posted on July 25, 2001 02:58:06 PM new
Just received an email saying if I take 45 seconds to fill out this survey, I will get this pen that retails for $45 in retail stores for FREE. At the bottom of the email it states this is sponsored by EBAY.
So, I filled out the survey (only a few questions, took less than 30 seconds) and clicked on the "claim free gift" button. Get this - you have to pay $7.95 via Paypal for S&H to get this "free gift"! Or, you can pay $10.50 for a different type pen.
So just beware if you get this email - don't bother filling it out! I can't believe Ebay is sponsoring this crap!
posted on July 25, 2001 03:10:24 PM new
This sounds like an email I received a few weeks ago--the sender was not ebay but they were claiming to be sponsored by ebay. I forwarded it to [email protected] and their response was:
This sender is using a free email service. This email service is able to allow free email by attaching advertisements for various companies to every email that is sent using their service. These advertisements help pay for the cost of running an email service.
Unfortunately our company, eBay, happens to be used in some of the advertisements that have been attached to messages sent through this email service. We do not in any way endorse this message that was sent and are currently investigating the matter further.
posted on July 25, 2001 03:19:37 PM new
I got the same thing.
The email was from paid4survey.net . Until recently they where sending these out with spoofed headers that made it look like you had sent yourself this email. I had to look at the source code to figure out where it really did come from. Many complaints to eBay (since they are THE sponser) and at least they've cleaned up their act enough not to spoof the header on the email.
If it's like the first batch this company sent out, when you filled out the survey, you picked up a "web bug" that reports every single website you visit back to them. (unless you're running a fire wall )
posted on July 25, 2001 03:21:43 PM new
Wow! What a stroke of "marketing genius"! Here I am trying desperately to find a way to make anyone buy anything from me and here someone has found a way to sell a $.39 pen for $7.95! Wonder just how many they will sell?
I don't really care for their "tactics", but you 'gotta admit...it's slick!
)
