The true cost of free iPods

As long as we're on the subject today of people giving away free iPods, Gratis Networks, which has this scheme/deal where they'll give you a free iPod if you sign up for one of their partner offers and then get five of your friends to do the same, is starting to feel a little heat. We did a little investigative reporting about this back in July and discovered that it's more or less legitimate (these things are a sliding scale), but Wired News reports that a lot of people who have signed up have complained about either never getting their free iPod, getting tons of spam, or getting sent the wrong product (like an HP iPod instead of an Apple one). The company says, in their defense, that they've shipped out over 4,000 free iPods and that delays on Apple's side are the source of the problem.

[Brian Behrend @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Duh on the spam.

What were you expecting? You shouldn't be using a real email address for this kinda stuff anyways. I went and created a new Yahoo account just for the sucker. They can send me all the spam in the world for all I care.

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I used a throwaway e-mail address (Yahoo), and ompleted my offers in about 10 days. My order was placed on August 2nd, but at the time ecost.com (freeipods.com's supplier) was backordered. After about a month and a half, my order shipped and I got it in 2 days (shipped from Tennessee to NC). I love it.

[kyle @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I got mine about a month after placing the order. Used my gmail account, so don't have to worry about the spam....it's a good test for it anyways. You actually had the option of switching to the hp iPod if you wanted it to ship faster, as eCost was backed up on all their iPod orders which is where Gratis orders them from. If you do all your requirements and are approved, you will eventually get something.

[Will @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

>getting sent the wrong product (like an HP >iPod instead of an Apple one).

Aren't they the same thing? An "Apple iPod from HP"? Every website I've seen mentions it's the same thing, at the same price, with just the addition of the HP logo.

[Blademonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Then you wouldnt mine showing it to us.

I would like to second Brian's post about what to expect from a deal like that. Hmm, let's see, a pyramid scheme that makes me sign up to the number 1 spamming source. Gee, there's no way you could ever get SPAM from that !

Though I dont know what the difference is between the HP Ipod and the Apple Ipod. Seems to me like they are both Ipods, made by the same co. just branded under HP (?).

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Hey, I'm not going to complain about any amount of time it takes a company to send me a brand new 27" Sony. Come on people, if you havn't completed it don't bash it and if you're concerned about time remember IT'S FREE!!

[Sara @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I did actually receive mine, but admittedly, it took about 1 month after I had "completed my requirements". Supposedly this was due to them being out of stock, etc. I was also able to get a flat screen through their other site, which was a much faster process, only about two weeks.

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The ONLY differences between the Apple and HP iPods is:

- HP iPods use a different hard drive (different manufacturer)
- HP iPod packaging carries the HP logo
- HP iPods have the HP logo laser etched on the back ot the unit along with the Apple logo.

Other than those three differences, the two are the same.

[Baron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

while i'm still waiting for my free ipod to ship, i can say that I did the free tv deal, and the delay from completing the offers to receiving a 27" sony wega was really not that long. Sure, if I bought one with my money it would've arrived quicker - but for free, no rebates or anything - they're doing pretty good. You get what you pay for.

[wolwol @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Martin and Jewell said between 100,000 and 150,000 people have signed up for FreeiPods.com since August. To date, they have dispatched more than 4,000 free iPods, and another 1,000 are pending, they said.

WOW.....amazing...150,000 and only 4000 received theirs.....well, make it 5000, with pendings included...

[Kamalot @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

You are not getting it for free. You sell part of yourself each time you give away personal information like that. You sell youself to the Spam gods like a techno-whore looking for more gadget-crack.

Maybe they have a site where I can get a free Tapwave Zodiac

[Blademonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Unfortunately, not many people see it that way.
I would like to add to your epitath in that, you're not only selling yourself, but 5 of your friends as well, adding to the techo-whore charm which I'm sure will also be a big social hit.

As for the ratio of Ipods shipped to the demand, wolwol, you can't seriously expect Apple, or HP to churn out 150 thousand units to meet this demand just because 150 thousang people signed up. Did Martin and Jewell also mention what percentage of the 150 thousand entries fulfilled the requirements? All? I think that if 750 Thousand new AOL sign ups suddenly appeared, AOL themselves would start thinking of serving up AOL-Pods.

[Blademonkey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Unfortunately, not many people see it that way.
I would like to add to your epitath in that, you're not only selling yourself, but 5 of your friends as well, adding to the techo-whore charm which I'm sure will also be a big social hit.

As for the ratio of Ipods shipped to the demand, wolwol, you can't seriously expect Apple, or HP to churn out 150 thousand units to meet this demand just because 150 thousang people signed up. Did Martin and Jewell also mention what percentage of the 150 thousand entries fulfilled the requirements? All? I think that if 750 Thousand new AOL sign ups suddenly appeared, AOL themselves would start thinking of serving up AOL-Pods.

[Rus @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

There is a similar offer from a group aliased as Product Test Panel - they are AKA Freeslide, Consumer Research Corporation. They are in my home state of South Carolina and I have reported them to my attorney general. Whether or not you guys have successfully completed the offer and received your iPod, does NOT preclude it from being a scam. iPods are in VERY good supply right now. For the grand opening of Fry's in Atlanta they had a WHOLE two shelves of iPod minis in stock for the entire 3 days of the opening.

