on hold for "walking through"

Live forum: http://forum.freeipodguide.com/viewtopic.php?t=13556

chewy

05-05-2005 12:13:55

I am on hold fro psp, because after I noticed the AOL offer was up, I went around and told some people who said they would help me when a good offer came up. They all did the offer as soon as I talked to them.

Gratis said since all my refs completed there offers so quickly I must have walked them through...which I did NOT do. I keep getting errors when I try to get to the help screen. I am going to have my refs open tickets explaining I did not walk them through.

Man what a terrible thing to get on hold for (

hopefully they are understanding

keyspacer

05-05-2005 13:11:34

So gratis has a speed limit set on referrals? Sheesh!

chewy

05-05-2005 13:27:53

evidently...i always thought the "walkthrough" was VERY open to interpretation

RealtorKen

05-05-2005 14:01:45

Are the people you walked through, people you know, or live around? If not I would say you have a good dispute

chewy

05-05-2005 14:16:27

they work with me...but it still doesnt mean i helped them in any way. I just told them all at the same time and they were willing to help me out. I wish their help system was working now

mr0x

05-05-2005 14:23:32

Could it be that they all did the same AOL offer?

I've heard of all the refs doing the same offer causing a hold.

chewy

05-05-2005 14:27:34

here is what they said

We have carefully reviewed with matter and considered your explanation. However, due to the escalating levels of fraud, we must be extremely strict with our policies in order to keep our advertisers. Your referrals all completed the AOL offer in the span of an hour, which is a warning sign that walk-through referrals occured. Please understand that due to the high level of fraud, we must firmly stand by our policies and can not make any exceptions, regardless of whether or not the violation was intentional. The accounts will remain on hold.

they said it is a warning sign. a warning doesnt mean anything is wrong ?

eYank

05-05-2005 14:48:30

gratis makes up the stupidest reasons to put ppl on hold
thats the first time i heard that reason

flashbackz

05-05-2005 15:24:58

actually, generally gratis is a LOT more lenient than then other companies..... but ya thats crap man... sorry you got screwed.... i guess theres not much more you can do than to keep on asking nicely ?

hyperboarder

05-05-2005 16:21:52

[quote828795a975="chewy"]here is what they said

We have carefully reviewed with matter and considered your explanation. However, due to the escalating levels of fraud, we must be extremely strict with our policies in order to keep our advertisers. Your referrals all completed the AOL offer in the span of an hour, which is a warning sign that walk-through referrals occured. Please understand that due to the high level of fraud, we must firmly stand by our policies and can not make any exceptions, regardless of whether or not the violation was intentional. The accounts will remain on hold.

they said it is a warning sign. a warning doesnt mean anything is wrong ?[/quote828795a975]

Holy crap, all of them within an hour, that's really quick. It's stupid that Gratis is being really strict, but that'd look a little fishy to me too if I didn't know you did it legitimately. I hope this gets resolved, most of my refs for psps did the same offer, but they were more spread out.

chewy

05-05-2005 17:01:43

yeah im gonna keep trying to explain myself

aboutlinux

05-05-2005 19:33:50

why does Grlitis care? They got their money from AOL for you giving them refferals. Now they are going to put you on Hold and yet still pocket the money that AOL gave them?

Unless AOL reported you for something and didn't pay Grlitis I can't see why they have a problem with it. If your not allowed to have people do the offers within a certain time period then they should let you know that.

chewy

05-05-2005 19:45:22

[quote4151a8fa54="aboutlinux"]why does Grlitis care? They got their money from AOL for you giving them refferals. Now they are going to put you on Hold and yet still pocket the money that AOL gave them?

Unless AOL reported you for something and didn't pay Grlitis I can't see why they have a problem with it. If your not allowed to have people do the offers within a certain time period then they should let you know that.[/quote4151a8fa54]

#1) if they dont send me my gift they get even more money

#2) i completly agree, it says nowhere in the TOS about a timeframe for signing up your referrals...i am getting punished for doing a good job

i submitted another ticket trying to reason with them...i hope they understand i have done nothing wrong here

cartrenroy

05-05-2005 22:02:49

[quote3635b245aa="keyspacer"]So gratis has a speed limit set on referrals? Sheesh![/quote3635b245aa]

yeah, how come can they put you in HOLD just because you got green really fast

cartrenroy

05-05-2005 22:04:29

[quoted3299dcf4c="chewy"][quoted3299dcf4c="aboutlinux"]why does Grlitis care? They got their money from AOL for you giving them refferals. Now they are going to put you on Hold and yet still pocket the money that AOL gave them?

