macrobucks.com Macrobucks taketh, stealith and denieth!!! Williamsport internet
I am a little unusual to the freelunch room forum, as I spent close to three months reading the rules and asking questions. There's a lot of money changing hands here, and I wanted to become as educated about this as possible.
First of all, everything that I mention here, I have CONCRETE EVIDENCE to back up my claim.
While I question the integrity of the free lunch room forum, my main focus is on a company called Macrobucks. They are one of the (umhhh) legit companies in the free lunch room forum.
To make this as short as possible, most IFW's, (the companies who get paid from their advertisers for traders, (such as I) and the 50,0000 other traders on the free lunch room forum. The rules in the forum are generally made clear, BUT the little tactics used by the IFW's to clearly steal your money unfortunitely, are not made very clear as well.
In order to get credit for the offers you complete for the company, you have to successfully complete an offer, go through checkout to pay. (normally with a credit card) During this time, you must let the "Confirmation Page," (proof that you made an offer purchase," load. This enables the "Tracking Cookies," to load successfully on your PC, so the company selling the products and services can track your order. If successful, the company will forward the successful transaction to the IFWs, so you can receive the credit. (this basically, is how it's designed) I don't want to get too "Wordy," on this. But anyone can read this in more detail on any freebie website address. (www.freelunchroom.com) is one of the biggest. It also, Is promoted by www.projectpayday.com.
I placed my first order, (after close to 3 months of careful reading) No one on this forum has waited anywhere nearly as long as I did. I signed up on 12/16/07, and made my first trade (ever) at the free lunch room on 2/24/08.
This is where the beloved Macrobucks comes to play. First of all every IFW has their own rules, as far as crediting. A lot of IFWs, (most) have several, what they're called, "Networks." For an example, Macrobucks has several networks under their name. For example... 40Macrobucks, 60 Macrobucks etc. etc. Most of the names just represent the payouts that the particular IFW "Pays Out." (Generally speaking...more info if need be, on the various trading forums like the FLRoom)
Now, this is where "The Hammer Falls." (Again... I'll try to be brief AND to the point)
I did my first trade at 60Macrobucks. Their rules, (as well as all of them here) is that in order to receive FULL CREDIT for an offer, you must have a confirmation e-mail, along withy FULL E_MAIL HEADERS. Another prerequisite, is that you have to wait a certain number of days, before you can ask for a MCR. (manual credit from the IFW to the sponsoring company for a manual credit to your account)
Macrobucks required 1 credit to complete the site. (so you can turn around and sell the website to the poor souls who did as I have done...get screwed!)
At first, I done 3 offers for a total of 1 credit. All three offers clearly stated that they credit instantly. (believe me, they rarely do, if at all....AND THEY DID NOT FOR ME, NOT ALL ANYWAY)
First order was for 1/4 credit. It credited instantly. (I truly, was elated) The second order was again, for 1/4 credit. It took nearly three days. (o.k. not instant, but it's my first trade, right???)
The third, was for 1/2 credit. Generally the more credit, the higher the price tag to get it. (hence, 1/2 cost me 10 bucks... no major biggie. My 2 1/4's...a buck)
Now, Macrobuck's policy is that they cannot guarantee a credit. (oh really) They state if you wait (5) days after you order, you can file a MCR. (I did after 7 days) I finally received info yesterday, (3/17/08) that my credit was rejected)
I was cautious as not to do any other offers during this time, as it has been known that it can take awhile for offers to credit.
Anyone who does any reading of forum rules would know this. (and I did) I was a "Veteran Newbie," who digested everything on various trading forums.
Now, the remainder of this (sorry) lengthly e-mail is from my angle only, regarding the FLR and Macrobucks....
Over the last 3 months FLR shut down a section where the new traders could post to veteran traders, that they wanted to trade with them. (newbies are the life-blood of trading...more info, if need be) Well, recently they shut that down, and had nearly 100% of vetaeran traders p'd off!!! (that is the bread and butter of trading, as I have stated before) The overall, demeanor of the FLR was different from the rest, as it was a lot more subdues, as far as traders asking the real tough questions, or traders speaking more of their piece of mind. Other forums such as Free Ipods and A4free were a lot more loose, (not rude...just a little less "staged" as the FLR forum) Anyone spending more than an hour on each, could immediately pick that up. (I was a member of 5-6 forums) You could tell the little FLR suckups, because ALL their questions or comments sounded like they were reading from a book. (really obvious folks!)
