Inside the Free iPod Offer 396
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."
One comment.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:One comment.... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:One comment.... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:One comment.... (Score:2, Insightful)
Including a lot of free software from my experience.
Re:One comment.... (Score:2)
'Free' is a word with many meanings. One is that it costs no money, and that's exactly what these offers imply (although they certainly don't always work out that way).
FREE IPODS! yo (Score:3, Funny)
Re:FREE IPODS! yo (Score:3, Funny)
Re:FREE IPODS! yo (Score:2, Informative)
TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:3, Informative)
Or perhaps the editors left it that way so that us whiners would have something to bi^Wcomplain about.
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2)
Or, since they've now changed it to the way Heinlein intended (for whatever that's worth), maybe they started it out with the "I" to make me look like a fool. [checks mirror] Yep, it worked.
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:3, Interesting)
(And for those actual grammar Nazis out there, yes, beginning a sentance with "but" or "and
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:3, Funny)
Is this what people talk about when they never get laid?
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:5, Informative)
I ain't sure if you're joking, but Check here [reference.com] just in case.
However, their was a mistake in the grandparent, in the spelling of "sentence." So it goes.
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2, Offtopic)
Do you mean "there" was a mistake? I'm pretty sure you do.
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:3, Funny)
We're very sorry for the inconvenience. Those reposnsible for the sacking have also been sacked.
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2)
Anyway, it seems to be 'corrected' to the improper-grammer form (however entymologically prefrable that version may be...)
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2)
One might argue that the economist who is credited with first saying it trumps Heinlein.
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2, Insightful)
He's one author who's social views really offend me. Which is a shame because some of his writing is pretty good. Anyway - wayyyy off topic, but I don't mind saying it logged in because I'm happy that I've found other people who feel the same. Even if I don't know who you are.
Now, come get me mods!
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2)
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:2)
Re:TINSTAAFL, indeed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:TINSTAAFL, old boy, and all that rot, what? (Score:2, Funny)
Us belters though, we've still got grit!
Not Me (Score:5, Funny)
Cool, eh?
breaking news! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:breaking news! (Score:2, Funny)
Check out the SFGate Google Ads on the article (Score:5, Insightful)
Join my Folding@HOME Google Toolbar team [powder2glass.com]
I wrote about this a while back, too... (Score:5, Informative)
Read, if you're interested. [tuxedojack.com]
Re:I wrote about this a while back, too... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I wrote about this a while back, too... (Score:2)
Re:I wrote about this a while back, too... (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:I wrote about this a while back, too... (Score:4, Insightful)
Tomayto, tomahto, I guess.
Simpler way (Score:4, Informative)
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 (Score:2)
The new Tivo(TM) Platinum No Hassle card from Capital One. What's in your wallet?
Re:Simpler way (Score:5, Funny)
If I had something in my wallet I wouldn't need a FREE iPod, now, would I?
Re:Simpler way (Score:2)
let's put it this way: how much stuff do you need to buy to get that ipod for 'free'? a car enough? or 1000 dvd's?
Re:Simpler way (Score:2)
So a $300 iPod comes free after $30,000 worth of merchandise.
Personally, that's about two years for me. I put everything through my credit card, partly for the 1% but mostly for the convenience of not carrying cash (as well as the convenience of having the authorities know where I am, what I purchase, what sort of porn I like, etc.)
The card I use now offers me op
People have sold their demographics for a lot less (Score:5, Informative)
This organization simply raized the reward, and thereby made the hoops you must jump through more elaborate.
Re:People have sold their demographics for a lot l (Score:4, Funny)
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.
It's a pyramid scheme (Score:5, Insightful)
Whether you consider the Pyramid Scheme [wikipedia.org] a scam, is up to you.
Re:It's a pyramid scheme (Score:3, Funny)
</sarcasm>
Re:It's a pyramid scheme (Score:5, Insightful)
Whether you consider the Pyramid Scheme a scam depends on where you are in the pyramid.
Re:It's a pyramid scheme (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:It's a pyramid scheme (Score:3, Funny)
How could this be? (Score:2)
It sounded so legitimate.
Oh well. Even if I don't get a free iPod at least I 'm still getting my free flat screen monitor and my free digital camera.
yo.
...which makes it a scam. (Score:4, Funny)
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 (Score:3, Informative)
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 (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Worked for me (Score:5, Insightful)
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 (Score:2)
Re:Worked for me (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Worked for me (Score:2)
Cost of iPod: $300 for a decent one.
At my salary, it's not worth it. Just pay the cash -- and get it today instead of half-a-year from now.
Re:Worked for me (Score:2, Interesting)
Back when gmail was difficult to get, I gave gmail invites in exchange for completed referrals. I never promised that my referrals would get an iPod, just that I'd give them gmail if they helped me get mine.
For the iPod, I signed up for an offer (Netscape ISP) which I cancelled with no charges. I used a mail.com address, which hasn't been hit with any more spam than usual, and I haven't received any postal junk mail or phone solicitation
Of course it costs you money! (Score:2, Interesting)
Beyond that, is the deluge of spam and junk mail that you'll get worth saving a couple of hundred bucks? If you believe the studies that outline how much productivity (and thus time) is lost due to spam, it seems to me that you'll making a bad choice.
On the other hand, I'm probably not their target market anyhow. Enjoy the spam, folks - just don't bitch at me when you get it!
Free? As in beer? (Score:2, Insightful)
Why do so many Slashdotters insist on adding the "as in beer" or "as in speech" qualifier when it's patently obvious which type of "free" is being discussed? Oh yeah, because a lot of those people think they're really clever. In the words of Tyler Durden, how's that workin' out for 'ya?
