Info on website, legit? - DPChallenge Forums

Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX Diagonal Fisheye for Nikon

08/19/2004 02:28:14 PM · #1

A bunch of people at work are signing up for a pyramid-y thing and i signed up to help a friend out, not really expecting anything to come of it. Does anyone know if freeipods.com is a legit site?

i.e. has anyone you personally know recieved the promised free gift upon completing the site requirements?

if anyone is interested in signing up regardless of the status, you can check it out here:
freeipod.com (my referral link)

muckpond

Nikon D200

08/19/2004 02:31:44 PM · #2

scam!

VisiBlanco

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

08/19/2004 02:34:06 PM · #3

Looks like a scam to me, let us know when you receive your ipod and I'll sign up.

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

08/19/2004 02:36:46 PM · #4

Originally posted by muckpond:

scam!

Hey muck, can you explain what brings you to that conclusion? I am dubious myself, but would like to know what precisely you see in the site that says scam? Or if you have personal knowledge that it is a scam, that would be helpful too.

siggi

Canon EOS-10D

08/19/2004 02:41:26 PM · #5

whay would they give fee ipods?

=> scam!

The only thing they are doing is to collect email address to sell to online marketing companies. You will soon recive offers for viagra and other stuff. See this way the get a list of valid emails.

They might give a few ipods but your chances are 1:10.000.000

Message edited by author 2004-08-19 14:45:38.

strangeghost

Canon EOS-7D

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

08/19/2004 02:43:26 PM · #6

It is clearly a pyramid scam. In order to be successful, it requires an exponential increase in the number of participants to fulfill the requirements promised. Take it out to about a dozen or so iterations, and the number of participants required would approach the population of the Earth (no, I didn't actually do the math).

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM II

08/19/2004 02:49:13 PM · #7

if any web site offeres ANYTHING for free on the internet, there is a catch to it.

James

Gordon

RIM BlackBerry Curve

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

08/19/2004 02:50:28 PM · #8

Originally posted by jab119:

if any web site offeres ANYTHING for free on the internet, there is a catch to it.

James

Not always...

giega

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

08/19/2004 02:54:12 PM · #9

Originally posted by siggi:

So there IS a chance!

LOL

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

08/19/2004 02:58:32 PM · #10

Originally posted by Gordon:

Originally posted by jab119:
if any web site offeres ANYTHING for free on the internet, there is a catch to it.

James

Not always...

here is the catch bug report

just kidding, but this free ipod thing is a scam, they want you to sign up for some type of service to get a credit card, music, AOL 9 service, pet car or some type of feel good pill

James

Hye5

Canon EOS-5D

08/19/2004 03:00:47 PM · #11

Originally posted by siggi:

The only thing they are doing is to collect email address to sell to online marketing companies. You will soon recive offers for viagra and other stuff. See this way the get a list of valid emails.

I already get dozens of those! I guess I should give it a go then... what's a few more LOL!

08/19/2004 03:03:51 PM · #12

here is some info from their terms and conditions

4. Being eligible to receive a free iPod

(a) Users must refer at least 5 friends to the site who must sign up, and correctly complete an offer from the site under the Terms listed above.

(b) Users must also complete at least one offer themselves.

(c) A user may not get credit for completing more than one offer. Their referrals must each do 1 offer, totaling 6 offers to be completed (1 by the customer, and 5 offers done by a minimum of 5 referrals).

(d) Referrals completing more than 1 offer will only count as 1.

(e) Users may refer more than 5 friends to try and maximize likelihood of getting credit and minimize the time it takes, but cannot receive credit for more than 1 iPod.

(f) Users may only receive one iPod for their account.

(g) Users must be residents of the United States.

5. Return Policy

(a) FreeiPods.com does not guarantee any product a user receives from our website.

(b) In a case of an error or mistake by FreeiPods.com whereby a wrong product was shipped, FreeiPods.com will make reasonable efforts to replace the product.

(c) In a case of a defective product, user should consult the warranty information included with his or her iPod. FreeiPods.com is not responsible for repair and replacement of defective products. For questions about replacing or repairing products, please contact Apple (//www.apple.com).

and good luck contacting them

1. Contacting Customer Support

(a) Due to the volume of customer service requests, FreeiPods.com does not offer a telephone number for users to call about questions with their FreeiPods.com account or orders. All questions, comments, and concerns should be sent in via our online support system (link on the FAQ portion of the website).

(b) While FreeiPods.com makes ever effort to reply to emails in a timely fashion, FreeiPods.com does not guarantee a user will be responded to, or responded to within a certain time frame. Users should allow at least 48 hours on weekdays and realize that FreeiPods.com will not be able to respond to emails sent on weekends and holidays until the next business day.

(c) To ensure security, users should only email here from the address with which they signed up for FreeiPods.com.

(d) FreeiPods.com reserves the right to block any email address.

James

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

08/19/2004 03:07:17 PM · #13

I still haven't seen anything positively one way or the other. Does anyone have a factual response, rather than a guess? I already know it's not a "free" ipod, since you have to complete an offer to get it.

What I want to know is whether (regardless of how much junk mail is sent) anyone will get an ipod. I used my junk mail address anyway, so I don't care about that, but I want solid info on the site.

