Ring in the new year with RewardZone USA gift site changes, Inquire Network's GiftCardQuiz offers, DealZingo payments and account issues, new DIY network, and more!

Ring in the new year with RewardZone USA gift site changes and possible computer glitches, Inquire Network's GiftCardQuiz gift sites and dreaded OOD (offers of doom), DealZingo payments and account issues, RewardSurvey USA discontinues gift program, new DIY company. Join the celebration...



Alright, let’s dive in! My main topic tonight is RewardZone USA. It’s been a few years since I last used them, so I tried one of their sites last summer. Things have certainly changed—some aspects for the better, others not so much. I’m not sure if my experience was unique or if others have had similar issues, but here’s how it went. The first problem was that RewardZone USA couldn’t locate my email in their system. They said there was no record of past deals, so they couldn’t verify my email before I could begin using the site.

This has never happened before with them, but I figured it had been three years since I had done them, and if they made any changes to their gift site program, I may have to reconfirm my email address.  To prove my deal interactions and correspondence with RewardZone USA from different periods of time, I sent them quite a few e-mail confirmations.  I was still not found in their system, however.   I did not understand it since I had sent them proof of my deal interactions.  Why were they not finding my e-mail?  When they changed their gift site program, did they completely wipe out all my information (name, e-mails, offer history, etc.)?  Many changes were made to the platform, and old account information was removed.  Anyone else who took a break from them and then started them again experienced the same problem?  After much back and forth, they finally allowed me to use my e-mail, but what a hassle.

My exchange with RewardZone USA:

Hi,

I logged into my status page this morning using xx@xxxx.com and it gave me a cash out option that went all the way up to a $1000.00 reward.

In order to get the $1000.00 cash out option, I just go on and do all 25 offers all in one sitting or can I only do 20 offers for $750.00 on this site?

I’m trying to decide whether or not to proceed with this site or abandon it altogether and look for another one. I cannot even remember when I signed up for this one, but I am logged right in. Do you see the sign up date on your end?

My e-mail: xx@xxxx.con

Phone number xxx xxx xxxx

Thanks,

Me

Customer Support (RewardZone USA)

Jul 18, 2024, 12:39 PM EDT

Hi me,

Thank you for reaching out! We'd like to help but we ran into a problem. We checked based on the email address provided, we couldn't find a record of recent paid participation in our program with the email xx@xxxx.com. Do you have a different email address that you participated with? We know sometimes it can be easy to get mixed up if you have more than one email address. Can you check for that?

If you did indeed participate in our Rewards Program and used a different email address and you're still needing help please write in from that email address so that we can verify that you are the rightful owner of the account. Your security is important to us.

If you are still having trouble and you don't know of any other email address you might have used, reply to this email with the phone number(s) you might have used and we'll see what we can find by looking it up that way.

Thank you,
RewardZone USA

My reply:

Jul 18, 2024, 2:50 PM EDT

OK, I have already sent in a bunch of e-mails to your customer support team, which clearly shows my participation in 2016 and 2021.

So, because you cannot find my e-mail in the system, xx@xxxx.com, I cannot register under that e-mail for another RewardZone USA site?

I want to be clear on this, as I have my money ready to sign up for offers, but I do not want to do it, then be disqualified or something at the end after I have done my offers.

I thought I was fine last night, because someone from your support team told me to go on and do another website. But now, I am getting this same message again.

Thanks,

Me

Customer Support (RewardZone USA)

Jul 18, 2024, 3:15 PM EDT

Hello Me,

Since no data was found in the email under: Lmaglito84@gmail.com, you can still start and participate in getting a reward. What we were referring to was that we didn't find any interacted deals on the said email, which means you can still create and join the program. Please note that after you complete deals and claim your reward, you will need to wait for 60 days before you join again for $100 rewards and below, or 12 months if it's $100 and above.

To continue completing new sets of deals, please log in using the following link: https://contact.uplevelrewards.com/incentivestatus

Thank you,

RewardZone USA

My reply:

Jul 18, 2024, 3:51 PM EDT

The only problem I have now is when I log in to that site, it is showing a $750.00 PayPal gift card reward and not the $1,000.00 PayPal gift card reward I registered for.

Do I ignore that and start completing offers anyway? I wanted to try to do 25 offers for the $1,000.00. If at any point I cannot do more than 20 offers, will I receive the $750.00 reward or will I get nothing at all?

Thanks,

Me

Customer Support (RewardZone USA)

Jul 18, 2024, 4:01 PM EDT

Hello me,

Certainly, you have the option to disregard the $750 reward if you have already met the requirements for it. Once you reach the necessary threshold for the $750 reward, you will be given the choice to either claim it or continue progressing towards the $1000 reward.

