New update on Gingerbread Winnings- Honorable Mention and prizes!

[Vidkidz]

Let's just be happy that we actually got something.

Well, I'm still waiting for my "Purple Judging Flag" to show up in my Gingerbread Room because I was one of the 2,000 people that entered so I don't even have a flag to show for my participation.

So I guess this makes me a real, not virtual loser...

I'm glad for all the winners but still feel that VMK could have done a much better job with the competition prize wise for all participants...

 

[FlyingPegasus]

Let's just be happy that we actually got something.

If they would of posted yesterday what they posted today, and not referred to the prizes as "participation prizes". I believe we would all be a lot happier.

It is not nice to get peoples hopes up thinking they are going to get something, and then take it away. Somebody goofed yesterday, and they should of handled it better.

I am going to go play with my Webkinz now.

Goodbye everybody

 

[AstroGigiblue]

Well, I'm still waiting for my "Purple Judging Flag" to show up in my Gingerbread Room because I was one of the 2,000 people that entered so I don't even have a flag to show for my participation.

So I guess this makes me a real, not virtual loser...

Now this ... is absolutely terrible. SHAME ON YOU VMK!!!!

I am so sorry that you didn't even get judged. There is no excuse for you to have not been judged.

I truly hope VMK makes it up to you somehow, some way.

 

[Goofy05]

Well, I'm still waiting for my "Purple Judging Flag" to show up in my Gingerbread Room because I was one of the 2,000 people that entered so I don't even have a flag to show for my participation.

So I guess this makes me a real, not virtual loser...

I'm glad for all the winners but still feel that VMK could have done a much better job with the competition prize wise for all participants...

Please write to vmk via contact us! You deserve to have your room judged and should get a BIG apology from vmk, as well. That is an awful thing to have happen, if you received your confirmation email.
So sorry your room wasn't included in the judging.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

I'm just now online for the day, and just now reading this. This is exactly what I was trying to warn folks about last night because I saw so many getting their hopes up and I was pretty sure it was for naught. In all honesty, I don't trust VMK at all. I know if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. With the way it was worded on the announcement page, I figured that they were saying the only ones getting participation prizes were the winners. Gee whiz, doesn't that make such sense? But VMK rarely makes sense, so what is the difference?

I mean, I love the Donald present, but come on. Why don't you just add a note to it saying "You're a lose.her. Here is your lose.her prize that we (probably) just decided to give you to shut you up." I have had one of the worst weeks of my entire life for other reasons, but leave it to VMK to pour salt in the wound and make me feel worse than I already did.

As I told a friend and fellow DISer this morning, I love the Hosts. I do. I feel bad for them because they get grief from players when I highly doubt they are the ones behind much of the decisions of prizes and such (i.e. what's released, how many winners, etc.). But whoever is in charge of decisions like this is making so many people feel so awful. I love Disney, and yet things like this slowly make me hate this game.

I'm with Fly: thanks VMK for making me cry again and for making so many people feel so badly. Well done!

 

[Kasiks]

Hopefully that is something good because there wont be 2000 people wearing something you know you will never be able to wear, I am more happy knowing that the participation prize is only a present, anyway it was never really writen that the participations prizes was for everyone that participated but people thinking that put me on the wrong way of thinking too.

 

[FlyingPegasus]

Hopefully that is something good because there wont be 2000 people wearing something you know you will never be able to wear, I am more happy knowing that the participation prize is only a present, anyway it was never really writen that the participations prizes was for everyone that participated but people thinking that put me on the wrong way of thinking too.

go look up the meaning of the word participation.

 

[qruthie]

Here is what I wrote to VMK:

I can't begin to express my disappointment in the way the prizes for the Gingerbread House/Holiday Room contest have been announced.

The original announcement showed three categories of prizes: winners, runners up and participation. The announcement implied the winter clothing and gumdrop chairs would be participation prizes which the winners and runners up would also be receiving. The Top Ten pin was included in that list too. The inclusion of the Top Ten pin seemed to be an error and the logical solution would have been to remove the pin from the participation prizes and include it in the winners and runners up prizes as that is who received the pin in past contests. Based on that, I was quite excited to see the participants would be receiving very nice prizes as a "Thank You" for dedicating their hard earned credits and three weeks of their time during a month where people were extremely busy in real life. My belief that the participation prizes were intended for all of the contest participants is because in prior contests, the participation prizes were given to every participant.

