Websites for Finding a Free Xbox 360 and Other Freebies Online

Freebie promotions that flood the internet and our email boxes are to most people just annoying spam to be deleted. But occasionally one can’t help wondering, might it be true? Can you really get brand-new computers, gaming systems, flat-screen tvs, for free?

The answer is no, not totally free. While most freebie sites do offer free shipping, the catch of the whole process is that you must fill out a certain number of partner offers, most of which are carefully orchestrated to hook you into an automatic buying program and charge you an astronomical price for their miracle product. For example, you might sign up for BlindingTeeth.com’s 7-day free toothpaste trial, which on the 8th day turns into an $80+ very definitely NOT free autoship program. These companies usually include the caveat that you can only cancel by phone, which for busy people or anyone working a normal 8-5 week may not be practical. You usually have to listen to a load of advertising as well, and sometimes you will be asked numerous times if you really want to cancel, in spite of what you have already told them. Adding to the murkiness of the vast ocean of freebie sites is that from time to time, even if the freebie site is legitimate, the sponsor is just a scammer and refuses to credit or places unauthorized charges on the unwary freebie hunter’s card.

That said, it can be done, and there are legitimate companies out there who will send you merchandise such as the abovementioned or the equivalent in a check or paypal. I just recently finished a promotion in which I did about $140 worth of offers, of which I got $80 back as refunds from the sponsors, and got a new Dell Inspiron 1200 laptop. Now that may not be top of the line, I’m not a techie so I wouldn’t know, but it has worked just fabulous for everything I’ve used it for so far.

So the main things to consider when thinking about signing up for online promotions are these:

1. Are you willing to take the chance of being scammed? Because there is always a chance, however careful you are, that for whatever reason it just won’t happen. Freebie sites go under frequently, in which case there is very little you can do other than filing a report with the Better Business Bureau (pointless at this stage) or complain to the Attorney General of the appropriate state.

2. If the abovementioned doesn’t give you cold feet, the next thing to think about is: do you have the time? Do you have a time within normal working hours (again, usually 8-5) that you can call to cancel a promotion to avoid it becoming an autoship? If not, this probably is not for you. Also, you should budget at least 30 minutes for each cancellation. These are not quick transactions for the most part, the operator’s job is to keep you on the phone till you relent from sheer weariness. You must be prepared to be polite, but firm as a rock, and to stay on the phone until they give up and agree to cancel your account. Be sure to get the name, first and last if possible, of the person you talked to, and make them give you a cancellation number.

3. The next slightly frightening thing about online promotions is that, as often as not, the sponsors make their money from charging you as much as they think they can get away with. So really the only safe way to play this game is by using a prepaid credit card, which will usually prevent them from charging more than the original “shipping” or trial period fee. If you do decide to use a personal credit card (NOT ADVISABLE), check it frequently for unauthorized charges, and be prepared to go nose-to-nose with the company if one shows up. While most companies will refund any unauthorized charges, some will be very difficult. Mentioning the BBB and the Attorney General can work wonders for you here, since these are companies who still have a reputation to care about.

4. You should have an infinite amount of patience when it comes to waiting for your “gift”. It can take up to a year to get all the way through the offers/referrals and the checking the company does. Even after your offers are completed it usually takes a month to three months for the voucher you send in to get processed.

5. If none of these faze you, and if you are ready to scrap it out with the most aggressive salespeople out there in order to squeeze your free goodie out of the Net’s hazy recesses, there is not much more you need to know, except the common sense things such as: research every site thoroughly, don’t sign up for sites with no phone numbers, search scam.com and similar sites to see if anyone has had a problem with the company before. Keep all correspondence and confirmation numbers, etc. Also, freebie sites are moving more and more toward referral based rewards programs, which means that you have to get a certain number of friends or trading partners ( find them at a referral trading site ) to sign up using a unique link the site will give you. Check each site to make sure it doesn’t require referrals, if you don’t have enough friends or just don’t want to do a referral program.

Some of the best freebie sites out there for the latest and greatest gaming system, the Xbox 360, are these, as rated by users, online forums, and referral trading sites

The one I’m working on right now, Giftfiesta.com, has sent Xbox 360’s or $350 paypal to numerous freebie hunters already.

Link:

http://www.giftfiesta.com/?rid=1112258

Other highly rated sites:

Transcendent Innovations, also known as TRAINN, at www.trainn.org

The Free4Me Network, with a variety of sites.

123StuffForFree at www.123stuffforfree.com

AnyGiftForFree.com