Dear LPG,

Since lockdown started I have realised that I am watching a lot more television.  A lot of the time it is a case of, ‘What else is there to do?’

I wonder if I am the only reader who finds themselves watching more daytime television?

Before having to stay home so much I was out and about too early to see much more than an hour or so of breakfast television while I was rushing around and getting ready for the day.  Back then, what I could hear and manage to see while getting on with the start of the day helped me get going in the mornings.  I would be getting breakfast or getting dressed while listening mostly as the presenters kept me up to date with the news, but then the competitions started and people could phone in at a price, but entering online was free and I did quite a bit of that.   The prizes have become more and more tempting over the years and, as more of us consumers learnt how to enter online that began to have a cost while the whole competition thing has spread to many of the television programmes that we see.

Most of them charge about £2 per entry these days, and somebody must win the prizes but not me so far.  I know that the chances of a win are small while entering gets quite expensive.  It is interesting that, when the competition segment of these shows are featured, they spend lots of time telling us what is being given away but the terms and conditions seem to be skimmed over a lot more quickly.  I am talking about the cost of the telephone calls and that little mention that postal entries only cost the price of a stamp.

Apparently you have as much of a chance of winning that way, and it often is the cheapest way to enter.  The companies have to offer the postal option because of a law which came to the fore due to a bit of a scandal a couple of years ago.  The only disadvantage with the postal entry is that you have to put the details on a post card which means that some details about you, often your telephone number is open and available during the postal process.

But there always has to be swings and roundabouts, winners and losers… Right?

CP, Eltham

CP offers some online evidence…

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