Anyway, back to my offer. I had a total of 1/2 credit. The other half I needed to complete the site, was declined. I HAD E-MAIL CONFIRMATIONS FROM ALL OFFERS I HAD DONE. In addition, I had FULL E-MAIL CONFIRMATION HEAders as well. (all this, I currently have in my possession) But it gets better. Two days ago, I decided to try whatever it took to receive my "green," (getting a full credit worth of offers for the IFW, so I could cash out...50 bucks) I did a 62 dollar flowers order for my wonderful mom. (god I love her) Well, it has been two days ago, and I was in the process of e-mailing Macrobucks, when I decided to check up on a dvd order I placed two days ago as well. The dvd order credited (1/4 credit) so I just needed i/4 credit from the flower purchase to go green for 60 Macrobucks. I called the "Girls Gone Wild" Company (sorry. if I offended anyone) to cancel my upcoming dvds. (see...I'm not so bad after all huh). Please note, the extra dvds WERE NOT REQUIRED to obtain my green (only the one/initial one for $9.99) They stated that they had a "glitch," in the system, and that the order DID NOT go through. In addition, my credit card WAS NOT CHARGED either. (which also raised a flag, because my flowers order already was charged to my cc) I asked the rep, if he was familiar with freebie website trading, and he replied YES. He also knew of all the "bells and whistles," associated with it as well. In the meantime, I was already credited with that offer from Macrobucks. I posted my overall discontent with Macrobucks "SHADY," handling of my account in front of 50/000 traders. Clearly, in my opinion, they wanted to give me credit for the cheap offers, and not the expensive ones. (Gee...Imagine that)
In short, I was credited for a total of 3/4 credits, 1/4 of which I never "really" ended up not paying for. Now, this would not of been so bad... but it gets better!!!!
I never received an official e-mail confirmation, stating my credit card was billed for GirlsGW Therefore, there was no e-mail confirmation HEADER TRACKING INFO AS WELL!!! BUT MACROBUCKS(60) GAVE ME INSTANT CREDIT!!!
In my opinion, Macrobucks intent...They credited me an actual 1/2 credit... $1.00 total out of my pocket for the trial period.
But I lost $10.59 from Blockbuster (1/2 credit) Plus an additional $61.90 for the flowers that I bought for my wonderful mother! (did I tell you how much I love that woman!) a total of 3/4 credit PLUS 1/4 CREDIT that Macrobucks credited me w/o paying/or receiving an e-mail confirmation page supporting my purchase.
I really should of read the "TALL TALE SIGNS," of Macrobucks. There has been an increasing discontent, for the way they have been handling their credits. Every trader who has complained, has had all the necessary credentials needed to obtain their credit. (confirmation e-mail headers etc. etc.) Macrobucks has always been on the offensive side, stating that there was always something wrong with a person's browser etc. etc. (which is clearly BULL Everyone knows what browsers to use.) In addition, I find it very hard to believe, that I'm the only one who does any "Bill Paying, " on the internet. Come on Macrobucks, in the day of 128 bit encryption and high speed internet access, you're gonna use the excuse of somebody not being able to use their browser??? (really...it's just that plain and simple!!!) o.k. you have to clear your cookies. I'll give you that much credit. (or non-credit...catch my drift?)
I personally pay all my bills on the net. I've never had any problem. (sometimes with the product, but NEVER with the transaction) FLR clearly has all these rules laid out. Some people don't read all the rules. (actually, a lot) But you wouldn't last two minutes trading, if you didn't know how to "surf witha browser, essentially. (as my college teacher use to say....this is a "given.")
