation for the nearly 200 countries there are in the world (and remember some will have differing legislation between individual states or regions). Care to investigate and share with us the rules governing competitions, draws and giveaways in Tunisia, India or the 16 states of Germany for example?
I'll start you with one to answer. Some countries require by law that draws have to take place within that country. How are you going to find out which countries those are, and how are you going to comply with that?
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You've just pointed out the issue I am trying to emphasize. Many countries have their own way of doing things. So, that being said, why does MR create a forum that allows people from all over the world to join, create a subscription that allows members from all over the world to sign up to but yet only allows members living in US or Canada to take part in giveaways? If the system is too hard for MR then again I say the answer is simple, you stop doing the prize giveaways or you make it so everyone around the world can be involved in the giveaways.
Why should people living in the US and Canada be the only ones to benefit from the giveaways? they shouldn't but rather than do the right thing and stop the giveaways MR and their army of supporters go 'boohoo, it's complicated therefore only people living in the US or Canada can take advantage of the giveaways, sorry rest of the world, tough luck you do not live in the US or Canada'.
And I'll repeat myself, stop making excuses for MR. They either stop the giveaways or they make it so every member in the forum can take part, not just a geographical few.
What I think that boils down to is "If I can't have it, then no one else should be able to".
I take the view that not being able to enter a competition doesn't leave me worse off in any way, yet somebody else's life might just get the smallest bit better by winning something. Good luck to them.
And there is the problem (bit in bold). Because it does not affect you personally as far as your concerned the issue does not matter hence your defence of MR.
The only peoples lives being better by these prize giveaways are those who live in the US and Canada. Are you saying these are the only people's lives that matter with regards to their life getting a bit better by winning something? Everyone else in the world does not matter as far as your concerned because that to me is what you appear to be implying with your post.
It is pretty clear that @laptech has no intention of discussing this topic in good faith so I'm tapping out.
Those kind of disclaimers just shows the lack of appreciation and effort from the website team for foreign customers. Any kind of discrimination and difference should be avoided.
Honestly I would feel really stupid accepting a ridiculous disclaimer like that.
After 22 pages of people manifesting, I would be the first to manifest and to optout in such a giveaway if I live in US, just to empathize with foreign people..
You know you cannot compete with me because you know I am right so you make up some excuse that I am somehow being disingenuous with my postings.
LOL, when did a discussion become a competition? Ok, I'll play one more time, answer the question presented by @NightFox .
@laptech sounds like you need to start your own site and do some giveaways! You will do a way better job. Do let us know the link when you get that started. 😁
I did answer his question and the answer was to stop the giveaways.
Yup, you are just bumping the thread at this point. Thankfully you have not, and hopefully will not, change anything.
I choose to believe that MR would want to include as many of their members as possible in the giveaways and also choose to believe their reasoning for why some cannot be included.
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Hilarious... and let's be clear, Quebec demanding everything in French (with small penalties for only providing the rules in English) was the single sticking point.By the way, the regulations on contests no longer apply in Quebec as of October 27, 2023:
Quebec is ready to play: Quebec puts an end to contest laws
Quebec has repealed their rules regarding contests and sweepstakes to reduce the regulatory and administrative burden on organizations.www.millerthomson.com
Would it be possible to update Macrumors' contests to reflect that fact?
Makes MR's policy even more stupid now.
Agreed.
FWIW I won 'Blue Label' (an old PC emulator) from MR ages ago and they shipped it to Australia.
The process 'just worked'. They gave me a code for Blue Label's website that discounted the goods to $0. I then paid shipping and any relevant taxes.
Cinch.
As noted, Quebec (the only jurisdiction expressly mentioned) was MR's only challenge as it asked for the rules in French (not THAT hard!!!) It's now changed its laws and moved on. Time for MR to also do so...