First of all you think, I have? You dont report it as spam because youre not sure if you solicited the advertisement by some unknown means. You look for the Terms and Conditions or the text link below that contains it and find their opt-out link instead, well I just won a prize, I dont want to opt-out, so you proceed on to check out the message just to find out you have to participate in their program and complete a survey.

If you found the Terms and Conditions it will state something like this in one of the steps Complete Sponsor Offers - We are able to cover the entire cost of your free gift, plus all the shipping & handling fees through arrangements with our sponsors. By "completing an offer", we mean that you take delivery of the product or service provided by the sponsors and abide the Terms and Conditions of their offers. A pop-up window will appear after you click on a sponsor's offer with details on how to complete a particular offer. For credit card offers, you must be approved for and activate the credit card. "Activation" means completing a balance transfer or using your new credit card for a purchase. Notice the Terms and Conditions still doesnt say you will not receive something for nothing. Remember, ONLY something for nothing is free.

Ok, a survey isnt a big deal, so you take 20-30 minutes and before you get all the way to the end you will need to choose 1-3 or more sponsored products in order to receive your free reward and you will need to either join a membership, or subscribe to something, or leave your phone number to be bug-a-booed by someone you dont really want to talk to, or pay for a sponsored product even if its only shipping and handling on a product you dont really want.

Let me tell you friends, its a scam, scam, scam. Why? Because its misleading. In the first place you didnt WIN anything FREE. In the second place you spent your time and effort to get something in exchange for what they call FREE. No, its NOT free, you worked for it. Did you not just take their survey? Did you not just spend 20-30 minutes of labor and then were made to pull out your pocketbook?

Unfortunately the company makes you pay for your time and effort in some way or form. Is the end result free? Not if you will be required to labor for it. Not if you will be required to pull out your pocketbook to give up your credit card or banking information. Not if you have just sent vital information to their marketing coordinator by taking the survey. They even disclose such in their Terms and Conditions as something like this Our sponsors are eager to acquire new customers for their products and services. Our sponsors pay us to introduce their products and services to new users which in turn allows us the ability to offer you free gifts. How do you think they will continue to bug-a-boo you if they dont have your email address or know your merchandise preferences if you dont send it via survey and become a new customer?

The point is, they made you an offer. You accepted the offer by clicking here. To go further, you went so far as to take their survey. You may not have completed the survey but that is beside the point. Its a matter of Commercial Law. Check out the Uniform Commercial Codes on Offer and Acceptance. The UCC is synonymous with the United States Codes ie. Title 25 and State Codes under specified Articles per State. You fulfilled your part of the contract by accepting their offer and clicking here. They breached the contract by not providing the promised offer for FREE , this is what makes it a scam.

Now please understand this. The only way to complete the survey is to sign up or pay for something one way or another and pay for THEIR advertising. Not only did you labor for your free reward, you provided the company a FREE Consumer Report that they can use in their marketing portfolio. Did you get paid? No, you paid them. How? #1- you labored; #2- you had to pay for 1-3 or more sponsored products in some way or form. If you completed the survey did you receive your free reward or gift? You may have/will receive[d] the advertised product. Was it free? No? Why? ? #1- you labored; #2- you had to pay for 1-3 or more sponsored products in some way or form.

When you win something legitimate, you will not be required to pay S&H. You will not be required to disclose your banking information for other non-contractual companies, and you will not be required to have someone call you to talk to you about a product unless it is for promotional concepts regarding the product you just won and have in your possession. You will be required to pay appropriate taxes.

Wouldnt it be smarter to give you the promised reward for free whether you took their survey or not? Of course it would. You would get your reward and tell all your family and friends about the wonderful product and company and your family and friends will rush out to buy one of the items the company is offering for free. Why will your family and friends rush out to get one? Because its consumer psychology. But instead, your disgusted for allowing yourself to be taken advantage of and will not go buy one of the free things they offered even if it was on sale at cost. Why? Because its consumer psychology.

So, if a company offers you something for free and says something like you only need to pay for shipping and handling is it a scam? No. Why? Because it discloses the terms up front. Is the item free? Yes, you only paid S&H. Is signing up for a membership to receive free things a scam? No. Why? Because you know you pay for a membership. You are paying for the membership to support the business or club you are a member of. The free things are the added perks that are not provided for others who are not members.

If you take a survey you should get paid for it at the end without any requirements of buying anything. For the fact is, by taking the survey, you participated in the program and that is and should be the only requirement to receive your (not free) plasma TV or $500 gift card or other free product you just won.

There are some Surveys out there that will actually pay you either by a check or equivalent or points to get certain merchandise, but the thing to think about is Is my time worth it?