When did the idea of giving things away for free turn into a such a suspicious thing? Sadly, in this world we live in today, the idea of people giving something away for free makes the jaded people like yours truly think, what is the catch? Because let's face it there usually is one. But I've learned to stay open minded nonetheless.
Keep in mind that many of you had assumed that all work at home opportunities were scams and they all required fees. However if you stumbled upon this site and have taken the time to read my past reviews and recommendations you've quickly learned that is not the case. So although there are a lot of bad people out there preying on you and using that catch phrase free to lure you in, it doesn't mean everything free has to be a scam. That being said the only way we can really know is to do our research. Hopefully this review helps you do that.
So what's the story with That Free Thing?
This opportunity was brought to my attention while surfing sites like ClixSense and Hits4pay which pay us for viewing ads. Sometimes it would be referred to as ‘That Free Thing' or some call it ‘My Free Thing'. So I couldn't help but dig into this opportunity some more because it was in my face all the damn time. Naturally I was skeptical but part of me wanted this to be another viable option so I could add it to my multiple streams of income.
In any event, apparently That Free thing is basically a well organized website that lists hundred of freebies. This includes free samples, some are a gift you get for trying something out, like a test drive, some are coupons, etc. You get the drift. Not everyone will qualify for all the things on the list, but that is typical, as it is an advertising gimmick, so the advertisers have to put the reins on as they see fit.
How much does it cost?
There is a free option, you join for free and they send you 5 free offers per week. But guess what? You may or may not qualify for those offers. So it is hit and miss at that level. What they really want you to do is to upgrade which gives you access to everything they have, pages and pages lists organized by category. They obviously earn more money on your upgrade as well.
In terms of the actual upgrade fees, I've basically lifted what I saw on their site which is as follows:
"That Free Thing Independent Representatives pay a $199.00 administration fee, which is non-commissionable, for one year Independent Representative status. This fee is waived for That Free Thing Members who choose to become customer / distributors. To continue with That Free Thing as an Independent Representative, but without an active Membership, the $199.00 one year administrative fee must be paid. Remember, this fee is COMPLETELY WAIVED if you simply sign up at the $9.95 monthly level, thereby giving you all the rights of an Independent Representative PLUS full access to our product."
If you work things right, there is chance that the value of all this free stuff you get will be higher than the 10 bucks they take from you. But that's a big if. However I do like that they have a refund policy which makes this less risky assuming they really abide by it.
Look if you're anything like me, at this point you're probably asking yourself, why would I pay a site to find freebies? Doesn't that sort of that defeat the purpose of why I would be looking for a site like this? But let's hold off on our skepticism until we dig deeper.
Does this opportunity sound a bit familiar to you?
If it does, there is a good reason. Apparently it was once called Freebie Force. But that company failed. People who signed up started dropping like flies. The owner claimed the problem was with "its software" which was some out of the box thing from an external vendor. Now with this new version, they actually "own the software" and that supposedly will make the difference. Uh okay? I don't confess to be a software developer but couldn't they have just made the software switch and kept the old company?
How can I make money with That Free Stuff?
The only way for you to make money with this program is with referrals that are organized into a 3×8 matrix. You sign up three people, and anyone else that comes in gets put below them, and you earn from all levels. There is no minimum number of referrals needed each month which can be a killer in other programs like that, so that is good.
They also have a bonus program, at least for now while they are trying to build this thing, where if you personally sponsor someone you get a much larger percentage of what these folks bring in.
Matrixes have always made my head hurt so if my breakdown above didn't really make sense to you, you can get more details on the compensation here. Maybe your brain can wrap around it better than my little one did.
How do you get paid and do you actually get paid?
Those are some great questions and I would love to give you the answers. But ironically they've left out those IMPORTANT details in the compensation page. Or maybe I missed them. But from what I can see they really give zero information about this stuff. Maybe it's revealed when you join? Either way I'm not forking over any loot to find out. Ironically there wasn't any mention on various forums about this information either. In my experience the folks getting paid are usually pretty vocal and clear on that stuff. It's an odd omission if you're trying to get people like me to sign up.
The Cons
If you can't already tell, I'm very skeptical of this opportunity. Like to know why? Then here it goes:
Number One. Straight out is there is no solid proof of compensations period. If they can't be bothered to tell people how they get paid, and if there is a threshold, it is a major red flag. That on top of the fact that this is is a renewed effort from a failed attempt before? Can you spell stinky fish?
