IPodSweepstakes
BeginnerÕs guide(ver.
1.01)
IÕd
love a free iPod, but it doesnÕt REALLY workÉ. Does it?
Well,
members of the SlickDeals
forums certainly think it works, so far 10 iPhones, 10 iPod Touches, 8 iPod
Classics, 29 iPod Nanos, and over 100 iPod Shuffles have been reportedly earned
by its active community of IPS members which includes myself. I redeemed for an iPhone on 1/15/2008.
Welcome
to my IPS BeginnerÕs Guide, I hope this page will help you hit the ground
running when it comes to earning your free iPod.
How It
Works
The
Sweepstakes:
IPS holds
a daily sweepstakes for a 1GB iPod Shuffle. To get entries into the sweepstakes click on the ads on your
Personal Page or emails you receive.
You do not need to complete the offer in order to get the sweepstakes
entry. If you win the sweepstakes
you will be asked to send (via snail mail) a photocopy of your driverÕs license
or passport for identity verification, a portrait of yourself and a few
comments about winning for their website, and a completed, notarized affidavit
that they will email to you. On
the form there will be a space for you enter your social security number. It is my understanding that your SSN is
not required unless you have won over $600 in the past year from the company
that runs IPS. If you desire to leave the spot blank give the company a call,
don't risk it. You can push not
putting it on, say you're not comfortable giving your info to an internet
company, but make sure they're okay with you leaving it blank. They generally have great customer
service.
Earning
an iPod:
You
gain Pod Points each time you complete an offer advertised either on your
Personal Page or in an email they send to you. One point is equal to about 8
cents when compared to reward values.
In most cases it will take at least one day to receive credit, and in
some cases the offer may not credit at all (see FAQ below). Just because you
complete an offer and should receive the stated points, it does not mean it will always
work, one of the many pains common on this site.
á
Many
people choose to keep track of the offers they complete. I did this only for large point offers,
so I could email them about if it did not credit. The TRAKR is a
wonderful tool set up for anyone who wants to use IPS by Fourtoos@hotmai that helps in keeping track of offers.
á
Many
people use disposable email services like 2prong. It works wonderfully when offers send email confirmation.
Some worry that using these services may lead to a termination of your account,
so use at your own risk.
á
It
is generally assumed that clearing cookies and other internet data between
offers increases the rate at which points will credit. (See ÒGetting Ready for IPSÓ for more
info)
á
Keep
old emails, they may be a great blessing one day through redirected ads or
other happenings.
á
Stay
current with the fine people at SlickDeals:
register, inquire, chat, and enjoy yourself.
As of
1/15/2008, the rewards and their point values:
1000 – 1GB iPod Shuffle
2000 – 4GB iPod Nano
3000 – 80GB iPod Classic
4000 – 8GB iPod Touch
5000 – 8GB iPhone
Getting
ready for IPS
YouÕre
all set to create your IPS account!
Please use
this link to register. By
doing so youÕre graciously allowing me some extra points at no cost to you.
Use
your real information when signing up!! They only use it when shipping you your
iPod.
Before
you really have at it, please read these Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I
have to use real information (Name/Address)?
As
stated earlier, be sure to use your real information when signing up for
IPS. Some people have been known
to use false information when signing up for offers through IPS. Some people frown on this as unethical.
Don't be too concerned with entering your real information; you will be
informed in an offer if they plan on sending mail to you. And as many have
said, itÕs not terribly difficult to open your mail over a trashcan. The straightforward answer on the
matter is this: If you use false
information to complete offers in most if not all cases your IPS account will
be credited with the proper amount of points. Know, however, that by using false information you are in
direct violation of IPSÕ terms of service. Therefore they have all the right in the world to terminate
your account with no warning. It
is possible for one to redeem for any of the great prizes offered without ever
using real information, however it is risky, and one should not complain if
theyÕre account is killed one day.
This
offer says I get points Òjust for entering my email address.Ó Are you sure I donÕt have to enter any
other information?
Yes,
I am sure. This is one of the most
frequent questions at SlickDeals from
newcomers. I am 100% positive that
you do not need to enter your name/address/phone on the second page of these
offers. You only need to enter
your email for credit.
How
long will it take to get ÒXÓ points?
The
average of late has been 1500 a month.
I redeemed for an iPhone after 3 ½ months.
How
long do I have to earn my iPod?
The
Sweepstakes Rules on IPS claim the sweepstakes portion of IPS will end
Ò11:59:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 31, 2010.Ó My guess is the points-earning
portion of the site will stay until then as well.
IÕm
doing the offers, but nothingÕs crediting. What gives?
It
happens, mostly with the ÒJust enter your emailÓ offers (Brandarama). Most offers will credit with persistence,
but some will seem like theyÕll never credit. This happens a lot, just move on to the next offer. Offers sent in emails will generally
credit more quickly.
I was
never credited for a paid offer/one worth quite a few points. ItÕs been a week, What now?
IPS
used to accept Manual Credit Requests, and they were pretty generous about
it. However since late
December/early January, they stopped helping us and instead replied with a
prewritten denial of points.
However, hopefully one day this will change back. At any rate, you can email them to
request points at helpdesk@ipodsweepstakes.com,
stating your name, email address, the offer you completed, the date you
completed it, and the number of points it was worth. They will generally send a response in one business day.
I
redeemed for an iPod, but havenÕt gotten a shipping confirmation yet. Should I be worried?
Nope. More often than not, the confirmation
emails come too late to be helpful, often the day of or after actual delivery.
How
long will it take to get the iPod once I redeem?
It
varies, some people have been lucky and received their reward just days after
redeeming. IPS claims you will receive your reward 4-6 after redeeming. In most cases, however, you will
receive the product sooner.
Just
one more questionÉ
IÕm
sorry that IÕm not staying around to answer any question you might have, but
IÕm confident that the friendly people at SlickDeals will
help you out. Good luck!
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Revisions
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1.01 -
updated instructions to complete an affidavit without SSN