Say good-bye to summer with CRS settlement letter and communication issues; an anonymous member is back with Nuitech update + DBA rule reminder; Acquisis never left town! link list, and more. Make a splash in the pool of amazing deals and thrills this month!

The $300.00 settlement checks from CRS keep rolling in. One member allowed me to share the note CRS left for her with the $300.00 check.

member, “Just an update to let you know that I received $300 from CRS. They never asked for a utility bill so I guess my name and adress match 411.com. Along with the check there was a small photocopied paper stating (exact words) “This check is payment in full and in full and final satisfaction of all claims arising from or relating to your participation in Brand Sample Center. By cashing this check, you agree that this payment of $300 shall be a full and final settlement. Further, you agree to irrevocably and unconditionally release, renounce and discharge Brand Sample Center and Consumers Rewards Solutions from any and all future actions,suits, debts, and claims arising from or related to your participation in Brand Sample Ceter“. Those are the exact words. It’s interesting they misspelled their own name in the last word Center for Ceter”. Also, I thought I was dealing with Consumers Reward Solutions not Brand Sample Center. In any case, I am not cashing that check since I don’t accept that as a full payment especially at this point.”

This member went on to say, “I have sent them over a dozen emails with no response. I have called all of the numbers you provided me. Only one worked and the man on the line put me on hold then hung up on me when I asked about my account. Then when I called back it went to voicemail.”

Could the man on the line be John H.? CRS’ manager who told someone that he is a busy man and had no time for them? See August’s post from 2010 to learn more: http://www.diyfreebies.com/surfs-up-with-consumers-reward-solutions-exposed-and-indicted-nuitechs-rule-change-webprizeland-wave-of-new-links/ — The fact that you are hung up on while asking for help is ridiculous in itself. And Dave disconnected his phone number, and hasn’t been responsive to e-mails. Is Dave quitting his job at CRS, or is he hiding out? Why did ‘Mystery Man’ hang up on a member? I had sent the member above these phone numbers: 1-866-393-4824, 1-866-351-1721, 1-866-985-9444, 1-866-994-9894. She could not remember which number was Mystery Man as it had been too long since she’d dialed the number. But the number that John H. answered is not any of those numbers, only one of them was Mystery Man. John H.’s number is: 1-877-680-4175. Who is ‘Mystery Man’? A thought: What if… Dave is Mystery Man? Think about it. His phone number is disconnected, and he doesn’t answer e-mails. What else is there to do at the office? Could he be working a new support line? He’d still have a job at CRS, same position (customer support), just working a line other than his own. But what would that accomplish? Wouldn’t those who’ve spoken to Dave recognize his voice? Or has that yet to happen? If Dave has left the island who’ll replace him? What are CRS’ plans moving forward?

I gave them another chance after the $300.00 settlement and lowballing incident, and I cannot give them anymore. They choose to avoid their members by disconnecting phone numbers and hanging up on them. Why have a number at all? Unresponsiveness or no mode of communication is something you watch for with DIY companies. It is the reason I shy away from many of them, as I found there isn’t a way to contact them and/or they never reply to your e-mails. CRS were paying well and Dave was right there when you needed him. Not long after the LG washer & dryer site “DIY classes” took place did CRS hit the bottom slope. If it were me who received the $300.00 settlement check, I wouldn’t cash it. By cashing it you accept the payment. I would hold on to it until after I learnt the outcome in court. Afterward I suppose you could cash it since you already have it in hand. You would still get $300.00 if you lost.

I’d like to go back over Product Test Panel’s gift program. Some of you had questions, so we’ll revisit the topic of Product Test Panel. Please read what I have below.

Expect to front a lot of money as this isn’t your average DIY. The first and second page have your basic low-cost offers and, the last page, a higher offer requirement. Depending on the offers you choose you spend $1,600.00-$1,700.00 or more on the final page in addition to the regular offers. If you find a good deal, you’ll get back what you spent and then some. Bonus offers must be completed within 24 hours in order to earn credit. It may take 3 months maximum start-to-finish with PTP. After 8-9 weeks you may request an MCR on any offer(s) that have not credited. The premium offers are manual only, and are approved within 30 days. Shipping time for gifts is about 2 weeks.