Unless AOL reported you for something and didn't pay Grlitis I can't see why they have a problem with it. If your not allowed to have people do the offers within a certain time period then they should let you know that.[/quoted3299dcf4c]

#1) if they dont send me my gift they get even more money

#2) i completly agree, it says nowhere in the TOS about a timeframe for signing up your referrals...i am getting punished for doing a good job

i submitted another ticket trying to reason with them...i hope they understand i have done nothing wrong here[/quoted3299dcf4c]


right. It doesn't say anything about timeframe. I remember something about telling your referrlas what to do, but it has nothing to do - how can they figure this out

chewy

06-05-2005 05:06:29

its probably there to leave a BIG loophole to work with...such as my case

Lunarpancake

06-05-2005 08:06:25

Gratis TOS clearly states that you are NOT guarenteed a gift by completing the site. Gratis just happens to be a legit company.......for the most part.....kinda.

chewy

06-05-2005 08:16:18

what if McDonalds had TOS posted "By paying us you are NOT guarenteed a meal"

of course noone would go there.

problem is ALL free sites say that, so we have no choice and they know that.

chewy

06-05-2005 11:07:19

here is there latest reply

An hour is an awfully quick time in which to have five referrals each complete an offer. This makes us suspect fraudulent activity. These accounts will remain on hold. We are sorry that this matter could not be resolved to your satisfaction.

Legault

06-05-2005 11:33:38

I seriously doubt they'll let you off.
Best of luck though.

hehehhehe

06-05-2005 16:40:56

Don't give up, that's exactly what they want. Just because people all signed up at once that does not mean any fraudulent activity took place (I don't understand that leap of logic). I could send the referrals out to a bunch of people and tell them to all do it right away and have the same result. They have the time, why don't they check for this "fraud."

If they still don't give in after a while, make sure (in a mature way) to tell them that you will go around and talk about your experience on every one of these forums to warn people that you may be turend for no logical reason. Not like it will likely work but you mind as well use a veiled threat if you got nothing else.

chewy

10-05-2005 11:56:39

here is an update

We're sorry this matter could not be resolved to you satisfaction. However, as previously stated, due to the high level of fraud, we must firmly stand by our policies and can not make any exceptions, regardless of whether or not the violation was intentional. The accounts will remain on hold. This matter is closed.


then the next

From what physical place did you and your referrals complete our offers? Thank you.

awaiting another response now. At least I have they talking again. looking promising. I hope they realize they made a mistake

Also wanted to add they have been getting back to me fairly quickly lately, usually the same day

adam254

10-05-2005 12:09:16

Can't they tell by the different IPs that all your referrals and yourself completed the offers at different places, or did they all complete them at work?

chewy

10-05-2005 12:16:42

not necessarily, i am not sure exactly why they asked but at least it is a start

chewy

10-05-2005 18:20:58

newest response

"What is your relationship between you and all of your referrals (co-workers)? Please provide us your work name. Thank you."

hehehhehe

10-05-2005 20:13:44

Nice you got them talking again. Not to be nosy but is everyone in a different location? It sure sounds like they figure you guys are all in the same location (IP range).

chewy

10-05-2005 20:47:30

some are in the same building but most were from other locations. They should be all different ips though.

yeah it is looking good...so far

chewy

11-05-2005 19:06:48

Here is the whole transcript

me
i am not sure why my account has been put on hold I know all users were unique. I hope you can review my account and see they are unique

gratis
Thanks for writing in about your account's status. We have placed your account on hold due to suspicion of fraud. We have taken a closer look at your account, and have decided that it will remain on HOLD status. Due to high levels of fraud, we are forced to take actions against users who attempt to take advantage of our free offer. The reasons for this action may include multiple accounts, improper offer completions, more than one account to the same household, etc. We take all and all types of fraud very seriously, and since we give our products away for free, we cannot afford to be lenient on dishonest methods users try to obtain their free items.