FLR also has these (little green monsters I call it) who are brand new, going from one end of the forum to the other, shouting out the rules to everyone. (no one in particular) If you sign up to more than one trading forum, you'll know what I mean. As far as Project Payday.... I signed up through them. (yes, I spent 35 bucks, but I knew the options.) I just wanted to read the rules first, before I jumped in. Don't bother asking them any questions... If you live long enough, you may get a response, but you may not. Twice I asked..Three days later, I received a response that did not answer my question. The other instance was a day later, with a real arrogant response.."WELL GREG THAT WOULD BE CONTRADICTING YOURSELF!!!... WELL GAG ME WITH A PITCHFORK)
In short...I'M DONE. With the additional new laws of paying 50 bucks to get a "Sticky," (truly geared for the little sucka---s who try to act like good samaritans, and exploit the newbies. You know, the one's who get the high trade counts, because they keep their mods happy by licking their shoestrings every five minutes. (It's real pathetic)
But my real beef is with Macrobucks. Things that go on in the forums are pretty straightforward, meaning that you can kind of get the flow of what's going on, because of the trader's post, as well as the overall demeonor of the forum itself.
...but what you don't know is the IFW's. (the one's that keep everything....AND I MEAN EVERYTHING, away from the public eye.) And with a trading forum much bigger than the other trading forums, who have been around a long time as well, the FREE LUNCH ROOM WHO SLEEPS SOUNDLY WITH PROJECT PAYDAY, probably have a thing or two up their sleeve as well! (If it looks like a duck, walks like a.... OH WELL!!!!... you know what I mean)
In closing, stay away, common sense should tell you if you have made several successfull purchases over the internet with no problem, AND all of a sudden, these successfull purchases cease, once you hit the trading floor, that should send up a flag right there. (especially when you receive a receipt/e-mail conf. with no payment/prize/credit what have you!)
No biggie! I have a regular job. Just wanted to pick up a few extra "GREENS"
Total spent for this education... Approximately 74 bucks!
No biggie!... But am I done with Macrobucks???
Nope. It was my very first trade with a highly popular rating from FLR exclusively!!!! (but with several several complaints nevertheless)
I believe in "first Impressions." I'll just cherish the second one!!!
Good Day!!!
Greg
Williamsport, Indiana
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Macrobucks Support
McDonough,Georgia,
U.S.A.
MacroBucks disagrees with the complaint filed against it, and here's why...
#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, March 21, 2008
I would like to start by introducing myself. I do work for MacroBucks and our company has been established a little over a year. In that time, we have paid out to our users an excess of $200,000 (in cash alone). We also ship prizes directly to our users, such as game systems, laptops, various Apple electronics, LCD TV's, and anything else our users may request. I defend the good name of MacroBucks, and will not allow anyone to falsely accuse our company or insult our integrity.
It is never our intention nor our goal to mistreat any of our users because they are, in fact, the lifeblood of our business. We have a high standard of ethics, and we have a great deal of concern for our users. When there is a problem, we make every effort in our power to resolve it. We do not, however, condone fraudulent activities or anything else that may violate our own policies, let alone those of our affiliates and sponsors.
In response to the above referenced complaint, I will need to clarify a few terms for you so that you may clearly understand the incentive marketing industry. I will also define the policies of our own company, MacroBucks, as well as those of our affiliates and/or sponsors. This will allow you to fully understand the situation, and make an educated conclusion based on facts, not disgruntled accusations.
Important terms:
IFW (incentive freebie website): Our company, MacroBucks, falls into this category. We pay our users for completing offers and getting referrals on our network of sites. We are paid by our sponsors (the offer companies) to advertise their products/services and garner new customers to try them.
Trading: This is the term used to describe a transaction between two people where one person pays another to complete offers as a referral on his/her account so that he/she may redeem their prize. Alternatively, two people can also complete the offers for each other so that they both may redeem their prizes.
Trading Forum: This is a forum specifically catered to trading'. The most familiar are the FreeLunchRoom, Anything4Free, and FreeiPodGuide. Trading forums are members only sites, and completely free. You can gather a wealth of information pertaining to any and all aspects of IFWs, and you can also find people to do trades.
Green: Term used to describe a user's status on an IFW. When a user has completed all of the offer requirements needed for the site, they are considered to be green'.
Sponsors: These are the offer companies. Their products/services are featured on our sites for the users to choose among to complete their offer requirements. They pay us for users to try their offers via our network of sites, and we, in turn, give the majority of that money back to our users in the form of cash and prizes.
