impossible to win instant awards

[Tomsowa]

I'm deeply distrustful of the whole Rewards operation.

For one, I've gone through more than 400 consecutive Instant Wins and won nothing. NADA.

And why is that?  Anyone explain that?

And what about finding out some general information on who's winning the rewards sweepstakes? Is there any attempt on the part of the provider/operator or AARP Rewards to give out some information that explains there are real people winning the sweeps?

AND why can't the provider of AARP Rewards provide me a running total of my cumulative entries into a sweepstake? It used to do that, provide a running total on all my entries, but now it doesn't do that.

As always, I'm deeply skeptical of the people running this thing...

[AnneG461594]

I agree that @AARPTeri should look into this!! Definitely something fishy going on

Anne

[HokiePoq]

@BeachGirl23   Thank you for your analysis.   It should be crystal clear to any decision maker at AARP that something is wrong.   

As I suggested before...and others as well...these instant wins MUST be limited to members only.  An individual can have many different email addresses.  Paid memberships are tied to real addresses.   Some have shared that sweepstakes sites are sending people to this site just to compete.  That is not the purpose AARP had in mind.    Fraud is being committed and the paying members are being left out for the most part. 

[WesleyB545233]

I don't think anyone from AARP even reads these posts.  

13 months as an AARP member playing instant wins daily and so far not one win.  This is what I get every time.

[11320cs]

Since it is nearly impossible to win an Instant Win, please, please make Instant Wins for “Members Only.”  Perhaps by doing that for the members of AARP, we would have a better chance of winning something!  Why do non-members get to play anyway?  Doesn’t seem fair.

[MemberS2006]

Its difficult to win anything here or elsewhere.There are lots of people that just enter sweepstakes as a hobby.If you check the coupons boards that have discount codes,etc almost all have links to as many sweepstakes as they can find for their readers.Many sites list the aarp sweepstakes so a lot entries most likely aren't even interested in aarp.Not sure if sweepstakes have to be legally open to everyone or not.

[AJF2K1]

I am glad we are all expressing our experiences with this "Instant Win" game. I had started a topic similar to this one "The Odds Are Against You!", and now we can all see that the odds are really terribly against us from winning an "Instant Win". I had expressed my views and I will say it again, why does AARP offer ("Instant Win") as a benefit  to us if we can't "benefit" from it. When you have members that say they "don't want to waste my points" or "I don't waste my time" what does that tell you about this program. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that AARP has designed the Instant win game so we can educate ourselves with videos and quizzes and in turn with those points give us incentives to continue this education. But at what point do you say that this program/benefit is not working. In my case, if 500 unsuccessful attempts to win is supposed to be an incentive something is definitely wrong with AARP's thinking. At this point the only way that I can try to figure this out is that the main reason for all our unsuccessful attempts is that AARP wants us to complete has may quizzes and videos as we can. That way they will continue getting paid by the sponsors/commercials for those quizzes and videos. So it's a win for their sponsors, a win for AARP, and we end up being the losers doing all the work for AARP and we get nothing in return. One last thing, with all these members expressing their criticisms of this particular program, where is AARP? Why haven't they explained to all us why this is happening. At this point my confidence in the integrity of AARP and how they are handling this program is 0.

[BeachGirl23]

Thank you, @AJF2K1 for accurately expressing my thoughts on the instant wins. With each passing, losing day I find myself wondering 'why am I doing this?'. It is no longer fun when you win maybe once every 6 months meanwhile hearing about other's fortunate wins on a regular basis. 

The timing of a win should be a random, system generated win time not sometime after midnight every night EST. Also, people should be allowed only 3 instant wins a month. 

And yes, where is AARP on this??? 

[Tomsowa]

So true. It’s an erratic weird system, badly operated.

[WesleyB545233]

Your experience is the same as mine.  Approaching my one year anniversary in AARP and not one instant win and no sweepstakes win.  More trouble than its worth to log in and try really.  

[11320cs]

I guess it is not impossible to win instant awards, but for me, it appears, it is impossible!  Too many people playing for the number of awards available!

[MichelleM50204]

Don't know if I'm happy to inform you or not but my dad won an instant win today. The Maggiano's/Chilli's gift card. I think today is the last day that one will be listed. FYI... He played around 9 pm here on the west coast.

[AnneG461594]

Thanks for the tips Michelle!!  I played an instant win on a whim in the middle of the night here (3AM East Coast) doing what most our age have to do in the middle of the night, and hey I won, first time since they went to the seven day deal.  Maybe it was the time, or maybe because the card was not as popular as others, but maybe this will be the time I play going forward to get more luck.

Anne

[MichelleM50204]

I just won $10 WalMart instant win. Roughly 9:30 pm West Coast. Maybe there is something to the time... Maybe I shouldn't have given up my secrets...😁

[MichelleM50204]

Just won $10 Dunkin instant win. That's instant wins 2 days in a row for me. About 10:30 pm here in the West. Good luck to all!

[JoLo49]

Wow, @MichelleM50204 ,  you have been incredibly lucky!  Thanks for posting and glad to hear someone is winning.  I've given up on the Sweepstakes, but wouldn't mind winning an Instant Win in the near future.

