I know people still have a lot of concerns regarding this year’s Gap Casting Call, and because I was a little underwhelmed with their first response, I reached out again to a company representative for comment. Here’s the text of my recent exchange with the Director of Engagement Marketing & Public Relations for Gap Inc.
Why does it take some people so long to get their confirmation emails when they enter the Casting Call contest?
Gap: We actually review all of the photos to ensure that inappropriate content does not get submitted into the contest. That’s why there’s a delay from the time the entrant hits “submit” to when they’re actually “accepted” into the contest. Depending on the volume of photos, it can take up to 24 hours for a photo to be accepted into the contest and for the entrant to receive a confirmation.How come some people have such high fan favorite vote counts? It looks some software is being used to manipulate the process.
Gap: We’re aware of the concerns around the Fan Favorite voting and are closely monitoring the process. In order to vote for the Fan Favorite, we require that all guests register with a unique email address. If we find any guest creating invalid email addresses/accounts with the intention of affecting the integrity of the voting process, he/she will be disqualified and removed from the Fan Favorite contest and/or the voting process.
The last day to enter this year’s Gap Casting Call is October 22, 2009 (but I wouldn’t wait until the last minute if I were you). Check out the 1000+ comment discussion of this year’s contest over here.
thanks for updating this info with us
Do you know why some kids arent shown in the Gallery although they have enough votes to be in the Fan Favorites? I dont think thats fair to not be included when you are right to it.
you should e-mail your concerns to disney family .com
I already sent them a second e-mail because the votes that my son had on both of his entries were not the same that what it shows on the kids gallery
he got like 20 votes less than the actual votes he shows on his entries ,
they answered my first e-mail and fixed the problem for one day then after that we got back to have the same problem I hope they can fix the problem send them an e-mail
Ive submitted my pic tons of times and after 10 minutes of it ‘thinking’ and saving the picture it just comes back to the page where you click to submit the picture? Did it work or do i keep having to submit my photo! Very frustrating!
I had the same thing happen to me and now my sone is not able to be in the contest. Kinda stinks. I tried it several different times.
I wish that would have been the case with me. I attempted to post a picture and it got stuck on saving. I tried a couple of times and then realized that it did save the same picture three times. I used up my opportunities on only one of my sons and left my other two sons out of the contest.
When my friends try to vote for my daughter the site keeps saying:
Sorry. Your search did not yield a result
And she is register at
http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/bubisca/575461304/
Her Id is: bubisca
I don,t know what to do?
Thanks
I sent figured out how people are cheating and sent an email discribing the process to them. For obvious reasons I’m not going to go into it here but the solution is so incredibly simple.
Just like they have an image confirmation when someone registers they need an image confirmation when someone votes. This would keep scripts people write to mass vote from doing so successfully.
That way at least if you are going to cheat you are going to spend your whole day loging in and out of the contest website and voting yourself. If someone has the time and wherewithal to have children and do that, they are seriously neglecting their kids and should have them taken away.
This has to be the biggest PR scam ever. Like you, I also submitted my child. They made sure to get all my information including my phone number but I have not been able to vote for days. Frustrated! Something is seriously up with their server. I know it is a contest and the odds are huge but what a waste of time to register, forward to all your family and friends who are sure to register because they love your kid and then it doesn’t even work properly. Nice Disney. Are you wasting America’s time???
Total PR scam, I have contacted Disney SEVERAL times and they e-mail me back cookie cutter responses on how the contest works. I had problems with registration and voting, and questions as to how it was possible on day two that some children had over 1000 votes. Thanks a lot Disney. I do have to say that last year when Gap did the contest through Kodak, it seemed to be a little more legitimate
Wow. That is a strong statement. I hope Disney will respond to the idea of being second to Kodak or ANYONE on professionalism and or accuracy especially when it regards children and families the cornerstone of their business.
OK, I’m not the only one suffering at the hands of Disney! My 5 entries were approved two weeks ago, but as of today – no photos show up on my entries page, and nothing in the gallery (by ID or name). The voting thing is a waste of time too… I think it’s a way for Disney to get your info. I can see the logic behind requiring registration in order to vote, but seriously, I’m not happy asking everyone I know to do that just to vote.
I believe final decision is made by voting on those picked by a panel of judges…
http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/Msfocused00/
THE ID IS 171885027
PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS LIL GUY!
LEAVE ME YOUR ID SO I CAN VOTE FOR YOURS DAILY AS WELL!
GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
Looks like a little man! So cute. I voted.
Vote for my beautiful Arianna at
http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/CherylLynnGrimes/
Our pics were entered several days ago…..and they still are listed as awaiting approval. If we havent gotton our confirmation e-mail by today, does that mean we arent entered?
I entered on 10/22, with photo still awaiting approval, Wondering if the judges see these “awaiting approval” photos??
I also have submitted pics a few days ago and they are still listed as awaiting approval. I’m growing suspicious of the whole thing.
First, I had a hard time registering since I’ve had a Disney.com account for years. I tried to use my Disney ID and had to keep resubmited requests. Finally the account was “verified” and I got to enter my kids’ photos on the deadline of 10/22/09. As of today, 10/27/09 the photos still show awaiting approval. I think the whole thing is a scam. It still shows an “up to 24hr” period to “review” the photos. It’s obvious the contest isn’t really a contest and there is no review. They’ve just shut the servers down and already know who “won”. I hope a “group legal complaint” is in order for this fraud.
