Shipping of Windows Vista / Microsoft Office prizes to competition winners (UK developer launch)
I have received an update on the shipping date, we're likely to start shipping during week commencing 12 March. This also applies to the copies for people who attended the physical launch event.
Comments
Anonymous
February 15, 2007
Any update on when the emails will be sent out? I presume that this will now be next week. Thanks for the update.Anonymous
February 15, 2007
Yes it will be next week. At least, that's the latest info I have.Anonymous
February 15, 2007
Ian, in the other topic I asked if accidentally entering twice will invalidate my entry. You haven't answered yet. So will it or not? If it does: I'll be upset If it doesn't: oh my lord i really hope i win.Anonymous
February 15, 2007
Yeah sorry but I'm not permitted to comment, I'll try to get an answer but it will probably take us past the time that we'll actually be sending the emails. So in short I can't answer unfortunately.Anonymous
February 15, 2007
IanM : there was an earlier mention that people would need to be quick responding the email notification (or it expired after 7 days). Will this be the case?Anonymous
February 15, 2007
Ian, I’m sure people appreciate this indication of when the competition prizes are likely to start shipping. I’m also sure that many people will have a blind spot for the words “likely”, “start shipping” and “during week commencing”. They’ll only see one part of that sentence and that’s the date of 12 March. Many people will take it that their competition prize will be shipped on 12 March. Your comment inbox will be overflowing if the prizes don’t arrive immediately after that. Given that the competition T&Cs set an end date on the shipping process at 60 days after the competition ends, I think it would have been better to state: “I’ve been told that we’ll be shipping the competition prizes sometime between 12 March and 20 April.” That would have set the expectation that no shipping will take place before 12 March, which is really all you want to do, for the sake of your comment inbox.Anonymous
February 15, 2007
Ahhhhh man !, I want it now (stamps feet!)Anonymous
February 15, 2007
I’ve looked at that sentence in the blog posting again. The lexical emphasis on the 12 March date is even more pronounced by the increase in font size before the date, which visually increases the emphasis on the date.Anonymous
February 15, 2007
For the people who have entered more than once, I'd keep quiet about it, and hope its missed, as it is in the ruels and we were told that checks would be made ! Although I'm not having a go at anyone, as it appears quite a few have accidentaly entered more than once, it is unfair for the people who entered once, especially for the Vista side as it was full one hour after opening ! I say this not out of malice but I was at the phisical event in Reading, and we only get a choice of Vista or Office, not both. While people who were at home get a copy of Vista & Office, seems a bit unfair as we had to shell out to get there and for hotels......so come on guy's stop keep going on about it.Anonymous
February 16, 2007
Another MONTH? Killer :( At this rate I might even get my "Express Upgrade" copy first! (Yeah, right...) Still, guess I can't complain for a freebie. It would be so nice if I could just download it and have the key e-mailed though.Anonymous
February 16, 2007
Hi ian, Is there any chance that the emails will go out over the weekend? Thanks, MarkAnonymous
February 16, 2007
Ooops, sorry I forgot my previous question was answered above... sorry ian :DAnonymous
February 16, 2007
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February 16, 2007
Ian, Just to clarify; I’m not being critical over the accuracy of your wording. I’m being sceptical about how accurately some of your readership will interpret the shipping date sentence. As I said, they’ll just see the shipping date of 12 March and they’ll bombard your comment inbox, if they haven’t received their prize by the next day’s post.Anonymous
February 16, 2007
I hear what you're saying and you're probably right. I know from bitter experience that few people read things closely.Anonymous
February 16, 2007
Buckie, I agree that people should not have entered the comp more than once and hope that if it was an honest mistake they will reject any duplicate emails. However I don't agree with your comment that "people who were at home get a copy of Vista & Office, seems a bit unfair". You will only get a copy of both if you were able to watch all the relevant videos and answer both questions correctly (within the first hour for Vista). I would have loved to join the event live but it was not possible as I live in Edinburgh. No-one made you attend and there was nothing stopping you from entering the competition when you got home. Seems to me that you would have been better attending the online event and using the money you saved to buy a copy of VisaOffice. Anyway, hopefully the emails will be sent early next week and all of this will be history.Anonymous
February 16, 2007
I was intending for my wife to enter as well as me, so maybe the second entry was a godsend!Anonymous
February 17, 2007
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February 18, 2007
Hi, If we attended the event in reading will we also be sent an email at some point to confirm which product we will be recieving? Thanks, JonAnonymous
February 18, 2007
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February 18, 2007
Ian I think jon is refering to "as to wheather or not he will get his choice" not if he received the e-mail. As we were told you may not get your first choice of software. I've asked this in another of your blogs, asking if I've missed a e-mail telling me if I will get my first choice of software (ie Vista) I'd have e-mailed you but can't lay my hands on your addy cheer's BuckieAnonymous
February 19, 2007
There is a question above relating to the possible need to respond to the email that will be sent for the online competition. Do we have to respond at all, is there a time limit, or will the software simply be sent out ie can I stop stressing about this and just wait to see if I get a present (or two?) in the post? ( I am aware there was a deadline in the live event email)Anonymous
