DIYfreebies.com

Welcome to my anniversary blog!! I hope everyone is well tonight. Before I go any further, let me explain what’s in store… We’re kicking it off with a report on the annual Ad-tech convention with surprise guests; Brandarama 1099 form slip; Canadian company posing as major wholesale food club, and– contests!! What better way to give back to my audience than to allow them to win prizes for all their support? The contests will be held near the end of this entry.

This blog has gone farther than I ever thought it would. I didn’t think I would still be writing a year from now. It’s a time of growth and reflection. My fondest entries of 2008: Taxation, Brandarama letters, CNN + Oprah, Klee Irwin… and The uprise of Brandarama, decline of Adteractive, and much much more explained! It was impossible to narrow it down. The first link was well-rounded, educational, and funny. The second link is the first time I got my hands dirty. It’s how it all began. The highlights for 2008: Acquisis breaking out. I wasn’t sure of them, but took the plunge. I-Deal shipping a tractor last year. Nuitech having 8 offer laptop deals without the “old terms” applying. Me finding the 3 offer/$300.00 ($250.00 + $50.00 bonus) YFD deal, then someone made a thread and everybody jumped in on it. I still took the old school route of finding links then, now it’s easier. And I never realized the amount of emoticons, lol. You may have noticed the reduction in recent entries.

With other blogs I was never this vocal. It’s not that nobody listened, it wasn’t entertaining enough… Even I was bored, heh. I wrote about life, gave music/book reviews, posted artwork, however, I felt it was done a million times over on the internet. I gave up on it. People’s strengths differ on subject matters, or they lack the avidity to keep it going. Loss of enthusiasm makes for a dull post. For example. Let’s say I knew somebody who constantly blogged about movies. He had 350+ subscribers, climbing to 568 comments after 7 months of blogging. Stayed up-to-date on every feature; saw such and such a zillion times; recalled every line, proving himself to be the modern-day Siskel. I couldn’t match that. Ever. Now, freebies are another ball game; I’ll talk your head off!! haha. The capability to write this is a gift I can give to all of you. This anniversary event is a first, and hopefully not the last! This blog has upheld the weight of the freebie industry. It’s tackled settlements, underhanded companies, warning signs, drama/A4F blog contest– you name it! Like a ship with a broken sail, it somehow mended and braved the sea.

First let’s talk about Ad:tech. The weeks are flying by as the freebie world spins with Ad:tech in motion. Ad:tech Expositions, LLC holds conferences and exhibitions for interactive marketing companies. It’s a place for networking and connecting with top professionals on a personal level. The company was founded in 1996, and is headquartered in Larkspur, California. Each year Ad:tech hosts events in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. Such attendees include CEOs, CMOs, advertising and sales executives, product and brand managers, and e-commerce. Big names like Brad Powers of Active Response Group, and Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba, make appearances.

Pics taken from the 2008 Ad:tech convention in San Francisco. Click to enlarge.

Jordan Finger from Ardis, and Brad Powers (on the right).

I know the guy on the left, but I forgot his name. Dean Graziosi is on the right. He’s always in those late night infomercials.

lmao @ the beginning. An inside view:

Scott Cohen, allegedly stepped down from the Board of Directors at ARG, and is now CEO of Dimestore Media, a digital media company. He speaks at conferences for interactive media and internet advertising. Born and bred in Rochester, NY, he remained in familiarity, establishing a real estate firm in 1981. He graduated from the University of Rochester, earning his MBA in 1988. At the apex of his career, he cultivated a network of commercial real estate affiliates, which subsumed over 40 U.S. cities, handling multi-million dollar transactions. Senior level executive and co-founder of two IPO’s for nearly a decade– LivePerson, and 24/7 Media. Cohen worked with multifarious companies; Revlon, HCD Market Research, AOL, Marvel, MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Coopers & Lybrand, ShopNow, and others. Today his focus is interactive marketing, media, and entertainment. After 30 years of experience he is still a vital leader of evolving businesses nationwide.

I wouldn’t mind going to Ad:tech and meeting Brad Powers, Scott Cohen, or any other ARG workers, even if they resigned, haha… Attending the after parties may be our only shot at getting paid! j.k These events seem fun though. There’s even conference topics for blogging, which I already do, lol. On the site: advergaming, affiliate marketing, blogging, video, media buying, podcasts, and more!