Number Two. Exact same sale page, exact same ‘stories' show up on all the promos and blogs and forums posts selling you how great this thing is. For God's sake, if you want to give examples of the cool free stuff you get, mix it up! I don't need to read about the same damn gym bag on every blessed site I open up. Word for word, cut and paste. And I thought Google was slamming the duplicates out there. Hmm Smells fishier and fishier to me.
Number Three. It is new and in a pre-launch/beta phase. If you know me you already know I hate those phases. I'm not wasting my time, money or energy being anyone's guinea pig. So in situations like this I say wait until the jury is out. If the dust has settled after a few months and the company is still around paying, then I creep up from behind and get involved. But considering how the first version of this (Freebie Force) failed, I'm not all that confident that will be the case. But I would love to be wrong so I have another source to add to my multiple streams of income.
Number Four. Pyramid, ponzi , MLM and Matrix things sound the same, but differ in some ways. The first two are just straight up scam models which we've discussed in our cash gifting article. But the 3×8 Matrix system is used by many reputable companies, and can be a viable business model. The problem is this opportunity sounds pretty close to a ponzi scam because referrals are the ONLY way to earn! There doesn't seem to be a solid product or service offering that makes this company except the sign up fees they charge to members. Maybe there is an affiliate marketing aspect via the free stuff they're linking to on the site. But if so they're not making that clear.
Either way it seems sketchy. Obviously as a relatively successful affiliate marketer I make a lot of money because of my referrals. But I'm referring people to companies that have a real business model that have a real product or service. So it's sustainable. But this just seems to be built on a foundation of sand and may be the real reason the previous version of this opportunity fell apart. It's just a theory but it makes you wonder.
Number five. I know there is just a segment of the population that will argue, why would I pay a site for access to free stuff? Why not just get rid of the middleman and find the free stuff on my own, Well I guess you can argue the same thing about newspapers, magazines and books that often have information that is readily available and free if you know where to look. Either way I know a lot of people would have an issue with paying a fee to get access to freebies.
Is it a scam?
The bottom line is I don't fully trust this and my research team doesn't fully trust this. But I'm not ready to cry out scam just yet. It does look like the leads you get for free stuff are legit. So from the consumer aspect, I think the folks who sign up for this thing are happy with the coupons and free samples and gym bags and don't mind handing over some cash for that chance. But from the money making aspect of this opportunity, it's still too early to tell for my taste.
There are too many things I don't like, and harp about all the time for me to recommend even trying this thing out. There is simply not enough evidence of payment and severe lack of details on how, when and if you get paid for me to stand behind this thing. I am also wary this may be a pyramid scheme, even when they try to call it a Matrix. The owner Seth Fraser, already failed with the same thing with Freebie Force and has negatived name recognition in the scam circles. I think that's the real reason for the new company name, not the software issues being claimed. With that said, my advice is to hold off on this thing until there is actually more solid proof of people getting paid! I don't like my loyal subscribers being the guinea pig for new opportunities. I hate to say it, but let others go through that and if there is some real bite, then you jump in. I've always done it like that and have stayed safe that way. Don't feel pressured that you'll miss out. If it's that good it should be around for many years to come.
Well I honestly can't wait to hear from any of you who have tried this opportunity in terms of the money making side. Feel free to chime in below and fill in the blanks and correct anything I've got wrong. But if you're drinking this opportunity's kool-aid please be ready to show us the money because we all know talk is cheap.
By the way if you're interested in free traditional work from home job opportunities or my personal recommendations with actual proof of payments click on the following links: Work from Home Jobs – My Work At Home recommendations.
In any event, I look forward to your comments if you've tried this opportunity or have done your own research.
That Free Thing cost me hundreds of dollars when their server got hacked and my credit card got hacked.They have been unresponsive to my questions about how they will help me recoup my money. They sent them a free travel voucher. I want my money back.
Sorry to hear this has happened to you. Your credit card company can usually reverse the charges when it comes to theft. So just contact them. But when it comes to what you willingly invested in the company and lost you incur is part of doing business. People can’t ask for their money back if they invested money in a restaurant and fail to make money with it. That’s the risk of doing business and why most people stay employees instead of business owners.
