Inside the Free iPod Offer

jonathanhowell writes "David Lazarus, The SF Chronicle's tech guy, has an article in today's paper with an interesting investigation into the work you have to do to get a "free" (as in beer) iPod. I'm trying not to call it a scam, because it appears completely legal, if ethically challenged." From the article: "What it doesn't say is that the offer terms will expose you to reams of spam and marketing solicitations, that the user survey is actually a lengthy marketing ploy, and that the sponsor offers needed to qualify for that free music player will almost certainly cost you money."

Comments

One comment....

[ebrandsberg]

Duh, anybody thinking anything is "free" today doesn't value their time, other people's time, or their sanity.

Re:One comment....

[Anonymous Coward]

Posting and reading on Slashdot is a valuable use of your time??

Re:One comment....

[ebrandsberg]

No, it's the sanity part that I fall short on. Which one do you fall short on?

FREE IPODS! yo

[shadowlordseth]

I just drop mine on the ground, and have my employer buy me a new one.

Re:FREE IPODS! yo

[fideli]

If I were your employer, I'd know that iPods survive drops to the ground quite well, and instead will fire you, and give the dropped iPod to a new employee.

TINSTAAFL, indeed

[RobertB-DC]

As anyone who's read Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress knows, the Loonies were schooled in survival, not proper English. "From the TINSTAAFL Dept" may be more proper, but the definition (according to the usual source) is "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". Sure, it's a double negative and ain't ain't a word. But I don't think you'll ever hear a Loonie say "There Is No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, by Jove" on their way to High Tea.

Or perhaps the editors left it that way so that us whiners would have something to bi^Wcomplain about.

Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed

[Pfhorrest]

Not to be a grammar Nazi (I probably can't even spell grammar), but "ain't" is a word, it's just depracated in modern English due to frequeny misusage (such as in the TANSTAAFL acronym). "Ain't" (or an't) is a contraction for "am not", and thus the only proper usage of it would be in the form of "I ain't...". "Is not..." and "are not.." are misusages. But technically, I ain't making any major errors in this sentance.

(And for those actual grammar Nazis out there, yes, beginning a sentance with "but" or "and" is technically acceptable as well, so don't come bitching at me about that last sentance. Or anything else for that matter. This post is offered "as is" with no guarantee of grammar, spelling, or factual correctness. YMMV).

Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed

[Sloppy]

I think Slashdot should loose the bad grammer.

Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed

[Sabaki]

Bzzt.

I ain't sure if you're joking, but Check here just in case.

However, their was a mistake in the grandparent, in the spelling of "sentence." So it goes.

Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed

[Radi-0-head]

Just shut the fuck up and stick to the topic, how's that?

Is this what people talk about when they never get laid?

Not Me

[Zemplar]

I'm glad I won't have to worry about falling for those stupid "Free iPod" scams. As soon as my Nigerian friend returns my savings "fiffty fould" I can buy as many iPods as I want!

Cool, eh?

breaking news!

[claussenvenable]

people offering free expensive things are usually lying!

Check out the SFGate Google Ads on the article

[Hulkster]

Currently showing "Overstocked iPod's", "iPod Blowout", etc. ... not surprising given the page content, but you gotta wonder if the iPod scammers are milking it with Google Adwords too?!?

Join my Folding@HOME Google Toolbar team

I wrote about this a while back, too...

[Tuxedo Jack]

And I dissected the bastards' EULA at length.

Read, if you're interested.

Re:I wrote about this a while back, too...

[Anonymous Coward]

I like how the Slashdot version of "badass" is what everyone else on Earth would call "hilariously paranoid rhetoric that has no value or function other than to masturbate the the hilariously inflated and misplaced ego of its creator by revealing things everyone already knows and acting like it's a thunderstrike".

Tomayto, tomahto, I guess.

Re:I wrote about this a while back, too...

[Ilgaz]

You should also write an essay about the amazing lowing profile of Slashdot users.

See all those lame iPod signatures with referrer? Thats what I talk about. Look when did they subscribe. Look if there is a single 5 digit guy/gal having that signature.

Yep, that's what I talk about.

From now on, I admit I will overrate all posts mentioning that lame free iPod. I don't think anything useful/insightful will come out from a guy/gal is so low to abuse signature system of slashdot for a free (!) thing in return.

I never abused slashdot for years and thats why I have excellent karma. That should give something back to me.

I don't have to view anything except Slashdot ads while using this site.

