The iPod Debacle
So here’s a little wrap-up of my experience with Incentive Reward Center. My roommate was so encouraged by my blind luck success that he’s signed up for a bunch of their offers, too. Whereas I did things like CD Clubs and tooth-whitening solutions, Ryan chose internet phone service and male enhancement pills. We’re all a little freaked out.
Anyway, it’s my opinion that Incentive Reward Center is not worth the hassle. Sure, it’s a free iPod, or a free Applebee’s Gift Certificate, or whatever you’re going for, but it’s not worth it. There’s no guarantee that you’re going to receive your gift, even if you manage to follow all of their instructions exactly. They’re not a total scam, since I did receive my gift as advertised, but there’s at least three reason why Incentive Reward Center and all its legal variants should be avoided.
Reason #1: Customer Satisfaction
I read a book once about how a purely capitalist system encourages ethical behavior (in the long run) because the consumer base won’t put up with an unethical company. While this is likely true with a Mom and Pop operation in a small town, it doesn’t apply to Incentive Reward Center. They’re not counting on repeat customers, so they aren’t in the business of making you happy. Their money is made from their affiliates, and the affiliates will keep paying so long as people like me and Ryan are signing up for in hopes of getting iPods. Nevermind if we never get them. That’s not their problem.
Reason #2: Completely Unreachable
Now, if you happen to experience a problem when dealing with Incentive Reward Center, they recommend that you fill out their customer service e-mail form and let them know about the problem. If you look down at the bottom of the page, there’s a physical address where you can send letters. There are no phone numbers listed, though they are available if you know where to look.
But there’s a problem: they never respond. In fact, they can’t. There’s a phone number out there, but it’s just a voicemail inbox, and it is frequently full. I sent a couple of letters and never received word back from them. E-mail is their contact method of choice, but you won’t ever receive an e-mail from them. Their servers are listed with every spam blacklist in the world, so their e-mails are automatically blocked without any input from the user. I did eventually receive word from the company, but they couldn’t e-mail me directly. They used the contact form on my website.
Reason #3: They’re Counting On Not Giving Away iPods
OK, let’s be honest: the iPods they’re offering aren’t free. Someone paid for them, and though I didn’t pay specifically for the iPod, I was required to pay real money to complete the offers that earned me an iPod. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Keep in mind that you’re never paying any money to the company offering the iPods (Incentive Reward Center, TheUseful.com, eMarketResearch.com, etc.). So how can they afford to stay in business? Because their affiliates pay money to be included in the list of offers. The more people they get to sign up for their trial offers and free samples, the more customers they’ll have. And it works: I bought a year’s supply of USA Today. I wasn’t planning on that. I had no intention of subscribing. Yet here I am. Another example: my roommate paid $50 for male-enhancement pills. Now, Ryan’s all man, and though I can’t vouch for his stamina and libido first-hand, I can assure you that purchasing male-enhancement pills wasn’t on his to-do list. And yet yesterday he received his first shipment. It works well enough that they can afford to give away iPods to the handful of users who actually complete all the offers and jump through all of the hoops and wait around long enough. It seems to help if you threaten them with legal action, too, but that takes balls, patience and literacy, not to mention a stamp and envelope. And they’re counting on you not to have any of it.
They’re counting on you. They’re counting on you to sign up for offers and not complete them. They’re counting on you to sign up for a few offers and give up, which is what most people do. When you sign up for a trial offer, like Ryan’s internet phone service, they’re counting on your laziness to keep you from cancelling. It sounds predatory, and it probably is, but it works, and the affiliates will continue to pay for it as long as people like me and Ryan sign up for it.
In Conclusion
Incentive Reward Center is not the most customer-friendly business on the planet, and with good reason. Most of their customers are idiots and lazy freeloaders, like me and Ryan. I don’t recommend doing business with them.
If you must, that is, if you are curious like I was and want to just take the chance, make sure you go all the way. This isn’t something you should half-ass, because if you do, you’ll end up with bills for things you don’t want, more credit cards than anyone with your income should ever have, and a pile of junkmail in your mailbox and e-mail inbox every day. You’ll be on every mailing list in the free world, and you still won’t have your iPod.
So if you must take the plunge, make sure you get your iPod. Start a blog and write about it. That freaks them out. Send letters with vague legal threats (Are you prepared to go to court?). They like that. Whatever you do, make sure you get your iPod.