Affiliates: These are the companies that facilitate the relationship between the IFWs and the sponsors. They communicate with the sponsors on our behalf to create the advertising campaigns that we present on our sites. They also collect payment from the advertisers so that we can be paid for the offer credits that users have earned. When a credit request is necessary, the affiliates will negotiate on our behalf to obtain the credits for the offers that a user completed.
Postback: When a user completes an offer, they are given a certain amount of credit for that offer. This is through an automated process in which the advertiser acknowledges an offer completion for a particular user.
Cookies: These are what hold the information needed for an offer to credit. The user clicks an offer and a tracking cookie from our site is placed on their computer. When they are redirected to the offer, another cookie is transmitted, which is that of the actual offer. Once the offer has been completed, both of these cookies are transmitted to our affiliate via a special script that allows for a postback to the user's account.
Manual credit request (MCR): When issues arise with the tracking of a user's cookies, an offer that has been completed may fail to automatically post to their account. In the event that this occurs, a user may submit a request to the advertiser for credit. Very few of our sponsors will accept these because a vast mast majority are fraudulent. They are NOT a guarantee of credit.
MacroBucks TOS (summary)
Firstly, use of any website within our network of sites is an acceptance of our TOS.
(1) Any contact information requested upon signup must be accurate.
(2) A user may be put on hold at any time for suspicious activity.
(3) Violation of any of our TOS disqualifies a user from participation on any site owned by MacroBucks and all earnings are forfeited.
(4) A user account may be closed at any time at the sole discretion of MacroBucks.
(5) Use of any site owned by us in whole or part is acknowledgement that you agree to hold harmless MacroBucks and any of its employees from any damages, liabilities, expenses, or legal claims that may result from using this website.
(6) A user may only receive credit for completing an offer once. Do not complete an offer twice as this is considered fraud.
(7) MacroBucks does not guarantee that a user will receive credit for any offer. We reserve the right to refuse a user credit for an offer for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, lack of appropriate information or fraudulent information.
(8) A user should only complete an offer they are interested in. Completing an offer only to get your free gift is considered fraud.
(9) MacroBucks is not responsible for delays in reporting offer completion or failure to receive credit.
For our complete Terms of Service, see here:
http://www.macrobucks.com/network/?page_id=9 (copy and paste this link into your browser)
Use of any of our sites is an acceptance of any policy set forth by our sponsors. The following is an overview of the general terms set forth by our sponsors..
(1) Any one person may only receive credit for completing an offer once. Do not complete an offer twice as this is considered fraud.
(2) Valid contact/shipping info must be provided when signing up for an offer. Failure to do so will result in any and all credits being revoked.
(3) When completing offers, only a valid credit card or bank debit card may be used. Prepaid nor branded gift cards are allowed. Any suspicion of their use will cause a revoke in any and all credits issued.
(4) Offers should be completed out of sheer interest, not to earn the incentive offered. Any evidence of such will cause any and all credits issued to be revoked as this is considered fraud.
(5) Any and all cancellations before ample time has been given to evaluate a product/service will result in immediate revocation of any and all credits issued.
(6) As deemed necessary, a user may be refused credit for an offer for a variety of reasons, including, but, not limited to, lack of appropriate information or for fraudulent information.
(7) Any credit(s) that have been issued for an offer may be revoked at any time, with or without warning, but usually where there is fraud involved in some manner.
Affiliate Terms of Service (in this case, Instant Dollarz)
Because of the lengthiness of their policies, I have included the direct link to it here:
http://instantdollarz.com/terms.html (copy and paste this link into your browser)
If you feel compelled to read their TOS, then do so to your own satisfaction. You will find that they have strict requirements, and that we, as a publisher, have very high standards to uphold.
In direct response to the complaint that has been brought against our company, MacroBucks, I would like to firstly point out that we, MacroBucks, are a separate legal entity from the Free Lunch Room. Our only affiliation with the Free Lunch Room is for the purpose of advertisement. We are not responsible for any incident that may arise from the use of the Free Lunch Room trading forum.
