Do the FreeIpods, FreeFlatScreens, FreeHandBags "scams" really work?

[Morphix]

Hey all, I came acrossed this website and wanted to know what do you guys think about it...

http://www.i-hacked.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=49

[jokach]

Hi Morphix

unfortunately, its one persons success story with the freeipod system. Although I don't have the specific forums, there are tons of forums full of horror stories, people who got ripped off, etc, so its a matter of opinion.

What I find is most amazing is that its always referred to as 'free' (as in freexbox, freeipod, etc). Even this guys page notes that he paid $200 to get his ipod, and that is definitely not a free offer, it might be reduced, but in the long run, he's probably left with a ton of offers, or products, he doesn't care for. Plus the fact he has sold out all his friends and family in order to get something for himself.

just my opinion of course, do a search on freeipod on this site, you'll get alot of hits and see a lot of different opinions ....

jokach

[pillsbury09]

YES, they all work...just be sure to cancel the promo after you sign up or you could pay around $100 for the promo offer..if you cancel immiediatly you will only pay about $7 as I did at Video Professor..I got my ipod for $7 then a few refferals from advertising on ebay...a MUCH better bet then a matrix for sure!

[jokach]

That might be true that you only paid $7, but many of the promo offers now require you to stay signed up for 4-6 weeks now, to ensure you aren't just signing up and then canceling to get the credits (and take notice to the amount of people now steering away from those schemes). Generally when they catch on that you're doing this, they cancel your account anyway. You may have slipped the system in the past, but they've tightened it up. Do your research on it before you recommend it to others ...

And by the way, your true colors are showing ....


then a few refferals from advertising on ebay


This is a blatant violation of ebay policy ..... :nono: But hey, you benefited from it, right?

jokach

[Martini]

there is no such thing as FREE IPOD or whatever, commong guys thing about it :)

eBay is full of matrix adds, go to the plasma tv section and see for yourself; Im sure some people lose alot of money because of ebay..

[sether52]

They work well. I have received about $700 in cash, a free ipod, ipod shuffle, and a bose sounddock. Though, I think their popularity is diminishing.

[websurfer03101]

They work well. I have received about $700 in cash, a free ipod, ipod shuffle, and a bose sounddock. Though, I think their popularity is diminishing.

What web site do you think you are at? Do you really think someone is going to believe you? Do you think people here are stupid? Maybe some were native. I can't believe people still come here to spool that crap. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but this is getting ridiculous. Lately it seems a lot of posts are pro Matrix-scam sites. Maybe they think sense people trust what is on this site that everything is true. Goes to show you can't trust a thing nowadays. :shake: :shake: :shake: :shake: :shake: :shake: :shake: :shake: :shake:

[Martini]

well, any participation in a matrix is a RISK, remember that...

[pikablue113]

Hi Morphix

What I find is most amazing is that its always referred to as 'free' (as in freexbox, freeipod, etc). Even this guys page notes that he paid $200 to get his ipod, and that is definitely not a free offer, it might be reduced, but in the long run, he's probably left with a ton of offers, or products, he doesn't care for. Plus the fact he has sold out all his friends and family in order to get something for himself.

jokach
actually, he never paid 200$. The list of steps refers to what the companies do. They collect names, give away items worth 200$ and then make a little cash themselves.
also, you never need to give away people you know's names. Find the e-mail address's of the people you dislike and send those in.

So, take a risk to get free crap, or don't.

[concerned]

also, you never need to give away people you know's names. Find the e-mail address's of the people you dislike and send those in.

So, take a risk to get free crap, or don't.

Here we go again. Another unethical person trying to scam others. I think I and most of the rest of us here will decide to NOT take the CRAP, and live a better life, knowing we aren't unethical people.

[pikablue113]

Dude, since when did I encourage using matrix scams? I just don't like people getting thier info wrong. I don't support them in any way, but I believe that "a fool and his money are soon parted".

[concerned]

I never said you encouraged matrix scams. You are encouraging placing people you "dislike" on spam lists for your own benefit. That is unethical.

[Keanu]

Dude, since when did I encourage using matrix scams? I just don't like people getting thier info wrong. I don't support them in any way, but I believe that "a fool and his money are soon parted".

A fool and his money are soon parted and I dont like people getting matrix site info wrong so I have only got one question for pikablue:

What Planet are you on mate!!

You sound like you are a Matrix site owner :yes:

Why are you trying to give people a false perception, are you under the impression that every one on this site is a fool!! :nono: :nono:

I can only see one fool around here cos if you think you are going to blag people cos they have been blagged before then more fool you mate.
Ever heard the saying once bitten, twice shy.
I think I can safely say that a lot of people on this site have been bitten before so I wouldnt bother wasting your breath trying to blag people around here lad, you've got more chance of blagging the queen to have a line of charlie with you. lol lol lol

So, the only fool that I can see and smell around here is you cos the bullsh*t that has been coming out of your mouth is starting to pile up on the floor of this thread. :yes: :yes:
Sorry for being straight down the line with you mate but if you want to try and dupe people, sorry, Fools as you so nicely put it, out of their money then don't do it around here, do it to your so called mates or the people you dont like. :nono: :nono:

[Keanu]

Just checked the ihacked link and I have to say, the guy who wrote it (hevnsnt) really is heaven sent because he is stating that he received his Ipod, it was shipped the same day (B*llocks) and oh, look at all these other sites giving freebies like minimacs, xbox360 etc.
Well, if you have click through the links to the sites, in the address bar you will notice his referral ID so yes, this guy really is heaven sent cos he has around 10-15 different links set up on that page and with his little honesty advert, he will get his referrals, pretty smart you might think :applause:

But there is one major thing to consider here: :confused:

If there are so many complaints online in forums stating that people have not received anything apart from the odd person saying that they have received theirs (they are most probably just a liar like this guy) then Sods Law tells you that you aint getting nothing unless you are very very lucky (or a liar lol lol ).