For more info visit: www.ad-tech.com

Okay, so I wasn’t able to ask that man/woman about their “horrible experience” with ARG. They wrote, “They have tried to pay us partial if we agreed we won’t tell anyone about our horrible experince with them.” Read the previous entry if you missed it. I do have something though. Someone on another forum was expecting a 1099 form back. She told me it’s sorted now, but read below. I couldn’t paste it all since it was 4 pages. If anyone wants the link PM.

Her, “Help! I just got a 1099 for 2,052.00 (which will cost me about 500.00 in taxes if I have to pay them) from a company I have never heard of.

I didn’t do any work for them, and I CERTAINLY did not make 2,052.00 from them this year. I’ve sent them an e-mail of inquiry, and am anxiously waiting until Monday morning to call the IRS.

Has ANYONE heard of Active Response Group and know what types of operations they’re affiliated with?”

*a bunch of posts from other members conclude that ARG is at play*

Her response, “I’ll just have to wait and see. This company does sponsor YourTopBrands, which explains 1,000 of the dollars. I’m beyond irritated because a) the other 1,052 still isn’t accounted for, B) they filed it in box 7 instead of box 3, which they TOLD ME they’d file it in. This difference means that I owe stinkin’ social security tax (I HATE social security tax) c) These were due ALMOST A MONTH AGO and I have been BEGGING them to send it to me for a month. Finally, after hours on the phone with the IRS they said that I could file without the form.

Oh, I could just HOLLER!

And to top it all off, I’m horribly sick.”

*more posts and a few hours later…*

Her again, “So here’s what I’ve learned so far: the company who sent me the 1099 is the parent company of Your Top Brands, from whom I was expecting a 1099 for one-thousand dollars of “Other Income” (this is important because “Other Income” is NOT subject to the sixteen-percent self-employment tax).

Instead, I received a 1099 for 2052 dollars of “Non Employee Compensation,” which IS subject to self-employment tax. These two mistakes combined (over-reporting my earnings and reporting it in the wrong box) raise my tax bill by–wait for it– seven-hundred and fifty dollars.

And here’s a kicker: at least one of my readers who also completed the free thousand-dollar gift card offer also got a 1099 for 2052 from this company.

Since it’s really unlikely that both of us made an extra 1052 from this company and then forgot about it, either this company made a big accounting mistake or someone’s trying to pull something sneaky. Either way, I’m going to call them to see if they will amicably send me a corrected 1099 the first thing on Monday morning, and then I’m going to call the IRS taxpayer advocate line.”

And her the next day, “Wow. Look what someone just posted about this whole debacle on my blog.

Hi moneydummy,

I belong to a variety of “freebie” groups and am just watching the members’ reports and numbers escalate. On one board, a member is reporting that he/she received a 1099 in excess of $70,000. I have seen many others report their Active Response Group 1099s were in the $25K – $40K range.

The company has responded to one board member saying they know “the tax thing” was a “mistake” and would be fixed, but did not comment as to whether or not these 1099s were already sent to the IRS. Yes, they can correct them and send the IRS the corrected version, but nothing raises a red flag faster than having already filed your taxes with one number and having the IRS receive a 1099 with a totally different number.

It appears for many, they also included the cost of sending the gift cards via certified mail in the total so if you computed your taxes using the $1,000 figure, you could end up having to amend your taxes to include the certified mailing fee and then pay taxes on that.

There was just no rhyme or reason for how these numbers were calculated. Many who had “parked” gifts, but had not even done one offer toward completing them had those amounts included, many who had gifts “confirmed to be shipped” from last year, but had not received them had those amounts included, some who have gifts confirmed starting in January of this year also had those included, and for many more, the numbers just didn’t make sense whatsoever.

Good luck getting through to them via phone. Many tried calling Friday when these 1099s first started appearing only to listen to a ring for 20 minutes before the phone went dead. Someone did manage to talk to an operator, but it was after hours and the operator said they had just been flooded with calls.”

