alatesystems's Journal: Free Dell Desktop PC

Free Dell Desktop PC
By: Chris Benard

I used to be skeptical that you could get anything free on the internet after the dot-com bust, until I got a free xbox and I've already had my order placed for a free iPod. Gratis Internet runs these sites and is registered with the Better Business Bureau. They started off with FreeCondoms.com and the wild popularity of this site grew them enough capital to do offers for better products including consumer electronics and desktop computers.

Before reading further, please note these offers only are valid in the United States only.

You may have seen my journal entry about getting a Free iPod, but this offer is even cooler. You can actually get a free desktop(I chose the Dell because it includes a monitor) for just doing one free trial and then getting some friends to do the same. If you already read that article, this is the EXACT same business model, so just click here to continue.

If you aren't familiar with the business model, read on as I explain it in depth.

How it Works

• Signing Up
  • Preparing:
    • -- Use a throwaway address!!! -- I don't think I can stress this enough. They do spam you a LOT, but hey, you get a free computer out of it. I think that's much better than the "free" spam you get now. I used my gmail account, but I had my friend John use a free Yahoo! Mail account. Either will filter the spam pretty well and keep it away from your mail account.
    • Credit Card: Yes, most offers require a credit card, with the known exception of AOL, which can sign you up under a checking account or phone number. As long as you cancel inside of the free trials, you will not be charged.
  • Joining the Website: Click here to open the FreeDesktopPC.com website. I recommend opening it in a new tab so you can read the rest of this. On the main page, put in your email address and password you want to use for the site, and submit. On the next page, enter your real address, because this is where your desktop will be shipped.
  • Referring Friends: Once you put in your address on the previous step, you can either put in names and email addresses of friends on that page or skip the step and give it to them via your own email or instant messenger, or whatever you want to use. One thing you do need is your referral link off the bottom of the "refer friends" page.
• Completing an Offer
  • Selecting ONE Offer: Strange as it may seem, AOL and Netscape internet seem to be the best offers. You sign up for the trial, and as soon as you get credit on the FreeDesktopPC.com site, cancel the trial if you no longer want the service. However, FreeDesktopPC.com has many offers and you might actually find one that you want. My dad did the Blockbuster service and decided to keep it because he liked it better than his previous DVD rental service.
• Referring Friends
  • Get friends to complete ONE Offer: You need to get ten friends to use your referral link to sign up and complete one offer in the above step. Feel free to link them to this journal entry to explain the process.
• Ordering Your Computer
  • Place the order: Obviously I haven't gotten all ten of mine done yet, but I'm hoping people on slashdot will use my link in return for explaining the process in detail(this took forever to write). It's the same company and the same business model as FreeiPods.com so once all 10 are completed on your "Check Status" page, you can go to the site and confirm your shipping info and order your pc. Congratulations! At this point, you're done.

If you now want to sign up for a free desktop, click on this referral link.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this guide, please click here to email me.

Thanks,
Chris Benard

Do you not know what a pyramid scheme is?

[FlipmodePlaya]

Wikipedia Explains [wikipedia.org]

Can you get a free computer/iPod/etc.? Yes. Have people gotten them? Yes. Have the vast majority of those who attempted to gotten them, or will get them? No.

You're so late in the game now, just about anyone willing to do this has already. If you're willing to spend months of your life embarresing yourself to your friends and peers trying to rally people together to sign on for you to get a cheap computer, then good luck. Think of how much more money you'd make at a job...

Re:Do you not know what a pyramid scheme is?

[alatesystems]

From the link [wikipedia.org] you pasted:

The key identifiers of a pyramid scheme are:

• A highly excited sales pitch
  Definitely has that. Who wouldn't want a free ipod and/or computer
• Vaguely phrased promises of limitless income potential
  Totally non-existant
• No product, or a product being sold at a price ridiculously in excess of its real market value.
  There is a real product being given away for free as you admitted
• An income stream that chiefly depends on the commissions earned by enrolling new members.
  There is no

Re:Do you not know what a pyramid scheme is?

[osssmkatz]

It isn't really that it is an iilegal pyrimad scheme as defined by the FTC, but it does resemble a scheme that gives the company *much* more than you are getting, and anyone will ever get. It also promotes spam. .. if you complete this process. It might work. But it probably isn't worth your friends, when their inboxes fill with spam. --Sam

Re:Do you not know what a pyramid scheme is?

[alatesystems]

I totally agree with you on some points.

1. It's not an illegal pyramid scheme.
2. The company is getting much more than we will, but the fact remains we get free ipod/flatscreen/computer.
3. "It might work" -- It does work. I got a free xbox already(and modded it[smartxx]).
4. The spam. I said in my "guide" that you should use a throwaway address such as yahoo or spamgourmet.

Thank you for commenting Sam; I welcome all constructive criticism as opposed to people saying "OMFG TROLL OH NOES XOBX HUEG".

Chris

Re:Do you not know what a pyramid scheme is?

[badzilla]

I think you should say up front this is US ONLY instead of people find out too late after they wade through all the other description.

Re:Do you not know what a pyramid scheme is?

[alatesystems]

Thanks, I'll add that. You know we Americans, so geocentric.

Chris

Out of curiosity

[jwigum]

I'm just wondering how the company/corporations involved with this would simply "write off" whatever merch. they have sent to someone, just because they cancelled whatever service they had signed up for. It seems to me that they would send you a letter asking for you to fufill your part of the contract, which is to complete the offer.

Is it just that they value the additional referrals enough that they are willing to let a few slip through the cracks? I'm in no way trying to bash or tear down what you're

Re:Out of curiosity

[alatesystems]

The offers you complete ARE free trials unless you pick one where you have to pay for something. You are fulfilling your part of the contract.

They verify all your offers before they let you get the free product anyway.

Chris

Re:Out of curiosity

[idesofmarch]

Oh please, do "bash and tear down" what he is "supporting." He is supporting YOU wasting YOUR time so he can get free goods. And he wants you to be like him and try to screw people you know.

Scum!

[idesofmarch]

You, sir, are scum. That was a really great post about how we should all waste our time so YOU can get a free computer. What the hell do we get? Oh I know, we get to join the ranks of slimeballs like you who hassle their friends for free stuff too.

It just occurred to me - this is like begging! Oh please kind sir, won't you waste some of your precious time filling out an offer for crap you don't need so I can get a free computer, oh please oh please. Oh, and feel free to stand with me on the street corner with a sign too, maybe other people will be as kind to you as you are to me.

Bah, it just makes me sick.

Re:Scum!

[alatesystems]

I started to reply intelligently to you, but I see your karma is kinda bad, and the reason is because you never post anything except to insult people.

Have a nice life, Troll, and please read other comments inside my journal where I explain points logically.

I allow comments in my journals because I enjoy addressing points that people may bring in order to show that it isn't a scam.

Chris

Re:Scum!

[idesofmarch]

It is true that I have been insulting people who have been peddling this scam. However, I have also explained my point logically, if bluntly. You cannot refute that (a) you would have us spend OUR time signing up for crappy offers to get YOU a free product, and (b) the only way we are going to get any kind of return on our time is to get others to do the same thing. Explain how this is a positive thing to have happen, besides you getting a free computer out of it.

The real cost of this program

[micromoog]

This program is not truly free.

You may or may not actually get the computer. If you do, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

However, regardless of this outcome, there is definitely a cost: everyone who you try to recruit to help you has to dedicate time to the consideration of your offer, and likely is annoyed by it (I know I am). So the cost is the time and quality of life of everyone else.

Scaled up to maximum effect, the net result of this program is free computers for a few, and vast pollution of the commons (t