Today the prizes have been changed to give a windfall of prizes to the very few winners and runners up and everyone receives a "token" for their participation, a Donald Surprise Gift. This is just disappointing and a slap in the face. If the participation prizes were intended only for the winners and runners up, why isn't the Skull Rock Holiday room also in the list since both categories get that prize? And why are they called participation prizes if they are winner and runner up prizes? That makes no sense! What are you people thinking? It is downright cruel to lead all of the participants to believe they would be receiving the participation prizes through an ambiguously worded announcement and then fix your error by announcing through yet another ambiguously worded announcement that they would instead be receiving a prize which makes absolutely no sense. That’s right, it makes no sense to give a prize that is intended to be given away! In case you don't know it, that's what people do with gifts. They give them away!

Please reconsider the prizes being awarded. I suggest you adhere to the original prize announcement with the exception of giving the Top Ten pin only to the winners and runners up. Giving the winter clothing and gumdrop chairs to all of the participants is a wonderful way to thank them for their efforts.

Thank you for your time,
qruthie

 

[Kasiks]

go look up the meaning of the word participation.

Sorry, I dont want to open up a dictionnary .. but the grand prize winner and runner up are also participants ..

 

[SorcererDonald16]

You know, I hope some people with some amount of control in VMK see this thread. To whomever in charge who may read this: Do you see how upset so many are? Do you see how mad some people are with the way the game is run at times? Do you understand that even old timers like myself and others are so fed up at this point we can't even see straight? Since when was a game, a Disney-centered game at that, supposed to make so many people feel AWFUL? Again, I'm happy for the winners and honorable mentions (although y'all should've gotten something extra, IMO), but I feel awful for everyone else, and for myself and my parents who participated. I talked them into it because I said it would be fun. Well, don't I look like the village idiot now?

It just seems to me like so many decisions are made without the players in mind, especially without the players' feelings in mind. What happened to Walt's idea of keeping the guest happy, treating them right? In today's world, we just don't matter to the higher ups I guess. Same pattern in the parks too at times (obscene price hikes, rate hikes, etc.), but at least it's not to the point where I don't have a great time while there. If it was one thing, I would let it slide, but this is a consistent pattern with VMK at this point. Wrong information, no information at all, decisions that let down thousands of people. And it's a pattern I, frankly, am beyond sick of dealing with.

I hoped they would really give us all those things, but my gut told me no. But then I thought, well, now that they said those were "Participation Prizes" maybe they will make good on it, except for the Top 10 pin. That would have been the right thing to do IMO because someone (or multiple someones) screwed up and had many thinking otherwise. And as others have said, participation prize has ALWAYS MEANT the prize(s) for participating. This is not rocket science, this is a basic understanding of the English language. Good grief. But why do I even expect that from VMK anymore? Shame on me, I suppose.

You know, I'm glad I haven't redeemed any of my DMR codes yet for Inferno or other VMK prizes. I'd rather make Disney send me something of tangible worth at this point, like real life pins or other things they offer. I'm fed up. Completely fed up.

 

[VMK_KrazyLuke]

This actually doesn't shock me a tiny bit.
VMK makes another MISTAKE... its truly not a suprise anymore.

And now I am proud to announce the 'Disappointment Award' to... VMK!
Here is your trophy:

The crowd roars, "Boo!"

I am not even mad that I didnt win, because I didnt go into the competition even expecting or truly wanting to. It's just that things like this can go a long way, and I know there are probably some younger and older VMK players that are very disappointed.

 

[cat_herder]

I 100% agree. They provided false hope in getting great participation prizes and they give us a gift we are supposed to give away? The donald gift is nice but I'm not going to keep an empty gift for myself.

So you get to write what ever you want on it.
Write something like "I won this Prize for Gingerbread house competition too-oh-oh even"

If people don't want their Donald Duck prize I will glad take it, since I couldn't get in the contest at all.

 

[mtlhddoc2]

I would take some of those Donald prizes off your hands too
unused of course

 

[BriarRosie]

I'd rather have them come out and say, "We screwed up so we'll give everyone that particpation award" and the pony up another prize for the big winners.

Agreed. I think that the right thing to do is to honor the original goof (minus the Top Ten pin) and all will be well in the VMK world. Anyone remember the barrage of complaints after the Everest prizes? When the "winners" prize of the Everest chair was given away about 2 weeks later in a ride a thon?

VMK totally dropped the ball back then, and I thought they learned from their mistakes when they did the next two ride contests. And now they dropped the ball again....which can easily be remedied.

Did anyone notice that last night they had Mistey's gingerbread room on the home page--you had to click it to get to the winners. I was looking to see who created that room on the winners list, and when I didn't see it, I figured it was a hosts room or something.

I can only imagine how it must have made Mistey feel when she saw her room on the home page, and realize that she wasn't a winner. What a let down.