February 19, 2007
It's "next week" already :) Where are those emails ?:P :P :PAnonymous
February 19, 2007
Hi, I did reply to the email, I was just wondering if we would be sent a confirmation email to say which product we would be recieveing as I thought there were limited numbers of each product? Thanks, JonAnonymous
February 19, 2007
Yiannis, true it is "next week" now, but the comp doesn't officially end until 23:59 tonight, so the earliest the emails will be sent will be tomorrow. Event then I wouldn't hold your breath. ;)Anonymous
February 19, 2007
If you attended the physical launch event you should have already indicated your preference (if you haven't, you've missed the cut off). We will not be sending further emails to you, you will simply receive the product in the post. And hopefully we'll be able to fulfil everyone's first choice. As for when the online competition winner emails will be sent: I don't have an update, but the team who are responsible for sending it are very aware of the need to send it out asap....Anonymous
February 20, 2007
Er, why is the competition link still visible on the dev launch page in the left hand menu? Shouldnt that be gone now that it finished at midnight last night?Anonymous
February 20, 2007
@ianm: Hi Ian, as most of us will now know - the competition has ended. We will no be receiving our emails in due course. Just like to thank you for keeping us all up-to-date over the course of the last few months. Thanks again, next time we will try to be a little more patient. Thanks, MarkAnonymous
February 20, 2007
Why is the competition entry page still up?Anonymous
February 20, 2007
John, Tell that to my wife, she's been pestering me for Vista ever since I told her about the competition :) Y.Anonymous
February 20, 2007
5pm on the 20th of Febuary, has anyone received an email for the online comp yet? i haven't :sAnonymous
February 20, 2007
I spent the day at the Future of Web Apps event in London today, thinking "I bet people are posting comments on my blog saying why is the website still up and where in the name of all things sane is our email?" Glad you folks haven't disappointed me :-) I agree that a) the site is still up and b) it shouldn't be. I've been expressing that view myself today, and I'm told people are on the case. As for the winner emails: I'm almost afraid to say this but tomorrow should be the day they're sent. At least, that's what I've been told.Anonymous
February 20, 2007
Ian, you're a braver man than me. I would have left that last paragraph off. John.Anonymous
February 20, 2007
Cool, thanks Ian! So what is the future of web apps then ? :pAnonymous
February 20, 2007
Time to book that well earned hol now Ian, I don't know how you've held it all together throughout this Launch of Vista & Office and the more stressfull compertition. I'm sure I can speak for all in thanking you for all the help you've given and hard work you've put in to it. MANY THANKS..... Until Next Time !Anonymous
February 20, 2007
So Ian, does the should still hold true? ;pAnonymous
February 20, 2007
Oooh the suspense is giving me gray hairs :-)Anonymous
February 21, 2007
Just so that you aren't disappointed with us, have you had any news about the competition page still being live plus the emails? :DAnonymous
February 21, 2007
Guess not! ;) Ahh well, Maybe tomorrow, I'll want to settle down. Until tomorrow, I'll just keep movin' on! DU-DU-DUN DUN DAH! I'm really just waiting for the confirmation that I DIDN'T win so I can scrape some money together and buy Vista, getting really eager to start developing on and for Vista! Good luck to everyone, and a big thanks to you and everyone involved at Microsoft for this chance.Anonymous
February 21, 2007
4.39pm on the 21st feb, no email for me, but am i a winner? how long does it take to gather the emails of a 1000 winners and email them to say theyve won? :DAnonymous
February 21, 2007
OMG. I actually forgot about this. I've been reading through your posts today, as well as the comments, and just wanna say thanks for keeping track of this competition.Anonymous
February 21, 2007
Still no email, come on microsoft!!Anonymous
February 21, 2007
So back from the 2nd day at the FOWA conference (which was interesting by the way, but more on that later perhaps). And it looks like things haven't moved on all that much since I posted a comment this time yesterday. Should I say anything else? Or let you folks fill in the gaps? Safe to say there is some pressure being applied. I heard the word "imminent" a few times when speaking to someone this afternoon if that makes anyone feel any better. Anyhow, tomorrow I'm out of the office yet again so won't be able to report back or doing a great deal of chasing up, but my eternal optimism says that it could all be fixed by the time I get back on Friday. Well it could. Really, it could. So we're not quite out of the woods yet. I'm sure we'll all look back on this fondly in a couple of months. Well, perhaps some of us :-)Anonymous
February 21, 2007
Ian,did any of the new web apps handle compertitions, you know the sort that accept entries say upto 1000 then close the comertition automatically, saying to all that still try to enter, "Compertition is now closed" then send out confirmation e-mails telling people they have won a prise. Its not looking very good for s world leader in Software development is it ....Anonymous
February 21, 2007
WorWilly - I understand the point you're making and yes we certainly have the software that could have done that. There are three issues with doing so:
- Legal obligations which, I'm told, mean that we had to wait until the official competition end date before send out the winning notifications
- Process that is aimed at avoiding errors and problems, but that introduces extra effort as a result. I believe in process where it is effective but I feel that there is room for improvement, as do a number of other people who are involved.