$70.000 is an obvious mistake, lmao. What a pain. I’m glad that never happened to me! Speaking of bad news, June 1st the Palm Treo 650 phone arrived instead of the Visas. I expected it after the first person received the phone. By then it was too late since I completed almost all my offers. I finished it, turned my paperwork in, and a few weeks later– BAM! There it was. In a white Zappos box. About 2009′s tax form, they shouldn’t make us report $700.00 for a cheaper gift. I’m comfortable with the phone. I risked it, no one forced me. I thought, “He just got a $700.00 Visa for 8 offers… If I do it quickly maybe I will, too.” Ah well.

I am relentless with the Canadian company, but I wanted to share this…

Look at these screenshots. Click to enlarge.

They fooled me until I opened the e-mail, lol. You know the surveys on receipts after you check out? Well, I thought I was e-mailed for doing one online. But upon seeing “Sam@swissliononline.com” and the Vancouver address I knew better. Centennial Media sent it courtesy of the Canadians, but I’d rather not be scammed. The level of creativity and sneakiness from both parties is risible. We should make a list of their avoidable addresses.

The most popular ones:

9-334 Queen Street South
Suite 220
Bolton, ON L7E-2N9

101-1001 W Broadway
Suite 765
Vancouver, BC V6H-4E4

I’m not bothering with Centennial Media as that’s their job. It’s the Canadian people I’m worried about. Haven’t they advertised these as well?

http://web1.webrewardstream.com/SplashPage.aspx?g=0321c502065643b7b82dbdf19e26e11f&c=658&s=__DefaultSubcampaign__&se=05

http://web1.webrewardstream.com/SplashPage.aspx?g=9773e8a39e354206bc4c8065a41380be&c=658&se=05&se=05

Another 1K gift. While only a handful of complaints exists, legions will follow. They can’t get away with it forever. I will shut up when I am proven wrong and/or someone reports payment. However, good behaviour doesn’t erase their past. It’s up to them to change their ways. For any network reading: For the sake of us all, DO NOT start a gift program unless you have funds to reward your members. Even starting a referral-based freebie site takes money. It takes money to make money. Unfortunately, DIY networks lowball anyway, and if they “dry up” or are greedy, they may not pay at all. It’s harder with new networks, but that’s why you investigate them first.

Ready for some fun?! I am! Since this is our anniversary I decided to celebrate by not only reflecting on past entries, but by having contests! Three prizes are up for grabs. All you do is answer questions from Group 1 and/or Group 2, then PM me your answers for each question, and put “Trivia” in the subject. You are only allowed to answer ONCE per group. Think on it before you send.

*June 16, 2009 trivia contests*

Group #1. Prize: $20.00 amazon certificate.

I-Deal requires you to:

1) Submit your paperwork within 30 days
2) Complete your offers within 60 days
3) Keep your offers for 60 days
4) Eat carrot cake and send a proof pic for $25 bonus visa

theprizecenter.com was a popular domain belonging to which freebie site?

1) musthavefreegifts
2) Brandarama
3) PTP
4) I-Deal

True or false. I-Deal requires a w-9 form no matter what gift.

True = T. False = F.

Which network lets you substitute a bonus offer for one of the regular offers?

1) I-Deal
2) PTP
3) Brandarama
4) consumergain

Which DIY used to offer phone support?

1) PTP
2) I-Deal
3) YFD
4) musthavefreegifts

Which network awarded Alienware laptops for a limited time with no OODs?

1) musthavefreegifts
2) Nuitech
3) Brandarama
4) I-Deal

Active Response Group is also the name of the company who runs which network?

1) Adteractive
2) Brandarama
3) YFD
4) Nuitech

Which network gave out cash for people to remodel or furnish their outdoor decks?

1) Brandarama
2) I-Deal
3) PTP
4) musthavefreegifts

Group #2. Prize: $10.00 amazon certificate.

Which network offered 12 cases of Dr. Pepper?

1) Nuitech
2) YFD
3) Brandarama
4) I-Deal

What is the name of the CS rep who helped people on freebie forums?

1) Mickey
2) Sherry
3) Kim
4) Molly

Here comes the bridezilla… Which network allowed you to buy a wedding dress for one of their offers?