For a breakdown of the deal level requirements, please refer to the chart provided below:

Chart

If you would like to continue working towards earning a reward, we invite you to do so by logging into your Reward Status Page, using the email you registered with, here: https://contact.uplevelrewards.com/incentivestatus

Thank you,

RewardZone USA

Customer Support

RewardZone USA now has a Level Up rewards system. Apparently, it's been active for a couple years now. Unlike your traditional DIY site where you have a set number of offers to fulfill and only one reward amount was offered, you got to choose from different reward amounts going up to $1,000.00. If you wanted to do less offers, you might shoot for the $500.00 or $750.00 reward. Once you complete a level of offers, you are given the choice to redeem the amount of the reward for that level, or you can "level up" to the next higher amount for more offers. You can choose whenever you want to quit and just take the money. I like having choices. The site I signed up for was $750.00, and I was working my way up to the $1000.00 reward until I reached level 4. Then it got into VPNs and proxies.

The main issue I faced was trouble receiving credit for gaming offers. Until I reached level 4, I stuck to regular offers, but once I advanced, it was all gaming apps. I tried playing them on my computer, but a QR code forced me to use my phone. I also didn’t like being required to sign up for specific offers. At that level, you had to play five games and nothing else, which was frustrating. Worse, the offers didn’t credit properly. After four long days of issues, I was done. My breaking point came when I spent $10.00 on Grand Solitaire, reached level 45, and still had a long way to go—147 levels in total! It probably would’ve cost me $20.00 more, so I’m glad I stopped.

RewardZone USA insisted for days that I was using a VPN or proxy on my phone, which I knew wasn’t true. They claimed they could see it on their end, which was why my gaming app offers weren’t being credited. My phone’s VPN/Proxy setting showed 'None.' I even did a factory reset, wiping everything, but they still said I was using a VPN/Proxy. They told me to contact my internet provider, who confirmed they don’t support VPNs or proxies and suggested I reach out to my phone manufacturer. When I contacted Samsung, they explained that if my VPN/Proxy setting showed 'None,' nothing more could be done. They also mentioned I could clear my proxy profile, but I didn’t have access to that information. Samsung added, "That’s what makes your phone run," so it wasn’t something I could simply remove.

This was the conversation I had with my internet provider via live chat. They confirmed in writing they did not support VPNs or proxies.

Jul 20, 2024, 3:46 PM

Optimum internet live chat discussion:

Optimum: I have verified all is working fine on our end, the issue may be related with your device, also we do not support VPN, you may need to reach you rmanufacturer Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with?

Me: So, you do not support VPN at all? What about Proxies?

Optimum: The proxies are configured in the device, we do not support proxies.

Optimum: I am sorry about the inconvenience.

Me: Alright, thanks so much for confirming all that!

Me: It's OK.

Optimum: Beside this, is there anything else I can assist you with today?

Me: No, that was it. thanks

Optimum: You are very welcome! While you are here I would like to let you know that you may receive a Satisfaction Survey via email after this message. To rate our interaction from 1 the lowest, to 10 the highest. Your feedback is valuable to ensure we meet your expectations. We appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you!

The next day, I was thrilled when one of my game offers finally credited! But my excitement didn’t last long. The following morning, RewardZone USA insisted I was still using a VPN/proxy. I explained again that my phone carrier, internet provider, and cell phone manufacturer all confirmed I wasn’t using a VPN or proxy and were baffled by the issue. I reiterated that I had done a complete factory reset, which should have wiped everything and restored my phone to factory settings. In the end, I decided to take the $100.00 reward and move on. It was disappointing, and I still don’t understand what went wrong.

Something strange happened, btw. After I filled out the form and redeemed my $100.00 reward, I received an e-mail stating this:

Congratulations!

Enjoy your Reward!

A link to redeem your Reward was emailed to lmaglito84@gmail.com on 10/12/2021

To earn another Reward, please wait 12 months (if you claimed $100 or more) and 60 days (if you claimed $100 or less) after claiming your Reward.

In the meantime, discover more Deals here.

My response to RewardZone USA after receiving this message:

Me
Jul 21, 2024, 1:20 PM
to support+id1866643

Hi,

I cashed out for my $100.00 reward and filled out the form and everything. However, I noticed the message I received was, "A link to redeem your reward was emailed to lmaglito84@gmail.com on 10/12/2021"?????

10/12/2021 was three years ago. Why would it tell me that? I'm starting to wonder if that VPN/proxy you all kept seeing was from maybe an old site I logged into and completed back in 2021.

It should not be telling me that I received a link to my reward on 10/12/2021 when the $100.00 that I did these offers for now is in July of 2024. It's a completely different month and year.

One of two things might be happening here. Maybe, since they saw I’d successfully completed multiple sites in the past, they didn’t want to pay me the thousand. When they noticed I wasn’t giving up and kept doing offers, they may have just wanted me out of the game. It’s possible they’ve been paying out $1,000.00 to too many people and saw an opportunity to cut their losses. I’m sure they were happy when I quit and settled for the $100.00 payout after doing extra offers. I think these DIY networks sometimes pull stunts like this to avoid larger payouts. I might’ve been an easy target.

On the other hand, it could be that there’s something seriously wrong with their site right now, and it just messed me up royally. Either way, I can assure you I wasn’t using a VPN or proxy. I may give them another shot this summer to see if it’s the same story or something different.

