DIYfreebies.com

It’s a month of changes for freebies and myself. I’m now on blogger! Will this blog’s relocation impact it’s home on A4F? I-Deal’s nettling “mailing list” issue; Brad Powers and the future of Brandarama; guileful Canadian network strikes again, and more! I’m ready to tackle tonight’s topics, and will discuss a letter from a member.

First, I must announce my blog’s new home on the web.

blogger: http://wozniack.blogspot.com/

That’s the link. Since A4F is it’s birthplace that’s where it will stay. I’ve had my blogspot since 2004, and what better time to use it? It’s sat for years without content. I moved it a week ago, and have been reading tutorials on Adwords. The move was for archiving and security. If anything happens here I want my content to be safe. My problem now is the links. You will notice many of them are not clickable. Blogger relies on basic HTML tags whereas A4F blogs use brackets.

I added the periods so the raw code would appear.

Example:

[.img]http://www.linktoyourimagehere.com[./img] = A4F.

<.img src="http://www.linktoyourimagehere.com"><./a> = blogger.

When I copy and paste my A4F blog links, it shows the raw code rather than having a clickable link there. I know HTML and how to make changes, but given the number of links in these entries it would take hours of editing. Maybe I can use an HTML generator to get the job done faster? I’m trying it! Nonetheless, moving this blog has been planned for half a year, and I’m happy its over. Either I dawdled, or I would forget. I’m not expecting to make a fortune, nor do I want it on the news (lol), it’s simply the next step in having the information accessible to people across the globe and storing the content. I will be honest. If it proved barren I wouldn’t have branched out. What would the point be if it wasn’t remotely interesting? I leap into each entry with a pad of notes and topics, my pen, and quirky imagination. If there’s one thing I fear it’s producing something so incredible you have to top it the next time, or make it just as good. I experienced that with these entries and numerous activities. After my “Subscriberbase Holdings Inc….” entry I was timid of the following one. I took a risk with the rant, and it worked out in my favour. Gambling isn’t bad if you want to achieve a certain goal. It’s also okay if you cannot exceed your previous work. Every masterpiece is distinct in some way.

My new sig. It perfectly describes the way I’m feeling right now. It’s great because I could use the laugh! And my avatar is of Brad Powers sleeping, and I put “Brad Powers… zzzzzzzzzzz” beneath it, haha. Rocks made the bananarama image. Thanks, Rocks!!

When a network’s future is hanging in the balance, what does that mean? Is Brandarama headed for disaster, or falling behind? Years back, they were esteemed for timely prize fulfillment, and of course, solvency. Who are Active Response Group? ARG is an online lead generation and ad network company based in New York. ARG was founded in 2004 and began connecting advertisers and brands with consumers. The CEO is Brad Powers, who is a family man that resides in NYC, NY. In his early years, he grew up in New Rochelle, NY, and matriculated into Clark University where he studied psychology. From there, he quickly became a patriarch in the corner of this place we call the web. His clientele includes Forbes, Atkins, Blockbuster, American Express, Wal-Mart, and his business is booming. He was nominated for Silicon Alley’s 100 People’s Choice; has the wife, kid, picket fence and dog. So where did it all go wrong for his Brandarama cash cow? Is it the bitter end? Read on for current details on prize fulfillment, and ARGs next move. Btw, the psychology course may come in handy as we all could use a little therapy right now, lol. Bad joke!

Check deliveries were “staggered” with a scheduled date for April 17, 2009. April 17, 2009 has passed; there is still time for checks to arrive though it’s doubtful. The latest news is Brandarama is now fulfilling gifts, not Mpell.

“Additionally, we have been informed today, (within the last hour), Active Response has stated they will be taking over the fulfillment process and be responsible for issuing checks. Thank you!”

Straight from Mpell’s CS. Does this mean a longer wait? Brandarama will pay us, however, they have strung us along. Why? Need extra time to weed more people out? Stalling to build up funds to remit payment? Impending bankruptcy? Who knows? They have always been known for delays. I’m trying to figure out why Mpell was involved if Brandarama planned on shipping gifts. They have went back and forth. They requested Mpell to direct all inquiries to them, and now they’re in charge of prize fulfillment. Besides the audits, I’m curious if documentation is the only hold up? I realize the number of certificates they have… My guess is they’re double checking everything since they have control.

Before now, Mpell had to deal with tons of complaints. They fired back at someone with this response. The bolded paragraph was uncalled for.

“I truly do apologize that you have been waiting so long for your gifts and that you are upset with the redemption process. I do understand your frustrations and concerns, and I want to clarify a few things for you.

Our company, Mpell Solutions, is a fulfillment house and has been contracted by Active Response Group to fulfill these promotional items for their customers. The terms and conditions of these offers have been set and chosen by Active Response Group.

If you have an issue with the redemption process, I would recommend giving Active Response customer support line a call at 877-312-7263.

