Free iPods from FreeiPods.com? Engadget gets the scoop
posted July 16th 2004 10:50AM
So Gratis Networks has set up a site called FreeiPods.com that is giving away your choice of an iPod mini, a 15GB iPod, or a $250 gift certificate to the iTunes Music Store. All you have to do is sign up, click on one of their offers, and then convince five other people to do the same. We smelled a scam in there somewhere, or possibly scamola, and since our whiny emails to the company asking them to explain how exactly this worked went unanswered, we decided to just call them up to try and sort things out.
The company rep we spoke to insisted that this thing was for real and that they had already given away about 400
iPods to people. To get it to work you actually have to sign up for one of their sponsors' offers (like the Columbia
House DVD club, the GM credit card, AOL for Broadband, etc.) and also get five other people to also take them up on one
of their offers. Gratis Networks picks up a decent referral fee for every one that's completed, and since it's a lot
harder than it sounds to also get five of your friends to sign up for AOL (for example), they only have to ship out
free iPods to a relatively small percentage of people, while simply pocketing the cash for anyone who is able to only
get four people or fewer to sign up (the company rep admitted that they lose money whenever someone gets five people to
complete orders, since it means they have to ship out an iPod). Anyway, if you've got five friends you can convince to
do this who also think they each have five friends they can convince to do this, you might just find yourself just
maybe getting a free iPod.
[Thanks, Eric]
I have had two friends sign up for this promotion. Both got five friends at the same time and one was told her iPod was being shipped and the other was denied for mysterious reasons. So even if you fulfill the requirements, you'll only get super-spammed instead of an iPod.
Have you not seen those sites that do the same for mobile phones? It's based on the same principal and eBay gets spammed to death with it. Or is it that because an iPod is up for grabs, everything is okay?
Best not to give these sites publicity :/
Wow, engadget does investigative journalism. I'm impressed. I'm not signing up for AOL just to get a slim hope of getting a free iPod, though.
i found something on craigslist about this site and it def seemed shady..then i found this guy's site after i googled freeipods: http://geocities.com/ghettopia/freeipod.htm
I know several people who completed the offers, had their friends complete the offer and never got anything. Not to mention they got signed up for every mailing list in existence.
Get five friends to sign up? This is the definition of a pyramid scheme, and it's illegal. The reason why schemes like this are illegal is because eventually (pretty quickly, really) you will run out of people in the world to sign up and all the people on the bottom of the pyramid will get shafted. This one's a little different because they're not directly asking you for money, but they still are through these "sponsor offers" or whatever they're calling them. Nobody should be signing up for this; they should be forwarding it to the FTC instead.
Sorry to be a party pooper...
It might be unethical, but it's not illegal.
A pyramid scheme would be "Join the Free iPod Club for only $50! Sign up five friends who also pay $50 and then you get a free iPod!"
(It would be a pyramid scheme because there would be no way to continue giving participants an iPod unless they continued to sign up more people underneath them in the pyramid.) (It could also be made legal if the $50 wasn't a "club joining fee" per se, but instead was used to purchase something of value. If each person who paid $50 actually received a product (even if it was a bumper sticker or t-shirt) that might be enough. The iPod then would simply be a bonus for those who sold enough t-shirts at $50 each.)
FreeiPods.com doesn't appear to be a pyramid scheme, because the participants don't have to send in any money, merely complete advertiser offers. And if they're willing to complete offers (as one of the 5 friends) fully well knowing they are not going to get an iPod, but they are instead simply helping out a friend to get one, then that is their decision. Really I don't think the site mentioned in this entry is unethical, unless people who do follow the rules are being denied an iPod. All they are offering, is a highly modified "points program" similar to, say, frequent flier miles. You have to earn, in essence, 6 points, by having yourself and each of 5 people complete an offer. And although some people may not like doing that, obviously some people thought it was an okay deal. Personally I don't think it's that great of a deal, because I doubt I could find enough people to complete offers on my behalf.
I found a site that is gathering peoples referal links so they could breeze through this promotion. CHeck it out here - it has it both for the free ipods and the free flat screens promotion.
http://www.gearlive.com/archives/2004/07/freeipodscom_of.html
They're now offering the brand-spanking-new-just-announced 20GB Ipods on the site too!
Too good to be true? I usually don't participate in these things, but Gratis Networks did not require a CC to participate. Got five people to sign up (and so did they), and I recieved a 15 gb iPod (which my wife has confiscated from me). It does work.
the gratis network also started a website where you can get a free flatpanel monitor or flatscreen tv.
there is a conga line going at www.flyertalk.com for both the iPods and flatscreens to help people get their 5 referals. so far we have 12 people who have recieved or are waiting on thier flatscreens and quite a few more than that who have recieved their ipods.
here's the link:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332959
http://www.3sixtyfour.com/freeipod.htm
Very good info there.
Thanks for stealing my website and using it for your own link. I knew that would happen. :)
...with a throwaway email address to avoid the spam. apparently you can just sign up for the aol one and then cancel in a week or two and you still get credit for the signup. so you really only need a few friends with credit cards. who knows, a free ipod would be nice, but i'm not out anything if it is a scam.
There are always a lot of things going on on the net. Lots of legit everyday companies that we know of as brick-and-mortar businesses run web affiliate offers like this because it's an amazing marketing format.