[jokach]

I have to agree with that analysis, it goes to show that it takes a great deal of deception to get strangers to sign up with your referral ID. Most people looking for the 'free' deal don't even realize that they are actually providing the means by which another person is getting their 'free' deal.

its sad. :swear:

jokach

[casey60622]

I got my beautiful ipod nano 2 weeks ago after about 2 months of work. I invested a total of $55 for it. I used some referral trading sites (refstop and referral swapper) to 'trade' referrals with other users. You do an offer on someones site and they do one on yours. Some of the offers require shipping fees and such, so you want to do research before you agree to a trade. Both of the websites I listed have forums that explain everything. They also talk about which sites are good and which ones are bad.

[Keanu]

I got my beautiful ipod nano 2 weeks ago after about 2 months of work. I invested a total of $55 for it. I used some referral trading sites (refstop and referral swapper) to 'trade' referrals with other users. You do an offer on someones site and they do one on yours. Some of the offers require shipping fees and such, so you want to do research before you agree to a trade. Both of the websites I listed have forums that explain everything. They also talk about which sites are good and which ones are bad.
You got your beautiful Ipod Nano 2 weeks ago and then woke up chewing your pillow more like :yes:
May I ask "What did you do differently to all the other people, because nobody else seems to be receiving them except the odd blagger who will swear blind he has received his, usually offering you a link to the site as his referral.
Save it for the suckers kid, cos there int no suckers around here!! :rant:

[casey60622]

You got your beautiful Ipod Nano 2 weeks ago and then woke up chewing your pillow more like :yes:
May I ask "What did you do differently to all the other people, because nobody else seems to be receiving them except the odd blagger who will swear blind he has received his, usually offering you a link to the site as his referral.
Save it for the suckers kid, cos there int no suckers around here!! :rant:

I did research, and found out that freepay (please note that I am not trying to give you any link here) is considered reputable. Trading referrals is actually a fairly effective process, although there are some people in that system that scam you (naturally). It took time...each referral takes a stupid amount of time to clear, up to 15 business days. Not to mention that it will probably take you more than a month to get all your referrals in the first place. So figure a month and a half for that. Then they claim that they have to check each of them to make sure they are legit, which is another 10 business days. Then they process your order which they say can take up to 4 weeks. Actually, the last bit is the only part where anything took less time. It was at my door in 2 weeks. I started in November and got my nano (black, 4gb) at the end of January. It isn't simple, it isn't fast, and it will end up costing you (at least it will if you are trading referrals like i did).

I will probably do another freebie site (that is what they are called in the trading community) at some point soon. I am waiting until more of the offers get changed (I have a whole drawer full of free diet pill samples right now and I don't want any more).

You can decide I am lying if you want. Of course it isn't entirely logical, since I am not actually attempting to achieve anything by what I am saying, other than to let people know that there are freebie sites that aren't scams. It actually works out if you think about it. They get paid by the companies that people do the offers for...its an affiliate program, and those can pay very well...sometimes more than 10 dollars for each completed referral. Now, obviously, 5 referrals does not equal the cost of an ipod. However, most people don't complete the process. They might just sign up and do their offer, or maybe only get a couple of referrals. The process is intentionally made difficult to put people off, but it is not impossible. Since probably only 1 in 10 (or less) complete all the requirements, the freebie sites still make plenty of money, and can well afford to buy ipods (or whatever) for the people who do manage to finish.

The thing you have to decide for yourself is which kind of person you are going to be. Are you going to be the 1 in 10, or are you the other nine.

[Keanu]

I did research, and found out that freepay (please note that I am not trying to give you any link here) is considered reputable. Trading referrals is actually a fairly effective process, although there are some people in that system that scam you (naturally). It took time...each referral takes a stupid amount of time to clear, up to 15 business days. Not to mention that it will probably take you more than a month to get all your referrals in the first place. So figure a month and a half for that. Then they claim that they have to check each of them to make sure they are legit, which is another 10 business days. Then they process your order which they say can take up to 4 weeks. Actually, the last bit is the only part where anything took less time. It was at my door in 2 weeks. I started in November and got my nano (black, 4gb) at the end of January. It isn't simple, it isn't fast, and it will end up costing you (at least it will if you are trading referrals like i did).

I will probably do another freebie site (that is what they are called in the trading community) at some point soon. I am waiting until more of the offers get changed (I have a whole drawer full of free diet pill samples right now and I don't want any more).

You can decide I am lying if you want. Of course it isn't entirely logical, since I am not actually attempting to achieve anything by what I am saying, other than to let people know that there are freebie sites that aren't scams. It actually works out if you think about it. They get paid by the companies that people do the offers for...its an affiliate program, and those can pay very well...sometimes more than 10 dollars for each completed referral. Now, obviously, 5 referrals does not equal the cost of an ipod. However, most people don't complete the process. They might just sign up and do their offer, or maybe only get a couple of referrals. The process is intentionally made difficult to put people off, but it is not impossible. Since probably only 1 in 10 (or less) complete all the requirements, the freebie sites still make plenty of money, and can well afford to buy ipods (or whatever) for the people who do manage to finish.

The thing you have to decide for yourself is which kind of person you are going to be. Are you going to be the 1 in 10, or are you the other nine.

Sorry Casey, I just don't believe you for one minute.
I have read so many posts online by people who have had nothing but trouble with Free Pay and no Ipod nano, no mini mac etc.
You say that you managed to get your Ipod off Free Pay by swapping referrals with others.
Does that mean: you referred somebody and they referred you, you referred somebody and they referred you until you got all your referrals because if it does, again, I don't believe you as I have read so many threads stating that Free Pay have cancelled legitimate referalls and placed accounts on hold just before their gift was due that I can't see them missing something like this, Peter refers Paul, Paul refers Peter, its a little obvious and more to the point, if a company is cancelling legitimate referrals to avoid sending out free gifts then there is no way they are going to let something like that slip through the net because they would have to start handing out gifts left, right and centre and that makes for bad business and its pretty obvious that whoever set Free Pay up has got a business brain.
You seem to know quite a lot about Free Pay, you don't work for them by any chance do you?, hhmm :nono: I may be wrong on this and then again, George Bush might be a honest guy (NOT!!) :cool: lol

Soz for sounding cynical :)

[Keanu]

They work well. I have received about $700 in cash, a free ipod, ipod shuffle, and a bose sounddock. Though, I think their popularity is diminishing.
You are definately the golden balls of Matrix sites if you have received all that. :applause: :bow: :bow:
You have earned Keanu's :eek: Golden Matrix Master award :eek: because you are either at these sites before everyone else or your speaking more bullsh*t than what you would find in a farmers field lol lol lol

[mercinary]

you are either at these sites before everyone else or your speaking more bullsh*t than what you would find in a farmers field lol lol lol

Or the person owned matrix site(s).