Also, If you were confirmed/verified with Brandarama I do wonder why you took part in the redemption process when you knew that we were hired to do a job. You say Mpell sent you a certificate saying the only way to get your gifts was to go buy the items yourself. Why would you give a company you’ve never heard of your personal information and buy the items? Did you follow directions knowing that was the only way to receive your promised gifts with Brandarama? It would appear so. Unfortunately, as you stated earlier, Active Response is known for delays and I sincerely hope that you will call them and get reimbursement soon. Please forward all your questions to them.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Mpell Solutions Customer Service
support@mpellsolutions.com
(800) 450-1575″

I should have mentioned this last year:

According to this information Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. munificently filled ARGs pockets with 10 million dollars. 10 million dollars is a hefty loan… Must have needed it, eh? That was in 2007, so they obviously spent at least half of it by now. I think they have many unpaid debts. In my research I found court cases, misc. debts, and even forums. On one forum is Peter Cunningham, ARGs finance manager. He replied to someone in a thread about a payment, but only posted once.

Months later somebody posted:

“Even we are having major issues in collecting payments from them.

Active Response Group owes us close to $30,000 as dues since May 2008. We’ve tried contacting everyone (including Peter), and were initially promised payment for the first 3-4 months. Post October, they’ve stopped responding to phone calls or emails; I’m wondering if they are still in business!

I think it’s reached extremely serious proportions now; we should all get together and do something to recover our dues.”

A post from an advertiser on March 7, 2009:

“Active Response Group owes us for payments from June, July and August 2008. Initially, they were really late in paying and now it has completely ceased. I have contacted Peter Cunningham and he keeps promising partial if not all payments and then another month goes by and we have to start the calling again.”

It’s clear to us by now they owe. Will we be rewarded? If chapter 11 is filed, they can’t keep themselves going. It would hurt us for them to fizzle out before checks arrived. If they don’t pay us it’s because they can’t, not because they don’t want to. They kept in contact with us, hired Mpell, and set dates. Who would do that if they insisted on not paying? To take action, or to not take action? That is the question. Supposedly they shipped checks, so let’s see if they arrive this week, or if that information was given to stall. I’m waiting until May before complaining since they have been harmonious with me so far. I’m not saying they’re going bankrupt, we just can’t rule out the possibility of it. I’m considering all odds right now, and what my best course of action is. My advice is don’t take them to court unless it’s unavoidable. Is the iron hot enough?

Speaking of Brandarama, the “rip-off” site has nabbed it’s latest victim! Once you’ve been caught by these manslayers there’s no return… Ah, perhaps that was too harsh, lol. Anyway, I was PMed by an anonymous member who was cozened by this bunch. I’m sharing his story in hopes none of you complete their sites.

“hi woz,

the canadian company is not legit. i have tried a site by them, it was 3 offers for a $25 starbucks gift card. terrible i know, but i found a bunch of offers i’d never seen, so i tried it out. customer service was rude to me from the beginning. i wasnt receiving emails so i tried them from another address and they emailed me there, they brought up a “crystal ball” at one point meaning they cant read my mind? is that even necessary? i’m supposed to be approved at this point, but conveniently, they dodged my emails since they got their offers completed by me. i got one response back, that was you completed your offers, you have won, congrats, we will send you info as soon as possible. when i asked what info, when, and how, what next, etc., no reply. i got one reply when i threatened to report them to everyone under the sun, in the USA and Canada as well (so they know im not joking, im on to them). i got a bogus response that “this is their second response to me” and quoted gift rule #3 which i had already completed and they acknowledged that. i sent back one final threatening e-mail to let them know their days are numbered, once i get a hold of all the consumer protection agencies and avenues.

do not touch this company. the terms, the offers list, the EULA, the copyright 2004, it *is* a brandarama ripoff. there is no account status page b/c it is a ripoff. sadly it is what it looks like. too bad they werent sophisticated enough to fake it better. theyre probably pocketing all the earnings they get from not paying people, and thats how they pay graphic artists, advertise on the radio, start an 800 number for the laptop site, etc. but noone is receiving anything from them.

fraud!

anonymous”

Uh, crystal ball?! Who hired these clowns? If I was the boss they would be fired on the spot. That’s unprofessional, and NOT how you treat customers. Even I-Deal CS has more decency. They use radio ads to attract people, and some of their sites have contact pages and phone numbers. So they are advertising multiple sites? Eventually they will vanish as there is only so much mulcting you can do. We need to spread the word of their corruptness so this can’t happen to anybody else. Turn one’s negative experience into a positive thing. I wrote them off long ago, but if there are anymore stories on these weasels I’d love to hear them! I wish you luck with this issue, anonymous. Keep us posted, and thanks for sharing!

I-Deal disposed all chances of certain individuals qualifying to do their sites, and it’s becoming a pattern. This has never happened to me, but I have witnessed others go through it. If you are “unsubscribed” from their mailing list they go bonkers. If you get off their list, good luck getting back on. As a safety precaution I wouldn’t unsubscribe from any spam e-mails. Spam sucks, but it’s not worth the risk. Avoid the little link at the bottom of the e-mail because it might tie into DIY networks. Just don’t click on the e-mail at all, and delete it. More needs to be done. If you read beammeup’s comment below you will see his reason is different. Someone else, who I will leave anonymous, signed up for I.D. watchdog, and was removed from their list.