It's not to say there aren't also a lot of inexperienced people out there trying to make a quick buck and starting up things that end up being a scam because they get so much business they can't handle it and it crumbles, so everybody gets screwed.
Gratis networks aren't complete newbies in this area.
Definitely give it a try.
Good luck everybody!
-Crache
I'm not sure I like everyone posting up these referral links, and I'd appreciate it if everyone stopped putting them up here.
At first, I too thought it was a joke, after all how many real give-aways are there?. After doing my own research.... it's true. A reliable source stated, 100 Ipods were sent out every few days. If you sign up and complete your offer, and your 5 referral's complete their offer, you have met your obligations and you should receive one. Keep in mind, achieving 5 referrals who only join, but don't complete their offer, will not validate your link. Since I signed up, I have not received any spam mail.
PETER>> PER YOUR REQUEST, I won't post my links, but if anyone wish to sign up using my links as their referral, pls email me at lnyc2004@yahoo.com. THANKS IN ADVANCE.
I just got my iPod mini last friday. I completed my offer and had a total of 29 people signed up. It took one month from when I was notified that I had completed everything to the day that the FedEx man was knocking at my door.
I too smelled scam when I first saw the site, but thought what the hell. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I have not had an increase in spam and everything seems to be legit. The damn thing even works!
Hey guys,
I've written up a website about the entire process. I documented everything that I've gone through (My 15gb is en route via UPS right now). Perhaps you might find the site useful for convincing friends. Comments are welcome!
www.bar-of-soap.com/ipod.php
... I have created a bulletin board. New users should come by and check it out. Please follow the instructions and sign-up under the designated member. If you're new to this entire thing, you are one of the lucky ones to be added to the conga list.
http://fibb.cjb.net
Hopefully no one will actually steal my bulletin board too. This one forum is dedicated entirely to this deal, and I will be constantly updating it with proof that this is legit and anything else that they're updating themselves. If you have already signed up with someone else's referral link, then feel free to come and discuss, but please refrain from trying to get on the conga list.
So of the people here who've successfully completed the deal, which 'offer' did you sign up for? Some of them make me a little nervous...
When I signed up I used the ancestry.com deal...no payment required, can call and cancel as soon as your freeipods.com account is credited.
I'd also highly recomend the following site for getting information on all the offers, and how the entire process works:
http://fibb.cjb.net
You'll even find a list of other ipod seekers where you can get started in your own quest for an ipod by giving your reference to the first person on the list to get added to the bottom of the list.
Good luck and spread the word.
http://www.freeiPods.com/default.aspx?referer=7188127
i was referred to freeipods.com about 2 weeks ago and managed to get 8 total referals (in 3 days), 5 of which 'completed the offer' allowing me to get my ipod. it took about 5 days before it was shipped out, then only 2 days after that, so in total it took 10 days.
the main problem i had was getting referals because most people are highly skeptical of 'free' anything. oh, so things to look out for, do not sign up anyone at the same address as you, dont try to scam them with multiple accounts for yourself, and USE ONLY IE to go to their website because mozilla tends to have problems with their code.
I am signed up for this free ipod, as well. I had 5 real people sign up for me and one was flagged as "non-unique referral" and that person's acct is now on "Hold" status which means she's out. The Gratis flagged a "real" person!!
I still need 5 referals. I used the ancestry.com offer and canceled later that same day by e-mail.
http://www.freeiPods.com/default.aspx?referer=7213620
Thanks, Charlie
If you use my ref link i would really appreciated it thanks so much!
I have the same question. The AOL 9.0 offer seems best, since you can get away without even giving a credit card number, but then there's this clause that says they add five dollars to your "bill" if you choose the pay-with-your-phone-bill service. So my question is -- if you choose the phone bill option and cancel before the free trial ends so you ever actually get billed, do you still get tagged with a $5 bill from AOL?
I had a referral sign up, but I was not creditted with them. Does a nyone know how I can contact the administration of the site so I can get the referral corrected? There is no info on the site.
Thanks
All you have to do to get a free iPod mini is complete an offer (like a free trial, ebay.com(you don't even have to cancel), ancestry.com,) & get 5 friends to do the same then they ship you the ipod. This does work besides it doesn't cost you any money.
At first, I too thought it was a joke, after all how many real give-aways are there?. After doing my own research.... it's true. A reliable source stated, 100 Ipods were sent out every few days. If you sign up and complete your offer, and your 5 referral's complete their offer, you have met your obligations and you should receive one. Keep in mind, achieving 5 referrals who only join, but don't complete their offer, will not validate your link. Since I signed up, I have not received any spam mail.
I have a referral link, just look at my AIM profile. my sn is porscheman996 , it's in my profile and i'm always online so it's quick and painless, i would just appreciate getting the referral if you are going to sign up anyway! thanks!
came in the mail today=) 15gb IPOD...refurbished though, but free is free.
has anybody actually got something from freeflatscreens.com? (also by gratis network)
As seen on NBC, CNN, and many other sources, the Gratis Company makes free iPods, free Xbox 360s, free psps and many other items possible.
Go to this site for all the proof you need to determine that this is legit.
Check out
http://thegratisguide.blogspot.com
to get one for a free. I know it's extremely hard to believe this but this is true. You can watch NBC,CNN, and G4TV interviews with this company. You can also check out articles from wired.com, Washington Post, New York Sun and many more. Links to articles and videos are on the website. It'll take just 2 minutes to prove to you that this is legit, and 1000's of people have received their free stuff.