Is there any real free stuff around?

@dozhou (326)
United States
November 18, 2008 5:09pm CST
One friend of mine is free stuff hunter. He knows lots of deals: free printers, free telephones, even free TV. He boasts that he coult get $1000 worth stuff without paying a dollar. How can that happen? I doubt it. What is your opinion?
1 person likes this
2 responses
Just an Ordinary Owl?
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
18 Nov 08
There are many people who love to boast about how little they paid for something or how they got this or that for free. You would think that they would be better off than most of us but this is rarely the case. I believe that, as with gamblers, one hears a great deal about their 'successes' and very little if anything about their failures!
1 person likes this
DoriLentrich
@DoriLentrich (1016)
• United States
2 Dec 08
owlwings: The analogy to gambling is quite apt. These free offers are a lot like Vegas. You don't know what you're going to get and it's a safe bet that the house always wins! dozhou: I wouldn't be so quick to believe that American businesses don't cheat the consumer. There is a lot of shady selling out there, even in the U.S. Just watch late-night t.v. and the infomercials there. There is a guy who sells books on everything from healthcare to getting out of debt, he's be exposed as a fraud numerous times and yet, he keeps coming back. Every purchaser (even of freebies) has a responsibility to themselves to be informed about their purchase.
dozhou
@dozhou (326)
• United States
21 Nov 08
Shopping is not gamble especially in America. The retailers won't dare to cheat on customers. So I think what they pay for the deal stuff is time instead of money. Meanwhile their boast may be another earning to them.
1 person likes this
DoriLentrich
@DoriLentrich (1016)
• United States
18 Nov 08
Others will probably disagree with me, but I think while your friend might not spend a dollar, he might very well put himself on the hook for much more. The old saying that you can't get something for nothing isn't completely true, but close. Most of the free stuff (big ticket items like printers, etc) have strings attached. You have to fill out an offer, submit personal info., participate in some kind of survey/sales pitch. I'm sure the stuff is out there. I'd just read the fine print and the finer print before I went after something too good to be true.
dozhou
@dozhou (326)
• United States
19 Nov 08
I thinks you are right. There is no free lunch in the world. If you get something free, you definitely pay something: your time, your personal information etc.
1 person likes this
DoriLentrich
@DoriLentrich (1016)
• United States
2 Dec 08
And the question you have to ask yourself is: is it the price tag worth it? Submitting your personal info. in this day and age is a price that is a lot higher than it looks. Some people may feel that it's no big deal, but if one wrong person gets a hold of it, it can be the biggest deal of your life. Caveat Freebie: Beware the freebie. (Okay, my Latin sucks.) :)