When free stuff isn’t free
Years ago, when I worked a boring office job, I spent a lot of lunch hours surfing the web. Even then, I was looking for ways to save money and find bargains and free stuff. 7, 8, even 10 years ago, free stuff on the web was really cool. I used to get nice sized samples of makeup, jewelry, office supplies and food just for the asking. Nowadays, the free stuff isn’t always free, and the samples aren’t always worth the effort.
Once I had a child and started working at home, I didn’t have as much time to surf for free stuff. Then a couple of years ago, I started looking again. Most of my favorite free stuff sites were still there, but the freebies weren’t as easy to come by. To get the really good ones, I would have to complete several “offers”. This can be anything from opening up a credit card to requesting information from an online learning institution. Many times, the offers require some sort of payment, usually for shipping or opening an account.
Now, I’m not saying everyone has to give away something for nothing, but if you’re offering something for free, then it shouldn’t require an investment on my part. If you’re promoting a product and you want me to try it, I shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get it, after all, I’m the one doing you the favor. I know there are people who don’t mind going through 40 pages of offers to reach the prize, I’m not one of them. If the product isn’t free, just say so.
Then there are the scam freebies. I hear about them all the time. The freebie hunter signs up for an offer, say a trial pack of diet supplements. That person is taken to a sign up page and she eagerly does so and parts with her credit card number so she can be charged $4.99 for shipping. Come next month, and she has a $155 charge on her bill because the link she clicked conveniently bypassed the page saying she would be automatically enrolled in their subscription program to receive supplements each month. Since she only expected to receive a small sample, chances are she threw away the sales letter letting her know she’ll be charged each month.
I’m not saying there aren’t some great freebie and freebie sites out there, but there are plenty of places that advertise products as being free, when in reality they are not. Read all the fine print. Determine whether or not filling out offers and paying all of the shipping charges is worth your time, effort and money. Free samples shouldn’t be so difficult to obtain. Skip the places that make it difficult for you and find the ones that make it worth your while.
Tags: Free Stuff
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POSTED IN: Deals on the Web, Free Stuff
10 opinions for When free stuff isn’t free
Kookaburra
Aug 8, 2007 at 2:16 pm
I know exactly what you’re saying. When I’m going for a freebie, as soon as I sniff out any clue that I might have to do some actual work (or invest any money) in order to get it, I take off running. Those are not for me.
If you’re looking for some actual freebies, no scams involved, I posted a few on my blog earlier today. It sure is slim pickings these days though.
Heather
Aug 8, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I completely agree - if I have to jump through hoops or enter any info beyond an address I hit the back button. I used to freebie hunt a lot but then kids came along and I let it fall by the wayside. Do you have any favorite links you use?
Michelle Gartner
Aug 8, 2007 at 10:34 pm
I agree to that a freebie doesn’t include my credit card number or shipping. I don’t post those and if I do it’s usually a mistake on my part. I also don’t involve myself in freebies or online surveys that want my cellphone number- I give very limited access to my phone number too. But in the meantime I am still getting stuff for free I got two freebies in the mail today- coffee and makeup. -Michelle
Jennifer
Aug 9, 2007 at 4:11 am
I agree (a seemingly popular choice). If something takes up my entire night, that’s hardly free and those site prey on mamas — it’s so utterly tacky.
Andrew
Aug 9, 2007 at 10:40 am
Great post, Deborah! I totally agree. The majority of freebies available these days are scam ones. If someone’s offering you a Free iPhone (which some sites do), just for completing a “short” survey, don’t bother. You’ll end up going through 20 to 30 pages (at least), having to sign up for some sort of offers you don’t want, then keep track of every offer so you can cancel them, etc. In the end, the amount of time spent on it is way more than whatever you’re going to get (if you do indeed even get it in the end). So if it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Then there are the “freebies” that you just have to pay for shipping and handling, like the free business cards or T-shirts at Vistaprint.com. At least they tell you up front what your cost is and it’s definitely cheaper then just buying a new one.
But yeah, I really miss the days when freebies were all the rage and free samples were sooo easy to come by.
Deborah Ng
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Remember the free iPod deals? I never knew if they were a scam or not because I didn’t feel like going through 40 pages of “offers” to see if it was legit.
I still manage to find a few freebies here and there, About.com has a nice freebie site and I also enjoy Vai Freeness, here site was better years ago, but it still has some pretty good freebies once in a while. Maybe I’ll compile a list, what are your favorite freebie sites?
What’s your favorite free site?
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:34 pm
[…] I talked about what happens when free stuff isn’t really free. After reading some of the comments, I’ve come to the conclusion that a list in order. The […]
Jennifer
Aug 9, 2007 at 12:44 pm
I did a freebie post at Pregnancy & Baby last week or so; I’ll send you the link sometime later today/tonight? (I checked all of them first to make sure they were really free items). You might be able to work some of them in.
Dave
Aug 11, 2007 at 9:10 am
That is why I like to read the comment section on Absurdly Cool Freebie Finder - all the loopholes are exposed!
http://absurdlycool.com/?USA=1&mode=lim
Dana
Aug 16, 2007 at 10:12 pm
I think Twisted Branches and Freaky Freddies has the best freebies.
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