-Merc

P.S. Keanu: Please read the forum rules surrounding language. We don't allow swearing even if letters are starred out.

[Keanu]

Or the person owned matrix site(s).

-Merc

P.S. Keanu: Please read the forum rules surrounding language. We don't allow swearing even if letters are starred out.

Sorry Merc, :o won't happen again and I agree with what you said about him owning the site :yes:

[casey60622]

Sorry Casey, I just don't believe you for one minute.
I have read so many posts online by people who have had nothing but trouble with Free Pay and no Ipod nano, no mini mac etc.
You say that you managed to get your Ipod off Free Pay by swapping referrals with others.
Does that mean: you referred somebody and they referred you, you referred somebody and they referred you until you got all your referrals because if it does, again, I don't believe you as I have read so many threads stating that Free Pay have cancelled legitimate referalls and placed accounts on hold just before their gift was due that I can't see them missing something like this, Peter refers Paul, Paul refers Peter, its a little obvious and more to the point, if a company is cancelling legitimate referrals to avoid sending out free gifts then there is no way they are going to let something like that slip through the net because they would have to start handing out gifts left, right and centre and that makes for bad business and its pretty obvious that whoever set Free Pay up has got a business brain.
You seem to know quite a lot about Free Pay, you don't work for them by any chance do you?, hhmm :nono: I may be wrong on this and then again, George Bush might be a honest guy (NOT!!) :cool: lol

Soz for sounding cynical :)

To answer your question about the referrals, there are a few sites up that are set up for it. As far as I have seen there isn't too much of a difference between them. There are slightly different set ups, but, essentially, you note in the system which sites you are looking for referrals at. For example, say you have signed up at site A, and completed your offer there. Then other people contact you and say, "I will do an offer at site A for you if you do an offer at site B for me." Then you research site B to make sure that you can do an offer (some sites only have really horrible offers that will cost a fortune like signing up for a years worth of webhosting.) If all is good, then you agree. Generally a person with a fewer successfully completed trades goes first. Once one offer is done, the other person does theirs. The thing is, there are tons of sites out there, as each item counts as a different site. Freepay has something like 20, Offercentric has 15. There is no way for the sites to really know who is swapping referrals with who, and I doubt they really care. They are in it for the affilliate fees, so if they get those they are happy.

The vast majority of people click on a link from an email or a banner, go to the site and complete their one offer, because the sites are misleading. They never even try to get their referrals, so the sites make tons of money.

It doesn't matter to me even the smallest bit if you believe me or don't. I'm not encouraging anyone to do freebie sites...it isn't necessarily easy. However, the question was asked, "do they really work," and in the interest of spreading honest information, I replied. I am a freelance writer, and I have nothing to do with Freepay or any other freebie site, other than getting an ipod from them. I know a lot about them because I did research and can understand the logical explaination for how they can make money and give out free ipods. The entire system is based on the concept that the vast majority of people will not fulfill the requirements. The referral swapper crowd probably represents a relatively small number of people in the total number who attempt to get their free stuff. The sites do jerk you around a little. I had to open a customer service ticket on more than one of my referral sites to get credit for completing my offer. Bit of a pain really. However, it is possible to get something for free. I would take a picture of my cute little ipod, the stupid "I got a free ipod" shirt they sent me, and my box full of herbal diet pill trials (also something called "pet chews" and injection free botox that I really don't need), I would take a picture, but I really can't be bothered putting that much effort forth.

You are free to believe whatever you want, obviously. I only answered the question because I had real experience. I think that my description of the process and cost of getting my ipod is pretty logical. It isn't easy, nor is it truly free...however, I did get one at a substantially discounted rate.

As I said before, I may do another one at some point, but I am not rushing out to do it. It was a pain. I honestly am not sure if I couldn't have made that much money or more in the time I spent dealing with the whole thing. But then again, it is unlikely that I would treat myself to an ipod...so earning an ipod rather than money was pretty good for me.

Just as a note, for all the web boards that have people saying they were scammed, there are also people who say they got their stuff (and not people trying to give out their referral links) http://www.refstop.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=ae479699d14566840e28c8117a1b0bef
http://www.referralswapper.com/community/viewforum.php?f=7

Again, I don't have any personal investment in anyone else doing a freebie site, I was simply offering up my experience. However, I don't appreciate being called a liar. I really don't appreciate being equated to King George.

[Keanu]

Soz casey, I apologise for insinuating that you are a liar and I definately agree with you on the King George thing, v. sorry M8 :bow:

[Casandra]

Personally I would not recommend any of the referral based gift offer sites. On the other hand, I have found the DIY (do it yourself) gift offer sites to be difficult, but legitimate.

First, one needs to know that it's work to get the prize and it will only be free if you accept offers for things you needed and wanted anyway. If you sign up for things that you have no interest or need for just to cancel before you get a bill, you are trying to scam the system. I read a forum where people scheme to find ways to do multiple offers over and over again to get as many free gifts as they possibly can for the least amount of up front money. I ask you who the scammers are?

The purpose of these transactions is for the gift company to introduce new customers to the offer companies. In return for trying a new product or service, the offer companies pay the gift companies a referral fee. The gift companies "pay" the participants with merchandise. Sometimes the merchandise is stale model numbers. Sometimes it's a check for merchandise not yet released in the US.

