Samples Received/Redeemed: 25 Feb - 28 Feb 2013

Despite only having 2 items for show and tell for this week, one of them is actually quite expensive enough to make up for the amount of items shown. Initially sometime before Lunar New Year, Guardian had a new CNY app called Spin & Win (if I recalled the exact name) whereby if you get a winning combination, you will get a prize. Problem is, you won't know what prize it is until it gets revealed to you. So, it's rather similar to a blind betting game which you know there is a prize, but not exactly sure how big or small the prize will be.

I thought I was lucky enough since I won items on 2 alternate days and even took the trouble to inform everyone how exactly is it possible. Granted it isn't any sort of hacking or cheating involved, it just involved your Browser History being cleared. But apparently, Guardian didn't state exactly which combination are the winning combination, which actually isn't hard to tell. But added in the fact that some participants actually got the supposed winning combo but didn't win anything at all. (3 fans of any colors isn't a winning combo, but apparently, everyone thought otherwise). Ended up, Guardian's FB page got inundated with a lot of upset feedback from users who never got the winning combination but insisted they do. Alongside with other participants who got the winning combination, but their score or win wasn't registered in the system.

What I found ridiculous about some of these feedback and complaints is that, if someone already feedback an image that is exactly similar as yours, but a different color, then there's no reason to join in the fray and upload the same exact image in a different color to ask as well. This effectively spammed and clogged Guardian's wall to the point where nobody from Guardian bothered to reply to these feedback anymore. And on top of that, because of all the feedbacks, they probably did something to the app and most of my friends who I know have won ended up not winning anything anymore, me included.

But anyway, when it's time to receive the email letter which I need to bring for identification to redeem my prizes, Guardian decidedly only sent me an email for the Body Wash, while forgetting another email for the Shampoo. Feedback on their wall garnered a rather quick response, only to have them re-forward the Body Wash email again, instead of the Shampoo one. It feels like Guardian doesn't really check or see what exactly their fans wanted or needed, they just simply, in Singaporean terms, agar-agar a.k.a hypo-ethically guessed and hope they do the right thing. Sometimes, Guardian's "attitude" does make me upset, considering the fact that they sometimes come up with new apps, contests and so on, but didn't exactly gauge or figured out whether it will be popular, or what schemes should be put in place before launching it. Kinda sad actually.

Okay, enough yakking from me, here's a look at the items I won from their CNY app.

On the morning I decided to go down to Tampines area for my prize redemption, I took the liberty of packing along an extra tote bag to hold my prizes. Ended up, I got an extra pink Guardian tote bag, in which my prizes were inside. So essentially, get a free tote bag with your prize, I think. Wonder how many would they need if some of us managed to win more than 5 prizes. A big pink tote bag or a few small pink tote bags? :D

So, here's my prizes. I won the Lifebuoy Body Wash Cool Fresh (1 Litre) on 25 January and the Rene Furterer Forticea Stimulating Shampoo (150ml) on 27 January. It's the Rene Furterer shampoo that makes going all the way down to Tampines worth the journey, as the shampoo is actually close to S$40 in retail price. And I would be an idiot if I don't make the journey to collect it.

On the other hand, I am glad the shampoo is meant for thinning hair as it means I can use it on my hair. Although my daily hair fall amount doesn't go past 100 strands, but a look at my hair seems to say otherwise. So, it's kinda lucky I got this instead of a shampoo for dry scalp or something. Therefore in total, my prizes actually amounted between S$50 to S$70 altogether. Not bad for a week's worth of show-and-tell, if you ask me.

WHERE TO REDEEM SAMPLE: This app was previously playable before Lunar New Year period. If you know you have won something, remember to check your email for anything from Guardian. If not, go chase Guardian for the email, especially if the prizes you won are actually worth more than the journey cost needed to redeem them.

Maybe sometime soon, I will come up with a post on why and how I decide whether each sample or prize is worth making the journey to collect and redeem, so as to help readers decided on their sample and prize collection gauging.

Why not like my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PuNiaosProductReviews to be informed of latest samples I found, which is duly updated? Also includes updates to contests that I've sourced out for you to join. It will definitely save you the trouble of having to hunt them down :)