Yes, I heard people in the Mansion lobby talking about that last night. I did see Mistey's room during the contest judging, and I thought she would win. Same with MaidenDizzknee's room, similar in theme to Percius. Since two Pluto rooms won, I am surprised that two gingerbread men rooms or two Haunted Mansion Lobby rooms couldn't have had a dual win. All of the similar themed rooms were fantastic, not just the dual Plutos, IMHO. Poor peeps.

But even with all the complaining (and yes, I do feel it's MORE than valid btw), I do want to congratulate the extra Honorable Mentions. I'm just sorry that we all can't be participant / winners. (Yeah, I want the new outfit! LOL)

 

[Kasiks]

I would take some of those Donald prizes off your hands too
unused of course

Me too

We waited like all the month of december when we saw them in host ride a thon and now they released it as a participation prize, and now some ppl are not happy get that

 

[Goofy_Bob]

VMK, tsk tsk.

I'm not a "participant" in the competition in which I participated. Hmm... Why that just doesn't make sense. Anywho, I wrote a letter to the Black Hole. I forgot to copy it before sending, otherwise I'd post it here... But the basics were all like the others above...

Eh... And I was really looking forward to a blue winter jacket and hat. Oh well.

 

[ForeverWDW]

Hooked On Phonics-Learn to Read K-2nd grade Deluxe Edition and Merriam Webster's dictonary - $ 86.28

Priority Overnight Delivery - $ 42.95

VMK management learning the meaning of participant - PRICELESS

 

[Belle1997]

Hooked On Phonics-Learn to Read K-2nd grade Deluxe Edition and Merriam Webster's dictonary - $ 86.28

Priority Overnight Delivery - $ 42.95

VMK management learning the meaning of participant - PRICELESS

ROFL. I guess because I felt so burned in the last competition spending over 100,000 on a room to get a pin. I knew that I would not expect much in this round either.

But Come on. If there was really that many awesome rooms (And I know there were I have the pics to proove it) then increase the amount of winners.

And most of all honor your mistakes. So you have to put in 1967 more codes to make people happy. Gee

And we still have no clue what they were looking for. Most of the winners rooms were truly awesome some I just scratch my head.

Am I still correct that VMK is not run by disney employees and is an out source program.

If so why is Disney allowing this to happen why not give them a course in Disney Edicate 101.

This is almost three years later and they still are major screwups.

But I know it is not the hosts, it is the people behind the scene. The ones that the computer is there only form of human contact and most of the time it does not talk back.

 

[CelebrationNM]

I’m a little shocked. Not about what VMK did, but about what I’m reading here. Are you seriously writing letters to VMK and attributing a lack of virtual prizes to emotional disappointment? Is this really causing tears? I enjoyed working on my Gingerbread room. I didn’t win or get an honorable mention, but it was something enjoyable to do to get me into a Holiday spirit. I did it for fun, without an expectation of anything in return. (A 1.5% chance of winning should lead to low expectations.)

After receiving feedback such as yours, I wouldn’t blame VMK for not holding another competition. First they get bombarded with messages because people were upset they couldn’t get in, then messages because people didn’t get judged, and finally messages because those that were judged felt mislead as to their prize. I’ve got a solution: don’t play for 6 months and your problems will take care of themselves. Either that, or reorder your priorities. Is this game about orange gumdrop chairs, or is it about the virtual friendships you’ve established in-game, here and across the internet?

“Oh, but it’s not about the prizes. VMK did false advertising and promised us this and that.”

VMK can do whatever they want. Many of you simply have your expectations too high or have invested way too much of yourselves into a virtual world. Step outside and realize that this is a game. A free game designed to promote Disney Parks and the Disney Brand as a whole. Enjoy the game and what it offers, or leave. Nobody really cares either way.
Nick

 

[Belle1997]

This ia about good customer service which VMK is sadly lacking in. This is not the first time it is many many times. They never learn from there mistakes.

Though I am not crying this time around. I was crushed the last time we had a competition. And I never really got back the pixie dust good feeling that disney used to give me.

Now I just go around making happy memories for others because VMK techies do not understand this. The hosts are awesome but limited to the people who write the programs.

Would they stop running contests nope there are complaints after every competetion but this was the worse mistake ever I believe they made.

I believe the people who write these programs lack serious social skills and people problem skills. Which makes more work for our great hosts.

I sit there and say why even bother writing VMK because we all know VMK_shorty doesn't really read the emails. Because we get back a response that is no where near what we were asking. If I had an adress I would be more likely to send Walt Disney's how to bring Pixie Dust and good memories to you rguests. (Book doesn't exist but I am sure there is a manual out there)

Or to sparkie The Dick and Jane books Red Green and Blue.

Sorry Sparkie still in ouch mode when I wrote you about my firewindow code not working asking me for the exact details I already sent to you. Only to reply and get case is closed we answered your request.