You guys are so lucky! I tell you! I’ve tried the whole week to submit pictures, but that SUBMIT ENTRY button never work. Disney Online, who responsible for the uploding picture always postd SORRY OUTAGE notice, and never get repaired up to today, THE DEADLINE!!! It’s totally scam!
I think I found the solution to the pictures not uploading! I registered as soon as I got the email from Gap that the casting call was open, but delayed uploading pictures till last week. I left the computer on for 2 days and the page kept ‘thinking’ after I cropped and svaed the picture. I got smart and tried it on a different browser and operating system and it worked fine! I first tried on a Mac using Safari, to no avail. I finally switched to a Windoze machine and use Internet Explorer and had no problems whatsoever. Hope that helps some of you!
Good Luck,
-N
I was using Safari as well and it failed.
This is crazy it took me hours to upload my son’s pics. After checking for two days for the email confirmation I decided to just try to log in today and Walah! there were his pics only our favorite one (first one sent) isn’t in the running. It was swapped out for a double of one of the others. I got to thinking there was something fishy going on and stubbled across this site. What a mess!
Yeah something fishy is up. My pictures were submitted but the only way you can find them is through the confirmation email. If you search my member name or his number, nothing comes up. And his picture isn’t on the 30 pages of baby boy pictures. So the chances of someone stumbling upon his picture and voting for him are nonexistent. I emailed them and never heard back. And why would they not have a submission period and then a voting period?? So because I heard about it a week into the contest, my son has less votes. Stupid.
But it’s worth a mention…if anyone wants to vote for my cutie..
http://family.go.com/gapcastingcall/entries/channy32/479546650/
or you can type in channy32 as the member name, but who knows if that works!
I thinks this is a scam as well…I submitted my son’s photo 3 days before deadline and to this day it’s still “awaiting approval”. I wonder if he’s ever going to appear as a contestant? And if so..how soon? since the voting period is around the corner.
Hi all!
Well, I do not have any good news to add to the thread, as I have experienced each and every dilemma mentioned. I submitted five photos, and only one has officially been approved. The other four are still pending approval, although the contest ended yesterday. 🙂 I just had a few thoughts to share…
Perhaps I am super sensitive to that “something isn’t quite right,” instinct; or it’s the analyzing skills I’ve acquired through majoring in criminal justice. Either way, this “mystery” does not require the expertise of Sherlock Holmes. Read the interview with a parent of a former finalist, and genuinely consider her responses. The crucial questions/responses to analyze:
a.) When was she notified that her son was a finalist?
(When did this contest end?! Hmm… looks like the “judges will be working ’round the clock to view all 800,000 entries, and to choose the finalists within the next few days!) How is that possible when hundreds of photos have obviously not been viewed to even gain approval?
b.) How was she notified?
E-PRIZE? E-NOUGH said!
Now, being totally honest (and I don’t mean to rain on the parade), this is merely a “sweepstakes” in which the finalists will be randomly selected. Any legitimate “contest” in which submissions are are actually judged (usually deemed “creative entry” contests), notifies potential winners by a personal telephone call and/or certified or federal express mail.
Yes; I was suckered into this one, too. What did I win?
An email account that will be flooded with fabulous new offers on a daily basis… but, hey; at least I got my 20% of Gap coupon! =)
Well i do have something good to say…..I did get a personal phone call and email from Gap. My daughter is a finalist and we are leaving for San Francisco on Sunday for the photo shoot. No joke people.
I posted my daughter’s pictures on October 21st, and none of them have yet to be approved. What’s so frustrating is there is no one to even talk to about technical errors or questions. I E-Mailed disney family, but as of today have not heard back from them. Im beginning to suspect her photos wont even make to the judging.
I entered my daughter in and she has made it on the page to be voted on. The thing that is unbelievable is that ONE family has their daughter and son on there and they have over 70,000 votes!!!! CHEATERS! I hope they look into this bs before they give them a prize. There is no way that random people voted for those children that many times when the next top vote is like 14,000 votes. Bunch of BS I tell ya!
When did you submit your photo?
Hello everyone,
I thought I was the “only” one, having these problems! This contest is a real joke and it’s not fair to all the other parents, that utilizes the system, ethically. For about 1 week straight, I was unable to log in at all. My family couldn’t vote and my son’s photo, didn’t even show up under the fan favorite’s page and he had alot more votes, than the actually kids showing up! I contacted customer service and all they did was “inform” me, about the contest. Nothing was ever fixed and to this day, I am still having the same problems! How is it possible, that one day, a kid can have 1 vote and then 30,000 the next day. It’s just not possible, especially given the fact, that we can only vote “once” a day. People are definitley
CHEATING, the system on this one! Is there anything we as parent’s can do? There have been “so many complaints” this year, it’s very disturbing!!
Talk about fed up. The parents of the brother and sister apparently posted two more pics either on the last day or close to it. They finally showed up late last week and now, surprise, surprise! They have over 45,000 votes! Now tell me that is not a scam. How in the course of just a few days did they get over 45,000? I have a few people voting for my daughter and I can’t break 250 or even enough to get in the gallery! And their original pics are up in the mid 100,000’s! I love anything Disney and I am usually the first to proclaim how good their customer service is, but together with Gap, they are awful. Forget next year and this has soured me on ever shopping at Gap again.
how can anyone vote for my grandson they never put him in the gallery and how can that deann person say they told her her daughter won when its not over
I just don’t understand that kids who have the most vote never wins. It seems like Gap is trying to get as much user accounts but the kids they have chosen to win are actually chosen before the the contest. I just think there should be other way to present the Gap casting call so we can avoid cheaters. I feel bad for all the parents who spend so much time. I guess it’s a waste of time.