Closed pyramid scheme thread

[Svenhook]

Cause I know I sure do. My fellow audiophiles, a few months ago i stumbled across one of those banner ads. Im sure you have seen them, Shoot the Duck and get a free ipod, kill the fly with the swatter and get a free ipod. I like many of you, was not drawn for the ipod but thought the idea of shooting the ducks was somewhat amusing. I began thinking about this "Free Ipod" and figured it as a scam as most of you did too. I typed it into google so i could research it a bit. Turns out that these sites supposedly actually do give you free stuff. I figured it was worth a shot and signed up. I realized it was basically a pyramid scheme but it was a bit different and that it was indeed legal. I finally was able to convince my friends to sign up and they did so and they day arrived when i had fufilled all the requirements and clicked the "Give me my Prize" button. Sure enough, 4 days later i had an iPod in my hand. I was in a complete state of awe. I have now begun doing several other sites that i have talked to other people about and confirmed the legitmacy of. Problem is, I need people to sign up under me to get my free stuff and my friends are sick of me asking. So I would like to start up what is called a conga. A conga is were I place my referral link on here and have people sign up. Once the required amount of people have signed up and completed their offer, I withdraw my link and place the first person to have signed up under my links, ref link. Then once they are done, the second person is placed up. This way we get as many free items as possible. Now, im aware that this means not everyone will get a free prize from this but many will and at the same time those that dont get their link posted can still get their friends to join under them. I think this would be a fun little project for us and, really, who can say no to free items right? let me know what you think, and if you are interested in learning more about these "Free" sites shoot me a Pm. Many of them are scams so beware if you go for it on your own but i know the list of legit sites if you are interested.

Also if you dont believe my testimony i can post some proof pictures of my own up. If you have any questions also let me know. I just thought you guys might wanna get in on some of this sweet stuff. Currently I am orking on a site that will pay me Cash (Paypal) which i will use to buy my next set of speakers (Looking at either the Axiom M60ti or a pair of Paradigms.)
Thanks
-Sven

---*Edit*---

After doing a bunch of research I have decided upon this site. It legit and very easy and one of the prize choices is a pair of Sennheiser HD-212 Headphones. I figured it be a good prize for an audiophile site. Lets start the conga then shall we?

Conga:
1. Svenhook
2.
3.

Once two people have signed up under me and completed an offer, I will change my referral link to someone elses and it will be their turn to get a pair of headphones. If you have any questions, pm me!

[Edit: I don't like this being on the site and would appreciate you take it elsewhere. - Admin]

 

[furrycute]

Ahhhhh, mods, is this kind of stuff legal on audioholics?

Basically those "free" sites are all pyramid scheme sites, there is no such thing as getting something for nothing deal.

I woulnd't trust any of them.

 

[Svenhook]

If this is illegal im terribley sorry and I'll remove it. But they are really legit and not technically pyramid schemes. In fact several crediable sources have made mention of them. For example:

TechTv- Click to see the video
NBC Boston- Click to Read the Article
Wired- Click to Read Article
The New York Times- Click to Read
NPR (National Public Radio) - Click Here to Listen

I figure that enough, there are more if interested though

 

[furrycute]

Well, you can call this program a variation of the pyramid scheme, but the truth of the matter is, it is bascially a pyramid scheme.

The company cannot possibly deliver free ipods to every member. So what's the solution, use the membership fees of the ever expanding member base to pay for the ipods delivered to the top tier members. This is the definition of a pyramid scheme.

In order for this scheme to work, the company has to attract an ever increasing number of members who pay membership fees. This exponential expansion cannot be kept up in the long term. If ever the rate of membership expansion starts to decline, that is, the rate of cash flow declines, the whole scheme will start to collapse.



Okay, so this particular plan asks its members to sign up for various internet services such as aol, geneology services, etc. The rationale is that members can cancel their subscriptions before a certain deadline, and thus incur no subscription fees.

This may work within a limited introductory period. But companies are here to make money, not to lose money. Each company may have a set amount of advertising dollars set aside for this "free ipod" advertising. But as soon as that budget is used up, those companies will start to tighten up their subscription cancellation requirements, making it more and more difficult for members to cancel their subscription.

Have you ever tried to cancel you AOL membership? I was foolish enough once to try that 60 day for free AOL offer. I wanted to cancel the service after 30 days. What a nightmare that was trying to cancel my subscription. In the end, I basically ended up telling AOL that I am packing up and moving to the grasslands of inner Mongolia where there is no electricity, no telephone, no internet, no running water, no satellite dishes, no cell phone services, and I'll be living in a tent, before the customer service at AOL will allow me cancel my subscription. And that wasn't the end of the story. 2 weeks later, I received a letter from AOL in the mail informing me that AOL is happy to hear that I chose to continue with my subscription. It took another round of phone calls before I made sure my AOL subscription was canceled.



Anyway, these are just my thoughts. There is no free lunch.

 

[Svenhook]

I actually did AOL as an offer for one of my sites. Its true, it can be a hassle, and you're also right, there is no free lunch. But in this case the iPod costs, really, only your time and effort. But thats what my plan on here was to cut down that time and effort by setting it all up. I think it would be not to hard to do and profitable to many. I mean, if you dont want to participate thats cool but i just would like to get some stuff myself and figured you guys may be interested too. It was through these sites i was able to fund my Denon 985S receiver so im very happy with these sites and who doesnt like new equipment?

