If you think a UK competition or prize promotion has been run unfairly, you can complain to the ASA online. It takes a few minutes, but the ASA only covers some problems, so know what to send and where the rest goes.
What the ASA can deal with
The ASA’s complaints page says to use it if you “think there is something wrong with an ad you have seen or heard” or “think a special offer, competition or prize promotion has been unfairly run”. In practice that means things like a hidden free entry route, a moved closing date, a prize that was never awarded or terms that changed after the draw. The ASA has upheld complaints on all of these: see what the ASA has ruled.
What to have ready
- Details of the ad, “including where and when you saw or heard it”.
- A photo, video or screenshot, if you can. Screenshot the terms and the closing date before they change.
- Your reasons, limited to three issues.
- Your name and contact details. The ASA says “we don’t accept anonymous complaints”.
The ASA doesn’t take complaints by email. If you can’t use the online form, you can phone 020 7492 2222. You get “an automated response with a unique reference number”, and the ASA “may contact you if we need more information”.
What goes elsewhere
- Contract disputes, product quality and trading practices go to Trading Standards, according to the ASA’s page.
- Websites under another country’s jurisdiction may be referred through a cross-border system.
- Scam emails and texts are reported as set out on the ASA’s page, not as an advertising complaint.
Before you complain
- Check the terms: does the site break one of the rules in what a competition’s terms must say?
- Ask the site in writing first and keep the reply.
- If you paid by card and never got what you were promised, your card provider is a separate route; this page doesn’t cover it.
Source: ASA: make a complaint, read 12 October 2026. The ASA’s page does not say whether it awards refunds or compensation, so don’t expect either. This page is not legal advice.
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.