Simpler way

[Profane MuthaFucka]

TiVo has a TiVo rewards program. Sign up for a credit card and you get points with your purchases that you can use to get an iPod. If you pay the thing off every month, your iPod is free.

Besides the iPod, they also have Bose noise cancelling headphones, a Nikon digital camera, a couple types of new TiVo units, and some other lesser things.

Re:Simpler way

[BobPaul]

What's in your wallet?

If I had something in my wallet I wouldn't need a FREE iPod, now, would I?

People have sold their demographics for a lot less

[DavisNet]

For an uninformed or disconected soul, the "chance" for a free iPod is well worth selling out your vital statistics. I'm always amazed at how easy it is to convice someone to sign on the dotted line, and it's offten only for a T-Shirt.
This organization simply raized the reward, and thereby made the hoops you must jump through more elaborate.

It's a pyramid scheme

[kevin_conaway]

Plain and simple. Same with all the other Free deals.

Whether you consider the Pyramid Scheme a scam, is up to you.

Re:It's a pyramid scheme

[Dmala]

Whether you consider the Pyramid Scheme a scam, is up to you.

Whether you consider the Pyramid Scheme a scam depends on where you are in the pyramid.

...which makes it a scam.

[j!mmy v.]

iPod Shuffle: $99
iPod Photo: $349
wasting your time, money, and creating a new e-mail address because you got r00ked by a net dot scam: PRICELESS

"For everything else, there's legitimate commerce."

Worked for me

[L. VeGas]

1. I used a throwaway email account.
2. I signed up for free AOL for broadband.
3. I put links on my personal website.
3. I cancelled AOL for broadband 2 weeks later.
4. I waited about 6 months.
5. They sent me an iPod.
6. A week later they sent me a t-shirt as well.

For every story like mine, there are a bucket of people that never got enough referrers. I think I got in early enough so that it was still a novelty.

Re:Worked for me

[Kethinov]

I must say, well done. Sometimes putting up with these little sociological hiccups can be rewarding. Sure, you're right, for every story like yours there are dozens more people who get screwed, but that's a risk you take when you sign up for these silly schemes. Nevertheless, you beat the odds. Congratulations!

Re:Worked for me

[hackstraw]

7. You helped perpetuate the spamming, pyramid scheme insanity.

I mean, even the "freecreditreports.com" is a scam that is not free. Duh, why would they pay for an ad on TV for free stuff?

FWIW, I foe everyone that has free crap in their sigs on slashdot. This is simply something that is driven by greed, for what? A toy that any working person could buy. They are only what, $400. For the six months and bothering some unknown pyramid amount of people you could have simply saved $67 a month and just bought the thing. Poor people suck. Go ask Kenny.

There is some degree of merit for working to obtain what one wants in life. Then there is apparently some kind of merit for those that feel the need to exert annoyance on people and exploit people to get what they want in life.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is no such thing as a free iPod. For the $400 they paid you, think about how many of your beloved greedy referrers and their referrers and their referrers were somehow affected by this scheme. Lets be conservative and say it was 128 people total from you that participated, and odds are none of them got iPods. Thats as whopping $3 to "market" to each of them (with results!). Its cheaper, and I imagine more effective than any other form of "marketing".

The good side, is that it will not last. People will be over the scam in 6 months to a year.

Re:Worked for me

[Moofie]

Where you deceive that person. Any other questions?

Doesn't "free" have a meaning?

[Anonymous Coward]

From the SlashDot article:

I'm trying not to call it a scam, because it appears completely legal, if ethically challenged.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if a person has to buy something, even from another company, to get a "free iPod", then advertising the iPod as "free" is false advertising, no? That makes me not so sure about that "completely legal" part.

this is news?

[xnerd00x]

please mod this STORY down as "this is not news - just plain obvious"

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Doctors have figured out the ipod for free

[acomj]

The doctors wrote software that integrates the ipod.. And had their employers buy them ipods..

Pure Geuinus..

article 1

article news.com.com

Re:No such Thing

[Trillan]

From the tech specs page, the iPod can play MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Music Store, M4A, M4B, M4P), Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4) and WAV.

The majority of these formats are not encumbered. I really don't understand why so many people think the iPod can play only iTunes Music Store songs.

Re:Obvious

[Anonymous Coward]

I know several people who have gone thru all the steps on these sites, and actually received a free ipod! For real. Then they just cancelled their trial accounts.