Now let’s look at a Product Test Panel site…

Registration page with bonus advertisement:

Offer page #1:

Offer page #2:

Final page:

Bullseye bonus page:

gift site: http://retailreportcard.producttestpanel.com/

The bonuses are what I mean by “misc. gifts” in my *links ‘n such* section of my blog. An example: “::link here:: – offers unknown/$1,000.00 JcPenney gc + misc gifts.” So you can get several gifts if you grab the bonuses. The bonus offers are what make the site worth doing! Just do them within 24 hours and you’re all set. I have never done a PTP site myself, but I’m waiting for a mega deal to come along since you can only do them once per lifetime. I missed out on an amazing deal 3 years ago, so I’ll just wait until they go wild with their mega deals; TVs, gift cards, laptops, the works! *w*
There are smaller gift sites now with no OODs. You must do many regular offers for a lesser amount of $500.00+ gift value, with no bonuses, but it is not worth it because it still has the one gift per lifetime rule, so OODs are your best bet for a valuable DIY gift from Product Test Panel.

Anyway, I wanted to give my readers a page-by-page tour of your typical Product Test Panel site. The first two pages and bonus offers are easy, its the last page you worry about. If anybody needs further instruction on their first Product Test Panel site, please let me know. I am here to help.

We have an update from our member who had problems with Nuitech in this entry: DIYfreebies’ third annual anniversary blog… — Since they allowed me to post their messages to me, and from Nuitech, I’ll copy them here for your viewing.

from member, “from member xxxx@xx.com
to wozniack

date Tue, Jul 19, 2011 at 5:02 PM
subject xxxx
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com
Important mainly because of your interaction with messages in the conversation.

hide details Jul 19 (10 days ago)

Woo hoo ! Thanks! I’m still dealing with Nuitech they are seriously driving me crazy. I sent them via mail all the info they requested and they emailed me and said they need more statements from my credit card . I’ll let you know how it goes. They really are being impossible. I keep all my documents and it’s like they want more than you can provide. I hope it goes through as It’s ended up costing way too much time and money. Thanks again, i’ll definitely check the offer out.

member”

member, “from member xxxx@xx.com
to wozniack

date Fri, Jul 29, 2011 at 9:37 AM
subject xxxx
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com
Important mainly because of your interaction with messages in the conversation.

hide details 9:37 AM (6 hours ago)

Hey, I was wondering if you started this offer ? I did and none of my gold offers are being tracked. I’ve clicked on most of them and it never shows pending. I know i’ll have to do some replacements , but if none of them are showing up it concerns me. Any suggestions ? Also, i’m still fighting with Nuitech they are being impossible ! I’ve just sent more credit card statements to them. It’s a long story , but I’m hoping for payment but it doesn’t look good. I could scream!!!!!! They actually accused me of copying and pasting my credit card statement. They said they don’t accept word documents. Huh ? I sent them my credit card statements that I downloaded directly from my credit card company. Anyway, Have a great weekend!

member”

me, “from wozniack xxxx@xx.com
to member

dateFri, Jul 29, 2011 at 12:03 PM
subject xxxx
mailed-by gmail.com

hide details 12:03 PM (5 hours ago)

member,

I’m sorry for the trouble you are still having with Nuitech, and now I-Deal. People have been having major issues with their offers. One person ended up having to do 14 total to qualify for their gift! Exactly when did you do your offers? You may need to wait a week for them to post to your account as the crediting process has been somewhat slow. One of my platinum offers didn’t credit until a week after I registered, but, it was too late by then as I’d gotten too impatient and did another replacement that credited. Which offers didn’t credit, by the way?

As for Nuitech, I can’t believe they accused you of doing that. Obviously you never had problems when sending them your credit card statement before, right? You’ve been dealing with this since May, and they are still giving you grief. Would you mind sending me what they told you? Also, I would like to share this with my readers, if that is okay with you. I will make you anonymous. If they continue to follow your situation with Nuitech, it may help them understand what to do if they end up in the same boat.