RewardZone USA issued me a warning before they paid me. They claimed they detected the use of a VPN/proxy during my offer activity and stated I might not be rewarded if it happened again on my next site. That was incredibly aggravating, especially since I had confirmation from my phone carrier, phone manufacturer, and internet provider—via both live chat and phone calls—that no VPNs or proxies were enabled on my phone, and they weren’t supported. It's like they completely ignored my proof and kept accusing me of using a VPN/proxy. They even had the live chat discussion and phone conversation details to review, but still maintained I was using one. Dealing with them was beyond impossible.

Customer Support (Up Level Rewards)

Jul 21, 2024, 3:16 PM EDT

Hello me,

We have an update regarding your Reward Claim. In 5-7 business days, you will receive an email from Tremendous, our fulfillment vendor, containing your reward.

Please be advised that upon reviewing your Reward Claim for compliance with our Terms and Conditions, it was noted that there appeared to be a non-compliance issue. We use detection technology to detect VPNs, proxies, private browsing (including iCloud Private Relay), and disposable phone numbers. As stated in our "Deal Credit Eligibility Requirements" on the Deal page, the use of private browsing, VPNs, or proxies to conceal identity/location is not allowed. Since anonymous connections have a high velocity of abuse including chargebacks, duplicate accounts, free trial abuse, restriction circumvention, and fake accounts we monitor for this on an ongoing basis.

If you participate in the next eligibility period please ensure that such technology is disabled or we may not be able to fulfill your Reward Claim.

If you have not received your reward after 5-7 business days, please reply directly to this message and we'll be happy to help.

Thank you,

Up Level Rewards

Level Up RewardZone USA gift sites:



Sign in page:



My reward and cash out option page:



My deals page:



Level completion pages:



After completion of Level 3, advancing to Level 4. I was presented with this QR code:



RewardZone USA no longer offers phone support, btw. I found that out during my conversations with them. It was nice having phone support when I used them in 2021, and there certainly wasn’t this VPN/proxy nightmare going on back then. I have a new phone now, and I plan to try them again this summer. Hopefully, my experience will be better and I won’t encounter any issues. If they play the same VPN/proxy card, I won’t know what to say. By then, I’ll have two different phones: one that’s been completely restored to factory conditions with zero history of VPN/proxy usage, and the other phone is brand new, with no VPN or proxy running. So, we’ll see what happens.

Another site I tried over the summer was one of Inquire Network's gift sites. They told me they only had one site, GiftCardQuiz.com, so I signed up, hoping to receive the $500.00 virtual Target gift card reward. However, their offer pages were full of 'Offers of Doom,' meaning each offer averaged at least $75.00 or more, and you had to complete around 13 offers. I ended up abandoning the site because I couldn’t proceed. Despite the OOD, their offers credited well, and their customer support was responsive. I doubted you could do them more than once, especially since GiftCardQuiz.com was their only site, but I asked them anyway.

My e-mail to Inquire Network:

Hi,

Quick question. Once you complete a site, can you do another site the following year? Or is it only one site per lifetime?

Unfortunately, I never got to complete my site, as the offers were quite expensive. But I was just wondering if I could try it again next September, since it will have been a year by then.

If I am allowed to do it again, do I register with a new e-mail? Or does someone reset my progress on the website and I start over again?

Thanks,

Me

Their response:

Hi

You can only complete an offer once, not once every year. The advertisers do not allow that.

Kind Regards

My reply:

Hi,

I didn't mean do the same offers all over again, but do the same site again but with different offers. If that is not allowed, then people can only do your sites once per lifetime, not annually.

I checked my status page, and my progress was totally reset. I had done some offers back in August/September, but my offer completions are no longer showing now. Most likely because the window to finish my site has already passed.

Thanks,

Me

Their response:

Milan Risteski
Sat, Jan 4, 6:53 AM

Sorry but no, you can only complete the offer once.

Merry and bright Christmas with RewardZone USA offer change, I-Deal "blacklist" e-mail, User Interviews, DealZingo and I-Deal payments, and more!

A merry and bright Christmas with RewardZone USA offer change, I-Deal blacklisting accounts? User Interviews, DealZingo and I-Deal payments... Grab a string of lights and decorate!

​

Has it really been a year?  Since my last post, not much has changed in the freebie world.  Along with newcomers RewardSurveyUSA and Inquire Network, I-Deal, DealZingo, and RewardZone USA continue to offer deals.  RewardZone USA's sites require 25 offers now for a $1,000.00 reward, from what I can tell.  My cap is 15 offers for a thousand.  It would have been nice to do them again since it has been two years!  There seems to be no longer a two-year rule.  With RewardZone USA, it's one site per year, which is good.  It's just a matter of waiting until that offer count decreases.

What I-Deal did to me this summer baffles me. I requested manual credit for three of my offers after completing them. Like always, I-Deal told me that the account approval process could take up to four weeks. At that time, there was nothing odd about my e-mail exchange with them. There was never any indication that there was a problem. The following is how our conversation began.

-----Original Message-----
From: diyfreebies@gmail.com [mailto:diyfreebies@gmail.com]
Sent: None
Subject: MRC $1000 Paypal Gift Card Customer service request (Thread:368603)

Web Site: 9640: MRC $1000 Paypal Gift Card
Email: diyfreebies@gmail.com
Question: My question was not found here

Message entered by user:

Hi,

I'm missing credit for one Silver offer, and two Platinum offers. Could I forward the e-mail confirmations for those offers to contactus@expertcustomerservice.com?

