The truth about free iPod offers

You have undoubtedly seen the flashing banner advertisements on sites, or received e-mails claiming "you are the 1,000,000th visitor, get your free iPod". Some are even more direct and just advertise "Get a free iPod". We've all caught ourselves clicking on the ads out of sheer curiosity, and some might even have gone as far as to signing up. The website is filled with catchy eye grabbing phrases explaining to you how simple it is to get a free iPod. Let me start off by explaining to you how the process works:

When you sign up you are required to provide your full name, address, phone number, and of course e-mail address. Surprisingly enough you will not be inundated with spam e-mail right away. Should you fail to complete the entire process, then brace yourself for daily flooding of multiple offers for more free offers. For a free iPod it doesn't seem so bad.

Let's say you complete the application, and you receive the congratulatory e-mail and an explanation of what is required (you didn't think it was really free no strings attached did you?). You will be asked to make an application for say a credit card, or a home loan, or request information about a home loan. So now you've agreed to have a bank, credit card company, or other lending bureau send you promotional offers for the rest of eternity. You figure it's not that bad, I can call the company and request they stop sending me offers. You follow through to the next step expecting to see a form asking you which iPod you would like. Unfortunately you haven't earned your free iPod just yet.

The next step involves coercing 5 other people into completing a similar application you just filled out. So you send out the e-mail and try to convince 5 other people that you get a free iPod if they fill out the form. Of course that may prove to be a challenge because the people you are referring do not have any incentive to do so and may be reluctant to divulge their personal information and receive junk e-mail or telemarketing calls.

Unless your 5 referrals complete the application, your dreams of a free iPod are nothing more than a dream. Even if 4 people complete the application you will not receive anything. Don't forget there's a time limit within which you need to have your 5 referrals so even if you get that 5th application a month after the limit date your previous 4 referrals do not count and you must start from the beginning.

Seems like a lot of trouble for a free iPod doesn't it? Divulging personal information freely on the internet and harassing 5 other people to do the same does not justify the price of an iPod. Most sites like freeipods.com are in fact legit, but then again for every legit site there are 3 more that are purely scams and have no intentions of sending you that free iPod.

Save yourself the hassle and aggravation and spend your energy hunting for a good bargain on an iPod instead.