Have a great weekend yourself! Thanks. :)

wozniack”

That was 5 days ago. Tonight this member sent me their Nuitech e-mails. With their permission I will post them below.

me, “from [Offline] wozniack diyfreebies@gmail.com
to member
date Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 5:10 PM
subject xxxx
mailed-by gmail.com

hide details 5:10 PM (5 hours ago)

Hi again,

I will be posting my blog tonight, and I wanted to see if it was OK to share your recent experience with my readers. Doing so may teach them what to do when stuck in a situation like yours. Did they ever accept your credit card statement?

Thanks,

wozniack”

member, “from member xxxx@xx.com
to wozniack
date Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 5:39 PM
subject xxxx
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com
Important mainly because of your interaction with messages in the conversation.

hide details 5:39 PM (5 hours ago)

Sure you can share it. Nuitech responded that they received my confirmation and it will be 5-7 days. I know they’ll have another road block. They are being ridiculous.
I did 3 or 4 replacement offers for my ideal offer and only one has been approved. I’ve also ran into some issues with the companies that i’ve signed up with over a year ago. one being eyepothesis. it said i wasn’t eligible to sign up again as well as netflix and ivory white. So, I’m hoping some more go through. After Nuitech i hope ideal will be easy. How about your offers ? Have they all went through ?

member”

member, “from member xxxx@xx.com
to wozniack
date Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 5:46 PM
subject xxxx
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com
Important mainly because of the people in the conversation.

hide details 5:46 PM (5 hours ago)

I sent you a few of my emails with nuitech. I don’t mind if you share them, but if you could hide the offers named i’d appreciate it. You know how they can be about that.

Thanks,

member”

member, “from member xxxx@xx.com
to “diyfreebies@gmail.com”
date Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 5:45 PM
subject Fw: Confirmation received
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com

On Tue, 8/2/11, member wrote:

From: member
Subject: Fw: Confirmation received
To: xxxx@xx.com
Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 10:42 PM

On Fri, 7/15/11, Personalcashbailout Support wrote:

From: Personalcashbailout Support
Subject: Confirmation received
To: xxxx@xx.com
Date: Friday, July 15, 2011, 2:21 PM

Dear member,

Thank you for sending us your confirmation(s). We are missing the
following information:

– June charge (on your bank statement) from xxxx

– Initial charges from xxxx and xxxx on your bank
statement

– Subsequent charges on your bank statement, showing at least 30 days
history, from xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, xxxx,
xxxx, xxxx and xxxx.

Please send the documents to the following address:

Verification Department
13762 W. SR. 84 Suite 612
Davie, FL 33325

Or fax it to 954-653-9031 (Attention Verification Department)

Please do not reply to this email as the account this is sent from is
not monitored for incoming mail and you will not receive a reply. Please
use the contact form provided at our website.

Thank you,

Support”

member”

from member xxxx@xx.com
to “diyfreebies@gmail.com”
date Tue, Aug 2, 2011 at 5:45 PM
subject Fw: Confirmation received
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com
Important mainly because of the people in the conversation.

— On Tue, 8/2/11, xxxx wrote:

From: member
Subject: Fw: Confirmation received
To: xxxx@xx.com
Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 10:42 PM

On Fri, 7/22/11, Personalcashbailout Support wrote:

From: Personalcashbailout Support
Subject: Confirmation received
To: xxxx@xx.com
Date: Friday, July 22, 2011, 11:43 AM

Dear member,

Thank you for sending us your billing statements. After reviewing your
information, we see the statement you sent is a word document and we
need the actual (bank) billing statement with the account number blacked
out except for the last four digits and your name on the statement (bank
logo/letterhead needs to display as well).

Also, we need proof of current membership or cancellation email from at
least one of the following:

– xxxx. If still active, we need late April and May charges on
your bank statement

– xxxx. If still, we need the July charge on your bank statement (if
applicable) or if you canceled, the cancellation email indicating the
date of your cancellation.

– xxxx. If still active, we would need you to log into your
account and print your profile page/billing history page showing
(current) date somewhere on the page or if you have canceled the offer,
we need the cancellation email showing date of cancellation.