As stated in our TOS, we do NOT guarantee credit for any offer. The Complainant makes the comment that we require a confirmation email with full headers to receive credit. This statement is FALSE! We do not require anything other than a proper offer completion to receive credit. If the user has taken the necessary steps to receive credit when completing an offer (i.e., using an approved browser with proper settings, clearing cookies, etc.), a postback will be reported to their account within a specified time frame. For the purpose of filing a MCR' when an offer fails to credit upon completion, we do require sufficient documentation to support their request. As required by our affiliates/advertisers, a user must submit their original confirmation email for the offer, including the full headers. Submitting a request does NOT guarantee credit, it is simply an appeal with the sponsor that they will consider manually issuing the credit in question. Our sponsors do not have to accept any MCRs but do so at their own discretion. As stated in their policies, they have the right to refuse credit for any reason as they deem necessary.
The crediting times listed for all offers are estimates of the time it takes to receive credit as reported to us by our affiliates. There are unforeseen technical errors that can and do arise, and we have no control over these issues. Improper browser settings, firewall interference, or a break in cookie tracking can all interfere with an offer crediting. We are NOT required to accept a MCR for any offer, but do so as a courtesy to our users, and only when our sponsor will accept the same. We do require a 5 day waiting period before submitting a MCR per our affiliate policies. If sponsor does not accept MCRs, we will not accept them, as we cannot pay a user for an offer that our sponsor refuses to credit.
Gloryb2green' has exhibited some of the rudest and most unethical tactics to complete our site, 60.MacroBucks.com, and we have been more than fair to him. Despite the numerous attempts to reconcile with this user, he repeatedly refuted our efforts and consorted to vicious acts of slander.
In reference to the GGW offer aforementioned, this user gloryb2green' had been informed that their offer credit would eventually be revoked based on the fact that he never actually completed a purchase. This was a requirement to receive credit for the offer. Additionally, the user openly stated that he cancelled the GGW offer immediately after receiving credit. This is a direct violation of our TOS. Not to mention, he also stated that he completed the offer for his credit to receive his gift. The requirements of the offer was to purchase the DVDs. The user admitted that his order never went through, and thusly, he did not complete the offer.
Concerning the second offer, Grower Flowers, this user never contacted us with the intent to pursue his missing credit. 'Gloryb2green' never provided his confirmation email w/full headers for the offer nor did he ever ask that we investigate the status of his credit. It is the user's responsibility to submit any information required to obtain credits when they are not issued via postback. He failed to do so, and we are not liable for his negligence in the matter.
As far as the user's credit for the Blockbuster offer, he did submit a MCR with the required documentation. Shortly thereafter, we received a support ticket from the user concerning his recently submitted request.
On 3/12/2008 at 9:29 PM CDT, User wrote:
"Hi...
I need your opinion on Blockbuster. Would it be advisable, to just do another offer(s) to get my green on this site? I think I've done just about all I can do on my end!
I just want to put this behind me!
Thx. Greg"
I responded to him with the following:
On 03/13/08, 12:45 AM CDT, Amber wrote:
"That is your option, credit requests can take up to 4 weeks to get a response. So, if you don't want to wait, you can do another offer."
Gloryb2green' posted a thread on the Free Lunch Room in front of 50,000+ members, in a raging attempt to discredit the good name of our company, MacroBucks.
On 3/18/08 at 4:15 PM CDT, Gloryb2green' wrote the following:
Thread title: Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!
I'M DONE WITH THIS. I'M DONE WITH YOU M-BUCKS.
FIRST, I GET SCREWED BY YOU/BLOCKBUSTER ON 1/2 CREDIT! FULL HEADERS ENCLOSED)
THEN, MY N60 DOLLAR PURCHASE OF FLOWERS TO MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHER HAS NOT CREDITED YET. (INSTANTLY MY a*s) MAYBE I WOULD OF BEEN A LITTLE MOR EPATIENT IF MY EPISODE WITH BB TURNED OUT O.K.
SO, I RESORTED TO MY OLE, LET'S TRY A TANGIBLE ITEM PURCHASE FOR A MORE FAVORABLE CREDIT I HOPE!
WELL...WELL...WELL GIRLS GONE WILD, ONLY PURCHASE A DVD FOR $9.99. (YES...YOU CAN CANCEL AND NOT GO RED)
WELL...MAYBE WE'LL NEVER NO THE FINE PRINT HUH!
BUT I'LL SHOW YOU A LEVEL OF HONESTY 60M-BUCKS, I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE FROM GIRLS GONE WILD. IT APPEARS THAT THEY HAD A GLITCH NIN THEIR SYSTEM, AND MY ORDER DIDN'T GO THROUGH!