Link to my gift site: https://www.myrewardscenter.us.com/?config=9640



E-mail my site is under: diyfreebies@gmail.com

Thanks,

Me

On Mon, May 8, 2023 at 3:00 PM Customer Service wrote:

Dear valued customer,

Your account is still within your approval period. The approval process can take up to 4 weeks.

Please continue to check your account page for updates.

Sincerely,

Customer Service

From: Me [mailto:diyfreebies@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, June 5, 2023 8:42 PM
To: Customer Service
Subject: Re: MRC $1000 Paypal Gift Card Customer service request (Thread:368603)

Hi,

I had sent in my bank statement and offer confirmations not too long ago. I was just making sure that you get them. If not, I can send you all of it again. :)

Thanks,

Me

On Wed, Jun 7, 2023, 2:44 PM Customer Service wrote:

Hi me,

We received your e-mails with the bank statement and proof for offers. We have reached out to partners to determine why the offers in question were not credited. We will get back to you as soon as we make a determination on whether these offers will be credited and what the next step will be.

Thank you for your patience.

Regards,

Customer Service

When they said, "We will get back to you as soon as we make a determination on whether these offers will be credited and what the next step will be," something felt wrong. When receiving manual credit from I-Deal in the past, there was no long wait time, and no "big decisions" about whether or not an offer would credit.  They accepted my e-mail confirmations and bank statements.  That was the first time they gave me a long answer regarding manual credit.  Perhaps their "partners" told them something about my offer registration(s) that they didn't like.  But honestly, what would that have been?  My e-mail address has always been the same on their sites, and I have remained an e-mail subscriber.  All other rules outlined in their Terms & Conditions were also followed.


Since eight days went by, I sent I-Deal this e-mail...

From: Me [mailto:diyfreebies@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2023 10:57 AM
To: Customer Service
Subject: Re: MRC $1000 Paypal Gift Card Customer service request (Thread:368603)

Hi,

I hate to bother you again, but I just wanted someone to confirm that my e-mails are being received. I have been checking my spam folder, but there is nothing there either.

In one of the e-mails is the proof pic of the phone I received from SafeLink. In order to receive that phone you must submit government documents, which I did and I was approved for the phone. Also, you will see all the other contents inside the box.

I sent in my bank statement, which you have, that confirms the charge for the Background Checkers offer.

You also have all the e-mail confirmations for all of the offers including, Earn Haus and Experian, the two additional offers I did.

Looking forward to your reply, so I will know how to proceed with things on my end.

Thank you,

Me

The, four days later, this happened...

On Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 10:53 AM Customer Service wrote:

Hello

This notice is being sent to you as confirmation that you have qualified to receive the $1,000 gift card from the company’s website www.MyRewardsCenter.us.com.

Although the company will fulfill your gift upon receiving your redemption certificate and W-9 form, the gift is being fulfilled in conjunction with the addition of your name and contact information to the company’s blacklist. In addition, when you mail in your forms - please provide a copy of your driver’s license and a copy of a utility bill to validate your identity and mailing address.

From this point forward, you and anyone in the same household are prohibited from registering on any and all company and company-affiliated websites. This restriction prevents you from completing offers on such sites, from referring friends for the offers on such sites, and from being a referral for offers on such sites.

The company’s action is being taken pursuant to the website’s Terms and Conditions, which can be found here: https://www.myrewardscenter.us.com/terms.cgi?config=9640, and is an action that may be taken at the sole discretion of the company.

Please confirm receipt of this email and explicitly state that you understand and agree to all the conditions stated above. Once you agree to the stated conditions above – we will update your account status to be eligible for a redemption. Once you complete and return all the necessary paperwork, your gift will be sent to you.

Regards,

Customer Service

From: Me [mailto:diyfreebies@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2023 4:18 PM
To: Customer Service
Subject: Re: MRC $1000 Paypal Gift Card Customer service request (Thread:368603)

Hi,

Could you please respond to my previous message before your company goes home today? I would like to send you the requested documents, but I need to know if you will accept my utility bill as is, or if I need to give you something else in place of the utility bill. The utility bill for sure proves my residency, but the bill is not in my name. I can send you my Capital One credit card statement or a bank statement, which will validate my residency along with my photo I.D.

Thanks,

Me

Previous message:

"Hi,

It's not that I do not agree, it's that I do not understand why I am being blacklisted. I have done everything by the book with your company for years. So, what rule have I broken to be blacklisted? Also, I do not pay the utilities in my home. Is there something else I can send you in place of the utility bill? Does the person who pays the utility bill need to produce some sort of letter stating I do not pay the utilities and us both sign it? Will a bank statement or Capital One credit card statement suffice? I can send you my photo I.D., no problem.

Just please let me know on all of this.

Thanks,

Me"

Customer Service

Jun 20, 2023, 9:05 AM

Hi Me,

We will take another bill in place of a utility bill that will show your name and mailing address. If you want to send a bank statement – that will be fine.

