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...
I did another DealZingo site in mid-December of 2023, and got paid in February. There have been some discrepancies with the shipping timeframes. Some members receive their payments in as little as two weeks while others wait two to four months longer. There have been people who have done their sites before others, and still not get paid until two to four months later. Not sure why that is only that it has caused discontent with members. Do not expect your Dealzingo experience to be the same as someone else's. You may be waiting longer than two weeks for your payment, but if you're lucky, the turnaround may be sooner.
Another issue is the lack of customer service staff. It seems like the entire job falls on one person’s shoulders, whereas there used to be a team. The person in charge of the gift program only checks emails about once a month, making it difficult to reach someone when you need them. There are deadlines to complete offers, request manual credit if necessary, and mail off paperwork. I had an issue with sending my paperwork last time. When I first sent it, I checked the tracking number and saw there was a delay, and it remained in 'in transit' status. I feared DealZingo wouldn’t receive it before the redemption form deadline, so I sent it again. Eventually, after sending numerous e-mails, I received the following response in the mail...
Dealzingo:
Thu, Feb 15, 2024, 6:59 PM
Hi me,
Thank you for reaching out. We have decided to process the redemption for you and payment is in the mail. Going forward please note our rules regarding multiple redemptions stipulated in the Terms and Conditions.
Section I: You must complete all Reward Program Offers within thirty (30) days from when you complete your first offer. Completion of Reward Program Offers will require a purchase or entering into a paid subscription program; and credit card offers may also require you to activate the card by making a purchase, transferring a balance and/or taking a cash advance. Limit of one (1) Reward per household.
Section VI: Please note that only one (1) Account is allowed per household, and any Accounts that share either: the same name, e-mail address, mailing (postal) address, telephone number, credit card or IP address will be considered the same household. Accounts in violation of this rule will be placed on hold or disqualified. For the avoidance of doubt, you may not have multiple Accounts at more than one (1) mailing (postal) address, under more than one (1) name, or under more than one (1) e-mail address. Furthermore, you may not use another individual's name or information at any time, for any reason on the Website. By way of example, you may not register on the Website for any other individual or attempt to complete offers for any other individual's Account.
Section IX: Any attempt to circumvent this restriction by attempting to register multiple times under different names, attempting to register more than one (1) time per household, and/or attempting to register more than one (1) time with the same mailing (postal) address and/or computer, is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply with any of these requirements will result in immediate termination of your participation in any Promotions and forfeiture of any Reward earned or accrued in connection with same. Please be advised that we have sole discretion to determine whether or not you have complied with the above stipulations.
My reply:
Hi,
Thank you for responding.
The last time I did one of your sites was in October of 2022. This past year, I did not sign up until December of 2023. There have not been multiple redemptions, as I have been following the "Limit of 1 reward per household, per calendar year" rule that is on the front of your gift site: https://www5.nationalrewardsclub.com/?session_id=13dceed0c6e911ee9d4e5a98c67c7d5d
Also, there is only one other person in my household, and they do not participate in these type of promotions online at all. They don't even understand how any of these sites work, and are not internet savvy. I'm the only one in my household that does them. I've enjoyed participating in these promotions that your company offers, as it gives me the opportunity to sign up for new offers each year while earning a reward in the end.
Was my payment sent out today, and to the below address?
Thanks,
Me
I don’t understand why they insinuated multiple redemptions. There couldn’t have been any evidence of that, as I only do them once a year, and no one else in my household does freebie sites. A friend suggested it might be because I mailed my redemption form twice, but after reading the terms and conditions again, it seems like they were accusing me of something else. I completed my new DealZingo site and may ask them if the issue was due to mailing my forms twice, as I did that because I wasn’t sure they got the first one. I received one of the redemption forms back, which I think was the delayed one. Aside from that, they are legit and still paying out, so I’ll continue doing their sites.
DealZingo also has a new address. They've had this address for at least over a year now, as members reported mailing their forms to it last year.
2000 NE 42nd Ave PMB 1251
Portland, OR 97213
Remember RewardSurvey USA? Their name shared a likeness to RewardZone USA. They had a cancellation limitation like Nuitech, but they required a notarized affidavit like Acquisis. The company said they are still in business, but no longer offer a gift program.
My exchange with them:
xxxx
Sun, Aug 4, 2024, 8:35 PM
to support
Hi,
I wanted to sign up for one of your gift sites and start completing offers for a reward. However, your rewardsurveyusa.com link is no longer working.
Do you have any other websites? Are you still in business?
Thanks,
Me
Customer Support - National Digital Brands support@nationaldigitalbrands.com via connexusdigital.zohodesk.com
Mon, Aug 5, 2024, 11:05 AM
Dear me,
Thank you for contacting RewardSurveyUSA.
We are still in business, but we are no longer offering a rewards program.
Thank you,
Customer Support
Too bad they no longer had a gift program, but there is yet another gift site I am investigating. It's called National Research Rewards. I sent them an e-mail, asking them their company name. I like that they have a status page and only six offers are required for a $500.00 reward.
