The e-mail offer from Consumer Gain was fairly straightforward:
“Congratulations You have won a $500.00 Circuit City Gift Card. Just fill out a simple survey and Start Shopping!”
Of course, it sounded a little fishy, and I was amazed that it didn’t get caught in the spam filter.
Planning to buy a digital camera, DVD recorder and computer printer, I figured I’d put my journalistic skepticism aside and give it a shot.
Yeah, real “simple” — I spent the next hour filling out page after page, signing up for mandatory memberships to Netflix and BMG Music Club, as well as Citibank/Visa and Discover credit cards (none of which I really needed or wanted).
Never did the Web site let me know how many more actions or minutes were required to complete the survey. Never was I informed the process was over, and my gift certificate would be on its way.
A few days later I received a letter from Discover that it has rejected my application because I’m a “bad credit risk.” I found the designation laughable because the day before I received a direct mail offer that I had been pre-approved for a Discover card. In addition, I had recently passed a new landlord’s credit check.
ConsumerGain’s Web site (www.consumergain.com), of course, doesn’t provide a phone number or street address. Within a day of filing an inquiry via their e-mail form, Jess (no last name), the company member services manager, e-mailed me that the language in the terms & conditions allows them to take two to four weeks to redeem the offer, which is merely conditional besides. Needless to say, the certificate never came.
A check with www.complaintsboard.com found that I was among other disgruntled consumers who took Consumer Gain up on its offer, only to leave empty-handed.
It’s classic bait & switch by the Federal Trade Commission’s definition:
Bait advertising is an alluring, but insincere offer to sell a product or service… The primary aim of a bait advertisement is to obtain leads as to persons interested in buying merchandise of the type so advertised.
Despite the new customers generated, I’d hate to think that Consumer Gain’s numerous marketing partners condone this kind of bad behavior, which makes it harder for legitimate promotional offers to break through the clutter.
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