The offer companies it links to are legit, and they also know about the site (I checked on that) so they wouldn't be allowed to support it if it was a scam, correct?

edit: I have actually conversed with their support staff, so they can be contacted. The rules seem very clear, so anyone have a yes or no?

Message edited by author 2004-08-19 15:10:52.

EddyG

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

08/19/2004 03:19:24 PM · #14

Not sure if it's related, but Wired had this article about free iPod's and a "matrix" marketing scheme; it is definitely illegal according to the FTC.

hsteg

Fujifilm X-T20

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

08/19/2004 03:20:51 PM · #15

its not!!! i had it in my signature a little while ago and an admin told me to take it off, so i did. but it does really work. my neighbor got his, and mines in shipping right now. but i doubt youll be able to get it, its too far into the 'pyramid' and you wont find referals.

EDIT: when i get mine ill take pics. and //www.freeipodguide.com has all the info you need to know, proving its not a scam.

Message edited by author 2004-08-19 15:22:41.

Zal

Nikon D200

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon

08/19/2004 03:21:34 PM · #16

Can anyone explain what exactly it means to "complete an offer"?? This phrase comes up again and again in their terms and condition, but with no explanation--an offer for what?? To buy a 747? To run naked through Times Square?

There is absolutely no explanation of what the purpose of the site is on their page. I wouldn't touch this one with a 10 foot pole.

Skip

Canon EOS-1D X

Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM

08/19/2004 03:22:26 PM · #17

normally, i blow off any/all free offers...

a few months ago, one caught me eye: free $50 gift certificate to Red Lobster. i had a few minutes and curiosity finally got the better of me. i only had to complete a questionaire.

well, it took more than a few minutes. when i got to the end (it was about 10 pages), i bothered to read the fine print. i would get the gift certificate based on accumulating "points." points would be awarded by completing additional surveys or signing up for something that cost something (for example, subscribing to bmi cd catalog or applying for a credit card).

bottom line: there is no free lunch. i'm just glad i used my garbage-collecting email address instead of my usual one...

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

08/19/2004 03:24:07 PM · #18

hsteg: I actually have 2 already and 7 people who joined but didn't complete an offer yet. Pretty good odds, but I never would have joined if I didn't actually want one of the offers (I have lots of pets, so PetRx was good for me). I got a good price on pet supplies, and the vague possibility of an ipod, and since you seem to have firsthand experience, I'll keep my hopes up. Let me know when it arrives :)

skiprow: I got that one too, and skipped on it since there was nothing I was willing to buy into.

Message edited by author 2004-08-19 15:25:25.

nico_blue

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

08/19/2004 03:24:23 PM · #19

I've heard of some people that get the free ipods but it does take quite a bit of work. The easiest way is to get 5 friends and have them sign up with the ebay thingy (you'll need a credit card or a company email address to join ebay) and place a bid (doesnt have to be a winning bid) on something. Best of luck if you decide to pursue it.

Here is a guide for you to follow //www.freeipodguide.com/ there are some other ones out there as well.

computerking

Sony DSC-P73

08/19/2004 03:28:50 PM · #20

Question,airatic:

Did you ask them in what timeframe they will send you your Ipod after all 6 offers(You and your 5 friends) are complete? This will tell you whether they intend to honor the offer within your lifetime. If they have no concrete answer, Then they're the semi-scam I heard about.

Here's how it goes: You sign up, you get added to the list of people waiting for an Ipod. You complete your 'offer'. Your friends sign up, they get added to the list, they complete thier 'offers'. The company has a deal with the various sellers that they get their offers from, giving them, say, $2 for every offer they provide the seller. The company takes the $2 and, after deducting a minimal amount for Site maintenance, bandwidth, server replacement, and labor,let's say they have $0.25 that they cut in half: 13 cents goes to profit, and 12 cents go towards the "Ipod Fund". Once enough people have signed up and done their offers ($350 for an Ipod means 2917 people have to sign up and complete their offers), then the FIRST person on the Ipod list gets their Ipod. And that's assuming shipping is free.

EddyG

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

08/19/2004 03:29:18 PM · #21

Even if it is legit, this article (also in Wired) makes it clear that it is a "customer-acquisition program" and that companies "like Columbia House (and) credit card companies" then pay this company for the information they collect.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM

08/19/2004 03:30:37 PM · #22

Interesting article linked from nico's site:
//daily.nysun.com/Repository/getmailfiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMail&Type=text/html&Path=NYS/2004/08/04&ID=Ar00501

So far, my conclusion is that yes, it's a pyramid scheme (and an address-gathering mechanism), but it has not yet reached critical mass, so it is not yet a scam. Anyway, if you don't yet have a "spam-specific" address, you're way overdue.

Message edited by author 2004-08-19 15:33:26.

hsteg

Fujifilm X-T20

08/19/2004 03:42:29 PM · #23

i ended up getting 7 referals, 3 were my friends and the other 4 i dont know. i had 21 total people and 7 who compelted an offer. also, it is updating much slower due to the higher number of people so if you know you got a referal that completed an offer, it might not update for a week.

08/19/2004 03:45:33 PM · #24

regardless if it is legit or a scam, it is still something to stay away from. but take your chances, they have your home address as well so that means more junk snail mail for you

James