It’s an identity theft site, which is also a trial offer: http://www.idwatchdog.com

I would hate for the offer to be on other networks, people try it, then be excluded from I-Deal’s program. I’m researching this subject, and may update this if I find more. I’m interested to find out if there are more sites out there like idwatchdog, and points2shop.com. We need to compile a list for our reference.

*links ‘n such*

I-Deal–

http://www.electronicsdepot.us.com/?config=5437 – 12 offers, 2 refs/42″ plasma

http://www.electronicsdepot.us.com/?config=5528 – 8 offers, no refs/DJ equipment

http://www.electronicsdepot.us.com/?config=5216 – 12 offers, 1 ref/Lenovo Y510 series laptop

http://www.electronicsdepot.us.com/?config=5389 – 6 offers, no refs/Rock Band 2 special edition

I want to thank a few people… My interviewees Schizerbone and RocksJa. Even though we never properly ended the interview it still turned out great! RocksJa again for the bananarama image. I’ll have fun with it! haha. Kinneylamb, for just being there; all the late night infomercial fun, and for the Adwords and Adsense e-books. The e-books coupled with my other material will help greatly. Thanks!! You guys rock.

Planning on getting links up this weekend, so I’m leaving this open. Check back in guys! The latest updates from me, and I will have more next month. I have been busy busy busy, and playing my Wii in between. zzzzzzzzzz. Maybe by the time the next blog hits we will have our checks in hand, eh? One can dream. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I love hearing from you!

Your DIY consultant,

wozniack

Allow me to introduce this blog’s first interview! Schizerbone and RocksJa sat down to dish dirt on freebie networks, the annual A4F awards, and share their thoughts on A4F/FLR members. Here it is. Enjoy!

Wozniack: *pouring coffee for my guests*

Schizerbone: *takes a sip of the coffee*….ARGH, that was hot, are you trying to kill me? I’m suing you for millions.

Wozniack: I can’t be sued. :`(

Wozniack: *getting ice cubes for the coffee* …we need these fast!!

Wozniack: First we will start with RocksJa. RocksJa, you wanted to be nominated last year, but you weren’t. How did it feel to see your name for the first time?

RocksJa: It came kinda late since I was more active at my start. Still I was sort of surprised for 2 reasons. First I had forgotten about [i][/i]the whole user of the year thing and second I didn’t expect to see myself up there after the whole battlemod fiasco.

Wozniack: It’s always a surprise to be nominated because you never know who it will be! On Battlemod, were you surprised as well that things turned out the way they did with people opting out of the game?

RocksJa: Oh wow, I had a feeling it would turn out like that because a few people told me. At first I didn’t get why they would opt out. I thought to myself, why not just quit the game? But to each their own, and I guess after you got your stats up there even if you quit it felt funny getting killed. To me it was just a game which I left because it got personal on the other side. But this is all in the past, it was last summer…

Wozniack: I see. In the past is right! I was glad things calmed down a bit after the summer.

Wozniack: Schizerbone, with staunch allies supporting your votes, it’s no doubt you prevailed! Did you have a strategy to gain votes outside your inner circle? This is about the User of the Year voting, btw.

Schizerbone: Ah, user of the year. Okay, so at first I didn’t have to ask anybody, I was in the lead by a healthy margin. Of course, then the shenanigans started and I had to get more votes. First, of course, I asked friends, and old school A4Fers. Then I asked site owners. There was no way a site owner would say no… they’re too into pleasing everyone. The core of my votes were from old schoolers, and site owners/reps.

Wozniack: Ah, I see. Yeah, I agree about asking site owners. I figured you stuck with the old school crowd.

Wozniack: RocksJa, It was an intense competition. How hard was it to stay cool under pressure?

RocksJa: It was but I wasn’t under any pressure, lol. I only asked a few people a few days after I found out, and then a few on the last day. I was rarely on during those voting weeks.

Wozniack: Oh. It was a little heated in the lounge though… Do you think it was a more intense for Red even though he wasn’t in the competition? I know you both are friends, and he stuck by you.

RocksJa: I can’t speak for him. He really wanted to win, he loves A4F just like you do or did. I remember when I told him I almost voted for him. He’s a true fighter, he even made himself a campaign.

Wozniack: I made an error… Had a “senior moment.” Red WAS in the competition! My bad. Red is a fighter… That’s so awesome that he made his own campaign. I would have voted for him myself! But out of all the great members you can only select one per poll.

Wozniack: Schizerbone, you were on a roll, what made you stop contending for “Best Blog”?

Schizerbone: Well, my last blog on A4F was taken down and my blog wasn’t going to be on A4F from then on, so it was really pointless to win a best blog that wasn’t even going to be on A4F. Also, emoney said people were only going to get one personal tag no matter how many they won, so I figured it would be best to just go for User of the Year.

Wozniack: That’s understandable. I’m sorry your last blog was removed. Do you feel your blog has been more of a success since it’s departure from A4F?

Schizerbone: For sure. I usually just send my new blog entry links to a few people…and random people end up IMing me about it. It spreads by word of mouth and there are no restrictions (even though a fake lawyer tried to get me to stop). I feel like my blog has vastly improved because I’m expanding my blog writing abilities…plus the influx of FLR members….which has made my life so much better.

