Valentine's Day blog with RewardZone USA updated terms, DIYfreebies.com blog images and hotlinking issue, New I-Deal DBA; Nuitech sites disappeared-- company dissolved?

Valentine's Day blog with RewardZone USA updated terms and feedback from members; DIYfreebies.com blog images and hotlinking issue; New I-Deal DBA; Nuitech sites disappeared-- company dissolved? Watch where Cupid points his arrow...



We'll start with RewardZone USA's revised terms and conditions. A lot has changed since their one incentive per household per 24 months rule. I first learnt of these changes through an e-mail exchange with two members between October and November of 2017. Below are our conversations.

Member #1:

Rewardzoneusa - Lots of changes

member

10/5/17

A friend of mine is trying to get a $1000 visa gift card from Rewardzone. He got one last year. He used the link he used last year to get the gift card. Rewardzone disqualified him for that. This is in the terms.

He asked Rewardzone if he could do it again using a new link. Rewardzone told him he could if he gets a new invitation. They told him you need to receive an email or advertisement from our company or one of our partners.
He asked them how and they told him they're sent out organically so it's a waiting game.

He waited 2 months and never got an invitation so he asked Rewardzone to please send him a link. Rewardzone said the links for our program are curated by our publishers and you must be marketed to directly from them.

You said in your blog that Rewardzone sent you a link just by asking them to send you one.

Do you have any idea of what's going on.

My reply:

diyfreebies@gmail.com

10/6/17

to Member

Hi Member,

Unfortunately, it has been about 2 years, or close to that time, when I asked RewardZone USA for a link. It appears now that they want you to receive an e-mail invitation in order to do it, just like Nuitech has done. Nuitech are "invitation only" now. I hope I-Deal doesn't do this as well. I don't think they will but you never know... All your friend can do is wait for some sort of e-mail from them or their partners before doing them again.

I may need to blog again soon to let everybody know about this. If I could find out just who RewardZone USA's "partners" are, perhaps they have web sites with subscription links for their mailing lists, provided they have them (mailing lists). I suggested that to someone who was dealing with the invitation only problem with Nuitech. Nuitech are tied into Cool Savings who have a mailing list on their site, and by subscribing to it, you may receive Nuitech sites to your e-mail.

I can do RewardZone USA again in January, so this is very good info. Everyone should be cautious and not just do a RewardZone USA site that they find on their own since it is invitation only now. I will ask RewardZone USA directly to see if I get the same response about their sites being invitation only. I'm just curious how they will respond, though I know it is now invitation only.

Thanks,

wozniack

Member #1's reply:

Member

10/11/17

Please let me know what Rewardzone tells you, ok? My friend asked Rewardzone who their partners are, and RWZ wouldn't tell him.

How does someone subscribe to Nuitech (Cool Savings) mailing list?

My reply:

diyfreebies@gmail.com

10/13/17

to Member

Hi Member,

RewardZone USA did not tell me who their partners were, but I think the information below should answer your question! Please see my correspondence with them below.

My e-mail:

"Questions about "invitation only" gift sites...

my name

Oct 11 (2 days ago)

to REWARD

Hi,

I heard via word-of-mouth that your sites are now "invitation only," meaning you must receive an e-mail or advertisement from RewardZone USA or from one of your partners. If this is true, what do I look out for in my e-mail? For example. Let's say one of your partners is called RewardsPlus. If I click on an advertisement in an e-mail from a RewardsPlus which directs me to a RewardZone USA site, will I get paid if I sign up for that site?

I just don't want to make any mistakes when I do another site with your company in January.

Thanks,

me"

RewardZone USA's reply:

"info@rewardzoneusa.com

Oct 12 (1 day ago)

Hi me,

If you a receive an email and it takes you to rewardzoneusa.com then the email is from one of partners and you are eligible to participate in our program.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Regards,
RewardZone USA

As for Nuitech, try signing up in that little green box to the right. Then click "My Email Subscriptions." Make sure you have it set to "Daily." Then click "My Deals Preferences" and click "Love" on all the preferences; maybe not be super important but I do it anyway in case they send me more e-mails! What's important is for them to have your e-mail address in their system, and by doing this they will.

