A Word About Contests & Prizes

As most know, DSA doesn't personally provide prizes in our contests. These are provided by sponsors and it's between you and the sponsor. However, if you don't get a prize, then check in with us and we'll follow up on them. Sometimes we run into issues like the sponsor sends but your email didn't receive because they attached the prize to the email and your email client won't accept messages that large... and neither do they bounce them back to the sender so they had no way of knowing. That beings your email provider into the equation.

Some would like dropbox or other services. However, sponsors have then canceled on us in a rage because the winner shared the link and the sponsor found out because they can see how many downloads there were... so that will rarely be an option and if you get mad about it, then blame your fellow members who shared the links as they're the ones who created the problem.

Sometimes you do contact us and we have some sponsors that are hard to get through to and we rely on you to tell us when you get your stuff... and when you don't. But instead of communicating you're still waiting, you go silent and then months later finally contact me... a bit slow on the communication there aren't you? I have said many times contact me at least once a week and I will personally look into it but then you don't respond and I don't know the problem continues because I'm also not told by most when you got the item after a bit of difficulty.

Sponsors generally have a lot of issues just like winners. There are often reasons why sponsors are slow to deliver and we generally get those resolved if we know.

Thus if you say I sent you a message and here it is months later and you still haven't gotten it but you waited this long to let me know... then this falls on you not us.

I am writing this because it was brought to my attention earlier that some members have been telling people not to participate in our contests because we don't deliver the prizes. They forget to mention we don't because it's between the winner and the sponsor to which we will try contacting the sponsor repeatedly if we are contacted and you stay in contact. We will report to the sponsor every week if you respond every week.

I don't know about you but if I'm owed a prize somewhere and am told they sent the prize or I've heard nothing, I'm going to contact them at least once a week if not make an asshole out of myself and contact them once a day.

We have stated numerous times contact us each week if you don't get your prize.

Problems we've had issues with that are our fault.

We sometimes have difficulty with judging and notifying winners so that you know you won in an appropriate time and what you won. This is going to change and we have been working on it doing a wee bit better but a lot more work is needed and that genuinely is on us.

But to find out people are being told we won't deliver by people who didn't even contact us to let us know they didn't get their prizes and people we've told to stay in contact who then don't for a month or so when we need to know a lot sooner before the next contest or before we're contacting people the next month when that contest has ended... it gets on my nerves more than a little bit. I could follow up with public statements specifically naming people to retaliate but we won't do that even though it is about the only way we can counter people who won't even contact us to let us know they didn't get their prize.

Again, a sponsor might have a death in the family as recently occurred, a sponsor might have lost their internet service as has happened many times, a sponsor might be overworked so they need multiple reminded which has also happened. But then we have sponsors who deliver and issues on the winners side develop because they also the same types of issues so that an effort to deliver a prize was blocked by your email provider as just one of numerous issues you might have no different than the sponsor. If you were offline for six months, the sponsor is often gracious and will still honor the prize. if you've just not contacted us at all then the sponsors not so willing to provide the prize as why did you wait so long. And then there's the attacks on the site behind the scenes by people who never contacted us bitching we didn't deliver when we didn't know it wasn't delivered.

Some of you have tried but we ask to stick with it as sometimes we'll even have multiple sponsors that go awol and when I receive notice, I act on that notice and contact them. But all I can do then is sit and wait.

We depend on participation to keep sponsors and some sponsors have made note that so few enter that it's just not paying off so they stop. I have been told many times about these loudmouths talking behind the scene who didn't come to me and that this is why people aren't entering. You don't contact us or follow up weekly with me like I say, this is your issue, you caused it not us.

We are grateful to everyone who participates and to our sponsors so if there are issues, let us know. You are not being a pest to write us each week to say I still haven't gotten my prize. If it were me, I'd likely be writing every single day. And guys, I tell you to do this as sometimes it takes multiple notifications. In the past I've even had a policy to write the winners each week and they never responded so that I have to figure they got their prizes. Then, months later, I find they didn't and they even admitted they got my messages and just didn't think to reply... so we stopped doing that!

On most sites, they have the prizes provided before the contest. But, so many of our sponsors allow you to pick a prize rather than providing a prize to us saying this is the one you get whether anyone wants or needs it or not that it's about the only way we can do the contests. We could say can you provide this item and get it in advance but then people wouldn't enter because the prize we asked for they already have or just don't want.

So, the ability to choose a prize from the sponsor is a huge advantage and we could actually have a lot more sponsors if we could get more participation. But, if people are badmouthing us behind the scenes saying don't enter DSA contests because they won't deliver prizes, why would anyone want to enter?

In fact, if a sponsor doesn't deliver, we have sponsors willing to provide something to them from their stores to help us get a prize delivered to the winner and even some who don't sponsor us all the time who will provide access to their store and give a prize... bet ya didn't know that even though we tell people this.

So, what more can I say as we try but when you're not doing your part and instead get pissed and start badmouthing us, is it really our fault?

Hell, we have our own site modelers who sometimes will make you something if they can and we can't find another answer. Avros I know would consider it as we just want people to participate and have some fun which not getting your prize... well, where's the fun in that? Communicate with us and don't feel you're being an ass doing it as if you win you're owed a prize and we'll try to get you one... but you've got to keep communication open and if I don't reply, contact Armorbeast on Facebook as I have that thing open 24/7 even if I'm sleeping.

Ask Aqua1955 and a few others as they went to find me there and know IO won't try to kill them if they contact me there every day. Heck, Aqua likes me so much he buys me gifts and so have others. I'm offered prizes by sponsors I generally turn down because I hardly make any art anymore and don't think it's fair to accept the gifts until my muse returns. So, I'm generally well-liked but it seems people liked me more when I was fire and brimstone on the other sites getting banned and reinstated which I find odd.

Work with us guys as we don't have to have the monthly contests and even for the site bugs, some of you try to participate for which we are very grateful But please consider before you start providing bad feedback behind the scenes, you're only harming the winners who get their prizes and if there are issues with you getting yours... just come straight to me. Impmon isn't the only one handling contests and she often deals with stresses like everyone so I take some of the weight off her shoulders when a problem developed between winners and sponsors.

We are very grateful to have her helping us with this and if she can't get the prize for you because people aren't communicating with her, get with me as sometimes I do hold more clout and know more people as I do have contacts in higher places. Work with us when a prize isn't delivered. Contact me daily at facebook as it might be bugging and harassing, but you are owed a prize and if Imp can't get it for you, then bring it to me every day if you have to.

Find site owners who will outright tell you to harass them every day and ask then if we're not trying to make the effort. This is my full addy at Renderosity so just contact me there. We also have a Facebook group if you need anything and aren't receiving a reply here www.facebook.com/groups/75363980497 so you have multiple ways to contact us which I thought many of you already knew. We actually gain nothing from the contests, we just enjoy having and holding them. Work with us and we'lll try our best to see to it that you get what you are promised or a fair replacement.