FreeFor... what's going on?

[chigley]

If you've been around a while you'll probably remember FreeFor's MySpace competition from mid-April time. I won the competition, and was told on the 13th:

Originally Posted by Will

Sorry it's taken so long, We drew it a few weeks ago at our HQ and the winner was Chigley. Please get in touch with an address to send your Shuffle to
Will

I sent the PM as instructed around the 15th April, and added FreeFor's support address on MSN. I was told on the 16th that it had been ordered from Amazon:

Originally Posted by MSN

Session Start: 16 April 2007

(16:00) ● ¢нαяℓιє - *unicef do: Hey
(16:05) FreeFor Support: Hey, It's Will
(16:05) FreeFor Support: Just ordered your shuffle

I then expected it to arrive every day after the 16th, and began to wonder where it was 6 days later:

Originally Posted by MSN

Session Start: 20 April 2007

(21:07) ● ¢нαяℓιє - *unicef do: Hey Will, got any emails from amazon about ipod shipping?
(21:07) FreeFor Support: Nope
(21:07) FreeFor Support: I imagine it'll be monday
(21:08) FreeFor Support: No special shipping on it i'm afraid

Another 6 days later after my original concerns, I asked again:

Originally Posted by MSN

Session Start: 26 April 2007

(20:15) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: Hey
(20:16) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: You there?
(20:16) FreeFor Support: Hi
(20:17) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: Any emails from amazon yet?
(20:17) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: And do you have that csv please?
(20:17) FreeFor Support: Yeah amazon ran out of stock
(20:17) FreeFor Support: They said they should have more in 5-7 days
(20:18) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: lol :P

Just less than a month after I won the competition, I asked again (still believing every word Will was saying):

Originally Posted by MSN

Session Start: 02 May 2007

(17:34) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: Hey Wil
(17:34) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: *Will
(17:34) FreeFor Support: Hiya mate
(17:34) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: Still no damn iPod
(17:35) FreeFor Support: Yeah i know, they send me an email everyday as a sorry and i send them one moaning
(17:35) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: Good :P
(17:35) ● ¢нαяℓιє - gerb: I reckon u should get another ipod off them for free as a sorry present

Now only 5 days ago, Will finally came online on MSN after 2 months of inactivity. I finally got to talk to him, as he'd ignored all my PMs and emails.

Originally Posted by MSN

Session Start: 19 June 2007

(17:28) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Hello!
(17:28) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Am I glad to see you here...
(17:28) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Whatever you do, don't go offline without giving me another contact method
(17:38) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Wiiiiiiiil
(17:39) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: I've sent you an email, and an eXceem PM
(17:40) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: And an offline message on your site support
(17:41) FreeFor Support: hi
(17:41) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Yay
(17:42) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: You OK?
(17:42) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Not seen you around for aggggges :P
(17:42) FreeFor Support: I know
(17:43) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Wheve've you been?
(17:43) FreeFor Support: Internet problems
(17:43) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Eep
(17:43) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Well it's months since you ordered my iPod.. and it's not here!
(17:45) ● Charlie ﺕ ●:
(17:45) FreeFor Support: ?
(17:45) FreeFor Support: I've had confirmation it had been delivered
(17:45) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Can you forward that email please?
(17:45) FreeFor Support: when i get time, i'm busy just now
(17:45) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Please Will
(17:45) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: I've been waiting long enough
(17:46) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: I don't have too long and I'll be getting in touch with Amazon tonight if you can get it to me
(17:46) FreeFor Support: ok
(17:46) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Thanks
(17:46) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: brb
(17:51) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Back
(17:51) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Can you send that email please?
(17:54) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Have you been charged for the iPod?
(17:54) FreeFor Support: yes
(17:54) FreeFor Support: i will send the email in a moment, i'm just sorting something out on the phone
(17:55) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: OK
(18:00) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Do you think it got lost in the post or something?
(18:01) FreeFor Support: No idea
(18:01) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Ah well
(18:01) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: I'll get on the phone to Amazon
(18:01) FreeFor Support: We'll get it sorted
(18:01) ● Charlie ﺕ ●:
(18:01) FreeFor Support: good idea
(18:02) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Yip
(18:02) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Still waiting on that email... :P
(18:06) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: brb dinner
(18:07) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: hopefully u'll have sent the email by the time im back
(18:07) FreeFor Support: ok
(18:08) FreeFor Support - FreeFor MSN Support will be switching to Web based live support on the 9th May. All contacts will be deleted. is now Offline
(18:18) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: back
(18:18) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Grr you've gone