It's been observed that when a new gift offer site comes online, the requirements for each gift are pretty easy, but after word gets out, the requirements get really hard... like requiring application to 3 new credit cards on the final page. Who in their right mind will do that once, much less over and over again for additional gifts? So the gift companies have their own ways of controlling the gift receivers.

If anyone gets into this right now, the requirements are pretty difficult. This could change though. Best to read and see what's being reported by those who really keep on top of it.

If you are new to it, I can recommend that you get a junk email address at yahoo or gmail to use for registrations. Your email addy will be given to spammers and you agree to take the mail by applying there. If you explore any offers, use that junk email addy and even fake ID until you find the gift offer you want to "do". You need to know that they will throw you some survey questions at the beginning of the process. You can reject or skim all those things to get to the 3 or 4 main offer pages. Once you get to those bookmark them at once. You usually won't easily get back to them if you don't.

Look to see how many offers each page requires. Look especially at the final page and see if it's even possible for you to do. If you want to do it, then start it over with your correct delivery information and a second important junk email address. Use this second email addy when completing all the offers on the main offer pages. Do the required number for each page and pay very close attention to the individual requirements for each offer.

There are common sense things to be aware of such as don't do a deal for a $100 gift card that requires 3 offers when another site has a $500 gift card for 3 offers.

For a recent deal I just started, I accepted offers from InkBlvd (purchased printer ink $44.80), Entertainment Book (bought a book for $35.99 and I have one already that I've more than recouped in coupon value), signed up for Earthlink to replace my current dial up, opened an account on Ebay and bought some baby clothes for my grandaughter, and applied for two new credit cards (one will give me a $50 gift card after I make a purchase). I'm going to replace the credit card I currently use for groceries, etc with one that has better perks. The other credit card is a gas card with nice rebates too. My gift for doing these offers will be a $1,000 Visa gift card. I'm confident that I'll get it too because I've gotten a gift from this same parent company before. We can not do more than one gift deal from each website a parent company owns, but they each own multiple sites. It will be a few months before I see that $1,000 card.

There's a kicker to it all... these gifts are taxable. I'll probably have to send in a w9 before the company will send my gift; so you are right... it's not "free", but I do feel like it's a nice gift in return for doing my business through their pages.

As you can see, there's no matrix relationship associated with the DIY gift offer sites.

Examples of legitimate DIY gift offer sites are Bigwin.com, marketsurveygroup.com, brandsurveypanel.com and gadgetcity.com

Doing these offers to get gifts takes a lot of time and intestinal fortitude. Don't attempt it if you cannot organize your information, keep track of when free trials expire, know how long the wait will be for offers to be approved and certificates links to be available, send in the certificates and wait another month to get your gift. Approach it with your eyes open and, unless something goes very wrong, you shouldn't feel scammed.

[fgr_admin]

Hmmm

I hate to be mean or crule but most of you are shall we say very misinformed if not outright stupid.

These sites do work. The only people who cry they were put on HOLD or accounts frozen are scammers or cheats.

So far in the last 6 months I have received:

3 x psp
3 x 30gb ipod
1 x Acer laptop
1 x Sony Camcorder
5 x 4gb Nano
1 x ps2
1 x 60gb ipod
1 x 1gb ipod shuffle
1 x Axim pda
1 x mini ipod

and $6550 cash or gift certificates

I am also currently awaiting shipment on another $5000 + worth of gifts.

So before you spout of these sites are all scams do some research.

[jokach]

I hate to be mean or crule but most of you are shall we say very misinformed if not outright stupid.


I don't think this is a fair statement, because I think many of the posts in this thread detail that it can work, but the programs tend to be slightly misleading at face value and take a lot of work, which isn't stated anywhere. I don't disagree that you might have received everything that you state you receive, but how much useless crap/offers/time did you have to spend in the long-term to receive that stuff? If you go about the scheme in a smart way, looking to profit and have a plan that you think can work for yourself, thats great, good for you, but 95% of the people going into the scheme don't look at it that way and take the offer at face value. That doesn't make them 'stupid' as you say, it just doesn't make them as diligent as you might be. Most of the reason people get into these 'free' programs is because they can't afford the item otherwise.

jokach

[fgr_admin]

I don't think this is a fair statement, because I think many of the posts in this thread detail that it can work, but the programs tend to be slightly misleading at face value and take a lot of work, which isn't stated anywhere. I don't disagree that you might have received everything that you state you receive, but how much useless crap/offers/time did you have to spend in the long-term to receive that stuff? If you go about the scheme in a smart way, looking to profit and have a plan that you think can work for yourself, thats great, good for you, but 95% of the people going into the scheme don't look at it that way and take the offer at face value. That doesn't make them 'stupid' as you say, it just doesn't make them as diligent as you might be. Most of the reason people get into these 'free' programs is because they can't afford the item otherwise.

jokach

I don't know what post you've been reading but obviously not this one. After each post where someone claimed to recieve something they were bashed or called outright liars.

I also see tons of misinformed information.

That might be true that you only paid $7, but many of the promo offers now require you to stay signed up for 4-6 weeks now, to ensure you aren't just signing up and then canceling to get the credits (and take notice to the amount of people now steering away from those schemes). Generally when they catch on that you're doing this, they cancel your account anyway. You may have slipped the system in the past, but they've tightened it up. Do your research on it before you recommend it to others ...


jokach

First very few offers or sites require you to stay on past the trial membership. Most trial offers on these FREEBIE sites are just that trial offers. Some reguire full membership but they state such on the FREEBIE site. This is also a huge minority of offers, less then 10%.

Second there is no slipping through the cracks. Ylou make it seem like 1 in 100 receive a product that finishes all the requirements. Whill the other 99 get the shaft. This statement is also false. 95% of all users who finish these sites get the gift they were hoping for.

there is no such thing as FREE IPOD or whatever, commong guys thing about it :)


WRONG, you obviously have no clue what your talking about.


Now I got tired of reading the dribble that was being spewed out. So those are 2 quotes that show this is not an open debate. Someone states a case and yall bash.

These sites work.

The work very well. You just have to know the ins and outs.

