Consumers Reward Solutions are like Cracker Jack. Prizes are promised in the serried caramel corn, but you must eat your way to the bottom to get it. Must be a jumbo bag because members are still working their way down. I have tried to be patient with CRS despite my provocation, but my patience is wearing thin. They keep saying "Next week", "We will send you a tracking number at an undetermined time", "There is a delay." This has been the case for many members, not two or three. Does CRS intend to pay, or are they dodging monies owed? Is the purpose of these release forms to appease members, or is it the final step in approval? If CRS use the release forms to calm their members, they should know the repose would start wearing off and intolerance would build up. See that makes no sense to me. People won't wait weeks, months and years, so why send release forms then stall? If this is a plot to rook everyone whoever planned it did poorly, because the ongoing diatribes and vituperation will persist and worsen. However, the release forms might be the real deal, and may require more pushing and shoving to win.
Below is a gift update from a member. It may explain the delay in the Fulfillment Department...
"from wozniack
to member
date Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 9:25 PM
subject Re: Thank you
mailed-by gmail.com
hide details Oct 7 (5 days ago)
Hi,
Anything new on Consumers Reward Solutions? Did you receive your gift card, or are they still giving you the runaround?
Thanks,
wozniack"
"from member
to wozniack
date Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 10:32 PM
subject Re: Thank you
mailed-by xxxx.com
signed-by xxxx.com
hide details Oct 11 (1 day ago)
Yes, they sent me a check for one thousand instead of the gift card. He said they were having Canadian USA currency issues when trying to send me the gift card. I didn't even need to any complaints. i just kept sending email after email every week asking when they were sending me my gift card and they finally sent me something. eventually i would have filed a complaint but it all worked out."
I understand how currency issues could hinder them from sending gift cards. If the gift cards are from outside the U.S., in Canada, then the money on them would be Canadian currency, right? Amazon.com has their own gift cards and site for Canada, and the funds on their Canadian gift cards can only be spent on the Canadian site. So I guess it's the same for Canadian Wal-Marts, and other stores there like The Home Depot. Makes sense for CRS to ship checks instead of Wal-Mart cards if the gift cards were for Canadian stores only. If the gift cards are in Canadian dollars then they wouldn't be useful to us. It's believable, and this man was paid $1,000.00. What about the other delays, should we dismiss them? No.
Posting these here in case no one reads the comments. Both comments are from Charlie and Ursula, which I would like to address while on the subject.
Charlie's comment, "Hey everyone, Wozniack, I am the one that told you I got the release and I was waiting….I am not sure wtf is going on with this company i have about 4 months worth of emails with this “Dave” character…i waited the 8 weeks after i submitted the release and he dragged on for about 3 weeks saying “i will send the tracking info soon/at the end of the week/next week” and then he changed his story to “we are switching gift suppliers” and then it went to “the iphone 4 is on back order with the gift suppplier” and THEN he gave me the option to either wait for it to come off of back order OR to send me a $300 dollar check…seeing as the iPhone 4 retails for 700 that pissed me off..so i showed him that the phone is worth 700 dollars and he told me that i will not receive a check from them for 700 dollars..so i said okay ill wait for it to come off back order…how long do i have to wait?…and he wouldn’t give me a clear cut answer and i said call your supplier and ask him how long it will take and he said “i just got off the phone with him and he said the same thing i said” and he said “assume a couple of months” and i said the apple website for Canada estimates a 3 week shipping period for the iPhone 4…i will triple that waiting period and i better receive my iPhone 4 before Dec 3, 2010…if I don’t get my gift by them this company is gonna fucking go down."
"Hey Woz, this is another comment about CRS, i really hate them, i called the STEW number and it rang 5 times and went to voicemail and it said “stew” is not avail so … yea again i really really hate CRS how can we completely shut them down and get everyone what they were promised…im still waiting for my iPhone 4, i emailed you about it i was one of the first people to receive a release form i think….becasue iv already been waiting for about 14 weeks AFTER i sent in the release form and still no luck…now “Dave” is claiming that his new gift supplier is on “back order” for the iphone 4 and it wil be a couple of months before it comes off back order…i told him the apple website suggests 3 weeks shipping and that 2 months is really long so they better get it to me within 2 months….PLEASE CAN WE SHUT THEM DOWN…PLEASE. ugh."