Wozniack: Yeah, I saw the comments made by the “fake lawyer”, lol. How crazy! To think someone would write that much, pretending to be a lawyer… If you could tell people who are trying to do this “as a job” anything, what would that be? It’s not a good idea, IMO. Also, why do you think so many FLRians are migrating to A4F?

Schizerbone: Doing freebie sites as a job is dumb…plain and simple. People are quitting their jobs to do this “full time”…when sites start closing and new users stop coming, they will feel stupid. I try to help, but they are stubborn…all I can do is show how stupid they sound, hoping they stop. I know why they are migrating to A4F…it’s because the traffic has all but stopped on FLR. Just a few months ago, they didn’t care about A4F and if A4F closed down, they wouldn’t even notice, and now they’re here as if they didn’t think this. People like qmiller and lauryn99 are clearly faking their “love” for A4F just to get a few extra trades.

Schizerbone: Yeah, that lawyer has to be fake, he messed up his e-mail address TWICE…lol, I just wish I knew who made him up.

Wozniack: Do you think the economy has contributed to the influx of people quitting their jobs, hoping to find any kind of work?

Schizerbone: I don’t mind people getting money from freebie sites to pay bills or whatever…but people have to realize they cannot rely on this. It is an unstable “business.” Plus, I’m sure the advertisers would love it if they saw what FLRers have turned incentive sites into. If advertisers actually saw the way FLRers use these sites, they’d probably never get into incentive marketing.

Wozniack: That’s true. Very unstable! I always urge people to seek freebies as a hobby, or to put their earnings towards one or two bills.

Wozniack: Now, a question for you both… RocksJa and Schizerbone, looking back would you change anything about this contest?

Schizerbone: I would have made fun of Texas Tornado Deb earlier in the contest…I waited until after, and that was a mistake on my part.

Wozniack: Why TexasTornadoDeb? What did she do?

Schizerbone: She garnered quite a few votes for RocksJa…Rocks never asked for it, she did it purely to try to defeat me. She went as far as paying people to vote against me.

Wozniack: *nods*

RocksJa: Only one thing, I’d probably would’ve cast my vote for Twon.

Wozniack: Who did you vote for, RocksJa?

RocksJa: Myself. But in my defense, I voted towards the end since it looks selfish, lol.

Wozniack: lol. I would have voted for myself, too! That’s okay… Though last year my vote went to Finsfan instead of me.

RocksJa: Peer pressure?

Wozniack: I wouldn’t say peer pressure, I just felt a little selfish voting for myself, haha… He beat me up afterwards for it though.

Wozniack: Schizerbone, How did you find out about TexasTornadoDeb’s voting system?

Schizerbone: We’ll call her TTD…TTD told me about her voting system…. she basically had no shame about it. Sad, but it didn’t work, so it’s all good.

Wozniack: Gotcha. TTD is easier to type.

RocksJa: Bone, question? Are you gonna catch the Prison break finale, or did you stop watching it before the last season started? lol.

Schizerbone: No, I actually watched all 16 episodes this season. But it’s on break right? Hasn’t been back for awhile.

RocksJa: Yeah, they made us wait 2-3 months for the finale.

RocksJa: Its 4/17.

Wozniack: RocksJa, your thread on Youngcannon in trader support helped make A4F a safer place. For this you were a great candidate! What made you reach out and help him given his history of complaints?

RocksJa: You mean, why did I loan him money?

Wozniack: Yes. It was awfully nice of you.

RocksJa: Meh, looking back at that it was a huge risk wasn’t it? I thought I could help him out, and he could change. I thought to myself what if I changed the way members on A4F looked at youngcannon. I tried .I failed.

Wozniack: You did your best, and that’s really all you could do. He had to make the change himself. It’s always sad to lose a member.

Wozniack: Schizerbone, any thoughts on Youngcannon? Did you have any trades or dealing with him, maybe in the “sell/trade” section of A4F?

RocksJa: Sadder to lose money. lol

Wozniack: Yeah, haha… You might be right, RocksJa!

Schizerbone: I don’t think I ever traded with him, but youngcannon will have a special place in my heart….he was the first person I ever blogged about. He started the whole thing.

Wozniack: Aww.

Wozniack: You recently celebrated 15,000 posts! Congratulations! Or has it been a good month since you reached the 15K mark? This is directed towards you, btw, Schizerbone.

Schizerbone: Thanks…It’s been a little while since 15k. It was fun for sure. I tried to make my 15,000th post epic…not enough people noticed, but it was still fun to type up.

Wozniack: How did you discover A4F? Did you think you would hang around for as long as you have?

Schizerbone: My cousin showed me the site. He knew about both fipg and a4f…luckily he forgot the fipg URL, so I signed up to A4F…and I made like $50 for my first trade and I was hooked. I didn’t know how long I’d stay, but the more I traded, the more I got immersed in it…I don’t trade as much anymore, but it’s still awesome to be there.

Wozniack: Awesome! It’s easy to get hooked after your first trade, and you meet cool people who share the same interest, freebies, in the process. What site did your $50.00 prize come from?

