No such thing as a free lunch
posted in Deaf, General, Technology, deaf culture |I’m noticing that I’m getting emails from the “getitfree” website from certain deaf friends who thinks that if they send 5 emails, they’ll get their stuff for free. Just out of curiousity, I checked the website. Their search feature sucks. Instead of a system wide search, I have to pick one category and type a keyword for each category. So, looking for “sidekick” I selected the Electronics category. No T-Mobile Sidekick there but there’s a free Cingular & AT&T Ogo Wireless! WOW! I can annoy my friends to get an obsolete, non-functional Ogo Pager! LIKE WOW!!!
And as I was typing this, I just got zapped by another getitfree email for Sidekick II. I finally found it in the Wireless category. First listing is for a T-Mobile Color Sidekick Phone. Seeing the picture it’s a Sidekick I. Did you know that Overstock.com now has an inventory of Sidekick I??? I guess they can’t get rid of it fast enough. Second listing is for Sidekick II for T-Mobile. Doesn’t say if a new T-Mobile account with activation is required. Third is for a prepaid Sidekick II. Since it can go for as up to $350, if you’ve applied to T-Mobile and got denied, then this “getitfree” for a prepaid Sidekick II “may” be a good deal.
So what’s the catch? Here’s the fine print:
To receive a free gift, members must complete a sponsored offer and get 5 friends to do the same. These offers are hosted externally on our advertisers’ websites, and a signup process may be required for offer completion.
Some of our sponsored offers include
- Blockbuster Onlineâ„¢
- Discover® Platinum credit card
- Netflixâ„¢
- Columbia House® DVDs
- BMGâ„¢ Music Service
- Citibank Citi® credit card
Please keep in mind that our advertisers may take 4 to 8 weeks to report an offer completion.
Get it? You AND YOUR 5 FRIENDS have to sign up and get a confirmation of the offer, which could take up to 8 weeks! Some of the choices means applying for a credit card (you credit score may go lower). Deafies ain’t gonna sign up for the BMG Music Service. So that leaves Netflix and Columbia House DVD as possible suitable choices. The fine print didn’t say HOW LONG you have to remain a subscriber. But I’m guessing more than 2 months because the advertisers can take up to 8 weeks to report that you and your buddies stayed on the program long enough, plus getitfree can take their sweet time to process the freebie. So if you’re a subscriber of Netflix or Columbia house DVD, then it’s probably wise to continue as a subscriber until your buddy get a free Sidekick II and then cancel the services. (Google to get a discount coupon code for Netflix and Columbia House DVD).
This reminds me of the wild days when WinfreePCS was selling Sidekicks. For a while there was a frenzy about getting Sidekicks for free. The catch is that they have to sign up for a Data AND VOICE services. So we would “do the math” for our customers. We would ask them to compare the cost of paying for a Sidekick with Data plan for one year, and then compare the total cost of voice/data plan for one year. Turns out that the “free Sidekick” was NOT a good deal to deaf customers. Why pay for something you will never use?
So again, this is not quite a free offer. The catch is that you have to bet on your friends to sign up and PAY for the services for a few months in order for you to get a free Sidekick II.
Which is more important - friendship, or a freebie that may or may not arrive?