I replied to your e-mail, but I earnestly wanted to answer your comments. Hope you don't mind. *smile* Alright. I bolded the part about the iPhone 4, and the $300.00 check. Which model was advertised on the gift site you did, if you can remember? I think CRS are going by the iPhone 4 32 gb which is advertised for $299.00 on Apple.com, and across various merchants. I did, however, do further research and discovered some are in the $700.00 range, so you're right. On the Canadian Apple site the iPhone 4 32 gb models are $779.00. iPods are my game, not iPhones, so I assumed the priciest one was about $599.00. Everything is higher in Canada so they're more expensive there. The best thing is to wait it out on the phone, because you thought you'd be receiving over $300.00, and CRS are unyielding. It seems there is always an excuse, and payments are constantly delayed. The Stewart Fotheringham-Dave connection is inexplicable, and I thought it odd that a "Dave" was answering messages under Mr. Fotheringham's e-mail account. It definitely ties Stewart Fotheringham to CRS with "Stewart Fortheringham" on multiple domain registries, and the fact Dave, from CRS, is responding under Stewart's personal e-mail.
Ursula's comment, "After reading the previous post (Thanks Charlie!), I emailed Dave, albeit 2 weeks early, to inquire about the status of my gift and whether it would be shipped on the 25th. He responded that the gift is on backorder and he doesn’t know for how long, but offered me a check for two-thirds the value of the gift, which is unacceptable. So I’ll be responding shortly to his email, but for anyone else who is just waiting out their 8 week period…ummm…you may want to get in contact with our “buddy” Dave….hmmm…(*rolls eyes*)"
Unacceptable indeed! Was your gift for a laptop, or another physical item? Between Charlie's comment and yours, it makes me wonder what really is happening. I'm trying to figure out which gifts they're lowballing people on and why. Please keep us posted, Ursula. If you need to reach me you can at: diyfreebies@gmail.com. That goes for anyone else in a dilemma with CRS.
Two things need clearing up, btw. Remember the confusion with websrewardstream.com, and the company RewardStream? At the time, many of us thought RewardStream were responsible for the reported scams. However, RewardStream was cleared of all wrongdoing (see here: http://www.diyfreebies.com/?p=3319), and were not connected to the Canadian sites in any way. So if RewardStream was acquitted then who managed webrewardstream.com? It's Consumers Reward Solutions, and the proof is in the screen shots below.
dedicatedsurveyinternet.com, and dedicatedsurveygroup.com are both in Maria Chiodo's registry information. Click to enlarge images.
Same domains are in the DNS records for webrewardstream.com...
The purpose of posting about webrewardstream.com is to take the blame off RewardStream once and for all. Many individuals, myself included, were made suspicious by the domain name, even after Consumers Reward Solutions were impeached. I'm making it known that RewardStream are innocent on all accounts, and are not affiliated with Consumers Reward Solutions. RewardStream, if you're reading, I hope you were able to sever the ties between your company, and Consumers Reward Solutions. You may use my screen shots to vindicate the false claim.
Secondly, it was this entry that I cautioned everybody on Acquisis: http://www.diyfreebies.com/?p=2640 And I have always said that I didn't agree--and still do not--with their actions under The Reward Depot. The Reward Depot is their other DBA, which maintained a host of gift sites offering check and gift card rewards. They paid back then, but they also scammed. To be fair, they should be labeled a "scam", just like Consumers Reward Solutions because they haven't paid everyone, at least not yet. This is a topic that not everyone can agree on, but that is okay.
Addressing this public statement, "Ask wozniack. She's been promoting Acquisis sites on her blog long after they screwed us for thousands of dollars in unpaid gifts."
