/ 19 February 2008

Lotteries board halts Vodacom’s BMW competition

The National Lotteries Board has ordered Vodacom to stop its win-a-BMW competition.

”The board is satisfied that it has done its duty in policing and stopping the illegal lottery,” the board said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said Vodacom was instructed on Monday to cease the competition, and the company complied by midnight.

The board said it is not able to help consumers legally who feel they may have been prejudiced by the competition.

Vodacom maintained on Tuesday that its competition had been legal. MD Shameel Joosub said: ”Whilst Vodacom remains of the opinion that the ‘100 cars, 100 days’ promotional competition is legal, the company took a decision to end the ‘100 cars 100 days’ promotion at midnight on February 18 2008.”

The competition entailed an invitation by Vodacom to subscribers to enter by sending an SMS at a cost of R10, giving them a shot winning a BMW car. This led to some people spending thousands of rands on SMSs without realising they were running up such huge cellphone bills.

Joosub said a final draw would take place on Tuesday at which the remaining BMWs would be allocated to winners.

”As the promotional competition has almost reached the end of its cycle and Vodacom believes that it is in all parties’ interests to draw the promotion to a close,” Joosub said in a statement, ”a final draw will take place on February 19 2008 at which all the remaining BMWs will be allocated to winners.”

National Consumer Forum chairperson Thami Bolani supported the closing of the competition, saying he believed it amounted to a harmful business practice. He advised people who might feel they lost money unjustifiably to contact their local consumer-advice offices.

Gauteng’s office has a Consumer Affairs Court that can order compensation if it finds in a consumer’s favour, Bolani said. — Sapa