Scam and not scam...

[NYTrojan]

I've seen those consumer incentive places and they look pretty sleezy to me, but I DID get an ipod for free from freeipods.com. And it really was free.... with the possible exception of some junk mail to my house (easy enough to throw away) and some spam to an email account I don't use, and some telemarketing to a phone number that isn't really mine (When forced, I give out numbers that are a few digits off).

Seriously people I don't get the "They're going to spam me under" argument. Who doesn't have access to a 'spam account' now a days? If not, get a free one from google. As to the 'deals' they make you do, if you're careful you and your friends won't have to pay a dime. The key is be CAREFUL...

oh and avoid that consumer incentive one... but just looking at that site should be evidence enough

Re:Scam and not scam...

[AME]

(When forced, I give out numbers that are a few digits off)

You are a horrible, horrible person! As punishment, I hope that other people with phone numbers similar to yours also do this.

So it's finally exposed...

[Mr. Cancelled]

Now maybe all you iPod owner wannabe's can remove the "Get a free ipod" link from your signature lines? For that matter, why not remove the free mini mac offers while we're at it?

Man, what the fuck do people expect?

[tekunokurato]

The point of free ipod is to offer you something that costs essentially only time, as opposed to mountains of cash. That, to the vast majority of people out there, is valuable. I've got a pal who paid people to sign up for the orders for him and collected his ipod for about $50 bucks. Saved a boatload of money.

Green Laser Pointers, recycled.

[Dr. Zowie]

A looong time ago, I tried the "Green Laser Pointer" scheme, a protytype of this one (I think also run by Niu). That was about three years ago. I never got the green laser pointer, but my mail server still gets about 800 spams/day addressed to the pseudo I used.

Re:No such Thing

[javaxman]

And by "equally good" you mean HD based media players that can play music in non-DRM encumbered formats, right? I'd consider that better, not equally good.

Quick, name a non-DRM format the iPod does not play. Hmmm... oh! I know! It doesn't support FLAC, I think... though, you could convert that FLAC to an AIFF or WAV and you'd be in business, i guess...

Just curious, why do you think iPods play only DRM formats??? Only Sony would try to do something so crazy as make a player that doesn't support at least MP3... and even they would figure it out after the it failed to sell...

Re:People have sold their demographics for a lot l

[greppy]

For an uninformed or disconected soul, the "chance" for a free iPod is well worth selling out your vital statistics.

You mean all I have to do is tell them I'm 12" by 2" and they give me a free iPod?! Cool.

I might drop a hint about all my ex's calling me "Rammstein" and see if they throw in a free iTMS voucher.

Re:Obvious

[Magus424]

I've gotten a free iPod, free Photo iPod, and I'm 3 refs away from a free Mac Mini :-)

The article is pure FUD

[vincey37]

First of all, the company profiled, Incentive Reward Center, is not the freeiPod company. They aren't even on the radar. Gratis Internet operates the most well known freeiPod site, while OfferCentric comes in second. Both are reputable companies that have good track records shipping products and providing customer service. Secondly, the author compains about spam. Both Gratis and Offercentric do not spam your email addresses. I have had over twenty people do referrals under me with these two corporations and have had no trouble. Finally, there is the issue of paying for offers. This is a total non starter because you know the terms of each offer before you choose to complete it! There are several free offers, including the easy eFax, which even allows cancellations within the 14 day trial to be done online. I can confirm eFax does not spam either. Is getting free stuff from these sites difficult? Yes. Is it feasible? Definately. Don't let this poorly researched article scare you away if you're dedicated.

Cost of Time

[sexistentialist]

People fail to realize that their time has value. The chump who got his $400 ipod in exchange for lots of pain with opening and closing accounts, shelling out some cash, arguing with vendors, using bunk email addresses so as not to drown beneath the deluge of spam, and so on, probably spent 40 hours overall. If you subtract the $75 from $400 and divide the remainder by 40, you end up with a cost per hour of about $8.13. I suppose that you could argue that taxes and such make the Ipod worth more, or the hours worth less, or something, but I would counter with the cost of the pain of having to deal with all of these issues.

Another way to look at it is to compare the cost of those hours against the cost of doing something else, from an overall well-being perspective. Perhaps instead of spending 40 hours fenagling a free Ipod from some shyster in Florida the chump would have a higher quality of life doing something he actually liked.

Maybe people just undervalue their time.

Maybe people just get obsessed with the idea of "free."