me
i understand you take fraud very seriously, I hope you can explain why I am on hold even after you reviewed my account. I hope you could be specific why I am on hold. The only possible thing that may have occured is its possible the same IP could have been logged since some(not all) of our work network could be under the same outside IP. Even though I doubt that is the problem. I hope you understand I am a VERY big fan of your company as I have already done 2 other gratis sites and plan on finishing my desktoppc site too. I am just concerned with continuing with gratis sites due to the fact that I could be put on hold for something I didnt even do. Just so you know (not that it really matter to you) but I am definatly a Gratis defender, whenever forum member come up saying gratis is not as good as the other free sites, i always tell them, you guys always come through IF you dont cheat. I hope you can understand my situation and hopefully we can rectify this so I can continue with your sites and spread the word! thanks for listening )

gratis
Our database tracks information from multiple sources. We track information such as offer credit methods, dates of offer completion, dates that members registered their accounts, and many more. The pattern of information that we see in your account and those of your referrals appears to point to one of two possibilities. Either someone walked people through their registration, or one individual created multiple accounts using different names and contact information. Either situation is a direct violation of our Terms and Conditions and for those violations an account would be placed on hold. I am sorry, however due to the exceptionally high potential for fraud in our line of work, we are forced to be very strict in dealing with potentially fraudulent accounts. It is this strictness that allows us to give away free items like we do and it also helps us to maintain positive relationships with our affiliates. We are sorry that this matter was not resolved to your satisfaction.

me
ah...maybe i know what you are talking about. Most likely you are refering to the fact that all my referrals completed one AOL offer. They probably all completed them in a relativly short period of time. The reason for that is easy. I have several friends that were willing to help me, the problem was they were waiting for a good offer to come through. When AOL came back up for a while, i immediatly email them my link and asked them to help me before the offer disappears(which they do all the time) So if they all did them at about the same time which might have lead you to believe i was walking them through, but I absolutly did not! I know your terms inside and out and would not go against any of them. Please reconsider considering this point. PS. amazing response time...you guys rule

gratis
We have carefully reviewed with matter and considered your explanation. However, due to the escalating levels of fraud, we must be extremely strict with our policies in order to keep our advertisers. Your referrals all completed the AOL offer in the span of an hour, which is a warning sign that walk-through referrals occured. Please understand that due to the high level of fraud, we must firmly stand by our policies and can not make any exceptions, regardless of whether or not the violation was intentional. The accounts will remain on hold.

me
thank you again for reviewing my account. I wanted to reiterate my point that all I did was send my 5 referrals my link, I did NOT walk any of them through the process at all. The only reason they all completed the same offer in a small period of time was i sent my link to them at the same time, which is what you actually encourage users to do. They just all happened to complete their offers in a relativly short period of time. I understand your concern that you need to be careful and you are in this to make money as well, but please rest assured I have not intentionally or unintentionally done anything against your TOS. Like you stated in your last reply, people signing up quickly is just a warning, but upon furthur investigation you should realize I have followed the rules. thank you again for your time and consideration.

gratis
An hour is an awfully quick time in which to have five referrals each complete an offer. This makes us suspect fraudulent activity. These accounts will remain on hold. We are sorry that this matter could not be resolved to your satisfaction.

me
thank you again for taking the time to answer my concerns. Like I said before I had talked to my friends before about this site. They were all waiting and willing to help me do this site when an offer like AOL or something similar came along. Since I work with all the people that signed up for me I know when they would have the time to complete an offer for me while the AOL offer was still up, which is when I sent them my link and they were all able to complete the offer for me in a fairly quick time. I certainly hope you dont punish me for actually doing exactly what you TOS say. Nowhere in your TOS does it state that referrals cannot signup within a certain time period. thanks

gratis
We're sorry this matter could not be resolved to you satisfaction. However, as previously stated, due to the high level of fraud, we must firmly stand by our policies and can not make any exceptions, regardless of whether or not the violation was intentional. The accounts will remain on hold. This matter is closed.