Also, the companies i deal with do not change the requirements to make them more difficult. They have figured out a plan that works for them where they can keep the requirements easy. Many have been open for over a year and the most Famous (Gratis/Freepay) has even been mentioned in Inc. 500 as the 18th fastest growing company in the internet community. With stats like that its just a stupid move to clinch the requirements because then people wont do it anymore. THey have found a model that works for them and people like. People like me, and hopefully maybe soon, you too.

 

[masak_aer]

The free stuff I just offered is legitimate..no subscription..no pyramid scheme...no strings attached whatsoever....

 

[highfihoney]

there is no such thing as free !

when our family first got online my wife signed up for every stupid scheme on the web,free gas cards,free vacations,free health care,free groceries,free coupons,free health club memberships,free tanning salons,ect ect ect,the list went on & on.

all we ever got for signing up for hundreds of these scams was a big fat hard drive chock full of viruses,adware & other unwanted bs not to mention the 500 or so emails we got every single day after they sold or gave away our email address as somebody who was stupid enough to fall for internet scams.

btw,im not buying the innocent guy rap that your selling here,your a schill for these sites plain & simple

 

[Svenhook]

A little rude to insult me. A bit unnecessary also.

I admit, there are tons of scam sites out there. Hundreads, thousands, but i have located a specific few that arent. I am the proud owner of an iPod Shuffle, Ipod 20 Gb, Ps2, and Laptop computer because of these sites. I will send you the link to each one if you care enough. Some of these sites are definitly legit so please dont come in here and tell me I am wrong and insult me. If you dont want to participate, fine. Dont. You dont have to be rude about it though.

I am a "schill" for these sites. Unlike your wife, I researched before i did anything. I dont get spam, i dont have spyware or adware, and my HDD remains untouched. Check out the links above and you'll see that i am correct.

 

[highfihoney]

if i was rude them i am sorry but im calling it as i see it,50% of your posts on this site are directly related to you getting free stuff from either entering contests or asking others to help you get free stuff.

 

[furrycute]

I have a question for the original poster.

What is your definition of a "legitimate" website?

And what is your definition of an "illegitimate" website?

Seems like these days every "legitimate" company is involved in some "illegitimate" dealings of one kind or another. I am not talking about those companies that you endorse specifically (I haven't checked them out), I'm talking about businesses in general, Enron, WorldComm, Lucent, one of those big cable companies which I can't recall the name right now, etc.

 

[Svenhook]

What do my posts have to do with anything? Ive been a lurker here at Audioholics for a while learning before I post anything related to A/V so I dont give wrong information. Over at Secrets i post regularly, and I am a lurker at AVS. Now that you know all my posting history, ill move on to furrycute's question.

A legitimate site to me is one that first of all obeys the laws of the United States. It is first of 100% legal. A legit site must also fulfill their promises. Or in other words, a site must give you the item if they say they will. These sites are not considered Legit until there is reasonable proof that they have fulfilled both of these key requirements. No site that i have worked with have I not checked up on and reasearched heavily before I post about them or deal with them. And I dont mean i see a proof pic and call it good, we're talking several proof pics, testimonies, reviews, from many many people.

Illegit would be one that breaks one of the two aforementioned pieces of criteria. Again i check up on this stuff.

 

[Mr. Lamb Fries]

when our family first got online my wife signed up for every stupid scheme on the web,free gas cards,free vacations,free health care,free groceries,free coupons,free health club memberships,free tanning salons,ect ect ect,the list went on & on.

all we ever got for signing up for hundreds of these scams was a big fat hard drive chock full of viruses,adware & other unwanted bs not to mention the 500 or so emails we got every single day after they sold or gave away our email address as somebody who was stupid enough to fall for internet scams.

Are you shure that wasn't you that signed up for everything ???

 

[Svenhook]

Added the conga in my first post! Start signing up so we can start receiving our free Sennheiser Headphones!

 

[majorloser]

I have a question for the original poster.

What is your definition of a "legitimate" website?

And what is your definition of an "illegitimate" website?

Seems like these days every "legitimate" company is involved in some "illegitimate" dealings of one kind or another. I am not talking about those companies that you endorse specifically (I haven't checked them out), I'm talking about businesses in general, Enron, WorldComm, Lucent, one of those big cable companies which I can't recall the name right now, etc.

Legitimate means they ain't been caught!

I have to agree with highfihoney, half of your posts have been on how you got "free" stuff from these wonder websites. The other half is just entries for Audioholics give aways.

EDIT: Lurker, that seems like a nice word for it.

 

[Svenhook]

I admitted i was a lurker already. I dont understand what that has to do with anything though...

Ain't been caught by who? They are legal. The government knows about these sites, there are tons out there. There is a reason they havent been shut down even after they've been reviewed by National Public Radio, The New York Times, NBC News Boston, and many more.

 

[j_garcia]

Legal by operating just within the law...kind of like AMWAY......It's not a pyramid scheme, it's a pyramid PLAN. Sorry man, I don't buy it. "All that is required" is for me to take my time recruiting another round of suckers,...um supporters..into the plan to build the empire. It IS a pyramid, no matter what you want to call it.

 

[Audioholics]

I'm not going to ban you because I think you're truly just "into" free stuff, but I don't want you posting any more links to free items that don't involve straight-up purchases and rebates.

I am not interested in whether they are legal or not, this isn't a democracy.