Schizerbone: Oh, it wasn’t a site, it was a trade with Kerms…he was paying people $60 for Earthlink…and I think it was $10 a month, so $50 profit…lol

Wozniack: Cool, haha.

Wozniack: RocksJa, You’re a gaming guru! Which A4F Arcade game is your favourite and why?

RocksJa: Gaming guru, lol, hardly. I’ve only gotten some high scores early on, and some other games which people don’t play as much. My fav game was Desktop TD. I was the first high score on it.

Wozniack: What was your first high score on Desktop TD, if you can remember?

RocksJa: Not sure, maybe 4-5K. It took a few weeks for people to get the secret formula to score high on that game.

Wozniack: Yeah, it usually takes me a few tries before I score a high number. But once I start playing a game more and more I gradually build up my experience. I was able to beat Red on Butt Scan! You introduced me to that late one night, haha.

Wozniack: Lastly, some questions from my readers. Either of you can answer these.

Wozniack: What are your thoughts on some of the new networks such as CashYowza?

RocksJa: Heh, I haven’t tried it since I haven’t done any trading for a few months. I’ve been hearing about them, PrizeFast, and PrizePanda a lot though.

Schizerbone: I have something to say about CashYowza…I’ve never seen his sites or anything…but I know he spammed a bunch to get his minimum number of posts….I basically can’t work on a site like that….

Wozniack: Yeah, PrizePanda and PrizeFast are cool… I remember Mr. Gabriel (PrizeFast owner) when he first joined A4F.

Wozniack: Oh, I never knew he spammed, lol.

Schizerbone: PrizePanda is really cool, as is Innovusnet, but I still stick with the old reliables…mostly Free4me.

Wozniack: CashYowza has a promo going on though, which didn’t look bad. I guess that’s what caught my eye.

Wozniack: Fondest freebies industry memory?

RocksJa: lol @ CashYowza. ;p

I am Wozniack: lol.

RocksJa: Fondest freebie memory would be receiving that first freepay amazon cert when, and not stressing out about it at all.

RocksJa: Early 08′

Wozniack: Wasn’t that a big payment? Over a grand? Or am I thinking about your last Freepay gift?

RocksJa: No, the first one I went for was for $599.

Wozniack: Oh.

RocksJa: I felt I sort of made my own luck going with freepay. No one was actively seeking referrals for them in early 08′.

Wozniack: Wasn’t Freepay experiencing a delay in prize fulfillment? You or Harout were happy you finally received a major amazon gift, but the wait was brutal.

RocksJa: Yeah, I felt at risk the first time but I sort of learned how they were doing things. The second time around I was confident and I knew the wait would be anywhere from 4-6 months.

Wozniack, How much was your big amazon gift from Freepay? Wasn’t it about $1,300.00?

RocksJa: Was it, I forgot? I think it was 1.2K.

Wozniack: I couldn’t imagine waiting 4-6 months… But then again I have been waiting on Brandarama for 2 years.

Schizerbone: My fondest freebie memory was receiving the first paypal payment too…which was the $60 from Kerms… Receiving my plasma TV might have topped that though.

Wozniack: Cool gifts guys! Did you snap a pic of that shiny plasma, Schizerbone?

Schizerbone: I do have a pic of the plasma…it’s somewhere on A4F.

Wozniack: Schizerbone, on the plasma, didn’t you say you earned it from I-Deal? We talked before, and you told me you completed a MHFG (musthavefreegifts) site, and an I-Deal site as well.

Schizerbone: Actually, the plasma was from somethin4nothin (now swiftrewards)….the I-deal TV I got was an EDTV… two different TVs…I also got $1500 from musthavefreegifts, and a $1200 amazon GC from freepay…those were probably my four biggest prizes.

Wozniack: Wow, Schizerbone! That’s amazing.

Wozniack: Where do you see the freebies industry headed?

RocksJa: I’m not a freebie pro so I wouldn’t be able to take this. S’boner, feel free to take this one…

Wozniack: *brewing more java*

Wozniack: More coffee coming.

RocksJa: At this time?

Wozniack: Probably should have done it sooner.

Schizerbone: lol…

Schizerbone: I see the freebies industry turning into crap for a little while….especially with the economic downturn and the PPD/FLR mentoring and all that. Hopefully the people who turned this into a business end up leaving and then the freebie industry makes a comeback. Either way, I’m optimistic…

Wozniack: Right on. Gotta be optimistic during these tough times.

Wozniack: What’s your favourite freebie site? What’s your least favourite?

Wozniack: I’m not sure how easy the second one is, lol…

Schizerbone: Favorite freebie site = free4me, no doubt. Least favorite = Git-r-Free.

RocksJa: My favourite would be Trainn. The least favourite would be untitled. I don’t think I’ll feel comfortable expressing my opinions about someone’s freebie site.

Wozniack: I respect that, RocksJa.

Wozniack: Do you like emoney?

RocksJa: ?

Wozniack: A silly question someone asked. It was on my list, haha.

RocksJa: Clarify that, would you?