Please send the documents to the following address:

Verification Department
13762 W. SR. 84 Suite 612
Davie, FL 33325

Or fax it to 954-653-9031 (Attention Verification Department)

Please do not reply to this email as the account this is sent from is
not monitored for incoming mail and you will not receive a reply. Please
use the contact form provided at our website.

Thank you,

Support”

So that is where we are. I’m copying and pasting the billing statement paragraph from above.

“Thank you for sending us your billing statements. After reviewing your
information, we see the statement you sent is a word document and we
need the actual (bank) billing statement with the account number blacked
out except for the last four digits and your name on the statement (bank
logo/letterhead needs to display as well).”

In order to do this, this member would have to approach their credit card company and request a new statement. They may not send “an actual (bank) billing statement” like Nuitech wants. If this member downloaded it from the credit card site, then that is an ACTUAL billing statement from the credit card company. Word document or not, it is a billing statement made available to all the credit card company’s customers and, therefore, should be accepted. A Word document can be easily manipulated, which is probably why many financial institutions and companies use files like .pdf. This is yet another problem that is out of their members’ control. First it was the members’ responsibility to get the sponsors to report back. Now, if a credit card or bank statement is in the wrong format, then members are required to send them another way. And how can they when the credit card company or bank must do it themselves? Surely the member wouldn’t want to risk making a fake copy to get paid.

Before the subject shifts, I’ll post Nuitech’s response regarding the DBA rule to clear up any confusion surrounding it.

Nuitech’s reply to a member, dated July 15, 2011:

“Thank you for your inquiry. Only one gift is allowed per year on a site
operated under the same company. If you qualify for a gift, you will
have to wait 12 months to sign up again for a site operated under the
same company.”

Only one gift per year per DBA. So once you have qualified for your gift, wait 12 months before registering again with that DBA. You can do other Nuitech sites in the meantime provided the DBAs on them are different. More on this rule and Nuitech can be found in the official T&C and DBA list: http://www.diyfreebies.com/official-tc-and-dba-list/

On December 1, 2010 Acquisis sent out a mass letter stating they where discontinuing The Reward Depot gift program. The termination letter and Acquisis discourse can be found here: Santa’s Sleigh… — I will post it once more, as there are recent concerns with this company.

“Dec 1, 2010

Dear ____,

Thank you for participating in the Reward Depot program.

The reward program is being discontinued. Please accept this letter as our formal notice of termination of The Reward Depot program, pursuant to Section 8.4 (End of Program) of the “Terms & Conditions” under which you registered.

Due to numerous issues including, but not limited to, widespread fraud and violation of program rules detected across our programs, The Reward Depot is unable to fulfill the original gift of a ::your gift here:: for which you registered. We would, however, like to thank you for your participation by offering you the enclosed $500 gift card.

Sincerely,

Customer Support,
The Reward Depot”

Acquisis is said to still be running a gift program even though they nixed The Reward Depot. I think they really did terminate their gift program, BUT it was the one under The Reward Depot. They probably are running another gift program under a new DBA or subcompany, which is why we keep seeing their sites. Its still a concern no matter the DBA or subcompany behind it. Acquisis can’t be trusted anymore. It began with the the scam of 2008-2009. Then there was the two billing statement rule, which threw everything into complete chaos; more scamming, and now they ignore e-mails. I’m afraid because of that, and the fact they started fresh and are carrying on like nothing happened with the old DBA. Anyone unfamiliar with Acquisis may research the new DBA info, wherever it is, find no ugly grievances, and lose money if burned by them. I’m taking matters into my own hands by searching for those vulnerable to Acquisis. Those who haven’t a clue as to who they are and what they’re capable of. I always Google to find people who are doubtful about this industry. Then I tell them what I know to help them make the right decision. You must be careful online. Through words and images we can be misled by faithless companies. It happens all too often, especially to those who’re inexperienced. If I can save someone from a scam it makes my day.

