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Newbie Question - Providing Incentives to Purchase Products/Services?

by pyles
4 replies
Please do not burn me or flame me, as I am asking a genuine question.

I have seen websites that say "receive XX if you sign up today!" so for example, they might give $10 gift card to Amazon if you sign up for a new Netflix account, etc.

Another thing I see is "Free iPod for filling out our Survey!"

Is that ethical and allowed, or is that frowned upon in the IM community.

I am not interested in doing it, just something I have seen before and would like to know if what those people are doing is legal/ethical.
#incentives #newbie #products or services #providing #purchase #question
  • Profile picture of the author CmdrStidd
    Many of them are scams and when you do their "survey" you are given choices of offers to sign up for. You have to sign up for so many bronze offers, so many gold offers and so many platinum offers before they will send you the prize. The trick is that if you actually do sign up for all the offers they say you have to sign up for then you will have spent enough to buy 5 or 6 of what they are going to give you 1 of. Most people that start replying to that will sign up for some of the offers but never all of them to qualify and then the questionable website vendors have that income without having to pay anything out for it.

    It is highly suspicious if not completely unethical and in some countries it is even illegal but I do not think the FTC has made it illegal here yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lutz80
    Incentives are allowed on a per offer basis you have to check out each offers terms and see if that is allowed.

    In my personal opinion as long as the incentive adds value to the purchase great, in this business you have to set yourself apart from your competition and this is one way of doing that.

    But some of the offers are just scammers trying to get what they need , so just use your common sense to see if it is a real offer or a scam. Who really is going to give you a free ipod for filling out a survey? I mean they may if you purchase some magazines or something always a catch.

    I stay away from offers like that myself, I guess it is just a personal preference, I imagine some folks make money off tehm.

    Zac
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  • Profile picture of the author Tasso Pepi
    Originally Posted by pyles View Post

    Please do not burn me or flame me, as I am asking a genuine question.

    I have seen websites that say "receive XX if you sign up today!" so for example, they might give $10 gift card to Amazon if you sign up for a new Netflix account, etc.

    Another thing I see is "Free iPod for filling out our Survey!"

    Is that ethical and allowed, or is that frowned upon in the IM community.

    I am not interested in doing it, just something I have seen before and would like to know if what those people are doing is legal/ethical.
    I will tell you from experience, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is...
    I remember about 8 years ago i got caught out thinking i was going to get a big screen tv if i just filled out a form and gave them $25...
    Haha

    The sites payment was processed through paypal, they asked for my address, phone number etc...

    They then sent me an email, and attached was a pdf file...
    In the pdf file where instructions, explaining to me how to make a cardboard cut out and put it over my original tv!!! lol

    So take it from me, if it is too good to be true don't bite...

    But on the other had most internet marketers will offer free quality products if you subscribe to their list...
    This is a way of them generating lists that they can nuture and sell too in the future..

    If you have any other questions mate just send me a pm...

    Tas
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