Also keep seeing posts that it isnt TRUELY free. Well that is wrong as well. Now in most instances it does cost some money, but anyone could get an ipod for free.

If you joined ipods.freepay and did the real rhapsody offer. (which is free for 30 days. You can cancel after 14 days fo rno charge)

Then if you refer 5 people and they do offers.

then it was free

[Webwatch]

fgr admin

Are you in anyway associated with Gratis Internet by any chance?.

As you only waited untill your second post to advertise your scheme this shows your true intent in this thread and it also invalidates everything you have posted previously.

The BBB has an interesting report on Gratis Internet http://www.dc.bbb.org/codbrep.html?ID=1035561&wlcl=y

I find this bit especially interesting:
Government Actions
On March 23, 2006 the Office of the State Attorney General in New York brought suit against the company for privacy violations in its alleged sale of personal information gathered on its internet site.
The suit seeks an Order and Judgement permanently enjoining the respondents from further acts and practices identified in the suit, directing record keeping of privacy issues, and a monetary judgement.

Now in order to stay fair I must mention I have also found a few mentions that members of this scheme or similar ones have received a free ipod, but there are many more that have said that the system is so hard to follow and there are so many invalidating clauses in the terms and conditions that the whole process is extremely difficult.

I would advise anyone thinking of giving this a try to read the T & C very carefully and be fully aware that your Personnal information may be sold on to other company's with or without your consent.

Further Reading in order to make an informed decision::
http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=1770

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff131753.htm

Sorry this post is a bit biast but these schemes always promise much but deliver very little if anything at all.

[fgr_admin]

fgr admin

Are you in anyway associated with Gratis Internet by any chance?.

As you only waited untill your second post to advertise your scheme this shows your true intent in this thread and it also invalidates everything you have posted previously.

The BBB has an interesting report on Gratis Internet http://www.dc.bbb.org/codbrep.html?ID=1035561&wlcl=y

I find this bit especially interesting:


Now in order to stay fair I must mention I have also found a few mentions that members of this scheme or similar ones have received a free ipod, but there are many more that have said that the system is so hard to follow and there are so many invalidating clauses in the terms and conditions that the whole process is extremely difficult.

I would advise anyone thinking of giving this a try to read the T & C very carefully and be fully aware that your Personnal information may be sold on to other company's with or without your consent.

Further Reading in order to make an informed decision::
http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=1770

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff131753.htm

Sorry this post is a bit biast but these schemes always promise much but deliver very little if anything at all.

No I dont work for Gratis, live too far. The person whos job is it is to post on forums for Gratis is Named Jake.

If so inclined you can see him here

Gratis Spokesman (http://forum.freeipodguide.com/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4348)

also for you unbiased people here is nice place that people post at when they receive stuff

brag brag (http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewforum.php?f=9)

Also just curious Mr. Webwatch exactly what experience do you have with any of these companies to be Biased? Have you joined each one and made a careful evaluation? Have you monitored friends and co-workers who joined under you, to evaluate the system? Have you joined any of the affiliate companies to verify how much these sites make per join?

In fact have you done any research of your own? Or do you just do google searches for other peoples opinions and make them your own?

Well since you seem to think that posting some shmoes post about these sites being scams instead of posting facts

aol is a scam (http://www.epinions.com/content_133006003844)
since a large portion of people us AOL who visit here

paypal is a scam (http://www.paypalsucks.com/)
thsi is who you accept donations from.

Is there anything else you would like me to search on google for to be Biased on?

Next time please make a valid arguement instead of pulling someone elses posts. Which you have no proof of validating.

[Arzel]

No I dont work for Gratis, live too far. The person whos job is it is to post on forums for Gratis is Named Jake.

If so inclined you can see him here

Gratis Spokesman (http://forum.freeipodguide.com/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4348)

also for you unbiased people here is nice place that people post at when they receive stuff

brag brag (http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewforum.php?f=9)

Also just curious Mr. Webwatch exactly what experience do you have with any of these companies to be Biased? Have you joined each one and made a careful evaluation? Have you monitored friends and co-workers who joined under you, to evaluate the system? Have you joined any of the affiliate companies to verify how much these sites make per join?

In fact have you done any research of your own? Or do you just do google searches for other peoples opinions and make them your own?

Well since you seem to think that posting some shmoes post about these sites being scams instead of posting facts

aol is a scam (http://www.epinions.com/content_133006003844)
since a large portion of people us AOL who visit here

paypal is a scam (http://www.paypalsucks.com/)
thsi is who you accept donations from.

Is there anything else you would like me to search on google for to be Biased on?

Next time please make a valid arguement instead of pulling someone elses posts. Which you have no proof of validating.

You certainly seem to have a strong opinion about these types of schemes. While they may not be scams in the sense that you are required to always actually purchase something, evidence dictates that most people have a very difficult or impossible time actually fulfilling the requirements.

Additionally, because of the nature of some of these schemes, a certain percentage of people will have absolutely no way of ever completing every requirement (specifically those which require additional people under you).

Furthermore, because of the nature of these schemes it is assumed that for those providing the "free" items, that some return on investment must happen for this to continue. To simply say "You can get a Free Ipod by doing a few easy steps!" is quite misleading to say the least. Certainly most people will never be able to complete the few steps, for if they were at no cost to them, there would be substantial loss to those providing the items, and that just is not going to happen.

Finally, although you may have recieved some free items, I do not believe your statement about the number of items and their scope. And if anything, people like you actually discourage this type of advertising, and make it more difficult for future people that are actually Honest in their intentions about actually purchasing product through the promotions being provided.

[Arzel]

Also fgr_admin,

After looking at the forum you referred, I have to also add that you are an abuser of the system, if anyone is to believe what you are saying. And it is going to be this kind of abuse that eventually marks the end of the "Free" anything.

I find it ironic that you actually list some of the "Free" sites that you consider to be scam sites, when you are actually scamming these sites out of stuff by abusing the system.

[fgr_admin]

Also fgr_admin,

After looking at the forum you referred, I have to also add that you are an abuser of the system, if anyone is to believe what you are saying. And it is going to be this kind of abuse that eventually marks the end of the "Free" anything.