Personally, I'm a big fan of free (as in beer) speech.
Re:Free? As in beer? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Free? As in beer? (Score:3, Funny)
Doesn't "free" have a meaning? (Score:5, Interesting)
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.
Re:Doesn't "free" have a meaning? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Doesn't "free" have a meaning? (Score:2, Interesting)
But you don't send money to Gratis. You don't even pay for t
loaded topic (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:loaded topic (Score:2)
this is news? (Score:5, Funny)
At Least One Part Could Be Easy (Score:2)
Use a disposable e-mail address just long enough to qualify. So many ISP packages these days include 6 free e-mail addresses. That could be 6 iPods right there.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Let the Flaming Begin. But! (A 'sob' story.) (Score:3, Informative)
Some script kiddies probably got jealous.
I think everyone knows that this is a piramid scheme, but it also works. You just "hack" the system with dummy email addresses, and get the iPod.
I myself found it easier to buy a shuffle, than have to nag on my friends, but I've never heard of anyone NOT getting an iPod after sucessfuly jumping through the hoops, while I did hear of people who got theirs.
Not *the* Free iPod people (Score:2, Informative)
Gratis Networks just requires you to do one single promotional offer--and get several of your friends to do the same. Unlike the fraudulent con game that most people are referring to when they say "pyramid scheme" (you know, the "send five bucks to
Doctors have figured out the ipod for free (Score:5, Informative)
Pure Geuinus..
article 1 [silicon.com]
article news.com.com [com.com]
Free iMod (Score:2)
I know these people (Score:2)
I would not work for them any more than i would work for a traveling carnival, but keep in mind that shady != incompetent.
My experiences... (Score:3, Informative)
Disclaimer: I haven not tried hard nor received
my free ipod [freeipods.com]...
But...
Several friends of mine have... Some have even gotten free flat panel monitors,
and even a free Dell Dimension 4000 system... Apparently, it helps to have
a popular website [randomdrivel.com] to promote it...
But the truth of the matter is that SOME of these free offers do exist... Wired
has published stories [wired.com] with mixed results...
Also, since signing up, I haven't noticed *any* increase in snail mail spam... I
did not give out my real phone number, and no credit card is necessary. My
throwaway gmail account has only 8 messages in it (and only 2 may be related...)
so who knows... I am a believer for the time being....
Re:My experiences... (Score:2, Interesting)
"I ended up selling it on eBay," Culbert said happily. "I got $400 for it. "
Freeipods.com only has the $299 20GB iPods. When I sold mine on ebay I couldn't get more than 280$ out of it.
My Experiences:
FreeiPods is by far the easiest to do. So far I've reciveed 7 iPods. Yes, I know this is against their policy, deal. My first one took the longest. I was afraid I'd never get 5 people so I cheated my way up to 5. By the
Wait, its NOT free? (Score:2, Funny)
Damn it (Score:2)
You can turn time into money, but you cannot get time for money. Hence time cannot be money. If you were going to sit watching porn for an hour and instead use the time to get a free ipod you just "made money". You used time to do it, but it didn't become money. You're work became money and you worked within that time.
So lets change it to Time + Effort = money k?
free ipods are a huge business (Score:2)
Scam and not scam... (Score:5, Informative)
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... (Score:5, Funny)
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... (Score:4, Funny)
They don't spam you (Score:2)
And not to defend their business model but they are pretty upfront about the whole thing. They don't lie to you and try to trick you in any way. The offers you have to do many times comes from reputable vendors like Blockbuster etc. And ye
iPods? Pfah, you can do better! (Score:2)
Man, what the fuck do people expect? (Score:5, Informative)
Green Laser Pointers, recycled. (Score:4, Funny)
The article is pure FUD (Score:5, Interesting)
free mac minis dissected (Score:3, Informative)
It works [studio2f.com] but it's more ponzi scheme than pyramid. Only the early ones in receive anything.
Economics clearly states TINSTAAFL (Score:3, Funny)
I I present a new acronym:
TINSTAAFI = There is no such thing as a free iPod
Cost of Time (Score:3, Interesting)
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."
"You don't get owt for nowt" (Score:3, Interesting)
"You don't get owt for nowt".
If you think otherwise, you're either stupid or I'm missing something really obvious that could make me a lot of money.
Open request from Slashcode editors (on this topic (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't care if its scam or real. They give us no choice than disabling legit signatures displayed.
This thing goes bigger each day. Stop before it becomes crisis.
Equally good because the iPod showed them! (Score:2)
IE, the world decides the Creative Nomad is good enough, the iPod tanks, and no "equally good products" are ever produced.
So I thank you for your sacrifice
Re:Equally good because the iPod showed them! (Score:2)
You're exactly right. Luckily, there are "early adopters", many "early adopters" for geek gadgets are right here on Slashdot. They're generally categorized as having lots of extra disposable income, and they have a high demand for the newest and shiniest products so that they can be the first kids on the block with the toy. I'm not an e
Re:No such Thing (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:No such Thing (Score:5, Informative)
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:No such Thing (Score:5, Informative)
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:Obvious (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Obvious (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Obvious (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Obvious (Score:3, Informative)
The Gratis sites are completely legitimate, and it is actually beneficial to complete the offers to get the iPod.
Re:Obvious (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Obvious (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sorry to be pedantic... (Score:2)
Someone is merely talking with a very very nice swiss german accent pronouncing "zehn Tafel".