Some 6th sense told me I'd been blocked, but then Will appeared two more times more recently ~ completely disappearing whenever I confronted Will.

Originally Posted by MSN

Session Start: 20 June 2007

(18:26) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Hey
(18:26) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Still not got that email? :S
(18:27) FreeFor Support - FreeFor MSN Support will be switching to Web based live support on the 9th May. All contacts will be deleted. is now Offline

Session Start: 24 June 2007

(11:33) ● Charlie ﺕ ●: Hey
(11:33) FreeFor Support - FreeFor MSN Support will be switching to Web based live support on the 9th May. All contacts will be deleted. is now Offline

I'm sorry, but if you're reading this Will ~ why are you completely ignoring me? This has gone way too far, and it's time to let everyone see how awkward you're doing.

On a second note, I took it in my own hands to contact Amazon. This is what they said:

Originally Posted by Amazon

Dear Customer

Thank you for contacting Amazon.co.uk.

Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may
have caused you.

I was not able to find the order you asked about using the e-mail
address on your message.

Please note that, for security reasons, we can only send order
information to the e-mail address that is associated with the
account.

I therefore ask you to please send your question from the correct e-
mail address.

We appreciate your understanding of our security measures and we
hope that you will find this information useful.

I have included some tips below to help you locate your order.

Thank you again for contacting Amazon.co.uk.

I really don't know what to do now

Has anyone got any ideas?

Thanks,

Chigley

[Dim Tim]

Well I've been told they did a runner....

[arcticfox]

will was last online on the 13th so not long ago but didnt seem interested enough to answer any questions directed at the site.

To be honest the site has been very poor after a great beginning. I got my first gift with no delay but since then the site has been very poor indeed.

A lot of us eventually got our gifts recently but since then there has been nothing from the site, only a promise of new exciting things to come. I kept quiet about a couple of things when I got my gift as I was just glad to have it but it was obvious when I got my new PSP value pack that it wasnt as new as it should have been. It had been opened and looked used to be honest, the memory card wasnt the one advertised and the case again looked used but because it worked and because I was just so glad to get my PSP.

That whole competition was a joke, they promissed a gift and then kept quiet, hoping no one would mention it. Their myspace site was removed, or they removed it but I doubt they even knew who had entered the comp so chose chigley because they remembered he did it. Am not complaining as I'm glad it was going to someone that I like but again they havent kept their promise to him. Its not as if £50 for a shuffle will break his bank balance.

Again I just feel guilty for directing people to their site (whatever happened to Tom?) who had no chance of a freebie

[chigley]

Originally Posted by arcticfox20

but I doubt they even knew who had entered the comp so chose chigley because they remembered he did it.

Either that, or they're exploiting my age because 14 year olds generally don't know much about law :P

Originally Posted by arcticfox20

Am not complaining as I'm glad it was going to someone that I like

[Dunstan]

Apparently my £280 bank transfer was sent to me but never arrived in my account even though he claims the bank said it has been sent (though when I went and asked they said they wouldn't have been allowed to tell him whether it had successfully been transferred or not)

Seems like it's exactly the same as your Amazon gift and he told me he would get his lawyer to contact the bank, pfft....

Sent a message on every support thing but no reply. He's come on msn once and when I asked him he went offline as fast as he could.

Looks like bad news guys!