While I respect someone's forthrightness, I felt this statement had a missing component. "Sites" is used loosely, and the sentence may imply that The Reward Depot sites fell under the *links 'n such* category. Not true. I only "promoted" the ones they paid members on; big-brand giveaway, gift card-bonanza, and others. It doesn't help that that comment was posted in a "The Reward Depot" thread either. I wanted to give everyone more DIY options, and I saw Acquisis had been paying on them for a while. It was a "Do at your own risk" thing, and I often told members that in private. If you scroll to the bottom of my "September surprises, Part 1..." entry you will find that I wasn't too happy with Acquisis. Never would I link members to non-paying sites, it goes against what this blog is about.
Click here to enlarge.
Acquisis paid Fifisoda and I last month. We were exempt from the newly invented "two billing statements" rule since it wasn't in effect until the following week. We had been in the Fulfillment Department a week prior to being notified that our gifts shipped. 5 days later I was filled with fury after learning about the changes. I stressed in part of September's entry, "Why are members bound to non-existent rules? If it’s not in the terms, it doesn’t apply to us, IMO." I still feel that way, and am truly sorry that many of you are experiencing difficulties with Acquisis. It's terrible for us all right now-- Acquisis issues; lack of good I-Deal sites; Nuitech's 6-day rule gone; only 2 Consumer Gain sites per lifetime; YFD/Netblue, musthavefreegifts, Adteractive all fizzled out. What's more is Redsail Media scammed somebody. It is now confirmed, and those in connection with them won't budge. I'll post the addresses in their gift site policies. If you see them, run for the hills...
Redsail Media:
304 Main Ave, Suite 351
Norwalk, CT 06851
399 Main Ave, Suite 118
Norwalk, CT 06851
*Halloween link list*
Nuitech--
http://videogamerewardscentral.com/LP/prom-199792/3384ace9a4.php?a=2363-C2M&ce_cid=000dDl0o4mbV1jJzKO6h7kGtXp000000&dp=500001 - 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 Gamestop gc
http://gofreegifts.com/LP/prom-204630/aba53da2f6.php?a=2781-AP&ce_cid=000hZR18eGjL1jJzKO5ZvMTCLq000000&dp=1717 - 10 offers, no refs/$1,000.00 Best Buy gc
http://myrewardsvault.com/LP/prom-192941/5898d80954.php?a=2363-C2M&clickid=000boB0o4mbV1jJzKO6h7kGtYV000000&ce_cid=000boB0o4mbV1jJzKO6h7kGtYV000000&dp=500001 - 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 drugstore.com gc
http://www.consumergiftcards.com/rd_p?p=185615&c=txt_060&a=381001&hid=851536709 - 6 offers, no refs/$250.00 KB Toys gc
http://www.shoppingsiterewards.com/rd_p?p=183505&c=txt_030&a=1 - 8 offers, no refs/$500.00 Kohls gc
producttestpanel--
http://familyfoodrewards.com/chilis/?lid=chilis_9304_1717&add_offerid=8834573&addomain=rsfollow10.com&addomain_id=68 - offers unknown/$500.00 Chili's gc + misc gifts
http://yourbigdiscount.com/homedepot/?lid=homedepot_9304_1717&add_offerid=36293388&addomain=avgauge10.com&addomain_id=63 - offers unknown/$500.00 Home Depot gc + misc gifts
http://fillupyourtank.com/exxon/?lid=exxon_9304_1717&add_offerid=43774543&addomain=rsfollow10.com&addomain_id=68 - offers unknown/$1,000.00 Exxon gc + misc gifts
The best part about this blog is a CRS member receiving his thousand dollars. The threat of Redsail Media on top of everything else depresses me though. I guess now we spread the word on them before there are more victims. Woz is link hunting tomorrow-- anyone wanna join? I'm taking a break from DIY, but will post whatever I find. In the meantime, please e-mail me or comment if you have any concerns.
See you again soon!
wozniack
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