me
you stated "regardless of whether or not the violation was intentional." There was NO violation. I have to say I am a little disappointed with the level of customer service I have gotten from Gratis on this matter. Could you please escalate this matter to a higher member in the organization to review this, I really dont want to stop promoting Gratis sites but if this is how all future matter will be handled I cant see myself promoting it to anyone thanks you for your time,

gratis
From what physical place did you and your referrals complete our offers? Thank you.

me
you asked "From what physical place did you and your referrals complete our offers? Thank you" I completed my offer at my desk at my work. A few referals completed their offers at their desks here at work in the same building as me, but some completed them in different offices not connected to the building I am in whatsoever. thank you for looking into this furthur to see that there was no defrauding at all going on.

graits
What is your relationship between you and all of your referrals (co-workers)? Please provide us your work name. Thank you.

me
they are my friends. I work for XXX, but we have offices in several school districts within our area that we service for the schools. thanks again for looking into this to straighten this out.

gratis
Who are your referrals whom work at the same place with you? Thank you for your cooperation.

me
thank you for your help with this. I am almost always in the office here but unfortuanatly I am not sure where everyone was when they signed up, they could be working in any number of places at any given time. I dont think I could recall where they were working on the day they signed up. thanks again for looking into this. I will help any way I can.

gratis
Please help to make it clear that all of your referrals your co-workers or work at the same company (XXX)? Why did your referrals complete the same offer? Thank you for your cooperation. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

me
I appreciate the help. the referrals all work for XXX, but some of them are stationed at different school districts at any given time during the week. To answer your question about why they all did the same offer, I asked them to sign up for AOL since it is a good offer to check out, since it actually is a decent offer for what you get, so I told them the AOL offer was up and they told me before that they would help me out when I asked, so they did. thanks again

Gratis
Thank you very much for your clarification. We have taken your account and referrals off hold. If you have any inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Again, thank you for choosing our service.

me
thanks for being so patient with me and helping me out...i will be sure to let anll the forums i visit about this and let them know the GREAT resolution! one more question. will the person who will review my account look at this so that I dont get put on hold again for the same thing, since my account is out for approval again?

gratis
No need to worry. We have already addressed this matter into your account for the next person who will approve your account. Thank you for choosing our service.



Sorry its so long and a lot of it is cheesy sucking up to Gratis, but hey whatever works. So I do have to admit they were a little reluctant to let me off hold, but it is understandable. But with a little patience and politness they are flexable. So dont EVER give up if you are put on hold for something you didnt do.

now I am waiting for approval again, lets see what happens.

MicroChris

11-05-2005 20:26:44

[quote26bcfde336] To answer your question about why they all did the same offer, I asked them to sign up for AOL since it is a good offer to check out, since it actually is a decent offer for what you get, so I told them the AOL offer was up and they told me before that they would help me out when I asked, so they did.[/quote26bcfde336]

But.... isn't that...... walking through?

Oh well, congrats on being taken off!!

hehehhehe

11-05-2005 20:52:53

Wow, you really snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Did you have direct email, or did you do it all through the customer support inquiries?

chewy

11-05-2005 20:55:32

just kept opening support tickets, its not over until the PSP is at my house though

JOSHBOX

12-05-2005 16:11:01

Congrats man!!! amazing story lol!

aboutlinux

12-05-2005 18:34:09

I can't believe it worked out for you. That's awesome! Way to stick it out.

adam254

13-05-2005 05:41:15

See, this shows to not be assholes to Gratis and say you'll report them to the BBB or you're a mod of a huge forum of over 10,000 users and you'll tell them all to stay away. Gratis doesn't have to give you anything, says so in the TOS, so don't take it for granted.

chewy

17-05-2005 14:25:46

[quoted61a5d5642="adam254"]See, this shows to not be assholes to Gratis and say you'll report them to the BBB or you're a mod of a huge forum of over 10,000 users and you'll tell them all to stay away. Gratis doesn't have to give you anything, says so in the TOS, so don't take it for granted.[/quoted61a5d5642]

exactly, they approved my account today and I am now processing as of 5/17.

D D D