Misrepresentation of free services

[tranquility]

I've been on the list for a short time as compared to many. During that time, every time I answer I try to give the best I can by taking the OP's posts at face value. I always wondered why some got so much pleasure from some of the posts they put up.

And, while I don't think I've gone to the dark side, I am begining to understand the frustration. Everyone wants to sue. Most everyone wants to fight when they are told that making them whole does not mean they can retire on the judgment jackpot when someone called them a name or whatnot.

Continuing to say the same thing without addressing the posts against is not an argument. Claiming great expertise is not an argument. Claiming you know secret things is not an argument. The law is about arguing. One side takes one position and the other counters. When no one takes your side of the many who read the list, you should try to re-think your retirement plans.

Part of my living is through doing other people's taxes. Everyone has a scheme. Now, of course, the first answer when I'm unsure is, "It depends." Because it does. It depends on how you frame the situation and if someone down the line will accept that frame. The second line of defense when I'm unsure, is, "Did this guy just invent something?" I mean, there are a lot of people out there. If no one else is doing something in a certain way, you've got to ask yourself why not. That may not give a citeable answer, but it can guide you on how much effort should be spent on trying to find a "loophole."

 

[averad]

Why does the rules state non-paid listings?

http://www.freewebindex.com/submit.php

General Submission Information and Rules

1. Listings are sorted by PR.
2. Featured listings are shown above all non-paid listings, regardless of the non-paid listings' PR.
3. Both standard and featured listings are permanent, with the listing fee being a one-time payment.
4. Take care to write good quality descriptions. Submissions that contain errors, bad grammar, or similar will delay approval.
5. Do not submit links to affiliate programs or web sites that only contain affiliate links.
6. Do not submit links to pornographic sites or web sites that have links or banners that lead to pornographic web sites.
7. Do not submit sites that are under construction.
8. Do not submit link redirect pages such as "welcome.to" or "come.to". These redirect sites are very busy and frequently fail to complete the link causing an overwhelming number of reports of "Broken Links" for sites that are properly functioning. Submit the direct link to your web site only to ensure the best web surfing experience for visitors.
9. Submit titles and descriptions in English only.
10. Use proper case for significant words in the title. Capitalize the first letter of each sentence in descriptions, as well as proper nouns. Submissions that contain fields in all UPPER CASE or all lower case will not be accepted.
11. Homepage and inner page submissions are accepted, as long as they are submitted to an appropriate category.

 

[mvandemar]

Everyone wants to sue.

Just so you know, this has nothing to do with suing. I'm not concerned for myself, my concern was for the integrity of the website on which he was advertising his services and the newbies that would get taken in. I was wondering if it was a reportable offense. I could of course just reported him and left it at that, however, if he was breaking a law without knowing it, I thought it might be beneficial to point that out to him. I know I can't really change him from being a deceitful person, nor do I care to try, but maybe making him more aware of boundaries would help him some.

Continuing to say the same thing without addressing the posts against is not an argument. Claiming great expertise is not an argument. Claiming you know secret things is not an argument. The law is about arguing. One side takes one position and the other counters. When no one takes your side of the many who read the list, you should try to re-think your retirement plans.

I actually modified the question to give more of an understanding why I thought it was wrong, I do understand that there may be difference between online rules and B&M ones. You are so into arguing that you'd rather do that than bother to answer the latter posts. Are bait and switch tactics legal? Or is it only illegal to falsely advertise something if someone else suffers financial damages? Does the amount being charged for the services factor in?

Why does the rules state non-paid listings?

Thank you averad, I missed that. It's probably to distract from the fact that you must pay, lending to the illusion that brought you to the website.

-Michael

 

[averad]

Thank you averad, I missed that. It's probably to distract from the fact that you must pay, lending to the illusion that brought you to the website.

The payment fields do not have red* next to them marking them as required.

And I still say what about freeipods.com, freexbox360.com, freeps3.com, etc etc etc.

 

[mvandemar]

The payment fields do not have red* next to them marking them as required.

And I still say what about freeipods.com, freexbox360.com, freeps3.com, etc etc etc.

I do believe that with the majority of the "free" sites, you really don't have to pay money to them directly to receive what they are offering. Most are "survey" style scams, where vendors pay them for leads filled out in an attempt to get the free products, and some sort of catch at the end (ie. you fill out a credit card app as a required action, but it only qualifies if you actually get the credit card, etc).

If it were the domain name alone, I'd guess no big deal. My question isn't about the domain name, it's about the text link ads being used to promote the sites. With teh sites you mentioned, yeah, I think that within the letter of the law they are offering those products "free". Again though, I'm not a lawyer, which is why I am asking.

Now the fact that the offers often need multiple "referrals" from the person trying to get the free item, and each of those referrals needs to be qualified, and in order for them to be qualified they too need referals, and so on, perhaps it is actually impossible to get the free item offered, so it may indeed be a scam. I don't know.

-Michael

<edit>Ok, I just went to check out the form, and I think it has changed. It now looks like they are actually offering a free listing if you give a recipricol link back in exchange. Which, of course, as far as this particular site goes, makes it a rather moot question (the original post). I mean, they could still refuse to list any free sites on the grounds of editorial discretion, but at least they are giving people the option to sign up and try.</edit>