[Tomsowa]

Well, I haven’t found the magic solution yet. At 4:30 Pacific time today I tried to win the Starbucks instant win. The system wouldn’t even let me play it.  WTH?  I just tried it at 10 am and it let me .... and of course I didn’t win.

SORRY NOT TODAY.... ON an endless replay loop in my life .....

[WesleyB545233]

I know how you feel.  I have been trying to win something for almost a year and not one win.  Seems like some members win multiple times and others never win.  What do we need to do to be in the winner's elite group?

[Tomsowa]

My ongoing "SORRY NOT TODAY" string has reached 545 failed attempts at the Instant Win.

My other hunch is that some economic concerns have hobbled the actual number of wins awarded by the company that manages the rewards program. Certainly, it might be a tougher economy for that firm -- don't really know yes or no. Winning seems to be in short supply, based on this thread. Something is behind that. Or am I a conspiracy nut?

[mi4090]

I've tried numerous times over the last year to no avail.  Last instant win was in 2019.

Could I be added to complaint list to receive an instant win?  Thanks😊

Marylin

[HokiePoq]

@mi4090   Sounds like a plan to me!  You were encouraging in the beginning when I didn't win anything for months and you got some $50 ones back in the day of the weekly wins.  We need to hear that AARP has looked into the integrity of the system.

[MichelleM50204]

I can't speak to any problems with the system or bots or anything else. I can say I am a paying member and have won instant wins multiple times (7 or 8 in last 6 months) as well as one of the sweepstakes. My dad (also a paying member) has never won an instant win but did recently win a sweepstakes. Just wanted to let you know that there are real members like us who are winning some rewards.

[BeachGirl23]

Thank you, Michelle. I am so glad to hear this. 

I participated in the sweepstakes for years, always the maximum number of entries and never won. I no longer do sweepstake entries. But I am happy to hear your dad won one.

[MichelleM50204]

Wow... So many questions... So here goes...

I generally max out the points I can accumulate in a day. I play any instant wins and sweepstakes that I could possibly use (there are some stores that don't have locations in my area or that I would never go to). I don't know about the changes to the system or when they occurred but I won my first instant win in October...the very first time I tried it. I have won at different times of the day but noticed that I seem to be more likely to win at night. Hard to say if there's anything to that since I've won 7 or 8 times in over 1000 tries. Most of them were last year but did win one both this month and last month.

As for the sweepstakes, yes I got my prize. Not to brag or anything, but I won $1,000 so I had to fill out tax forms and stuff. Even called AARP to see if it was real...but they don't manage the sweepstakes. The company that does isn't very good at communicating so I emailed them a couple times to see if they got my forms, etc. which they did respond to. Got the check via FedEx about 6 weeks later (required a signature). My dad just won this month so not expecting to have received it yet. The email address I used for the sweepstakes is customercare@helloworldfulfillment.com. The reply came from fulfillment@helloworldfulfillment.com.

Hope I answered all your questions and that this helps. Good luck!

[HokiePoq]

@MichelleM50204   Wow is right!   You have had amazing luck.   Congratulations!   Maybe your Midas touch will rub off on the rest of us.

[MichelleM50204]

I hope so!

[shamit]

I would also like to know if you received your sweepstakes win and when.  And has your father received his sweepstakes win.  A person posted on the Technology Forum under About Our Community that they won a sweepstakes and hadn't received it and it was passed the 10 weeks that they were told it would arrive.  My husband supposedly won a January sweepstakes and his email said he would receive an email to track the gift card which he would receive in 8 to 10 weeks.  Well on Friday it will be 10 weeks and he has heard nothing.  

I supposedly won a February Sweepstakes with the same information about an additional email and receiving it in 8 to 10 weeks.  I wonder if it will happen.  I am only at 5 weeks since being notified, so only half way there.  But it makes me wonder if I will receive it.

[11320cs]

@MichelleM50204       I think we would all like to know what time of the day you play.  You have won multiple instant wins.  I have tried to vary times when I play all seven, but have had no luck in trying that.  Someone mentioned trying a few in the am and a few in the pm, etc.  That has not worked for me either.  Nothing.  Please, what time of the day do you play?  

[JoLo49]

@11320cs   After the change for the Instant Daily Win to last 7 days,  there are now 7 times more chances to play for each gift card during the week, but less chance to win.  Six months ago, the odds were better when 100 of the same gift card was offered in a single day, and each person allowed to play once per day.   Now with 7 different gift cards offered each day, there are more entries for each gift card during the week.  The odds are not in our favor to win.  I would be interested to know if @MichelleM50204 won more of her gift cards before or after the change to 7 days.  I have not been able to win any gift cards since the change went into effect no matter what time of day I choose to play.  It's almost impossible to win!

[HokiePoq]

@JoLo49   Exactly the same with me.  I did win occasionally before the change.

[HokiePoq]

Well, I took advice given and lo and behold I won a $10 Instant Win Barnes and Noble in the wee hours of Sunday morning.  I was thrilled to see that confetti for the first time since October.   

But no email has come for me to redeem.  

Can anyone advise how to contact the rewards program to fix this?  

Maybe karma was getting me for complaining, lol.

Thanks in advance.   I cannot get the admins tagged for some reason.