In regards to your other question. Please note that per our terms and conditions – we can hold/disqualify for any reason as the sole discretion of the company.

Please confirm and explicitly state that you understand and agree to the conditions we provided in order to be eligible for a redemption.

Regards,

Customer Service



Although I-Deal gave me my $1,000.00 reward, none of this adds up. What is the point of rewarding someone and then blacklisting them? In my opinion, you shouldn't pay someone who violated your Terms & Conditions. Every time I've heard of someone violating I-Deal's terms & conditions, their reward has been taken away. Therefore, it makes no sense for them to pay me if I did something wrong. I sent them the following three months later, once I had the time to write..

Me
Sep 30, 2023, 1:20 PM
to Customer

Hello,

I hope this finds you well.

After extensively going over your company's Terms & Conditions, I have concluded that I am not in violation of your terms.

The fact that you rewarded me proves that I did not violate your terms and conditions. My reward would not have been given had I truly violated your terms and conditions. I shouldn't be blacklisted without good reason. Instead, I am directed to a Terms and Conditions page with numerous causes, but am not told specifically what I did wrong.

I still maintain that I am not in violation of your Terms & Conditions and wish to be removed from your blacklist. I will not be accused of something I never did, especially not knowing what was done. I reviewed your terms with my private attorney, who is helping me with another matter. They didn't understand why I qualified for a reward while being blacklisted at the same time. They want to investigate further, which I may allow them to do if this matter is not resolved.

Moreover, I have always subscribed to your e-mails, and I have always received promotional offers from your company. As a result, unsubscribing from your e-mails cannot be the cause. I take no responsibility for this blacklist until I know the exact cause.

Sincerely,

Me

My e-mail was blatantly ignored. Have I pinned them on something, and they don't know what to say? Or do they just not care? Are there any other readers who have experienced this or is it just me? There are no violations in their terms and conditions that apply to me, so I'm still surprised they blacklisted me. It just aggravates me to be blacklisted for something I didn't even do. I could at least refute their accusations if I knew what they were. However, in true I-Deal fashion, they refer you to the terms repeatedly without ever telling you anything. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this.

I guess this is my final I-Deal payment... *shrug*



My DealZingo payment that came in after my last blog:



I recently completed another Dealzingo site for this year.  Each year, they have a lot of new offers.  I wish we could do them more often than every 12 months!  I'm going to wait until the summer to see if RewardZone USA offers any better deals.  I used to do I-Deal in the spring and/or summer, and DealZingo in the fall.  In this way, I received rewards throughout the year at different times.  Unless RewardZone USA has any new sites by then, I may have to try RewardSurveyUSA, which is managed by National Digital Brands, Inc. They may be a little difficult in terms of their requirements, but I may still try them anyway.

My freebie earnings: $275.00 in PayPal from OneOpinion; $200.00 in Tango Cards, and a $15.00 Amazon.com gift card from User Interviews; $30.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from HerRazorTalk; $140.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from ProductReportCard; $185.00 in PayPal from OpinionSite; $29.00 in PayPal from QuickRewards; $285.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from Clearvoice Surveys; $20.00 in Wal-Mart eGiftcards, $41.00 in Amazon.com gift cards, $25.00 Wal-Mart gift card, $75.00 in Target eGiftCards, and $999.00 in virtual Visa gift cards from Sago (formerly Schlesinger Group); $200.00 virtual Visa gift card from L & S Research; $50.00 Tremendous gift card from Q-Insights; $50.00 in Venmo, and $10.00 in PayPal from Verasight; $104.50 from SurveySavvy.

User Interviews is a new survey site I discovered. As a result of my first successful study with them, I earned two $100.00 Tango Cards and a $15.00 Amazon gift card. Tango Cards can be redeemed at hundreds of retailers across the country. My application for a study was submitted through the userinterviews.com website, and I was contacted shortly afterward by phone. Sargento needed people to test a cheese product. Sargento cheese was sent to me as part of the study. I filmed myself eating the cheese and describing its flavor and texture while testing it out. In addition, they were curious as to why I used it for certain dishes, snacks, and so on. There was also a 45-minute follow-up Zoom call, as well as photos to demonstrate what I was making each day. It was a fun way to earn $215.00!

My User Interviews referral link: https://www.userinterviews.com/r/zlktyldnd

I am also recovering from an emergency surgery. A two-week ordeal ended with a final trip to the ER on Christmas Day. I had an abscess drained at the hospital four nights ago, and I had to return to have the packing removed. Following a misdiagnosis and the wrong medication, I went through two more doctors before getting it sorted out. I'm actually happy to receive this Christmas present yesterday! It's now over, lol... Aside from dental work, that was my first real surgery. Glad to be done with that, and back to the holiday festivities! Having a New Years Eve party on the 31st. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends.