My stash from July-August…

All from MyView, ePoll, MyPoints and Toluna. MyView is a market research panel created by New York based marketing research firm Authentic Response Inc. I discovered them 5 months ago, and started earning points instantly. I earned the $50.00 and $25.00 virtual Visas in one month max! They send you surveys all day long, so you can do them while you check your mail. They don’t take up your time either. I also have a referral link for MyView if anyone is interested. And I made $25.00 in Target from ePoll, and $20.00 in Target from MyPoints. Then there was my $20.00 check from Toluna. I racked up $140.00 just by doing what I do everyday– shopping and taking surveys! If anyone is interested in becoming a member of these research panels and points program, MyPoints, please contact me at: diyfreebies@gmail.com.

*links ‘n such*

producttestpanel–

http://bigbrandrewards.com/kfam/index.php?lid=kfam_pubid_subid&add_offerid=add_offerid – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 K-Mart gc + misc. gifts

http://bigbrandrewards.com/toysrus/index.php?lid=toysrus_pubid_subid&add_offerid=add_offerid – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 Toys R Us gc + misc. gifts

http://bigbrandrewards.com/lowes/index.php?lid=lowes_pubid_subid&add_offerid=add_offerid – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 Lowe’s gc + misc. gifts

http://giftcardrewardzone.com/kohls/index.php?lid=kohls_pubid_subid&add_offerid=add_offerid – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 Kohl’s gc + misc. gifts

http://homeprojectrewards.com/lozzas/ – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 Lowe’s gc + misc. gifts

http://giftcardrewardzone.com/walgreens/?lid=walgreens_1952_31108_127599532&add_offerid=97693551&addomain=rsgauge10.com&addomain_id=62&uniclk=true – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 Walgreens gc + misc. gifts

http://myfreesportsgear.com/espn/?lid=espn – offers unknown, no refs/$1,000.00 ESPNshop.com gc + misc. gifts

http://myrewardadvantage.com/retumiyos/index.php?lid=retumiyos_12967_PF672&add_offerid=151441&addomain=rsgauge10.com&addomain_id=62&uniclk=true – offers unknown, no refs/$500.00 Ruby Tuesday or Red Robin gc + misc. gifts

http://mypopsurvey.com/employmentzas/ – offers unknown, no refs/$500.00 Visa gc + misc. gifts

http://giftcardrewardzone.com/gamestop/index.php?lid=gamestop_13326_[=afid=]&add_offerid=9468142&addomain=sbfollow10.com&addomain_id=61&uniclk=true – offers unknown, no refs/$500.00 GameStop gc + misc. gifts

http://giftcardblowout.com/amazon/index.php?lid=amazon_14053_[=AFID=]&add_offerid=763561&addomain=avcounter10.com&addomain_id=67&uniclk=true – offers unknown, no refs/$500.00 amazon gc + misc. gifts

http://giftcardblowout.com/visa/index.php?lid=visa_pubid_subid&add_offerid=add_offerid – offers unknown, no refs/$500.00 Visa + misc. gifts

I-Deal–

http://www.electronicssource.us.com/?session_id=e4345182bbed11e08605f64ba83e1266 – 10 offers, 1 ref/$1,000.00 Visa gc

http://www.electronicssource.us.com/?session_id=13adc2e0bbee11e09df01d4ca83e1266 – 10 offers, 1 ref/Macbook Air + $100.00 iTunes gc

http://www.electronicssource.us.com/?session_id=68f9611ebbee11e0a0361af5b7df804b – 10 offers, 1 ref/iPad 2 + $100.00 iTunes gc

http://www.electronicssource.us.com/?session_id=d1926c7abbee11e0a387234ca83e1266 – 10 offers, no refs/iPad 2 (choose from a variety of colors)

Nuitech–

http://www.myexclusiverewards.com/rd_p?p=205400&t=15107 – 10 offers, no refs/$1,000.00 Continental Airlines gift certificate

Can’t believe its August… This time last year the “Surf’s up…” blog was posted, and CRS are having twice as many problems as they did then. And it’s getting worse. I don’t quite get what is going on in their minds. But, I will save those CRS thoughts for a rainy day. I was recently approved on a $1,000.00 Visa site from I-Deal, and I’m ready for some more amazing deals! What is everybody else working on? Sorry my blog came so late. My messages are backed up, so please bear with me as I answer them all. Alrighty, if anybody has anymore questions or concerns, send them to me. In the meantime, enjoy the links and blog…

Bye for now,

wozniack