1) PTP
2) Nuitech
3) I-Deal
4) musthavefreegifts

Which network uses “config” in their urls to get to your gift?

1) Brandarama
2) consumergain
3) I-Deal
4) YFD

*June 16, 2009 random drawing contest*

5,000 A4F points will be awarded to one lucky member drawn from a hat. Send me a PM with the subject, “Random drawing”, and you’re entered! It’s that simple. Only one entry per member. The contests start now, and all PMs must be received by June 30th. You must also be willing to share your username to claim your prize. Winners will be announced and paid next month.

*links ‘n such*

I-Deal–

http://www.foodcritic101.com/?config=6260&src=WC-87054aaa:207498: – 6 offers, no refs/$250.00 gc of your choice

http://www.gadgetcenter.us.com/?config=6227 – 12 offers, 2 refs/Macbook + ipod touch

http://www.gadgetcenter.us.com/?config=5850 – 8 offers, no refs/Blackberry Pearl Flip 8220 Smart Phone

http://www.gadgetcenter.us.com/?config=6222 – 10 offers, 1 ref/physical item of your choice

http://www.gadgetcenter.us.com/?config=6248 – 8 offers, no refs/Wii console

http://www.gadgetcenter.us.com/?config=6276 – 12 offers, 2 refs/physical item of your choice

Thank you all for your continued support and loyalty to this blog. It means a lot. No telling what else awaits us this year, but it’s been awesome so far. I’m holding off on doing another I-Deal site until August-September. In the meantime, I will wait for my Brandarama check. There was an “audit scare”, but now it doesn’t look serious. I’ll just say the first batch of audit letters is probably the last, and if anything else arises it’s unrelated to the letters and we will soon find out. Things have quieted down for the moment, so now we can focus on getting our checks. Sounds good to me.

I hope everyone is having a blissful summer! Bye for now…

wozniack

Here we meet again. Our topics for this evening: ARG complaints; Bluekeel LLC.; my dream involving Brandarama prize fulfillment; anonymous returns with FULL correspondence letters between them and the Canadian company; Wizard of Woz in freebies?, just to name a few. June is a time of relaxation and fun. Hopefully it kicks off with our Brandarama checks, and all things $$$ from freebies!! Let’s hope to see some cool promos from new networks, good DIY deals, and more.

*hot new networks*

LightningFreebiez– Join any of their sites unreferred, do 1 credit worth of offers, and get your prize without earning referrals! Wow, what a deal! http://www.anything4free.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=155658

FancyFreeGifts– Free greens. 3 Referral Cashout = $270.00, netting you a $45.00 bonus. But hurry! All cashouts must be completed on or before 11:59 PM CST on July 4th, 2009 to receive higher payout rate.

There’s another “Woz” on the loose. Yes, you heard right. He/she posted a comment under the fictitious name saying, “After 4 days of calling I was finally able to get to Priyanka who said that checks will likely be sent to us in the fall.” For those who were worried, they said “June”, not “fall.” Someone asked him/her to join FiPG to discuss the phone call. That hasn’t happened yet, so I’m sticking with June for now. He/she also said, “The ‘Woz’ in question said, ““Woz”, my nickname, is for the Wizard of Oz. I don’t choose my nickname based on other people’s random nicknames. I don’t even know who you are.” That’s conceivable, lol. I’m not the only Woz around, but I’m the only Woz in town (on A4F)! Well, with the exception of user wozzybear I guess. The comment can be found on freebiescoop.com.

Screenshot. Click to enlarge.

That’s not me in case anyone here read that on freebiescoop.com. I’ll admit that it was fun possibly having an imposter, haha… While I did not talk to Priyanka, she did say they were in the final stages of auditing, which is a relief. And June is still the set date for shipments, or should be. If checks are not shipped until fall, that could change things for a lot of people.

This is a letter members received at the end of April from CS.

Generic letter. Click to enlarge.