[Dim Tim]

w/b Dunstan

and yeah, isn't it typical.....

[bmh16]

Really does look like he has done a runner and trying to keep things as quiet as possible. He had conveniently scammed a freefor member out of 70 greens before, and I feel with other comments he has made before i do really think he has probably done a runner now

Oh an nice to see you around Dunstan, havent seen you on exceem for ages Good luck all who are expecting things from them anyway!

[chigley]

Yeah hey again Dunstan! Seems it's Will's little trick...

[Dunstan]

Thanks guys.
Was really busy with exams etc, but had to comment on this!

[chigley]

I really don't know what I can do about this now..? Any law-experts out there who know what I could do? :P

[guitarfreak]

Ive never dealt with freeforu.. Im a RI or FJ man myself lol... Though loved reading that dialog lol!!! Hope you get it sorted Chigley!!

[chigley]

Originally Posted by guitarfreak

Ive never dealt with freeforu.. Im a RI or FJ man myself lol... Though loved reading that dialog lol!!! Hope you get it sorted Chigley!!

Nosy little biatch :P I'm the same... love reading others' chat logs! Thanks

[guitarfreak]

Im actually signed up to freefor macs.. Ages ago.. only got all yellows though.. Never got any greens... lol. Though i had wondered why Will hasn't been seen on exceem

[the_saint]

Oh man, i was looking on the Wiki at sites that did Mac mini's and saw Forfree4me did them for four refs AND they were a supported site!! I was looking around to see if anyone wanted me to sign up under them (for free, no trade) because there's no point in me signing up without a ref, then i saw this thread!!

So i'm guessing no one would recommend signing up to this and i should just try and go for the 10 refs with giveaway???

That's a shame for you guys that are affected by this. I hope it works out OK for you all.

[Jon]

Originally Posted by the_saint

Oh man, i was looking on the Wiki at sites that did Mac mini's and saw Forfree4me did them for four refs AND they were a supported site!! I was looking around to see if anyone wanted me to sign up under them (for free, no trade) because there's no point in me signing up without a ref, then i saw this thread!!

you may be confusing http://www.exceem.co.uk/forums/free4me-network/ with http://www.exceem.co.uk/forums/freefor-me-uk-network/

free4me are a established USA based network while freeforme is the network this thread is about

[Stigmatized]

Sounds bad to be honest, thought he was a decent person too, just gives people more reason not to trust unsupported sites - Which isn't good for people who are genuine. And just a pointer, its Freefor.me (as people are saying forfree4me) where some may get confused with forfree4u.

[the_saint]

Originally Posted by Jon

you may be confusing http://www.exceem.co.uk/forums/free4me-network/ with http://www.exceem.co.uk/forums/freefor-me-uk-network/

free4me are a established USA based network while freeforme is the network this thread is about

Ah, sorry my mistake got the names mixed up. Ignore what i said then. Well apart from the bit about feeling bad for you guys affected!

Thanks Jon!

OK, as for legal advice for what its worth this is the general position (more facts would be needed to give exact advice);

You have a contract with a network, i don't think anyone could argue against that.

If you don't get your gift after doing all you are required under the contract that is breach of contract. Remedies for breach of contract that you would be most interested in are specific performance or damages.

There are terms in most freebies stating basically you are not guaranteed gift blah blah blah along those lines that they would try to rely on. In the UK we have the Unfair Contract Terms Act which says that a term like that would have to satisfy a test of "reasonableness" - i won't explain the whole detail but i would be very surprised if any of these type of clauses were held to be reasonable.

So, in theory you are entitled to money or your gift. You could research it a bit more and write to them or email them stating the above and you want your gift. If you write a good enough letter that looks like you know what you are talking about it often goes a long way.

If not you could sue, but that is problematic - do you have an address to serve on? Is it worth it financially? Is the reason there are no gifts because they have no money? In which case there is no point suing.

That's the general position from what i can read in this thread. Fill in the gaps with any extra details you may have.