Looking forward to 2024!  It was a tough year for me personally in 2023, as I lost both my grandmother and the first dog I ever owned within a four month period.  However, life goes on. :)  I would like to get back to my art.  I haven't done it for a long time, so I really miss it.  It's just hard juggling the responsibilities of everyday life, and still make time for the things that are important to one's self.  This blog is really special to me, too, and I need to devote more time to it.  My music blog is still updated.  The difference between DIYfreebies.com and my music blog is that there is more happening in the music world, so there is much more to say.  With the old DIY forums gone, and not a lot happening at once like in the past, things have slowed down in the freebie world.

Although I have been posting more on my music blog lately, my music blog posts are usually much shorter than my freebie posts. I usually update it once or twice a month, and the posts are short. Some posts are longer, but I usually don't post anything else until the next month if I make a longer post. In November, however, I picked up quite a bit of content, so there was a lot more happening. :)

My music blog: www.wafflesound.blogspot.com

If anybody out there knows how to monitize a blog, please let me know! I'd love to monitize my music blog just for the fun of it, but don't know how. I tried going through sponsors, Google Adwords/Adsense, you name it.

I will be working on the My Freebie Earnings section off and on, so please check back in. I really have to think back on all the free money I have earned this year. It's a lot I know, but I need time to pull all that info up. Anyway, stopping this right here. I will leave you with a few pieces of artwork. All were done with charcoal. Enjoy.

Click to enlarge:

​

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! #2024

Until next time...

wozniack

A Christmas of thrills and good deals with new I-Deal sites and DBA, responsive new DIY company, Inquire Network responds, PrimeRewardSpot and American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co....

A Christmas filled with exciting I-Deal promotions and new DBA, new DIY company; PrimeRewardSpot and American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co.; Inquire Network answers referral question; I-Deal and DealZingo freebie payments...



For quite a while now, I've been getting promotions from PrimeRewardSpot, so I decided to find out who they are.  Let's take a look at one of the e-mails I received and the gift site...

PrimeRewardSpot e-mail:





Gift site:



​

Survey page:



Registration page:



Wheel spin:



Offer page:





Guide:



Searching for PrimeRewardSpot's address, I came across American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co, however, the address for American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co did not match PrimeRewardSpot's. American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co also denied any affiliation with PrimeRewardSpot. Below is my correspondence with them.

My e-mail to American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co:

Hi,

Do the gift sites under the name PrimeRewardsSpot belong to your company? I have been getting some interesting advertisements to my e-mail for $500.00 and $1,000.00 gift cards from Prime Reward Spot but I had a question before registering for one of them. :)

My question is, once you have completed all offers, are you required to submit a bank or credit card statement showing your offer charges, or do you just mail in a redemption form and w9 form?

A link to one of the Prime Reward Spot gift sites: https://primerewardspot.com/flow/linkout/prs-linkout-v10.html?flow=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvcHJpbWVyZXdhcmRzcG90LmNvbVwvYXBpXC8iLCJhdWQiOiJodHRwczpcL1wvcHJpbWVyZXdhcmRzcG90LmNvbVwvIiwiaWF0IjoxNjY2ODAwMjUwLCJuYmYiOjE2NjY4MDAyNTAsImV4cCI6MTY2Njg3MjI1MCwidWlkIjoiZjVhZWQzMDAtODg5MC00NWUwLThiZDktMGU5NDQ0N2E2ZmMzIiwiY3VycmVudHBhZ2UiOiJsaW5rb3V0IiwiY3VycmVudGh0bWwiOiJmbG93XC9saW5rb3V0XC9wcnMtbGlua291dC12MTAuaHRtbCIsInN1Ym1pdFBhdGgiOiJzdXJ2ZXlcL2xpbmtvdXQtY29tcGxldGUifQ.hClbriNMlmYNAOzJ8cO5lqD8Sa7YUnuH2GVufSAhCnQ

Thanks,

Me

American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co:

This looks like a spam link so I’m not gonna click it. I have no idea what this is and we have nothing to do with it. I don’t know why you think our company is involved. Also it is a Saturday and we’re off.

My response:

Hi,

I have been receiving many promotional offers to my e-mail from PrimeRewardSpot and I have been trying to track down the company who is managing their sites. At the bottom of their e-mails, and when I search "Prime Reward Spot" on Google, is an address that links to TheAmericanSweepstakes. The address is: 85 Denison Pkwy, E #190, Corning, NY 14830.

So, I take it you have no affiliation with theamericansweepstakes.com either? There are several web sites with "American Sweepstakes" wording, and I am just trying to clear up any confusion surrounding these websites for my blog readers. Also, I will let them know your company is not tied to PrimeRewardSpot.

I'm sorry to bother you over the weekend. I appreciate your reply!

Thanks,

Me

American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co:

Our company is American Sweepstakes & Promotion Company. Our website is American-sweeps.com. The company link that you sent me is a fraud. Scammers have been copying our website for the past 20 years or more. So don’t refer anyone to them. Donna

We now know American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co is not affiliated with PrimeRewardSpot. I wanted to mention that in case anyone ran into their company name on Google or social media and confused it with PrimeRewardSpot. Now, I do not know for sure if PrimeRewardSpot are scammers. When American Sweepstakes & Promotion Company called them scammers, I don't think they were referring to the actual site process where you register on a gift site, take a survey, and complete offers to get a reward. As they stated, scammers have been "copying" their website for years, which aggravates them (you can't blame them!). However, until there is proof of a scam, I cannot comment further.