Aww. Don’t you just love their letters? So they’ve been auditing our certificates for about a month… Hmmm, why? I don’t see why they would audit the receipts because how could they verify purchases with certain merchants? They tend to keep that information private for the consumer. Unless someone typed their cert(s) up in Notepad, and tried to pass it off as the real thing. But they said “certificates”, not receipts. The written information on them failed to match up? Underage people did the offers, so they gave fake demographic info and I.D.? Every thought crossed my mind, and I don’t get it. I guess we’re about to find out about all this madness.

I e-mailed Brad Powers last night. He hasn’t replied, but you bet I will update this if he does!! I know he has evaded questions on Facebook, but it was worth a try. My e-mail below.

“Hello,

I am doing a report on the online lead-generation industry and would like to interview someone of your caliber who realizes the need for behavioral advertising. Your wealth of knowledge and leadership skills are unmatched, and brighten all four corners of interactive marketing on the web. With your expertise this industry can continue to thrive. If you’re interested, reply at your convenience. Thank you for your time.

Regards,

*my first name/initialed last name inserted here*”

You may have noticed my avatar, and personal photo (in my profile) are of a man– That’s Mr. Powers, haha. Just jokes. All in fun.

Speaking of Brandarama, I had a dream last night. I was 15 again, and I went to check the mail and pulled out two Brandarama envelopes. ARG sent two $50.00 gift cards, one was to a restaurant. Both arrived in separate envelopes, and the restaurant card had a sticky note with an apology for the wait. In the dream I told my brother, “*gasp!* This means my check is coming soon!!” Him, “No way! *jumping up and down*” He then chased me through the neighbourhood to steal my gift cards… The End. Why was I 15 in the dream?! Oh well. I feel silly telling you guys that, lol. That’s the 500th freebie dream I’ve had!! zzzzzzzzzzzz. The vivid dreams can be contributed to Brandarama’s slow fulfillment; less dreaming if they had paid me already.

I couldn’t contain my laughter after reading this. It was on a complaint site. Brad Powers responded to him with a letter below.

“Recently August 2008. Brandarama had an ad on Craigslist looking for people to work for them supposedly. Sending in your resume and email etc. This is what I got back.

Hi, thanks for the interest in the Go Go Promos Internet research job.
It is a fun position, and we already have quite a few people wanting
to apply.

You’ve probably seen our promos (or promos just like them) all over
the Internet. Sometimes they look like little quizzes, like current
event type of stuff, other times they promote specific products or
companies.

We picked Craigslist to look for people because the people who use
Craigslist are obviously smarter then the average person in regards to
using the Internet. At least that is our gut feeling. And since this
job has a lot to do with surfing the net and research, it just seemed
to make sense.

But, the bad thing about Craigslist is the number of computer viruses
and spam that people send. So, we came up with a simple two step
process to prove you are a real person, and not some automated robot
used to collect email addresses or send spyware.

The first step will help us verify your email address. We can use one
of our regular promos like this one featuring Red Lobster. Go here:
http://www.gogopromo-clients.info/red_lobster.html and submit your
email address and verify your address.

The second step is to send another email to
bradleyberman@rocketmail.com and include your resume.

Sorry for making you jump through hoops, but the truth is, so many
people never follow directions, and this is an effective way for us to
weed through the applicants.

-Brad

Only a ploy to be bombarded with advertising emails.

I am a fomrer United States Marshal, and Brad will pay… I intend on seeing him in jail.”

LMAO. That’s great. If Brad replies to me I’m hitting him up for a job, and telling him “I was on Craigslist…” In all honesty, I detest Craigslist. I’ve sold things there, but occasionally the typical goofball e-mails you with scurrility, telling you HOW to run your ad, and you get flagged for defending yourself. Not only that, the “erotic” section has made so many headlines it should be burned. It’s hurting the site more than it’s helping it. …No thanks. I’d rather stick to ebay. You know what? One of us needs to get hired by ARG to get the inside scoop. Get a feel for the place. I would love to know what goes on behind closed doors instead of the guessing games. Do they have a net in the office, playing badminton while laughing at our e-mails?

Hilarity ensues… This one comes from a guy in Alabama.

“Update
RAYFIELD
MONTEVALLO, Alabama
U.S.A.
CHECK CAME FINALLY!!

