Music fellowship competition fraud

[cbg]

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that the competition was in any way rigged. Only that the internal clocks are not in sync.

 

[quincy]

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that the competition was in any way rigged. Only that the internal clocks are not in sync.

I understand. You think the video potentially could have been viewed by the music organization and it was only a date/time difference that made it appear it hadn't been.

I think there is an indication of viewing either way.

 

[cbg]

But the OP doesn't say it wasn't viewed; only that it wasn't viewed on the day/days he anticipated that the review for the fellowship would be.

 

[quincy]

But the OP doesn't say it wasn't viewed; only that it wasn't viewed on the day/days he anticipated that the review for the fellowship would be.

Right. During the time between publication of the video and notification that s/he had not been selected for the fellowship there appeared to be no viewing of the video.

That is why I originally guessed the fellowship might be based on something other than the video.

Although the time/date might be off a bit, I think there must be an indication that the video was viewed if it was. Even if your times might differ from mine, for example, I still know you posted.

 

[cbg]

the YouTube video link that I had shared was never accessed on the days while they were reviewing my application.

I interpreted the above to mean that there had been viewings, just not on the days in question.

 

[quincy]

the YouTube video link that I had shared was never accessed on the days while they were reviewing my application.

I interpreted the above to mean that there had been viewings, just not on the days in question.

Okay. We interpreted it differently perhaps. I understood spv to mean that a decision was made on the application before any (IF any) viewings had occurred.

But I don't think it really matters either way. We don't know what sort of selection process was used. There are all sorts of possibilities - including that all fellowship spots were filled before spv's application was received.

 

[cbg]

Quite true. And agreed. I don't think we were ever in disagreement on the main points - just reading some of the details slightly differently.

 

[quincy]

Quite true. And agreed. I don't think we were ever in disagreement on the main points - just reading some of the details slightly differently.

Yes. I didn't think we were actually disagreeing about anything.

 

[spv]

Thanks all for the replies, will consult a local attorney, just to make sure.

 

[spv]

Okay. We interpreted it differently perhaps. I understood spv to mean that a decision was made on the application before any (IF any) viewings had occurred.

But I don't think it really matters either way. We don't know what sort of selection process was used. There are all sorts of possibilities - including that all fellowship spots were filled before spv's application was received.

There were no views for days after the submission, so the time zone argument does not hold. As for YouTube not showing a video as viewed, that may be a possibility, however that really means one cannot rely on YouTube analytics. Not sure about that. If the slots were filled up, my thinking is that they should have refunded the amount back to me as my application was not in consideration. I agree that this cannot be labelled as fraud/illegal. May have been oversight or dishonesty.

 

[quincy]

It won't hurt to have an attorney in your area personally review the fellowship competition and its selection process.

I wish you success with your music.

 

[Zigner]

A statement that they have "... gone through ..." the submission doesn't mean that they viewed the video. I'm back to feeling there was something in the initial application that caused them to reject it without even looking at the video. Maybe they had already filled the spots even.

(All of this was mentioned previously, I'm just reiterating the information.)

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

I'm going to repeat something I posted earlier. Youtube view counts aren't always accurate. There are About 2,800,000,000 results if you Google the issue.

 

[quincy]

We have no idea what was involved in the music fellowship competition's selection process so it is impossible to know why spv was not selected.

I would certainly look to legitimate factors that could have eliminated spv from the competition first rather than think the music organization did anything wrong.

 

[not2cleverRed]

There were no views for days after the submission, so the time zone argument does not hold. As for YouTube not showing a video as viewed, that may be a possibility, however that really means one cannot rely on YouTube analytics. Not sure about that. If the slots were filled up, my thinking is that they should have refunded the amount back to me as my application was not in consideration. I agree that this cannot be labelled as fraud/illegal. May have been oversight or dishonesty.

It could not hurt to contact the organization responsible for granting the fellowships, expressing your concerns, and requesting a refund of your fees.

The collection of fees sounds like it was automated - it's not like the old days where you'd send in a check by snail mail that they'd cash. Humans have a little bit more heart, and occasionally take pity if an application, for whatever reason, is not going to be processed, and waive the fee.

It cannot hurt to write a polite and respectful letter or phone call enquiring about the process and your concerns. There may be some detail that you overlooked, or some glitch in the application process that invalidated your application but still charged the fee(s).

I cannot stress enough that it is very important that you be extremely polite, as you may qualify to reapply for this fellowship at a later date, or the person you contact may have some suggestions about other resources that match someone with your qualifications. It is very important that you be polite and understanding, rather than approach with the assumption that the whole application process is a fraud.