SO YOU CAN TAKE MY YOU KNOW WHAT 1/4 CREDIT OFF MY YOU KNOW WHAT ACCOUNT.
I'M CALLING THIS QUITS...GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU, AND I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU M-BUCKS!!!
The owner of MacroBucks kindly responded with these words
On 3/18/08 at 4:46 PM CDT, MacroBucks wrote:
Even though you've been acted completely unethically towards MacroBucks, i'm still sorry to hear ya go.
There is no reason for such a vulgar post.
Also, please turn down the caps. (Internet Etiquette Rule #4: Top 10 Netiquette Guidelines: Internet Etiquette Tips for a Safe and Fun Online Experience)
Now, most importantly, if you didn't get credit for 3 offers, i'm going to definitely be able to say that something is going wrong on your end. I know you probably won't even accept it and continue to curse and shout at me, but that's the truth in this matter. If you would like to discuss this issue further, feel free to open a support ticket and PLEASE nicely ask for several inquires to be made on the offers you believe you should be credited for. Nicely being the key, no shouting please. I would be glad to assist you.
You can read the entire context of this thread here: http://www.freelunchroom.com/board/macrobucks/190025-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you.html
(copy and paste this link into your browser)
Later that day, 'Gloryb2green' DID contact us via support ticket again:
On 03/18/08, 08:00 PM CDT, User wrote:
"74 dollars of offers that do not credit. with e-mail headers/confirmation
2 dollars worth of offers that do. with e-mail headers/confirmation
a 10 dollar offer with NO E_MAIL HEADERS OR CONFIRMATION, and I get a 1/4 immediate credit with no charge to my credit card.
Called support at GGW. Said there was a computer glitch. No charge to my card. REALLY THERE WASN'T!!!! (but you gave me credit for that!....what a sweetie you are)
...and I'm sure you "Snot Bastards," are going to tell me there's something wrong with my browser huh!!!!
thanks for the info!!!!
GLORYB2GREEN!!!!"
Again, I responded to him:
On 03/19/08, 12:41 AM CDT, Amber wrote:
"It's highly possible that the GGW credit will revoke. If you didn't pay for it, it will show in their system. When they do account reviews (to figure out who to pay for the offers) they will notice it and revoke."
As you can clearly see from the context of various communications with this user, there was no reason that Gloryb2green' should have acted towards us in the manner he did. He did absolutely nothing to obtain his missing credit for the Grower Flowers offer. And, although we did submit a credit request for him for the Blockbuster offer, he went on to try to defame MacroBucks.
I would also like to correct Gloryb2green' in his statement that have supposedly told him that there was something wrong with his browser. This is also FALSE. We have never told any of our users, including Gloryb2green', that something is wrong with their browser. Note that the crediting system we have in place is INSTANT and uses pixels to postback user credits. As we do inform all of our users, there are certain things that may complicate crediting or completely interfere with offers crediting at all.
We have thousands of users throughout US and Canada, and several abroad. We do everything that we can to ensure that our users DO get credit because that is how we are paid. If no one gets credit, no one gets paid. So, it is only in our best interest, as well as that of the individual users, that everyone receives credit for their offers. I will repeat that we have shipped over $200,000 in cash prizes alone, and we continue to ship orders daily. Many of our users bring us repeat business, and have been loyal to our company since its opening in February 2007. This is only possible through the solid structure of MacroBucks and the strong will of our staff to uphold integrity and ethics in our business. Although we cannot please everyone, as is quite evident from this complaint, we DO try our best.
As stated before, MacroBucks not directly affiliated with the Free Lunch Room and do not endorse their policies as set forth in their own TOS. We are two completely separate and unrelated entities, and in no way should we be confused with them.
It is a very sad thing to see any of our users go for whatever the reason may be, but we do ensure fair and ethical practices to all of our users. I extend the invitation to all who may be interested to visit us at MacroBucks. Our network of websites can be found at www.MacroBucks.com. We would love to have you join us!
Feel free to contact myself or the owner of MacroBucks with your questions, comments, or concerns via AIM on either of these screen names: MacroSupport or MacroSupport AK. We look forward to speaking with you and hope that you will come join us!
Thank you