When I clicked through their gift site, it looked pretty normal. The only thing that stood out was that you had to click the word Guide next to Reward Status to know how many offers your gift site needed. It was a 10 offer, $1,000.00 gift site that I registered for. My status page did not have links to the offer pages when I logged in. Therefore, I would not be able to return to my status page at any time and complete more offers.

Taken from PrimeRewardSpot's Program Requirements page:

"On each Deals page, there is a Reward Status feature where you can check the status of your Reward based on your completed actions. Once you have completed all three pages of the Deals, you will see a final Reward Status tool which allows you to verify your email address and will display the total number of Deals you have completed. It will let you know if you have completed enough Deals for the Reward or if you need to go back and complete more Deals to qualify."

On the website, I noticed another Reward Status link.  It was next to the word Guide.  The two offers I viewed were displayed when I clicked on it.  After closing the site out and logging back into the Reward Status page next to the word Guide, I no longer saw the offers I viewed.  Makes me wonder whether my offer credit(s) would have been properly recorded.  The offer page has two links for Reward Status.  The first one I clicked on was at the bottom.  If the company answered e-mails, I would have done an offer just to see if it appeared.  However, since there is no way to contact the company and they are unresponsive, it is too risky.

It says that when you complete all three pages of deals, you see a Reward Status tool where you can verify your email address and view your total number of completed offers. My concern is being able to go back and complete more offers. I need customer support to tell me if links to the offers appear on the Reward Status page once you verify your e-mail address.

PrimeRewardSpot's address:

85 Denison Pkwy E
#190
Corning, NY 14830

E-mail address: contact@primerewardspot.com

My only option is to sit on this one until I can get in touch with them.  My e-mails are not being answered and I have too many questions. I haven't heard back from Survey Premium either.  Until these two companies respond, it's probably best to leave them alone. Inquire Network, the company with the giftcardquiz.com, gift sites finally responded! Below is my quick exchange with them regarding their referral requirement.

Hi,

Quick question. Do all your gift sites require referrals? I would love to do one, but I cannot find a referral.

Thanks!

me

Hi me,

We only have one site. In fact you can check out, if you're able to complete the offers then anyone can. So your friends will be interested in the opportunity if you let them know that you did it.

Olena Chornoivan
Customer Support Representative
MakeSurveyMoney.com

You have the ability to earn cash and gift cards through Inquire Network's makesurveymoney.com website. I might sign up for that since I take surveys, and I may consider doing them if I can get a referral and the offers are good. There were some issues with the status page that need to be ironed out first before doing them though. CEO of Inquire Network, Inc., Scott Brown, also has another corporation called Union Street Enterprises, Inc.

Inquire Network, Inc. business addresses:

Inquire Network, Inc.
409 Eastern Parkway
Apt 416
Brooklyn, NY 11216

Union Street Enterprises, Inc.
1 Dock 72 Way
7th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11205

We have a new DIY company! The company is called National Digital Brands, Inc., and they manage sites under the name RewardSurveyUSA.  There is a lot of similarity between RewardsSurveyUSA and RewardZoneUSA, so please do not confuse them.  Let's check out one of their gift sites.  Since we are only reviewing RewardSurveyUSA's gift site, we can use a $100.00 link since I cannot locate my $1,000.00 link. :)

Gift site:







Confirm e-mail:





Registration page:



Survey page:





Confirm your information page:



More survey pages:



Offer page:





The survey and offer pages are laid out pretty standard for gift sites. There's a cancellation limitation on their front page, stating, "4) adhere to our 30-day cancellation policy." No big deal. Nuitech had that, as did others. Additionally, they require a utility bill, which is to be expected with some DIY sites. When I start out with a new company, I like to read everything and ask questions. The following are my questions regarding proof of residential address, followed by their responses.

Quick question, on the proof of current residential address, the utility bills and lease are not in my name. Will you accept my Capital One credit card statement?

Thanks,

me

RewardSurveyUSA's reply:

Dear me,

Thank you for contacting RewardSurveyUSA.

We are unable to accept a credit card statement as a proof of address.

Thank you,

Customer Support

My reply:

So what will you accept if I cannot give you a utility bill? Will you accept a bank statement?

Thanks,

me

RewardSurveyUSA's reply:

Dear me,

Thank you for contacting RewardSurveyUSA.

You will need to provide an official document in your name, and also fill out an affidavit and get it signed and notarized by the person who owns/leases/pays the bills of the household you are currently living.

Thank you,

Customer Support

Years ago, when working on an Acquisis site, members were required to sign and notarize an affidavit.  But that had nothing to do with a utility bill or lease, it was something everyone had to do to get paid.  Since the person I'm staying with may not feel comfortable signing an affidavit, I most likely will wait until after the 1st of January when I move to do them.  Possibly longer since there is a cancellation limitation, which I cannot commit to anyway right now.  The good thing about this company is that if your offers don't credit within two weeks, they provide manual credit.  Make sure you save your order confirmations!  Below is a write up on RewardSurveyUSA for everyone's review.