I find it ironic that you actually list some of the "Free" sites that you consider to be scam sites, when you are actually scamming these sites out of stuff by abusing the system.


lol, so you must be this forums idiot.

The forum I sent you to is monitored by Gratis, Transcendent Inovations, The Useful, OfferCentric, the largest 4 freebie sites. They have no problem with people finishing there site. In fact they encourage it.

I love the way you start out calling these sites scams. Yet when someone comes here and shows proof (And I can give you whatever kind you like) that I personally have received over $10,000 from these sites. You turn around and start saying I am abusing the system.

I in know way abuse the system. I complete my offer, I refer people, I get my gift. How is that abusing a system. So your abusing the internet by logging on and using it! These sites would be scams if when people finished it they didnt receive a gift.

You are also very much an uninformed person. You obviously have no clue about Gratis or any of these freebie sites.

So maybe you should stick to the matrix part of this site and stop ranting about scams when you KNOW NOTHING of what you speak.

[Webwatch]

No I dont work for Gratis, live too far. The person whos job is it is to post on forums for Gratis is Named Jake.

If so inclined you can see him here

Gratis Spokesman (http://forum.freeipodguide.com/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=4348)

also for you unbiased people here is nice place that people post at when they receive stuff

brag brag (http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewforum.php?f=9)

Also just curious Mr. Webwatch exactly what experience do you have with any of these companies to be Biased? Have you joined each one and made a careful evaluation? Have you monitored friends and co-workers who joined under you, to evaluate the system? Have you joined any of the affiliate companies to verify how much these sites make per join?

In fact have you done any research of your own? Or do you just do google searches for other peoples opinions and make them your own?

Well since you seem to think that posting some shmoes post about these sites being scams instead of posting facts

aol is a scam (http://www.epinions.com/content_133006003844)
since a large portion of people us AOL who visit here

paypal is a scam (http://www.paypalsucks.com/)
thsi is who you accept donations from.

Is there anything else you would like me to search on google for to be Biased on?

Next time please make a valid arguement instead of pulling someone elses posts. Which you have no proof of validating.Thank you fgr admin for taking the time to reply to my post. Please note I have quoted your post in its entirety and not failed to include any important information which you seem to have done from my post (The Government Actions Section). I wont dwell on this to much as it was probaly just an error as quotes aren't copied over.

Regarding your argument's that I have used other peoples opinions and not my own, this is totally incorrect.

To help you understand how I formed my opinion.

1. I visited the site you promoted and read the terms and conditions (I should have been given a free ipod just for doing this)

2. I then visisted the BBB site to see what the companys ranking was and for any more information.

3. Yes I used google to search for other opinions but I never used them as my own only posted the links so others could view them there are a lot more but in order to keep a balance I only used 2.

Your other argument that I must join these schemes in order to form an opinion is total nonsense. If that was the case I would have to join every scam/ponzi/pyramid scheme out there before I could discuss it.

No where in my post did I call it a scam I only offered a counter opinion by advising others to look deeper into this scheme in order make a more informed judgement. When a company uses the sale of Personnal information as a source of income this should be made clear, or do you consider the Governments Action invalid as well.

On a side note: Calling people stupid, idiot, etc is not a good way to back up your arguments and does show that you have no other way of expressing your opinions other than by weak personnal attacks.

Remember I am advising people to be carefull whereas you are promoting the scheme and attacking anyone who opposes your opinion.

Pesonnally if you have received all these free items good for you, but don't expect everyone to be duped into it just because you say so.

[Webwatch]

I in know way abuse the system. I complete my offer, I refer people, I get my gift. How is that abusing a system. So your abusing the internet by logging on and using it! These sites would be scams if when people finished it they didnt receive a gift.

As a lot of people don't get their free gift as the company uses many clauses to get out of sending one you have just highlighted my point.

[Arzel]

lol, so you must be this forums idiot.

The forum I sent you to is monitored by Gratis, Transcendent Inovations, The Useful, OfferCentric, the largest 4 freebie sites. They have no problem with people finishing there site. In fact they encourage it.

I love the way you start out calling these sites scams. Yet when someone comes here and shows proof (And I can give you whatever kind you like) that I personally have received over $10,000 from these sites. You turn around and start saying I am abusing the system.

I in know way abuse the system. I complete my offer, I refer people, I get my gift. How is that abusing a system. So your abusing the internet by logging on and using it! These sites would be scams if when people finished it they didnt receive a gift.

You are also very much an uninformed person. You obviously have no clue about Gratis or any of these freebie sites.

So maybe you should stick to the matrix part of this site and stop ranting about scams when you KNOW NOTHING of what you speak.

I see your primary response tactic is to attack people.

Now just to be clear, I did not state these were scams. I did state that most people will never be able to complete the requirements, and if you actually thought about what I said you would see my logic.

[Webwatch]

For the benefit of fgr_admin.

Just because many people refer to something as a scam this may not make it one. What it does point out however is that there may be a problem with the system which was either unexpected by the customer/referer or not represented by the website in a truthfull or ethical manner.

In the ipods.freepay example this shows up in the terms and conditions or smallprint as they are sometimes known. Any T & C that contains a paragraph explaining that the terms and conditions can be changed at any time without notice or the number of refers needed to gain a free gift or even the way in which this can be achieved can be changed also, must bring upon the consideration that all is not as easy as the home page suggests.

I fully understand that the company involved must protect itself from abuse and if everyone who signed up received a free ipod this could lead to financial complications for the company.

Take this situation for instance:
A minimum of 5 referals is needed to receive a free gift.
A member goes out and works hard to acheive this goal and manages to get 8 referrals (10 friends where approached as some where unsure but in the end 8 signed up) however 1 of these referrals does not meet the neccesary criteria so that leaves 7 perfect referrals which pass the companys stringent tests 2 more than the minimum 5 required.

I believe (call me mad if you like) that having acheived these 7 refferals the customer should expect to receive a free ipod. But I have seen reports that state as 1 of these referrals does not pass the test the whole claim is denied leaving the cutomer with no free gift. If these reports are true then that is where the problem lies with this particular scheme. Thats without considering privacy issues as well.