I RECEIVED MY CHECK FOR $115.00 ON THE 23rd by certified
mail.
it’s finally over!! whooo hooo”

$115.00, heh. I guarantee if he was owed 2K+ he wouldn’t have gotten anything yet. But that’s great for him. link to this: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/436/RipOff0436070.htm

Makes sense for them to pay the lower amounts if they can’t afford/don’t want to pay the higher sum of all gifts. Suppose they’re broke, how could we get anything? And if we did I imagine it would take years considering all the members. If they just don’t want to pay, then it would be like orange juice. You would have to give it a hard squeeze to get the pulp, lol. I wonder how they plan on handling the next batch of audits. Mail a stack of letters to them, and the checks to the rest?

Now a member from SitePoint.com

“Peter Cunningham has been stringing us along since March. They have tried to pay us partial if we agreed we won’t tell anyone about our horrible experince with them. Sounds like extortion when they owe us that money fair and square without any conditions.

ARG is also shafting people who applied for gift rewards under Brandarama so there’s a couple operations going on under Brad Powers’ watch.

I am asking people to file with the Attorney General of New York. If we all do. They will be investigated, fined and forced to pay up if not prosecuted, both I hope! You can get the forms at the NYAG site.

Its time for publishers to stand up to these middle men. I am sick and tired of being used for our traffic. We are the experts who know how to build communities and should be in control of the marketplace we really own! I am ready to team up with others to deal with these guys. At this point, I just want to see some justice served.”

WTF @ the bolded statement? Are you kidding me?!? I am outraged! That’s sleazy business practice. Not that it matters if they tell us now, we know everything, but they besmirched their name all on their own. I am signing up at SitePoint.com to ask that person directly about their “horrible experience.” If I’m granted permission, I’ll post the content here. I feel for the one’s that work for them, not that we haven’t done our share, because we have, but as the guy/girl said, “I am sick and tired of being used for our traffic.” If they’re so opulent, are they forgetting to pay people or what? Are they taking advantage of us, or just slow? It’s pretty sad that in order to get a partial payment from those you work for you can’t talk. *sigh* So yeah, our checks come this month and we can put this behind us! That’s the plan I’m sticking with, and they should too. Outside this blog, I will continue to ignore it until it’s time to write again. Once I get my gifts from I-Deal and Brandarama, I’m not doing anymore sites this summer. Perhaps my Visa from Acquisis will arrive, too. 1. I’m low on offers I can do on I-Deal. 2. Brandarama isn’t too great anymore. 3. YFD… With the piled up paperwork, idk. If the site offered a high-priced gift maybe. w9 + certs + I.D. + notarized affidavit for a $250.00-$300.00 gift; eh, doesn’t seem worth it to me. I-Deal is faster with their shipping times, and that’s good. 2-3 weeks for some. I-Deal is also shipping phones in lieu of the $700.00 Visa, so I might be stuck with the cell. I’m taking a DIY vacation after this, I need it! Aloha.

I want to talk about Bluekeel LLC. Bluekeel LLC. is a lead generation company that has served their clients for over 20 years, with internet properties reaching over 3 million users monthly. The site attracts a HH income up to $60,000 with a slight female populace. Their programs include: Account Now Visa/Mastercard, Acai Berry, My Credit Tree, Free Credit Report, and many others.

They offer survey and sweepstakes sites, one of which caught my eye: http://www.freegasfairy.com/channels/page1.cfm?hsid=3515174&pid=40&sid=770&oid=22&uid=&eid=CD226&se=&kwd=&CFID=4131578&CFTOKEN=78325024

Whoever designed it did a good job with the fairy, haha. They have links on an Arabic social networking site; surveyprincess.com, travelfrog.net, luckycontests.com, ourfreestuff.com, bestnetfreebies.com, rextopia.com, koodosgames.net, pharmdaily.com, secretstyle.com, smartdiets.com, etc. While not managing their own networks yet, they provide links to accomplished DIY sites on their domains. I’m surprised they haven’t branched out more in terms of that. They aren’t a scam, but that dancing fairy looks highly suspicious! I’ll file them away for now as they aren’t a threat. Anything with them is safe.

Our anonymous member is back with more letters! These aren’t current responses, but his/her correspondence with them throughout the ordeal. Sit back, read, and enjoy!