Schizerbone: Yes, emoney rocks unless emoney himself asked that question….if he did, then he sucks.

Wozniack: To clarify. Is Emoney a cool person or not?

RocksJa: He’s half way there…I think he’d consider himself kewl not cool though.

Wozniack: If you had the choice: bacon, hamburger, chicken, or fish.

Schizerbone: Chicken, no doubt.

Wozniack: Chicken for me.

RocksJa: Chicken breast, because hamburger is not really a good choice for beef.

Wozniack: Yeah, I see whatcha mean.

Wozniack: What do you think is your overall best contribution to this forum?

RocksJa: @ some of these questions…tell these people this! ;p

Schizerbone: I am the best contribution to the forum.

Wozniack: I will leave your comment in the interview. That way they will know their questions sucked, lol.

RocksJa: I think I have some artistic talent. I draw better then I use PS and Ai, believe it! Shout out to egyptianruin because I’ve noticed she has it too.

Wozniack: I’ve always known you and egyptianruin to exhibit colourful artwork! You’re both talented.

Wozniack: What is Ai? Adobe Imagestyler or something else? Sorry, lol.

RocksJa: Illustrator?

Wozniack: Oh, right!

Wozniack: Have you created anything interesting lately, RocksJa?

RocksJa: Yes, I like her Tags. First tags I’ve seen that I’ve liked.

RocksJa: Um, for myself on A4F? I put together my swagbucks signature banner that’s currently under my posts.

Schizerbone: Rocks made my avatar.

Wozniack: Ah, cool. I didn’t know you made that… I assumed it came from the “promote” section of swagbucks, lol.

RocksJa: Nah, their banners are wack. And mine offers 2000 A4F points? Can’t be from them.

Wozniack: Schizerbone, For the folks at home could you tell us what the fiery display (in your avatar) means?

Schizerbone: Yeah, it’s a skull being burned in hell….it represents my enemies, and the ones I’ve demolished in my blogs….and “vitriolic” is just the adjective I love to use to describe myself…..mostly it’s a warning…like “don’t mess with me!!”

Wozniack: Cool! Or should I say “hot”? haha. Well, it’s nice to know what it represents.

Schizerbone: speaking of “don’t mess with me”…the following people are on the “you’re next” list…qmiller aka qpaul…she called me a terrorist…the last person that did that was FreebieTeacher, and now he’s off somewhere in a padded room! Also, lucky777…and GiftMonster!! *evil eye*

Wozniack: What did you think of Lucky777′s bracelets?

Schizerbone: They seemed like really old “bracelets”…used a lot by a whole plethora of people…they seemed like they were trying their hardest to get away, but they couldn’t, so all they could do was droop low as a sign of sadness.

Wozniack: lol… I was shocked when I saw that pic, but it was cool.

RocksJa: Woz, did you see Notorious yet?

Wozniack: Not yet, but I might.

RocksJa: Bone, did you, or were you not into him?

Schizerbone: Biggie is one of my favorite rappers ever, but I didnt’ see the movie, looked like it sucked.

RocksJa: on that captcha thing it looks like they misspelled calcium

Wozniack: Yeah, I thought it was supposed to say “calcium”, too.

Wozniack: From Kyle, “Ask Schiz what his bra size is.”

Schizerbone: I stole Kyle’s bra…he’s mad….I can’t tell the size, but he’s got huge jugs.

RocksJa: Can’t believe the bathroom thread got bumped and is living again

Wozniack: I can’t either… What is so interesting about using the bathroom?

RocksJa: It is your thread?

Wozniack: Must be it.

RocksJa: :\

Wozniack: I attract people.

RocksJa: It was bumped with someone saying something about hearing the water make a splash.

The End.

Happy Easter everyone!

We have much to talk about… Brandarama audits and new terms, freebie companies in the news, and new links! I am outraged by Brandarama, and will give a summary on the current events. Grab a drink, recline, and read on!

Grab these Easter basket promos on A4F! :bunny:

*Hot New Networks*

CashYowza– Get ready for excitement! This new network is brimming with goodies this month; free greens, 10% increased payouts, $100.00 raffle, and more! How can you refuse? http://www.anything4free.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=152348

Friends & Freebies– 10% bonuses on every cash out and free greens. Get ‘em while you can!

Freebies4me– Special Payouts on ALL sites, including Offers4me which is $160 for 3 referrals! No limitations, but they expire on 4/30/2009. http://www.anything4free.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=152139

Online we read complaints from members on freebie sites. However, what are our reactions when we hear freebies criticized on television? That “shock” and “awe” feeling stems from freebies visiting a visual world, our t.v.s, when it’s always been in the virtual world. We tune in to the visual world to understand the subject matter of the episode. Weeks ago I saw a video kinneylamb posted in A4F’s news section. A man wasn’t paid by Brandarama, which incited him to go on the news. Considering the waiting period of 1-2 years, I get his boldness, especially if he’s never followed forums to gather current info, and only reads complaints. I’ll assume he never has, but I noticed some forum users go so far as to execute lawsuits. This may bring discreditability to them being on public display. Anyone can dig up grievances on these networks via the web, but it must be sought. With television, it comes to us.