It is this situation which will lead to complaints and cries of scam etc.

I don't however consider this system as bad as the usual Ponzi matrix's where you had to pay money and then get others to pay money in order to cycle but as with any of these free gift schemes it is always worth reading the small print to get a fuller picture of what is involved and not just be guided by the spin or hype on the homepage.

I can't put my opinion much clearer than this.

It should be fairly obvious I hope that I am taking a middle of the road approach on this and fgr_admin please take the time to read things fully before jumping to conclusions.

[fgr_admin]

For the benefit of fgr_admin.

Just because many people refer to something as a scam this may not make it one. What it does point out however is that there may be a problem with the system which was either unexpected by the customer/referer or not represented by the website in a truthfull or ethical manner.

In the ipods.freepay example this shows up in the terms and conditions or smallprint as they are sometimes known. Any T & C that contains a paragraph explaining that the terms and conditions can be changed at any time without notice or the number of refers needed to gain a free gift or even the way in which this can be achieved can be changed also, must bring upon the consideration that all is not as easy as the home page suggests.

I fully understand that the company involved must protect itself from abuse and if everyone who signed up received a free ipod this could lead to financial complications for the company.

Take this situation for instance:
A minimum of 5 referals is needed to receive a free gift.
A member goes out and works hard to acheive this goal and manages to get 8 referrals (10 friends where approached as some where unsure but in the end 8 signed up) however 1 of these referrals does not meet the neccesary criteria so that leaves 7 perfect referrals which pass the companys stringent tests 2 more than the minimum 5 required.

I believe (call me mad if you like) that having acheived these 7 refferals the customer should expect to receive a free ipod. But I have seen reports that state as 1 of these referrals does not pass the test the whole claim is denied leaving the cutomer with no free gift. If these reports are true then that is where the problem lies with this particular scheme. Thats without considering privacy issues as well.

It is this situation which will lead to complaints and cries of scam etc.

I don't however consider this system as bad as the usual Ponzi matrix's where you had to pay money and then get others to pay money in order to cycle but as with any of these free gift schemes it is always worth reading the small print to get a fuller picture of what is involved and not just be guided by the spin or hype on the homepage.

I can't put my opinion much clearer than this.

It should be fairly obvious I hope that I am taking a middle of the road approach on this and fgr_admin please take the time to read things fully before jumping to conclusions.

Actually I did read you post and all others before it.

However with comments like this:

Sorry this post is a bit biast but these schemes always promise much but deliver very little if anything at all.

Now my replies were based on small comments like this from you and others.


Also unproven comments like this

Now in order to stay fair I must mention I have also found a few mentions that members of this scheme or similar ones have received a free ipod, but there are many more that have said that the system is so hard to follow and there are so many invalidating clauses in the terms and conditions that the whole process is extremely difficult.

Just curious where you get your statistics from? Or was this a personal ASSUMPTION with no facts to base it on?



Ok now back to the debate.

As I have shown on my post to the "Brag/Brag" thread on another forum, 1000's of people have received items.

Now going through your argument that if one person is DQed a persons account will be put on hold is wrong.

The only reason a persons account will be put on hold is the following

1) Signing up multiple times
2) referring yourself
3) Frauding an offer
4) multiple accounts from same IP
5) spamming
6) Selling links on ebay

Those are the reasons people are put on hold. Not because a company is trying to save money.

In most instances when a cheater is caught they scream bloody murder and post on every forum that the site is a scam.

Since this site was originally started as an anti matrix site I will use them as an example.

How many times did you see on top-matrix or other pro-matrix sites calloign paypal a scam because they seized there monies? Does this make Paypal a scam? No, by no means, yet it shows the mentality of a cheater and a thief.

You are basing your assumtions on these sites on BIASED posts on other forums. These people did not receive a gift so they are mad. However you have no Proof that they did not cheat the system.

Mean while I showed you a site that has over 1416 threads started on recieving gifts from these sites. There are other forums as well with the same # of posts. www.anything4free.com www.referralswapper.com and many more.

I just showed the one I am a member of.


Also I would like to point out that yes these sites may be hard to finish, and yes the TERM free seems to be thrown around a lot. However they can be FREE, in all honesty odds are it will cost somethign though. NO WHERE near the price of the gift though.

Another point you made was the BBB records. However I did see they resolved over 95% of all claims.
Based on your decision that the BBB should be used then:

No one should donate here because paypals record with the BBB
http://www.bbbsilicon.org/commonreport.html?bid=210387

No one should visit this site using a computer with Microsoft software
http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=501264


Etc etc etc

[Webwatch]

I was going to start this post off by explaining how I had used an example in my earlier post to highlight a possible scenario and I had not based my whole assumptions on what I had found on the internet.

But thanks to one of the links on fgr_admins previous post:http://www.anything4free.com/
I came across more information on the Government Actions regarding Gratis.

New York’s attorney general sued an Internet company Thursday over the selling of e-mail addresses in what authorities say may be the biggest deliberate breach of Internet privacy ever.

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer accused Gratis Internet of selling personal information obtained from millions of consumers despite a promise of confidentiality.

The consumers thought they were simply registering to see a Web site offering free iPod music players or DVD movies and video games, Spitzer spokesman Brad Maione said. On sign-up pages, Gratis promised it “does not … sell/rent e-mails.”

Instead of confidentiality, Spitzer said, Gratis sold access to their e-mail information to three independent e-mail marketers, and hundreds of millions of e-mail solicitations followed.

In a statement, Gratis spokesman George Thompson said the allegations the company sold e-mail addresses to e-mail marketers, and that these companies purchased personal user information from Gratis, were “completely untrue.”

Thompson said Gratis hired Datran Media of New York City, a leading e-mail marketer, to manage “the logistics of marketing products and services via e-mail to Gratis’ own user base.” He said Datran or two other hired companies “at no time ever engaged in a sale or purchase of data.”

