When is a freebie offer really free? |
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Don't expect to get rich answering
surveys
Legitimate survey research companies will limit the number of surveys
you can take and won't pay enough for a person to make a living
answering surveys, says Cristie Allen, marketing director for American
Consumer Opinion, a marketing research company that rewards consumers
for completing surveys.
For shorter surveys, her company typically awards
$4 to $6 per completed survey, in the form of cash, check, a gift
or a test product worth that value.
Survey participants can earn up to $50 for completing
longer surveys.
Registrants on their site get invited to take surveys,
provided that they qualify for them after answering screening questions.
Look for trade group affiliations
Legitimate survey research companies generally affiliate themselves
with a trade group, says Bowers. Since trade group members must
meet certain ethical standards, membership can provide an important
clue in determining a Web site's legitimacy.
You can check CASRO membership on its Web
site. For membership in other industry groups, search for that
group's Web site and check the rosters.
Free product with purchase
These sites require registrants to complete product offers, sometimes free or paid, before releasing the free reward. The site may also require friend referrals and mandate that they also complete product offers within a specified amount of time.
The problem: Some sites may only require that you complete free trial offers. Watch out. Free trials can come with strings attached -- in the form of a charge on your credit card if you don't cancel according to the rules set forth in the terms and conditions. You may have to return merchandise sent to avoid charges or call to cancel within a specified time. Make sure to read the terms and conditions before you sign up.
Examples: Myfreetrip.com -- Registered members get to take a "free" trip, with airfare, hotel and spending money included, on the condition they provide certain personal details that will be sold to third parties. They must also complete six advertising offers.
Freecreditreport.com
-- This is just one of many sites offering "free" credit
reports that actually cost you. That is, the credit report is free,
as long as you cancel your automatic enrollment in a credit monitoring
service. Otherwise, you'll get billed $13 per month. For a genuinely
free credit report, go to annualcreditreport.com,
the only authorized site for free credit reports under the Fair
Credit Reporting Act. Through that site, you can request a free
credit report from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus once
every 12 months.
For more information about free trial offers, read the Federal Trade Commission's feature, "Trial Offers: The Deal is in the Details."
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