David Weaver
10-01-2014, 7:59 AM
Since we're on irks about other related things (privacy, social networking promotional offers), I've noticed something else in the last year that has really picked up - worthless rewards programs on things I already have that weren't rewards program items to begin with - two that come to mind for me are verizon and BOA mastercard.
I have a real rewards credit card (paypal) that I can just go to the website and get real money for the points on it (about 1% of purchases).
Junky "rewards" program #1 - About 6 months ago, I started getting emails from BOA that my rewards were about to expire, which was odd, because it's not a rewards card. So I clicked on their link and went to the page, and the rewards are things like cash back of 10% on eating at PF changs, or 10% off some other overpriced brand name thing, or internet service or club. None of them were any rewards at all, they were minor discounts on high margin overpriced things or services that a practically made up entirely of margin, anyway. meaning, they are things I wouldn't buy in the first place and at 80%-90% of their original price, they still stink rotten.
Being used to the paypal card, silly me, I expected that some accumulation of points started and I could spend them on something worthwhile or get money. Instead, my "rewards" require me to spend more money just to get the reward. I've never registered to see if I have to accept terms to some garbage spamming service or anything.
Junky "rewards" program #2 - the last couple of months, I've been getting garbage emails from verizon that tell me I have some large accumulation of rewards points. Again, I didn't know there were any rewards attached to the cell phone, and assumed that maybe I'd just be able to get a free phone get cash back or something. yesterday, I got another email telling me that some of the rewards would expire, so I attempted to see what they actually were. The problem is that the description of what they may be is totally evasive, and in the fine print, to get the "rewards" I have to sign up for some service that gives me targeted ads. But verizon doesn't specify what the rewards are or what my points are worth, so why would I sign up? I googled to find information about their "rewards" program, and sure enough, the articles written about it say that you don't actually get credit toward bill reduction or anything for past bills paid, you get signed up to targeted advertising.
In both of these cases, the "rewards" don't appear to be anything similar to rewards, but rather a commission generating service where you buy something overpriced for still an overpriced amount, and the companies probably get some slice of it. So the only person being rewarded is them, and you get the benefit of being spammed.
Lastly, yesterday afternoon, I got an email spam from taunton, who I parted ways with long ago, saying that I'd been subscribed to a bunch of their "web offer" services. Taunton decided that though I'm not a customer, they could change my account so that I'd get all of the advertising offers they spam people with, third party, or whatever. And their unsubscribe doesn't allow you to just "unsubscribe", you have to go to their page and unselect individual things you didn't select in the first place, and on the last checkbox, I got some sort of server error from them, so I couldn't even get rid of all of it.
I'm getting sick of the spam from places where I am or have been an actual paying customer, especially when it either lies and says I signed up or is deceptive in its naming!
I have a real rewards credit card (paypal) that I can just go to the website and get real money for the points on it (about 1% of purchases).
Junky "rewards" program #1 - About 6 months ago, I started getting emails from BOA that my rewards were about to expire, which was odd, because it's not a rewards card. So I clicked on their link and went to the page, and the rewards are things like cash back of 10% on eating at PF changs, or 10% off some other overpriced brand name thing, or internet service or club. None of them were any rewards at all, they were minor discounts on high margin overpriced things or services that a practically made up entirely of margin, anyway. meaning, they are things I wouldn't buy in the first place and at 80%-90% of their original price, they still stink rotten.
Being used to the paypal card, silly me, I expected that some accumulation of points started and I could spend them on something worthwhile or get money. Instead, my "rewards" require me to spend more money just to get the reward. I've never registered to see if I have to accept terms to some garbage spamming service or anything.
Junky "rewards" program #2 - the last couple of months, I've been getting garbage emails from verizon that tell me I have some large accumulation of rewards points. Again, I didn't know there were any rewards attached to the cell phone, and assumed that maybe I'd just be able to get a free phone get cash back or something. yesterday, I got another email telling me that some of the rewards would expire, so I attempted to see what they actually were. The problem is that the description of what they may be is totally evasive, and in the fine print, to get the "rewards" I have to sign up for some service that gives me targeted ads. But verizon doesn't specify what the rewards are or what my points are worth, so why would I sign up? I googled to find information about their "rewards" program, and sure enough, the articles written about it say that you don't actually get credit toward bill reduction or anything for past bills paid, you get signed up to targeted advertising.
In both of these cases, the "rewards" don't appear to be anything similar to rewards, but rather a commission generating service where you buy something overpriced for still an overpriced amount, and the companies probably get some slice of it. So the only person being rewarded is them, and you get the benefit of being spammed.
Lastly, yesterday afternoon, I got an email spam from taunton, who I parted ways with long ago, saying that I'd been subscribed to a bunch of their "web offer" services. Taunton decided that though I'm not a customer, they could change my account so that I'd get all of the advertising offers they spam people with, third party, or whatever. And their unsubscribe doesn't allow you to just "unsubscribe", you have to go to their page and unselect individual things you didn't select in the first place, and on the last checkbox, I got some sort of server error from them, so I couldn't even get rid of all of it.
I'm getting sick of the spam from places where I am or have been an actual paying customer, especially when it either lies and says I signed up or is deceptive in its naming!