Taken from their member support page:
How many offers must I complete in order to receive my selected reward?
For 100.00 level rewards: you must complete 2 Silver and 2 Gold level offers. For $500 level rewards: you must complete 2 Silver, 2 Gold and 2 Platinum level offers.
They even let you change the reward type after you have completed your offers:
Can I change my reward type once I have completed the required number of offers?
Sure, you can change your reward type within the same reward level.
More questions can be answered here: https://membershipinfo.center/support.html
Gift site frontpage:
Survey page:
Gift site link: https://nationalresearchrewards.com/landing?campaignId=18006&
My freebie earnings: $125.00 in PayPal from OneOpinion; $380.00 in gift cards from Sago; $30.00 in Wal-Mart gift cards and a $10.00 Amazon.com gift card from Her Razor Talk; $10.00 Wal-Mart gift card from Fetch Rewards; $350.00 in Amazon.com gift cards from Clearvoice Surveys; $75.79 in PayPal from Earnhaus; $25.00 Amazon.com gift card from ValuedOpinions; ? from S'mores; $29.80 from Quickrewards; $70.00 in Venmo, $20.00 in PayPal, and $10.00 digital Visa gift card from Verasight; $151.50 in checks from Surveysavvy.
I hope you all had a great year! My 2024 was quite interesting. I met new people and made some valuable connections. I've also been looking for a talent agency to represent my children's book series and cartoon. In addition to that, I’ve been writing a mystery novel on and off, and it's now over 63,000 words! It’s definitely coming along.
I wasn’t initially planning to write a mystery novel, but it all started last year when I took a creative writing course and earned a certificate. For one assignment, we had to write a 1,000-word story with rising action in the middle leading to a climax. The instructors liked it so much they wished it had been longer, so after completing the course, I decided to build on it. I started adding new characters, developing my protagonist, and the story really took flight. From there, I kept writing whenever I could, and now I’m more than halfway through. I'm excited to see where it all leads!
I really wish I could have shared this exciting news with Butterboy and TexasTornadoDeb. Some of you might recognize their names. These two wonderful women were part of the Anything4free.com forum. I hadn't heard from TexasTornadoDeb since 2011, but Butterboy and I kept in touch. After Hurricane Helene passed through, I reached out to Butterboy to check on her, but she never replied. That made me realize I hadn’t heard from her in a while, so I went to her profile page—and sadly, I found the heartbreaking news. She passed away on May 15, 2022.
We had actually spoken over the phone 10 years ago and exchanged quite a few emails since then. She had helped me twice when I really needed it. She was always there for you if you needed her. She even welcomed me to her home. She said there was a room waiting if I ever visited and I would have plenty of friends there (her pets). That was just the kind of person she was—selfless and generous. Her love for animals knew no bounds. She was deeply passionate about them and lived her life fostering animals, pouring all her heart into it.
In December of 2016, I sent her two gifts as a thank you for all the help she had given me when I needed it most. Although she never expected anything in return, she truly appreciated the thoughtful gifts and made sure to let me know. Oe was a dried fruit gift (she ate healthy), and a snowman decoration that had a beautiful, snowy shimmer to it. I also had sent her a Christmas card in the mail, which she also loved.
TexasTornadoDeb was very ill for a long time. Her passing was November 10, 2023... What's weird is that I got the urge out of nowhere to look at her page. I visted her page on November 11th, not knowing that the day of her passing was the day before, November 10th. And if you look at the numbers it's 11/11. As previously stated, I hadn't talked to her since 2011 nor had I visited her page recently. Deb constantly thought of others, and like Butterboy, always helped when she could. Both will be sorely missed.
I just wanted to share this because these two ladies, Butterboy and TexasTornadoDeb, were such a big part of the freebie trading forums. Schizerbone seems to be doing well, looking like he's married and has a family now. The person I chat with most often from the forums is kinneylamb; we talk almost daily. Rocksja reached out to me a couple of years ago, but I haven’t heard from him since. I wonder what he’s up to now? Oh, and Finsfan has been on my mind too. Fins, if you see this, you better contact me! Lol.
I often find myself thinking about the forum members and wondering how they’re doing. If anyone wants to chat, you can hit me up here: diyfreebies@gmail.com
I acquired a domain for my music blog, btw. You can find it here: wafflesoundmusic.com :)
Two drawings. The winter deer drawing I did on New Years Eve of 2024. The Garfield and Odie drawing I created not long after Christmas.
Click to enlarge:
I bought some more art supplies since I ran out recently. I also have a journaling class on the 15th that I'm really looking forward to. It's being hosted by someone I haven't engaged with in a while—met her during the Covid lockdown while searching for virtual classes. On top of that, I got a rock painting kit over the holidays. I've been interested in rock painting for a while now, but haven’t had the chance to explore it yet. I will, though!
Alright, stopping this now before I write a second novel, lol...
Take care,
Happy New Year! Wishing everyone good health, prosperity, and luck in the new year. #2025 🎉 🎊 🥂 🍾