Link to the Brandarama video and news report:

Check out this Freepay video. DIY networks aren’t the only one’s exposed!

Even the local news:

Gratis Internet wasn’t vilified in these videos, but those videos exist! It’s important to not believe everything you hear or read. Some things are true. But for the X amount of negative reportings, there are just as many positive ones.

Take this forum for example: http://www.retail-worker.com/forum/post-86606.html

It’s sources like these that deter people from legitimate networks. The first poster says, “EX, this is a huge scam! It has even been on the news. If you see this, you should not even open it.” See the point I made earlier about television? We don’t search for it, it comes to us. I am not saying it can’t easily be found on the internet because it can. The majority of people who discovered freebies on the news aren’t internet savvy, or never stumbled upon it. They were misinformed, and ruined it for others via word-of-mouth. Aside from networks losing business, it sullies their reputation. What about networks that aren’t proven legit? They are rarely talked about, if at all. One of the companies I mentioned is the famed Brandarama knock-off. I need to remember their name instead of calling them that, lol. Their sites now have contact boxes and a telephone number! They were advertised on the radio, too. Someone claimed they never got paid after doing everything by the book… Unless they further prove themselves, I’m still staying away. If there’s anything I hate more it’s telling someone they’ve been had. I will watch this company for any changes.
Let’s discuss how to conduct healthy search results, shall we? It can make all the difference. If you want to investigate a “scam site”, as some of you put it, open Google (www.google.com). In the search bar type in “producttestpanel”, not “producttestpanel scam.” If you type in the name of a network complaint sites/forums will still appear, just not as many. All the words you put in the query will be used. Keep it as simple as possible; “producttestpanel free laptop”, “producttestpanel laptop”, “free 500 gift card”, etc. Ignore negative sources by seeking the positive one’s that are revealed. Gather as much information to see if the questionable network has shipped before, learning their past and present history. Knowing their timeline is beneficial so you learn if they are good in the moment, and note the events that led to their current status. If your search is empty, leave it alone. Chances are if the network isn’t talked about nobody’s doing them, and there is a reason for that. That’s sufficient. If anything else comes to mind this will be updated.

It will be interesting to see the sum of news reports– I’ll be watching them all! I’m really excited about freebies in general this year. Not because of my $4,500.00 Brandarama check, but that’s a start. It feels like new happenings are taking place. Trainn sites and other referral-based networks, and DIYs on the rise! If we all work together in unison much can be accomplished. The world of freebies is ever-changing; if I can offer insight on the highs and lows of the freebie industry, notably DIY networks, that’s grand! It’s hard to be optimistic though. Read on.

Marching back into the Brandarama/Mpell parade… The blogging on them is constant, but we must trudge through it. I wouldn’t be writing about it unless it wasn’t important. I want to address the new terms. Yes, that’s right, “new terms.” I hate this because I must commit the new terms to memory as well remember the old terms, and how they effected them before. It’s a new chapter. *turning the DIY textbook page* lol. It’s like Nuitech, but not as bad. You must keep all, but a select number of offers for 30 days. Meaning you must remain a member with those sponsors for 30 days with the exception of cancelling a specific total as shown in the chart below.

If I did a 0-3 offer site I can’t cancel offers. If I did a site 4-5 offer site I may cancel 1 offer and so on so forth. Keeping the offer 30 days beats 60 days any day of the week, which is what Nuitech required. All offers must be completed within 90 days, not 180 like before; 3 months in lieu of 6. All requirements must be satisfied, including mailing in your documentation within 90 days of the sign-up date. This new procedure is intact to extinguish countless offer cancellations. It may prove fruitful for the future of Brandarama. We don’t like it, but it’s tolerable.

Read their T&C for further info: http://www.brandarama.com/lch.php?lk=431&sesp=395_4620&pzid=&bid=1

Mpell. People received checks, but they came from Brandarama. The rest of us to get our payments early to mid April, the scheduled date, will receive them from Mpell. All certificates will be paid on one check, and the checks are shipping regular mail. Proceed with caution as you do NOT want to discard your check by mistake! Now for the discouraging news… Unbeknownst to Mpell, Brandarama shipped audit letters to members for various reasons.

The letter:

“To you

Re : Suspension of Gift Programs

Dear you,

In order to provide exceptional service to our customers, we periodically audit compliance with the terms and conditions of the various gift programs we administer. Please be advised that we have conducted an audit of your participation with Brandarama, YourTopBrands, or other of our Gift Programs. (“Programs”). The results of such audit suggest that your actions may have violated the terms of the Programs and constitute an attempt to defraud or otherwise mislead us so that you may receive, or have received, monetary compensation or gifts to which you would not otherwise be entitled to under the terms of the Programs.

Our investigation had revealed that the terms of the Program have been violated, in that you completed the same sponsor offer multiple times under different email accounts. Please see the attached account summary as evidence of your violation(s).

If you beleive that the result of our audit is in error, please provide a written response to audit@activeresponsegroup.com within 10 days of the date of this notice explaining in detail why you beleive that the results summarized above are inaccurate, so that we can make a final determination as to whether the terms of the Programs have, in fact, been violated. Please note that your participation in the Programs, to include all accounts referenced in the attached account summary, has been temporarily suspended.

