I wouldn't call them an outright scam, but they certainly aren't the most honest. Good deals can be had for sure, but in the long run, but as mentioned you really need to pay attention to all of their fine print. Special offers not counting toward your obligation is a perfect example. Unless you wait for a price drop on popular titles, they tend to be pricey up front and not available for specials. For most new releases, I pretty much found that I could get them for the same price or less on my own.