If you'd like to see what I've investigated so far, see my consumer watchdog site's BLOG @ http://jackwhispers/blogspot.com

I hope to be able to use some of the information from engadget here and my own experiences when I write up the full story next month.

[Rus @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

In response to this post:

The ONLY differences between the Apple and HP iPods is:

- HP iPods use a different hard drive (different manufacturer)
- HP iPod packaging carries the HP logo
- HP iPods have the HP logo laser etched on the back ot the unit along with the Apple logo.

Other than those three differences, the two are the same.

There are a lot more differences and one correction to make:

The hard drives are Toshiba drives - just as in the Apple iPod - the iPods themselves are physically coming off the same line.

There is a completely different software compliment in the box. There is also a set of Tatoos that you print for the iPod.

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

"iPods are in VERY good supply right now."

Not from eCost.com. eCost is their supplier, and they were out of stock for a long time. I'm sure Gratis has a deal with them to be their exclusive iPod supplier. It's not like Gratis is just going to pop over to Fry's to pick up a load of iPods because eCost is backordered.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Rus - I got a 40 gig hp iPod and it didn't have any tattoos in it. And what exactly do you mean by 'totally different software compliment'? Apple iTunes, Apple Updater, hp autolaunch for their warranty/registration. what else is there? Not flaming just curious...

[Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I've signed up 5 people, three of them completed an offer without a hitch, and two of them went sour. I watched ALL of them do the offer completions first-hand to make sure they were by the book.

I was told one person didn't sign up from my referral link, which I personally just sent them from my cube next door, watched them use it, and even saw my name on the registration page as the referrer. But their offer completed.

The other person completed the PetCareRX offer, and never got credit for it. She never received a response from support after multiple emails regarding the matter.

Their T's&C's basically tell them they are not responsible for any technical problems, and when you complain, they simply reply (4 times no less) with an unformatted copy of their T's&C's -- very annoying.

So, while I believe I will eventually score an ipod, it looks like I'll be signing up at least 7 people instead of 5. At this point I'm afraid of them shutting down my account if I make too much noise...

One word of advice: have your referral register first and wait to see them successfully registered under your account; then have them complete an offer. I would recommend AOL because you get 50 days to cancel, and because it gives you an opportunity to go ape-shit on an AOL rep when they try to shove the additional amazing features of AOL down your throat. I love doing that :-)

[Marty - Chilly Willy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I decided, after checking everything out here to sign up at freeipods.com. Normally, I'm very skeptical of stuff like this. But thanks to Engadget, I've at least got a two-week free trial to Blockbuster's DVD rental site.

From what I can tell, I've already been credited for it and just need to find 5 other people to sign up and do the same.

Tip on getting more referrals: go to gearlive.com and sign onto their forums. Under the Free Stuff forum, read the FREE IPOD THREAD --READ ME FIRST-- post. It will get you in the list and use a referral.

Other than that, there's lot of links to web sites on that forum that help explain how it works, including pics of those who have actually gotten their free iPod.

[Edgar K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

It reminds me of my favorite quote...

"It doesnt bother me that they treat us all like idiots. What bothers me is that we may all be idiots."

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Well I did the FreeFlatscreens.com and got all 8 referrals to sign up but then they put my account on hold b/c of suspicion of fraudulent activities. I sat with everyone that signed up under my referrals so I know they did it correctly and they weren't fraudulent - they wouldn't answer my emails, explain why they put my account on hold, or do anything so I figured that this is just another way for them not to hold their end of the bargain. Any options for me?

[ruki @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

also the hp ipod can only work on pc not on mac

[Rus @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

My best friend is the HP Rep -

Some of the initial boxes may be slightly different.

There is suppose to be included tattoos. If not you get three free ones by mail via a coupon.

By different software compliment I meant -

iTunes for Windows - but the HP specific - it IS different although subtlely from Apple/Windows iPod software

There is a printing program for playlists and for the tattoos

This is what came in my box for my demo day iPod (helping that HP Rep friend out)

Also, the HPod will work on a Mac, all you have to do is hook it up and manually launch the firmware updater.

[Oliver @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Regarding "Maybe they have a site where I can get a free Tapwave Zodiac" -- http://www.tapland.com is currently running their first anniversary give-away contest, and the grand prize is a fully loaded Zodiac.

[Johnny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Rus. How can i get my free tattoos? I recieved my product from that freeipod offer on 9/16. Didnt recieve any.

[Johnny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Comments: Rus. How can i get my free tattoos? I recieved my product from that freeipod offer on 9/16. Didnt recieve any.

[Robbie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I really don't understand some of the complaints cited in the article. You have to physically click the change to HP iPod button to receive an HP iPod, and if you do so by accident, it's your own fault. The HP iPod is identical too (I should know, I got one.) People need to be more patient with the site. iPods are very popular and difficult to get at the moment, and Gratis is doing all they can to keep up with their shipments. The iPod is free. If having to wait a month to get a $300 electronic device is too difficult, then don't sign up for the site in the first place.

[clois @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Hey, I was just wondering, when I first started signing up for these sites, I remember reading something about how taking a long time to get referrals can result in a longer delay to get free stuff. I haven't read anything more about it since, but I am just now starting to get all my requirements done and was curious if this is still true. I would like to post this info on my site at http://www.clois.net. Plus, anyone got any tips on making my site more popular? Thanks, clois

[JustTryIt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

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