On 29 November 2017 the Advertising Standards Authority ruled on a car dealer’s Facebook giveaway. It did not uphold the complaints, which is why it is worth reading next to the cases where it did.
What happened
Hendy posted on Facebook, in August 2017, that it was “giving one lucky individual the chance to win an All-New Ford Fiesta”. The terms excluded “Hendy employees, their families…”. Four complainants thought the winner was a relative of an employee.
What the ASA found
- The terms would be understood to exclude an employee’s family members.
- But the winner was married to the cousin of an employee’s de facto partner, a connection consumers would not expect to be excluded.
- The ASA found no breach of rules 3.1, 8.2 or 8.14, but said it “would have been preferable” for the terms to set out which relations were excluded.
Source: ASA ruling on Hendy Group Ltd, 29 November 2017.
The lesson
Exclusions only help if they’re specific and applied as written. Compare Royalux Competitions (2025), where the terms were changed after the draw. See also can staff relatives win a competition?
How Hoardsy runs its competitions
- Closing dates are never extended for slow sales.
- There’s no minimum number of sales: every end-draw prize and top instant prize is awarded, sold out or not.
- Every competition page shows its prizes and your chance per ticket before you enter.
- Every competition can be entered free by post, with the same chances as a paid ticket. See free postal entry.
Keep reading
- All Hoardsy guides
- Are online prize draws legit?
- What the ASA has ruled on UK competition sites
- How to spot a risky competition site
Last checked 12 October 2026.
Hoardsy
See the competitions
Choose a draw or an instant game. Every prize and its chance is on the page before you enter.
18+, Great Britain only. Free postal entry on every competition.