- Resource. While Microsoft has a resonable number of staff (but perhaps less than you think) there are still bottlenecks that can slow things down. Having said all that, my preference would have been for the emails to go out the instant the competition closed. Other people involved are of the same mind are we're all very keen to ensure that we improve the processes for future competitions.
Anonymous
February 21, 2007
Ian, So the emails have been sent out? If we haven't received an email we haven't won? If not then please post a new topic to confirm as soon as they do so it is clear to everybody. ThanksAnonymous
February 22, 2007
I don't want to come over all mean towards you Ian, but surely the competition has officially closed. I am on the verge of purchasing a copy of Vista, but I'm afraid to buy it in fear of receiving an email from you guys an hour later!Anonymous
February 22, 2007
As soon as I'm absolutely sure they have been sent I'll post a new topic.Anonymous
February 22, 2007
Just had a long discussion with the team responsible for sending the emails, despite best efforts they will not be sent today. There are lots of reasons - and some of them pretty good ones - as to why this is but I don't want to go into it here. The emails are now likely to be sent on Monday :-( Everyone is involved with the project is very aware that a) this is a priority and b) a lot of people are waiting for these emails. So just a little bit longer to hold out. On a more positive note, it looks like the shipping date for the prizes is still holding. As mentioned above, I'll post a new entry (rather than a comment on this blog post) once the emails have been sent. Thanks everyone for your patience.Anonymous
February 22, 2007
Any chance on explaining why they can't be sent out today?Anonymous
February 22, 2007
Thanks for the update Ian. I'll look forward to receiving my email a week next Tuesday ;). I don't know what is more stressful, waiting for the results of this comp or selling my house. John.Anonymous
February 22, 2007
I know what you mean about the stress.... As for the reasons they're not being sent today, there are a host of them. I started writing them down but realised it just looked like a a whole bunch of excuses. It's difficult to explain some of them anyway without going into great depth around the processes we have in place here and to be honest I don't think many people really care: they just want us to get on and send them, a sentiment I share.Anonymous
February 23, 2007
Thanks for the updates. We're getting far more info than is usually available from competition organisers! The prizes are good and the 1000 copies is a really generous amount to be offering so I guess any frustration is just a function of how keen we all are to be winners :-) At the end of the day, it's hardly that serious a situation is it? My only concern is not rushing out and buying too many copies if I've already won one!Anonymous
February 23, 2007
Thanks Paul, I appreciate that. For the record, my reason for keeping close to this and providing updates on a bit of a micro-scale is experience of being on the other side of the fence (ie your side) a number of times and feeling frustration as a result. And anyway, that's what blogging should be about IMO: a way of getting around corporate "facelessness" and providing some transparency.Anonymous
February 23, 2007
That’s a problem with us as developers, we always want instant gratification. We don’t like waiting for anything. I always adopt the Norman Stanley Fletcher attitude to life at times like this. His frequently offered advice to Godber was "Bide your time". Try saying it to yourself a few times and you’ll find that the notification emails will appear soon enough.Anonymous
February 24, 2007
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February 25, 2007
Got back from a weeks skiingon Saturday. Ploughed through my e-mails on Sunday. Apart from the usual MS postings I had nothing about the competition. Thought I must have lost. Now on checking the blog, I see there is still a glimmer of hope! I agree with Ian. How often have the "simplest" tasks actually consumed too many resources. Sounds like we all share similar processes!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Monday is here :) :) aaand where are those emails? :)Anonymous
February 26, 2007
You'll be glad to know I have been asking that question too, I've been told that it should go today but we don't have an estimated time. Could be after 5.30pm potentially.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
... after 5.30pm in which time zone !Anonymous
February 26, 2007
"You'll be glad to know I have been asking that question too, I've been told that it should go today but we don't have an estimated time. Could be after 5.30pm potentially." Haha they sound like salesman - "Yes your car will be fixed before we close at 5:30" then youll show up at 5:30 just to realize they normally close at 5:00 haha. Oh well thanks Ian for your constant updates. Ps. Yes these blogs do seem to help humanize the "big blue company". :pAnonymous
February 26, 2007
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February 26, 2007
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February 26, 2007
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February 26, 2007
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February 26, 2007
I suspect there is a review meeting taking place which will result in an action for someone to "press the button" to process the list of winners and automatically send out the e-mails? This comment sent at 14:25 GMT!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
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February 26, 2007