Please be advised that if you fail to respond within the time period set forth above, all of your accounts in all Programs shall be terminated, not subject to reinstatement under any circumstances, and that you are not eligible for any future rewards that you may otherwise be entitled to under the Programs. In addition, your violation MAY result in the forfeiture of any monetary compensation or gifts you may have already received. In such event, we reserve the right to take such necessary legal action againest you in order to reclaim any compensation and/or gifts you obtained in violation of the Programs.

Sincerly,

Active Response Group, Inc
Legal Department”

I have a problem with that. If they want to crack down on frauders, fine. But don’t make EVERYONE spend money on expensive gifts they don’t need, and will probably return later. Here is an example of where my mind is.

At the inpour of documention to their office it went like this:

Guy #1, “Hey! There’s more than we expected… Mpell received tons of certificates. *scratches head* Let’s think up new ways to disqualify people!”

Guy #2, “*masticating doughnut; unintelligible* Disqual…ify? *munch munch*”

Guy #1, “Yes, and for theatrical effect we’ll throw in new rules, even though they weren’t in the old terms. I’m thinking multiple e-mail addresses. How are you doing over there? Got anything?”

Guy #3, “I’m workin’ on it, eh. Why not send them audit letters, even those who’ve been loyal?”

Guy #1, “Great thinking, Guy #3! I love it when a plan comes together. *imitating Hannibal from the A-Team*”

I want to point out this isn’t directed at the customer service team at Brandarama, there are other people there as well. They don’t like it anymore than we do. Back on track… So the reasons for these audits are for those who duplicated offers, same household, and mulitple e-mails. Repeating offers is wrong, so I understand that. Moving forward, it was confirmed by CS when someone asked, “What is your policy on multiple residents from the same household doing your sites? Can someone else that lives here do the same gifts that I did?” Their response, “Any member of you household can sign up for the same gifts as you have, they just need to use a different email address to sign up.” E-mails seem to be the main concern. Many members, myself included, used a different e-mail per domain. Avoiding a steady flow of spam hitting my main e-mail address, I used several. I also read the old T&C thoroughly, and found nothing about multiple e-mails. I can see it if someone used multiple e-mails on the same domain, but yeah. Not everyone who had multiple domains received the letter, I guess there’s more to it. I don’t know. Thankfully, I haven’t received the LOD (Letter of Doom) yet; if I do, all untrue claims in it will be repudiated. I followed the rules. It’s one thing to DQ somebody for breaking them, but if they haven’t where is the justice? All DIY networks are merciless, let this be proof of that. At the sight of valid paperwork hitting their desks they went bananas. More DQing, less checks in the mail.

Brandarama’s former T&C: http://web.archive.org/web/20070705092507/www.brandarama.com/lch2.php?lk=430&bid=1&sesp=395_5072

Their merge with Transtech also fell apart, and that didn’t help. Which brings me to Mpell. They weren’t privy on this knowledge. Since they approved people could they be in hot water as well if anyone took legal action? If so, I feel for them. Nothing about this is fair. Although I did not receive a letter, I’m bothered by the fact they approved us then took these measures. I considered doing Brandarama again despite the 30-day change in their new T&C, but if they’re struggling like this with finances I’d rather not. It would only mean more waiting, stricter rules, and a higher DQ rate before a possible demise. Sure, their T&C is tighter, but who knows what else will happen? I don’t care to find out, personally. I will report it here, but I’m taking a vacation from Brandarama– possibly for good. It’s bittersweet. While it’s sad to leave them behind, I have good memories. The first gift they shipped me 4 years ago was a $100.00 Walgreens gift card. *sniff sniff!!* Pulling out the tissue for this one. j.k I exclaimed, “So cool!! I’m using it today.” I returned that Saturday night with enough toothpaste and tissue to fill a wagon. It was the end of September, too, so I bought Halloween candy and decorated my house, haha. Ah well. You have to work a little harder sometimes to get what you want, that’s fine by me. The ride was wobbly, but still a joy. It’s easy to forget the good moments when you’re dealing with these matters.

I hope those who respond to the audits get some relief. I guess I’m OK. I remain letterless, and my domains are working fine. Some had problems logging in to their accounts, and received responses stating they were ineligible for their gift(s). By Friday if I’m still without a letter I should be good to go. :sweatdrop:

An Easter egg hunt filled with treats awaits! Each egg holds a new link!

*links ‘n such*

YFD–

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I-Deal–

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Unfortunately, April is off to a tumultuous start. *sigh* kinneylamb, we could really use that Brandarama song right now! If you don’t grasp that, kinneylamb and I have a tune for Brandarama. It’s been onerous, but we can use all the song we get!

“The Official Brandarama Song”

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there’s always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don’t let show

Lean on me, when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
‘Til I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me

So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you’d understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me when you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on
For it won’t be long
Till I’m gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Lean on me…

On that note (pun intended), I’m closing this entry. I hope this finds you well, and I will return with more! Maybe we can absolve ourselves and be rewarded. 2 years is long enough…

wozniack