wafflesatnoon.com » Consumers » Choose Your… Confusion?
Choose Your… Confusion?
“We need MacBook users. We’ll give you a MacBook to use/keep. Tell us what you think of it. Current free Mac is the green air.”
That’s how the ad goes. Of course there’s another identical ad on the same page that says the current free Mac is the blue one. But it sounds great, doesn’t it? And it’s so generous of these people to pour advertising dollars into Facebook so they can simply give away computers.
Right?
Well… clicking the ad immediately starts to burst that bubble. On this particular ad today, I was taken to chooseyourcolor.com, and on the home page I now see that the computer is “free with Reward Offer Purchases.” Well, that still sounds easy.
Right?
Well… taking a look at the terms and conditions, it becomes apparent that getting this “free” Macbook won’t be very easy to acquire. Or free.
A list of requirements is given, and they start off simple enough.
1. Submit your zip code.
Fair enough.
2. Register with a valid email address.
No problem.
3. Submit accurate contact and demographic info.
Easy enough, where do I sign up?
4. Acquire two sponsor action points from each of three offer pages.
Huh?
(You will have to fill out 6 sponsor offers, and “most sponsor offers require a purchase.” So you potentially have to make 6 purchases to qualify. You also must adhere to all sponsors’ terms to qualify for your “gift” computer.)
5. Complete and return an IRS W-9 form after earning the required points.
Hey I just wanted my free computer. Now we’re contacting the IRS?
They further state that if one of the offers is a credit card, you have to use it and keep a balance for at least 60 days. It could also take 8 weeks for their “partners” to inform them of your purchases.
Finally, you have to complete all of the above within 90 days.
So there you go… it’s so easy to get your free MacBook, to try out and let them know what you think of it.
So let’s recite the lessons learned this week:
• Read the terms.
• “Free” is never really free.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
• If something free or cheap is heavily advertised (especially on Facebook or Myspace), be very careful!
Filed under: Consumers
Alright fine. I agree the fake blog grant/acai ads are bullshit, but is there any kind of marketing that you don’t think is a “scam”?
Jeez, man. It’s a very typical lead generation form.
Do you really think any company is just going to GIVE AWAY free Macs? This is how “incentives” work. You complete offers from their partners, they get paid, you get a reward. You can actually make it work to your advantage if you’re careful.
J – I definitely appreciate what you’re saying. However, I never used the word scam, and I don’t believe it is a scam at all. They have every right to operate in this manner… just as I have the right to sarcastically analyze the elaborate process it takes to get said “free” Mac.
Plus I’m getting sick of seeing their ads.
Well it’s more than a little misleading when you have to jump through so many hoops to get your “free” Mac.
It sounds like a simmilar scheme that I investigated a few years ago. I answered an ad to get a free XBox with exactly the same conditions as you described. I got onto a lot of lists and found myself having to buy products that I didn’t really want or need. In the end I never did get that XBox even though I fullfilled all of the requirements.
Last year, my AMEX credit card was hit when I noticed certain things that I never ordered come through the mail. As it turned out, the people who stole my credit card went through a site like the one you mentioned and likely got their free stuff before they noticed I had a new card assigned to me.
The good news is that I called all the people who sent me stuff and they cancelled the accounts. Also, AMEX did not hold me responsible for any of the charges, which came out to be around $150.
This is why when I see these sites, I say, “you’re never going to get the things they promise.” And W-9 forms are for individuals and taxpayers to get their tax ID number, which raises huge red flags as the scammers could use that number for more scams.
Have you actually tried one of these? I’m just wondering if they actually send you a MacBook, or if it’s all lies.
thank you for the evaluation. i was really starting to wonder if chooseyourcolor.com was even real. haha