“omg i found them, i am going to send them to you one by one, forgive me for the multiple PMs. i just figured it would be easier to read.

——————

In the beginning, I asked them about my account, since I wasn’t getting e-mails back. So I tried e-mailing them from a different address and this is what they replied:

From: Svc Acct ::svcacct@sureresponsemedia.com::
To: xx@xx,com
Sent: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 12:19 pm
Subject: [xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxx] Suggestion / Comment

We have responded to every email that you have sent and they are attached to this email. We have been telling you that the email address given was not the one you used. Why did it take so long for you to tell us what email address you used? Our crystal ball is not working?

Anyways, You have completed 4 offers,

Energy drink on page 1
Buylow auction on page 2
Gevalia on page 3
Disney movies on preliminary offer sheet.

You are responsible for keeping all email confirmations
Please continue on and complete the final 4 offers.

Customer service

—————

Then I replied I completed all the offers (4 more offers wtf). Next PM…”

“So I replied and said I completed all the offers required according to Rule #3. This is what they said:

—–Original Message—–
From: Svc Acct ::svcacct@sureresponsemedia.com::
To: xx@xx.com
Cc: xx@xx.com
Sent: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 10:52 am
Subject: [xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxx] Suggestion / Comment

Me,

We did finally find yoiur information and show the 4 offers.

However, you have not met the requirements needed to fulfill the promotional offer.

Please click here to see a copy of the rules. Rule # 3 goes into detail.

Click here for your review of the rules.
Then scroll down and click on ‘Gift Rules’.

Please let us know if you need further assistance.

Thank you,

Customer Service”

“I forgot to tell you, before that last response from them, I also attached a screenshot of Rule #3 and copied and pasted the rule #3 as well. So I replied that I did that, pointing it out for them again, and this is what they replied back:

—–Original Message—–
From: Svc Acct ::svcacct@consumersrewardsolutions.com::
To: xx@xx.com
Sent: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 4:10 pm
Subject: [xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxx] I completed the required offers and never received my free gift

Me,

We have received your email; but the only email address we found under your name was this one being used for this message.

Did you use a different email address when you signed up? The reason we are asking is because this email address xx@xx.com, doesn’t show you as having completed any offers. It does come up in our system, but does not show as you taking any offers.

If you have confirmation emails regarding all offers you took, please compile them together and send them to us in an email.
Please include the ticket number in the subject line of the email.

Click [here] for your review of the rules.
Then scroll down and click on ‘Gift Rules’.

Please let us know if you need further assistance.

Thank you,

Customer Service

———-

they’re trying to spin me, away from the question! unbelievable right? also since when did i need the confirmation emails now?! spin, spin, spin”

“In response to that message, I sent them a reply, pleading for a response to Gift Rule #3. That I followed and completed my requirements, and sent them a screenshot of. They finally replied with this:

—–Original Message—–
From: Svc Acct ::svcacct@sureresponsemedia.com::
To: xx@xx.com
Sent: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 9:44 am
Subject: [xxx-xxxxxxx-xxxx] Suggestion / Comment

Yes, we apologize Me.

You did in fact win.

Congratulations!

We will send you out all information as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Customer Service

———————–

sounded promising, right? however, they would only go on to send me nothing. so i emailed them a few more times about it, and IF i got a reply, it was about gift rule #3 and/or they cant find my account again, and i furiously replied that they had confirmed I was approved and should have a record of that, if they were legit!! i wrote an email later on warning them, if i did not receive a response and receive my gift, i was going to report them to everyone under the sun in canada and the US. never heard a response back. enraged, i have not yet filed any reports.

-anonymous”

“this might be the best one:

———————————

—–Original Message—–
From: Svc Acct ::svcacct@consumersrewardsolutions.com::
To: xx@xx.com
Sent: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 2:56 pm
Subject: [xxx-xxxxxxxx-xxxxx] I completed the required offers and never received my free gift

Me,

This is our second response to you.

Customer Service

————————————-

so helpful! i know!