Gratis, based in Washington, D.C., always controlled and owned the users’ information and never profited from any sale of data, he said.

On March 12, Spitzer sued Datran Media, accusing it of using unauthorized personal data “mined” by other firms from about 6 million e-mail addresses nationwide. Datran agreed to reform its practices under a $1.1 million settlement.

“Unless checked now, companies that collect and sell information on consumers will continue to find ways to erode the basic standards that protect privacy in the Internet age,” Spitzer said.

Spitzer’s “data mining” investigation began last year amid reports of companies compiling and selling marketing lists.

Gratis owns and operates Web sites that offer free merchandise for registering their e-mail addresses. The state fraud lawsuit accuses its owners, Peter Martin and Robert Jewell, of privacy violations in 2004 and 2005.

Spitzer claims Gratis wrongly shared as many as 7 million “user records,” creating the largest deliberate breach of a privacy policy discovered by U.S. law enforcement. He said the company’s promises to consumers included: “We will never give out, sell or lend your name or information to anyone,” and “We will never lend, sell or give out for any reason your e-mail address or personal information.” Originated from:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/23/tech/main1434424.shtml

Maybe its a trick and you wanted me to post this information if so I've fell for it.
I will wait for the outcome of this case before continuing as one of my earlier arguments was the Privacy issue.
Although it does help explain why the T & C and Privacy Policy have been recently updated.

Another missunderstanding from my earlier post is that I am making comments concerning the whole free gift industry in general, I am only dealing with ipods.freepay as advertised in your second post.

Maybe a court case involving this company isn't a valid argument or am I making assumptions with no factual evidence again. :head:

Its important to note that just because a company is being sued that does not mean it is guilty, the court will make that decision.

[fgr_admin]

I was going to start this post off by explaining how I had used an example in my earlier post to highlight a possible scenario and I had not based my whole assumptions on what I had found on the internet.

But thanks to one of the links on fgr_admins previous post:http://www.anything4free.com/
I came across more information on the Government Actions regarding Gratis.

Originated from:http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/23/tech/main1434424.shtml

Maybe its a trick and you wanted me to post this information if so I've fell for it.
I will wait for the outcome of this case before continuing as one of my earlier arguments was the Privacy issue.
Although it does help explain why the T & C and Privacy Policy have been recently updated.

Another missunderstanding from my earlier post is that I am making comments concerning the whole free gift industry in general, I am only dealing with ipods.freepay as advertised in your second post.

Maybe a court case involving this company isn't a valid argument or am I making assumptions with no factual evidence again. :head:

Its important to note that just because a company is being sued that does not mean it is guilty, the court will make that decision.


lol, that information is readily available on the first site I sent you to www.freeipodguides.com the Gratis company has a rep who posts on the forum. As I stated before his name is Jake.

This however doesnt validate claims that these FREEBIE sites are scams. It just shows one sold my info.

Also as I stated before Gratis is not the only FREEBIE company.

Offercentric: Has shipped out over 1.6 million dollars worth of gifts.
Traiin: Has shipped out over 1 million dollars worth of products.

Now you can all claim what you want. I honestly dont care, all of you think everything is a scam. All I know is I received ll the things I claimed and just received a $600 minimac from Gratis today.

So let them keep changing the TOS and privacy all they want. Hell let them keep scamming me. I just got a minimac.

PS, This forum died when Greg Day closed up shop and Watchdog grew bored and retired.

[Ferret]

Hmmm

I hate to be mean or crule but most of you are shall we say very misinformed if not outright stupid.

These sites do work. The only people who cry they were put on HOLD or accounts frozen are scammers or cheats.

So far in the last 6 months I have received:

3 x psp
3 x 30gb ipod
1 x Acer laptop
1 x Sony Camcorder
5 x 4gb Nano
1 x ps2
1 x 60gb ipod
1 x 1gb ipod shuffle
1 x Axim pda
1 x mini ipod

and $6550 cash or gift certificates

I am also currently awaiting shipment on another $5000 + worth of gifts.

So before you spout of these sites are all scams do some research.
I don't believe you got all that stuff ;)
No one believes you
Why don't you PROVE it

[mercinary]

PS, This forum died when Greg Day closed up shop and Watchdog grew bored and retired.

You are kidding right? Matrixwatch has actually grown in leaps in bounds since the demise of the matrix. We have the traffic statistics and membership numbers to prove it. We have turned our expertise toward all sorts of internet fraud, most recently NEPCO and YMMSS/STA.

-Merc

P.S. Greg Day is still running his Matrix site by the way.

[Webwatch]

that information is readily available on the first site I sent you to www.freeipodguides.com the Gratis company has a rep who posts on the forum. As I stated before his name is Jake.

This however doesnt validate claims that these FREEBIE sites are scams. It just shows one sold my info.

Also as I stated before Gratis is not the only FREEBIE company.

Offercentric: Has shipped out over 1.6 million dollars worth of gifts.
Traiin: Has shipped out over 1 million dollars worth of products.

Now you can all claim what you want. I honestly dont care, all of you think everything is a scam. All I know is I received ll the things I claimed and just received a $600 minimac from Gratis today.

So let them keep changing the TOS and privacy all they want. Hell let them keep scamming me. I just got a minimac.

PS, This forum died when Greg Day closed up shop and Watchdog grew bored and retired.

I still dont think I'm getting through on this but I will try again.

I dont think every free gift scheme is a scam, I would be a fool to state that almost as much a fool as someone who said they where all legitimate and above board.

I have attempted to show why the free gift sheme you reccomended in your second post should be treated with caution and still you think I am attacking every free gift scheme available.

Now if you could show me a free gift scheme that would not involve me referring others or risking their privacy as well as my own or spending hours signing up for things i dont need I might give it a go.
Tip: Not one run by Gratis Internet untill the court case has been resolved.

As I said before If you did receive all the items you mentioned thats great. :crazy:

Oh and I see Greg's little Ponzi Scheme is still going if he's still the one running it. Now with get $25 for $15 mini cash matrices amongst others. Although as its so daft it may just be a spoof site. Sorry gone off topic a bit.