Grr, I have to go out in a few minutes, and won't then be able to check my mail until Friday evening. I trust that if I have won, it's not something I'll need to respond to immediately?Anonymous
February 26, 2007
No, there is no response required. The email is for information only. So you're okAnonymous
February 26, 2007
Cheers Ian, fingers crossed for me! Have a good week.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Ian I'm sure you too can see the funny side of this. I can imagine One little Microsoft trainee, in a broom cuboard sifting through a pile of 1000 Vista and 1000 Office correct entries, then passing them through a small window into a even smaller broom cuboard (next to Bills office) to his trainee, to be double checked. The entries then get passes back to the first trainee whom pushes the final list under Bills door. Bill signs the e-mail list off and after confirmation from the legal team is poised to push a big red button marked "Launch Event Winners" this is at 5.29 and 59 seconds then Oh the dreaded Blue Screen..... hehehehe I had hoped to draw a story board but alas have not the time.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
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February 26, 2007
Glad it's been useful, thanks Joe. And Jason: scarily close to reality!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Haha @17:30 No one is a winner :pAnonymous
February 26, 2007
Both me and a friend have been sending "have you had an email from MS yet about the competition?" for the last hour, we are crossing fingers for some sort of word on what's happening. Besides that we both think it's going to be tomorrow before anyone see's any emails. So a wave to everyone waiting from me and my friend Chris!!!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
They should be leaving the gates about now.....but I'll post a blog entry when I've had confirmation.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Did anyone actually get a mail yet? I am still waiting for mine, but maybe it just means I haven't won .. hehe, what a downer after waiting for a month!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Yes Email are out - got it. Thanks.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Yes - just received my "you've won Vista Ultimate" confirmation email :D. Thanks for keeping us updated during the competition Ian, and thanks to whoever organised the competition in the first place :)Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Woohoo I won :D Thanks Ian for keeping us updated through the process :)Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Great i won a copy of vista!! thanks Ian for keeping us informed, commiserations to those who didn't win.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Thanks Ian!! Just got the email for office 2007 and Vista :D Wow!! Wow!!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Brilliant!!!!!! Just got my confirmation email re winning Vista (6:05pm GMT) Many many thanks IanM for taking the time trouble & effort for us all - I'm sure appreciation outweighs frustration of waitAnonymous
February 26, 2007
My housemate won a copy but I haven't had an email and I entered before him and with the same answer (Experian), looks like something didn't work, aw :(Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Yee Haa Cowboy, won me a copy of Vista!Anonymous
February 26, 2007
I won a copy of Office! :-) 18:05 Obviously my Vista entry was submitted too late :-( Ian, thanks for all the feedback.Anonymous
February 26, 2007
Bummer....I aint won, but I replied weeks before Ian anounced the Vista had reached 1000 but Office was still open, it was the Office I applied for ???? Oh well after such a long wait I supose someone had to loose out... Bummer We Now want a blog for Appeals.......Anonymous
February 26, 2007
I just checked my hotmail account and it confirmed that i had won a copy of vista ultimate. :)Anonymous
February 26, 2007
How are they posted? First class, Recorded delievery? Thank YouAnonymous
March 05, 2007
I will answer my self lol. First Class for anyone who wanted to know.Anonymous
March 12, 2007
Will the shipped Windows be a 32 or 64 bit version? Might be time to upgrade my hardware... Regards, DavidAnonymous
March 28, 2007
Hi Ian, I recieved my Won copy of Vista in the post the other day and i have two queries, first one is that i didnt receive the e-mail saying that i had won it and wondered if something had gone wrong with that(not that im complaining) and secondly the copy of windows vista ultimate that i have (like all other competition winners), is this a full retail version or is it like the OEM releases where if i install it on one machine it will be locked to that hardware? Just wondered becuase i have one pc that may run it but im not sure and i am currently building the second one but it wont be ready for a while! ThanksAnonymous
March 29, 2007
Sorry been doing some more reading on your other posts since i posted the previous question and i found the answers for the above. Although, i mailed volaunch for the list of winners 2 days ago now (becuase my profile is down as do not contact) and have still not received anything. Are they still sending this list out and if not is there a possibility that someone could provide me with this list? ThanksAnonymous
March 30, 2007
Hello Ian, I attended the day, and have not yet received the copy of Office I selected. Could I ask that you/someone check if it was sent out? and get back to me. Thanks, AdrianAnonymous
March 30, 2007
Is anyone else concerned that they might not receive their copy when it's sent out as it isn't sent recorded delivery? Is there anyway that Microsoft could ensure that only the genuine recipient can use the copy and if it goes 'astray' replace it? I personally would be happy to pay for my own recorded delivery.