Guest Paracelsus Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 (edited) Did I get your attention? :PI know we've all seen these things before, and generally just dump them. I get a few every week on my Hotmail account. Well...Last October, I thought I'd open one and see what it was really about. Yes...I clicked the link and went to the Website.OK... I know most of you are already groaning... shaking your heads and rolling your eyes. But this was an experiment... and I was fully aware of what might happen. And as some of you already know... I enjoy taking risks some times :devil:After entering my name, address, e-mail (Duh!, they already had that) and phone # (I gave them my company's automated phone directory #)... it took me to the page with the Sponsors' offers.A lot of them were things I'd never heard of... but many were merchants that I knew and some that I had done business with before. So I figured...HHmmm... Why not??Let's see what happens.The only stipulation was that you select six offers and complete the Sponsors' requirements.Following are the choices I made... Columbia House DVD Club - 5 DVDs for $1 and buy three more in the next 12 months (I'm starting to buy DVDs anyway) The Good Cook Book Club - 3 books for $1 and buy two more in the next twelve months (I can always use a few more cook books) BMG Music Club - 10 CDs for $1 and buy four more in the next 24 months (I already had an account... but I can drop this one after the requirements) 2 Room DirectTV installation - All equipment and pro installation for $29.95; and sign an agreement for service for 12 months (I already had DirectTV, but I wanted to get a second line for the Bedroom. Plus... I got a better dish and newer receivers and remotes) Apply for (and be accepted) a Discover Card (Not that I need one... and I probably won't use it much anyway) Buy a CD Lesson from Video Professor - $29.95 and a 90 day MBG (Learn HTML and Web Design). All transactions were initiated and transacted at the Sponsors' Websites. The host for the Free LT was not involved, other than you confirm which offers you selected after enrollment.Well...All went smoothly with the Sponsor transactions and there was no indication that folks behind the LT offer had gained any additional personal information on me.Not wanting to drag the process out... I completed all the Sponsors' requirements by mid January '05.The first week of February... I went back the original Website and clicked the link to check on the status of my claim for the LapTop. As I might have expected....After inputting my e-mail addy, the page came back and said there was no record of the addy SOBs!!! I might have known! (I did mention that this was an experiment, didn't I??) OK!!...Time to let them know that they won't get rid of me that fast So...I filled out the Web Form for reporting problems.I told them that I still had the original e-mail from them, and had complete proof that I had fulfilled the requirements of the offer.Imagine my surprise when I received a reply the next day apologizing for any problems and asking that I Fax them my documentation.Ah-Ha!!!So that's the catch!?!? They probably do this to everyone... knowing that 8 out of 10 people aren't going to keep the proper documentation Well...I Faxed them all my documentation... personal info and account #s blacked out, of course. I had expected that they would either not reply, or would say that the documentation was insufficient. However...I received a reply two days later, thanking me for sending the documentation.... that all was in order... and they would proceed with processing my award. :oTotally unexpected. Now what??Probably either complete silence...They'll say there are no more LapTops, and send a two bit PDA. Or at best...Some no-name refurb notebook that will fry after a week.Now... Admitting that I was a bit wacko for getting into this in the first place (LR goaded me to do it, you know). And fully expecting that nothing would come of it (although I didn't really buy anything I won't use)... and that I would probably have to hound these people until they either disappear, or block my e-mails.Still with Me??So guess what happened this past Wednesday??I had a note from FedEx on my door saying there was a package that required a signature. I called and said I'm not home before 5:30pm, and could they leave it at the Complex leasing Office. Nope! Has to have a signature. OK. I'll be home early on Friday.FedEx came a 4:45pm on Friday.I open the outer box, and inside...A factory sealed box, containing a Dell Inspiron 1000SWEET!!! :clap2:Finished the set-up this morning.Ran a Registry Check and looked though installed programs... as well as running several different Spyware/Malware apps... JIC ;)Completely clean. Now...It's not exactly TOTL... just the specs in the Dell link. But...At tops...I bought about $250 of products for a brand new Laptop that retails for ~$600Experiment Complete Edited February 27, 2005 by Paracelsus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longgone Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 ..........Paracelsus .. you have much more patience than I do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havnblast Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Congrats - I'm not one for jumping thru hoops like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbdietz Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Hmm. Are all "free Dell laptop" offers equal? What was the web address? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolanaj Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Cool!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greengeek Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Most of the more interesting offers are for US/Canada only so we miss out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Hmmm...is this whole "Free Dell" idea supposed to be a good thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paracelsus Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 (edited) It is if you get one :PLike I said...May not be TOTL...But for the specs... I paid substantially less than retail.And I paid for a few other things that will come in handy :thumbsup:As always.... The above is just OMO... YMMV Edited February 27, 2005 by Paracelsus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Good deal Paracelsus. But now that you've told everybody about it my birthday present isn't going to be a surprise. BTW What does TOTL mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebone Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 Good deal Paracelsus. But now that you've told everybody about it my birthday present isn't going to be a surprise. BTW What does TOTL mean?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm going to guess "Top of the Line". But I would have liked to have rung in with "Too outré to Lambada". It might even fit.(Hoping that outré is not too outré for your browser). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LilBambi Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 That's excellent Paracelsus!Now I hope you have an excellent spam filter, antivirus, anti-trojan, anti-spyware (or would that be unwanted ware) program(s) on your computer as they sell all those emails to the highest bidders. LOL!Course you'd have the same problem with just having your email on a website, so it's not as bad as I just said....yet!Heck spam is only at nearly 90% of email according to MessageLabs in January 2005. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paracelsus Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 I'm going to guess "Top of the Line".<{POST_SNAPBACK}> You got it right, LB.TOTL is (for us, anyway)... Top Of The Line Now I hope you have an excellent spam filter, antivirus, anti-trojan, anti-spyware (or would that be unwanted ware) program(s) on your computer as they sell all those emails to the highest bidders. LOL!LOL!!!It's my Hotmail addy. :happyroll:It will be a CDIH before that addy becomes my primary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paracelsus Posted February 27, 2005 Share Posted February 27, 2005 (edited) Hmm. Are all "free Dell laptop" offers equal? What was the web address?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> I've no idea. Interestingly...Considering the number of times I've checked the Website...It's gone now. 405 error. :hmm:All I can say is...If you even remotely consider this... follow the same precautions I did. Do not release any personal info you want to safeguard (mine didn't ask for a SS#)... and if they ask for a phone #... give them one you don't normally use. And make certain that any offer transactions are handled only by the Sponsors' Website.If the one I did had said that they would "Relay" my offer acceptances... I would have nixed it... tout de suite!!!Congrats - I'm not one for jumping thru hoops like that.Me either. But I was curious...And LR kept teasing me!! :huh:This was purely an Experiment...I knew what I was getting into... and was willing to tackle any potentially negative consequences. Edited February 27, 2005 by Paracelsus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corrine Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 Nice going, Paracelsus, since you didn't purchase anything you wouldn't have bought anyway. However, something is missing here. I don't see where you have graciously extended your thanks to LabRat for his "encouragement" in this process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paracelsus Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 No need, Corrine.LR will be using it most of the time, anyway. ;)But I suppose I'll have to break down and get a wireless router now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 But I suppose I'll have to break down and get a wireless router now $14.99, after rebates, for a WiFi router and a USB NIC. This week's CompUSA ad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewmur Posted February 28, 2005 Share Posted February 28, 2005 (edited) $14.99, after rebates, for a WiFi router and a USB NIC. This week's CompUSA ad<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah. A lot of people are tyying to give away those 10mbits/sec things. If nothing else, they make for a cheap firewall and router. Edited February 28, 2005 by lewmur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross549 Posted March 18, 2005 Share Posted March 18, 2005 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...3.DTL&type=techInteresting article about those offers...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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