I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

wozniack

My second reply to Member #1:

diyfreebies@gmail.com
10/13/17

to Member

Oops. I forgot you will need this link to sign up for Cool Savings newsletters-- and hopefully gift sites! http://www.coolsavings.com/categories/dining-entertainment

wozniack

RewardZone USA sites are invitation only now like Nuitech. So if you find a RewardZone USA link online, and register and complete the site, you will NOT get paid. Their sites are only valid if you receive them directly from RewardZone USA or one of their partners. The way to seeing RewardZone USA links in your inbox is by registering on their site: http://nationalconsumercenter.com/ -- Register only, do NOT complete the site. Once you register and complete the surveys, RewardZone USA will put you on their mailing list. Check your spam and inbox daily. If you receive a gift card promotion via e-mail and it directs you to a RewardZone USA site, then it is RewardZone USA and it's considered a valid sign up.

Member #2:

Rewardzone:
Inbox
member
10/31/17

Hi Woz!
I just did Rewardzone from the link you sent me, thank you again! Just a heads up, they have changed some of the rules. You must now submit a utility along with your license no matter if the addresses match or not, you have to print out the claim form, have it notarized, then mail it in, & they now ship the gift card FedEx for a $7.95 fee that comes out of the gift card, so it had $992.05 on it when it arrives, oh yeah and lastly you must submit entire bank statement along with email confirmation now!! They have gotten a bit drastic now with people's info.....I just mailed in my claim form last weekend! Tslk to you soon, let me know your thoughts .

member

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

My reply:

diyfreebies@gmail.com

11/19/17

to member

Hi member,

Thanks for the information! I have sent Rewardzone USA countless e-mails, asking what I could do about the utility bill as the utility bills are not in my name. I asked them if I could send in a cell phone bill instead. This is the first time that I have ewver heard of a DIY company taking a fee out of someone's gift card~! I feel that they should write that somewhere in their terms about the fee on physical gift cards. We don't have to keep offers for 30 days do we? They just want the bank statement and e-mail confirmation(s), right?

Thanks,

wozniack

Member #2's reply

member

11/19/17

Hey Woz! Well they did let a friend of mine use her Tmobile bill, weird they wouldn't take her cable bill tho, how crazy is that? I def think there's some new people in the office. Some are strict with the rules and some are not! And no, you don't have to keep the offers 30 days, I just cancelled all mine before the free trial ended. However, log into the ones that don't show up on your status page and take a screenshot. I had 8 out of the 10 show up as success and they sent me an email to log into the 2 others and screenshot the dashboard. I got mine Thursday, u can track them now thru FedEx to see exactly when they will arrive. Let me know if u have any questions.

My reply:

diyfreebies@gmail.com
11/19/17

to member
Thank you so much, member! That really helps. :))

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving~!

wozniack

member
11/19/17

Woz,
No problem at all , its the least I could do for You! :)



RewardZone USA now requires a utiliy bill along with your license whether or not the addresses match. The claim form must be printed, notarized, and mailed in. You have the choice of a physical or virtual Visa gift card. If a physical Visa gift card is chosen, a $7.95 shipping fee is deducted from the $1,000.00 amount on the gift card. For completed offers that are not listed on your incentive status, a bank or credit card statement showing the charge(s) along with your e-mail confirmation(s) is required. RewardZone USA does not accept forwarded e-mails.

Here's an exchange I had with a third member regarding RewardZone USA and other DIY companies.

Member #3:

member
12/31/17

Hey, I saw your blog site after researching about reward zone usa. I'm not sure if you still get on there or answer these, but just in case you do, I figured I would reach out!

I tried doing it to get my 1,000 and now I'm stuck, because it won't show me anymore Platinum offers. It also lists two of my options as Featured which wasn't even an option to finish my incentives. There are two that are not showing up which I know I just need to email them but I'm not sure if I'm just not doing the requirement correctly.