National Digital Brands, Inc. (RewardSurveyUSA)-- In accordance with RewardSurveyUSA's 30-day cancellation policy, members must complete all offers within 30 days of registering.  When making purchases, you must use the same personal contact information you provided during registration.  Do not enter a P.O. Box for your mailing address.  Rewards will not be sent to a P.O. Box.  Sponsor notification may take up to 2 weeks.  Contact RewardSurveyUSA if one or more offers have not credited. Each completed offer should be documented with receipts, order confirmations, and proof of payments.  Failure to produce the required documents when requested may result in you not receiving completion credit for your offer(s).  Tier 1 Rewards are not subject to the cancellation limitation.  You cannot cancel more than four trial offers within a 30-day period if you've signed up for a Tier 2 or Tier 3 reward.

As soon as all your documents are checked and verified, you will receive a Reward Redemption Voucher you can print out, complete, notarize, and mail in along with a government-issued, unexpired photo ID (you can cover your ID number), and a proof of your current residence (e.g., a utility bill, lease, mortgage statement). If you don't have a utility bill, lease, or mortgage statement in your name, you must provide an official document in your name, and also fill out an affidavit and get it signed and notarized by the person who owns, leases, or pays the bills of the household where you are living. Keep a copy of your Reward Redemption Voucher.

All the steps in the Program Requirements (including the mailing-in of your Reward Redemption Voucher and supporting documents) must be completed within 150 days of your Program Sign-up Date. Rewards are shipped within four to six weeks. You can choose between a virtual gift card or a physical gift card. Only one gift is permitted per household during the one-year period following your registration on the website.

RewardSurveyUSA gift site address:

1000 N. West Street
Suite 1200
Wilmington, Delaware 19801

RewardSurveyUSA phone number: (833) 940-1487

RewardSurveyUSA e-mail address: support@nationaldigitalbrands.com

National Digital Brands, Inc. address:

838 Walker Road
Suite 21-2
Wilmington, Delaware 19801



The addresses for RewardSurveyUSA and National Digital Brands, Inc are registered agents for a bunch of other businesses. Their website, nationaldigitalbrands.com, is still under construction, which makes since since their incorporation date was only last year on 2/24/2021.

I'd rather do another non-referral I-Deal site, to be honest. Yes, you heard that right. There are now non-referral $750.00+ I-Deal gift sites!! This is big news as there haven't been any good I-Deal sites in years. I-Deal also has a new DBA called Progress Tech, LLC, which will be added to our Official T&C and DBA list. Below is my $750.00 gift card I-Deal site I did over the summer. I have just been waiting for I-Deal to put out some new offers before diving into a $1,000.00 gift site. I am also waiting on my $1,000.00 check from Dealzingo which ships this week, btw! It's like a Christmas gift every year as they always pay me in November-December. :)

$750.00 I-Deal gift card:



DealZingo:

Hi me,

I apologize for the delay, but I have great news! We will be mailing you your reward next week with the December batch!

Thanks,
Brian

--

Brian Beck
Junior Accountant
Flex Marketing Group

My reply:

Hi Brian,

Thanks for letting me know! I will watch for it in the mail. :)

Happy holidays!

me

My freebie earnings: $200.00 in PayPal from OneOpinion; $30.00 in Target eGiftcards from HerRazorTalk; $161.13 in checks from SurveySavvy; $285.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from ProductReportCard; $50.00 in PayPal from OpinionSite; $9.16.40 in PayPal from QuickRewards; $30.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from Clearvoice Surveys; $20.00 in Wal-Mart eGiftcards, $86.00 in Amazon.com gift cards, $25.00 Tango card, $25.00 Target eGiftCard, and $260.00 in virtual Visa gift cards from Schlesinger Group; $35.00 virtual Visa gift card from Invoke; $20.00 in PayPal from TapChamps; $8.00 in Amazon.com gift cards, a $10.00 Bath & Body Works gift card, and a $10.00 Target eGiftcard from Fetch Rewards; $12.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from S'mores app; $100.00 gift code to IL Makiage for collagen study; $10.00 Wal-Mart eGiftCard from Verasight.

I enjoy taking these surveys in my free time, especially those through Schlesinger Group. With OneOpinion, you receive your Paypal cash out instantly, or in 20 minutes max. You just need a balance of $25.00 to cash out. With ClearVoice Surveys, you just need $10.00 to redeem, but it's only Amazon.com gift cards. As a survey panelist, I am a member of many other panels, but only the ones listed under "my freebie earnings" are the ones I have time for.

My Schlesinger Group referral link: https://www.focusgroup.com/Account/Join?ref=63OWj5bqVdTUn6UgDd3k3A==&aid=16

My Fetch Rewards referral link. Earn free gift cards just for scanning store receipts! Download Fetch Rewards to your phone, and sign up with code XMVJY. You also receive 2,000 points for registering: https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referralsocial?code=XMVJY

My SurveySavvy referral link: https://www.surveysavvy.com/?m=6827629

My Christmas snowglobe I drew two years ago:



I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year~!! Let's make this a holiday to remember. ❄🎄☃️🎅

wozniack