-anonymous”

This substantiates what I said about their artful schemes, but I was unmindful of their level of cockiness. When a knavish company hires a lofty crew they might as well marry them. They’re all alike. It’s like in grade school when you befriend someone new. Half their sandwich is offered, you eat it; your the best of friends! Well, I’m sick of it. If this was my first DIY I would quit. This company is a paradigm of the corrupt activities and prideful manner we see in networks today. Fresh networks are more likely to scam us given the lack of resources; not knowing, we test them. Our focus is on active networks like Brandarama while these guys are having their way with people. We’ve got to spread the word like butter on toast! Once it has spread, that buttery goodness will kick in to warn everyone of the bite that’s coming. Oh gosh! I think that’s the best thing I have ever written, lol. You all should frame that. j.k

I received PMs from some of you saying Acquisis rejected your MCR(s). Apparently, they are offering lesser value gifts due to offers not crediting. They could be like I-Deal by DQing you on the spot, leaving you with zilch. I hated waiting 8 1/2 weeks for my MCR, so I understand the frustration for those having waited so long, and it’s not what they signed up for. However, the offer(s) did not credit, so they call the shots. That’s important to remember with any network when it comes to rules. I’m grateful I received my MCR before all this. I’m not sure why this is happening now, but it is.

A copy of what people are receiving,

“We have contacted the sponsor regarding your missing offer
, and they are unable to confirm your participation in this offer. Due to the 120 day limitation, you will not be able to complete another sponsor offer to satisfy the requirements.

We realize that you have completed several other offers towards the , so at this time we would like to offer you a gift of lesser value. The Reward Depot would like to offer you in lieu of the and consider this matter closed.

Please reply to this message letting us know if you would like us to proceed with this arrangement.

Sincerely,

Customer Support
TheRewardDepot
support@therewarddepot.com”

The last statement sounds unbending, like “Take that or else.” Misse1214 replied to me with this in the DIY section, “And that was after I sent in a full header email of proof.

The offer I signed up for was the 2.5 MBP. I would totally take this deal but the MBP is at least $2k, not $1.5… And also, I did do all the offers!!! Maybe I should fax a statment, too. Hmm… What to do, what to do.”

My response, “I’m sorry, Misse!! That’s awful. At least they are offering you something to make up for the offers that passed approval. I understand though. Fax them a statement, but I think their mind is already made up. I personally would contact the sponsor, forward them your confirmation and explain the situation. I did that on YFD a long time ago, and got credited for an offer. Maybe they will give you some kind of response via e-mail, and you could send that to Acquisis since you’re corresponding with them. It may not work, but if it’s worth it to you try it.”

If it doesn’t work, oh well. YFD always has been flexible with me. In the beginning Acquisis was, too… This time I’m not so certain. If it makes you guys feel better I did a $500.00 Visa, so you’re making out better than me! Anymore info on them will be posted.

*links ‘n such*

I-Deal–

http://www.consumergiftcenter.us.com/?config=5833&src=WC-208425aaa613.:205174: – 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 JoAnn or Michaels gc

http://www.consumer-rewardzone.com/?config=4418&src=WC-208425aaa613.:152631: – 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 gas card of your choice

http://www.consumer-rewardzone.com/?config=5812&src=WC-208425aaa613.:152631: – 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 Visa

http://www.consumer-rewardzone.com/?config=5826&src=WC-208425aaa613.:152631: – 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 Charlotte Russe gc

http://www.consumer-rewardzone.com/?config=5749&src=WC-208425aaa613.:152631: – 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 Payless Shoes gc

producttestpanel–

http://www.getyoursmartphone.com/bbstorm/index.php?

http://www.colormyrewards.com/

http://weeklysurveys.com/newbie/index.php?

I’m done. ARG better not drag us into fall because, um, we fulfilled all the requirements. We were told our checks would arrive within 8 to 10 weeks, then one story after another. Even though Mpell is out, we’re still bound to the certificate rules, IMO. I’d like to see what their next excuse is. On I-Deal, I’m not looking forward to the phone, but I will count it as a loss. I pray most of the phones are gone before they reach me, and I get Visas instead, lol. I don’t care about the value as long as I sell it and am not stuck with it. As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I love hearing from you!

Tune in tomorrow– same bat-time, same bat-channel! C’mon Robin… *Batmobile speeds off into the night*

wozniack