Also, it says not to cancel right away, do you know how long I can wait?

diyfreebies@gmail.com

Jan 25 (7 days ago)

to member
Hi member,

Please forgive my delayed response. Your message went to my spam!

I hope that by now you were able to get the help you need. But in case you did not, you can read my response below.

If no more Platinum offers are showing you will have to contact support as that is a site issue. The same goes for the Featured category. For any offers that are not showing up, RewardZone USA requires a bank or credit card statement showing the charge(s) along with your email confirmation(s). Once you gather this information, send it to: info@rewardzoneusa.com

I have no idea how long you can wait. The terms just say to not cancel an offer right away. I would wait at least a few days, or cancel the day before the trial ends to give the advertiser(s) ample time to credit your offer. The longer you wait, the better your chances of your offer(s) crediting. I have had offers take 3 days to over a week to credit in the past.

wozniack

member
Jan 26 (6 days ago)

Thanks for the response! I actually did get the money which I was surprised haha. Do you know what else I could try for money that's not sketchy?
Also you said that you can't share a link for people to do rewardzone, but I have someone who wants to do it too so how do they find it and still make it count?

diyfreebies@gmail.com
Jan 26 (6 days ago)

to member
Hi member,

Unfortunately, there aren't too many good deals right now. I-Deal aren't sketchy but all their sites require a referral in addition to completing offers. If you can get a friend to sign up and complete their offers then it's doable. They may have sites valued at over $500.00, too. However, those sites might require two referrals. If you are able to get two referrals for the bigger payout site(s), then I say go for it! Other than I-Deal and RewardZone USA, there is Dealzingo. But all I see for them are $100.00 sites, which is not good at all. And Nuitech seem to have disappeared. I think they are gone for good.

As for RewardZone USA, the company said that any of their sites that you do must be sent to you via e-mail or directly through their partners. Tell them to register for this gift card via RewardZone USA's gift site: http://nationalconsumercenter.com/ -- Register only, do NOT complete the site. Once they register and complete the survey(s), RewardZone USA will put them on their mailing list. Tell them to check their spam and regular e-mail daily. If they receive a gift card promotion via e-mail and it directs them to a RewardZone USA site, then it is RewardZone USA and it's considered a valid sign up.

Before they register and complete the site, they can check to see if the bottom of the front page says the following: " RewardZone USA administers this website and does not claim to represent or own any of the trademarks, tradenames or rights associated with the displayed brands or any of the incentives which are the property of their respective owners who do not own, endorse, or promote RewardZone or this promotion." If they see that at the bottom, then that is a RewardZone USA site.

I plan on blogging soon to give people updates on RewardZone USA and share my new findings. Haven't posted in a while, but I'm ready. :)

If you have anymore questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thanks,

wozniack

member
Jan 28 (4 days ago)

Awesome thanks for all the help! I'll definitely be checking out those things, might be hard to convince friends though haha! I'll be watching for the blog updates too!

diyfreebies@gmail.com
11:24 PM (0 minutes ago)

to member
Hi member,

Would it be alright if I shared our conversation in my blog? My responses are so detailed that they would be helpful for my viewers, and it would save me a lot of typing.

I will make you anonymous, and black out your name and e-mail address for your protection.

Thanks,

wozniack

member
Feb 2
Yeah that's fine, go for it! :)

That goes back over the RewardZone USA invitation only sites, but gives an update on current DIY companies. Not sure what's up with Nuitech. I've sent them numerous e-mails and messages via their contact page and got nothing back. qinteractive.com and the useful.com will not load, however, coolsavings.com does. Keep in mind that these three sites are tied into Nuitech. As for Nuitech's gift sites, the few sites that are online are down or link to a contact us page. Below is the unanswered message I sent them.

My e-mail to Nuitech:

"Question about your gift sites...

diyfreebies@gmail.com
Jan 26
to Offersgonewild
Hi,

Does your company still offer a gift program? I ask because all of your sites are down or link to a contact us page. Below are just several of these sites. There are more.

www.consumerincentivepromotions.com
www.incentiverewardcenter.com
www.mypremiumrewards.com
www.onlinerewardcenter.com
www.superbrewards.com

Thanks,

me

Try going to the sites listed above and you will see what I mean. Coolsavings, LLC. also shows "inactive" in the Secretary of State filings, which may indicate a possible end to coolsavings.com. If coolsavings.com were to end, who else would send us Nuitech sites? Better yet, if there are no more Nuitech sites, it doesn't really matter if coolsavings.com is still up. I have looked everywhere for Nuitech sites and have not come across one nor can I get support to respond. Is Nuitech out for lunch or are they gone for good?



The Secretary of State report also states: "admin dissolution for annual report," meaning the rights, powers and authority of the corporation have been taken away. Under "event date filed" it shows 09/25/2009. Though they have been an inactive corporation for almost 10 years, that hasn't had a negative impact on coolsavings.com. I will continue to contact Nuitech. Hopefully they respond so we get some answers.

A new I-Deal DBA has been found! It's called USA Interactive, Inc. It will be added to our Official T&C and DBA list
Please commit that to memory. I wish there was more exciting news about I-Deal but it's just the same $500.00 sites, all wanting a referral. Gone are the days of $1,000.00, no ref sites for a mere 10 offers. I would be happy with just a $500.00, no ref site at this point. There was a $500.00, no ref site last year but I missed out on it. Their non-referral sites are like finding a needle in a haystack. So if you come across one you must strike while you can.

I will miss our ink list, but I just couldn't risk losing our blog over it. Second of all, the only sites I could list are I-Deal and they have no more than 1-2 good deals per year. The best way to find I-Deal links is through ofree.net and affiliate marketing sites. I wonder if they will ever become "invitation only" like RewardZone USA and Nuitech?

My earnings: $35.00 Visa gift card Invoke Solutions; $550.00 in virtual Visa gift cards, $40.00 in physical Visa gift cards, $50.00 in amazon.com gift cards, $25.00 Target gift card, $75.00 in Wal-Mart gift cards, and $215.00 in Paypal from OneOpinion.com; $35.00 virtual Visa for live chat airline study; $35.00 virtual Visa for Facebook study; $30.00 virtual Visa for babies interactive session; $25.00 Tango card for feminine care study; $15.00 in amazon gift cards for workplace dynamics study; $100.00 check, and $50.00 in Paypal from Vindale; $111.00 in Paypal from Quickrewards.net; $20.41 in Paypal from ebates.com; $27.61 in Paypal from couponcabin; $65.00 in amazon.com gift cards from mycokerewards.com. Grand total = $1,504.02



I have been wanting to blog again for quite some time now. What has been stopping me though is that Photobucket now wants $399.99 a year just to hotlink my blog images. So now I must recode each blog, move (to another site), and re-link the images that are all on Photobucket. There is no easy way to go about it with 900+ images and 90 blogs. I uploaded the images for our new blog to another image site until I get things sorted. It's important to have the old images up as they contain a lot of info. The old images are backed up on my external modem. It's just recoding each blog that makes it difficult. I'm working diligently though to correct this so that we get our images back!

I'm still saddened over anything4free.com and fipg.com. It has been years, I know, but I miss how active freebies were 10+ years ago. I am forever grateful for the friendships I made on those forums, but very few people have I kept touch with. I used to have AIM (AOL instant messenger), but I stopped using it 3 or 4 years ago. My names on there were Iamwozniack and wozniack. I had read where AOL discontinued AIM in December. My Yahoo! messenger name is still wozniack9. I don't go on it much but am willing to if anyone wants to chat in real time. Although DIYfreebies.com isn't updated regularly, it turns 10-years-old next month, and has outlived AIM and our freebie forums! If anyone reading this wishes to reconnect, please feel free to contact me: diyfreebies@gmail.com

Take care,

wozniack