I have signed up and joined TFT it cost me $39.95 and $9.95 per month their after ,Only one week in and what I see coming is quite interesting.The have deals on way where commissions are paid out on deals bought.For this outlay it was worth the risk for me to see how it all goes .If I lose well I lose it will not break me .So it was worth look to get in and see how it all pans out.Their is a group in Ireland which is growing at a amazing rate each day.
I am enjoying this just to see how it all grows.This is just my view for what its worth.
Well let us know how that works out for you. Unless I see that people have actually started receiving payments, everything else going on with the company means little to me.
That’s pretty much the bottom line. As long as you’re okay with the risk then I say go for it and good luck. Just come back and report when you have actually received some money in the mail from these folks. Thanks for sharing.
If is free. Should it be free? Hello!
lol
Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree I dislike when companies don’t respond. It’s usually a bad sign. But that being said I know that sometimes spam filters screw communication up. So keep that in mind as well.
I was interested in joinging that free thing. I emailed about 8 distributors to ask why I should join with them, and what is the likelihood I will make money if I don’t find anyone to sign up under me. I never received a reply from any of them. I also emailed the company directly, and asked if I could sign up with a prepaid visa card that would not have my name on the card. They never replied. I will not join unless I could use a prepaid visa card. Then after 3 months, when the funds on the card were depleted, I could drop out without the risk of a regular credit card continually being charged each month though I was no longer in the program. I will not take this company seriously since they never replied to me. It is a red flag not to join.
Hey Eddy
First off let me say I absolutely love your site! I am a college student who has been struggling my entire life to build my own business, set my own schedule and never have to work for “the man” (I would prefer to work on my own free will ). I have been on the affiliate marketing route for about a month now and I must say your site coupled with your success truly are the inspirational tools I need to keep moving forward. I could go on and on forever but ill stop here for everyones sake :). Now down to business!!!
During my recent plunge into affiliate marketing I actually joined TFT in late February during the leaders only preview. Although I am still an active, paying member I must say I can attest to each and every statement Eddy made on his review, including the skepticism. I try to give TFT the benefit of the doubt, but it is very clear that the freebie force failure combined with the “m-word” structure and lack of a comprehensible compensation plan all give more than enough reason to throw a red flag. But despite these negatives, TFT so far has been true to their word regarding commission payments (through sponsering members).
My final verdict:
I personally feel that $10 a month is a small price to pay to “see” if things work out, however this is due to the fact that I joined in the very very beginning. Due to the nature of how the system works, I advise anyone looking at this company to provide an initial stream of income to hold off. Although its a small risk, its a risk nonetheless and it would not be wise to start your WAH journey building on something so unstable. Instead explore the many free oppurtunities that Eddy has made available, that way you will have some “seed money” to start with. Then you can use that to invest.
Now for those of you who have already established a nice steady stream online and who would not suffer from this investment, I say go for it. Yes things do look a bit sketchy but at this point, I feel there is so much more to gain here than to lose.
Sorry for the long comment but I really wanted to give an honest opinion on the matter.
One last thing. I would be more than happy to answer any questions anyone has about TFT but for ethical reasons, I would perfer not to put any of my web or personaly contact info on this post without Eddy’s consent (I respect you man 🙂 ). Hope I helped, and Eddy I look forward to seeing what you have to say. Thank you.
Robert,
First and foremost thanks for the kind words man. I really appreciate it. It always feels good to hear when folks appreciate the information but more importantly take action on it.
Next I really appreciate first hand feedback from an actual member of this opportunity you’ve definitely provided some great BALANCED insight despite being a member. Most people who are members of a given opportunity won’t be as real because obviously they want to sign people up under them which I don’t mind. But I’m more likely to sign up under someone that keeps it real with me then feeds me a pipe dream. So I appreciate that about your feedback. I also appreciate you didn’t just slap up your referral link which would have forced me to delete your comment.
Either way thanks for much for the feedback. If I actually had an interest in this opportunity I would be joining under you. lol
Thanks again!
Once you are in and you decide to get out how difficult is it to stop the monthly fees?
I’m still unsure that it is because I don’t have enough hard data yet. But I guess time will tell. Either way i’m happy to hear you’ve been able to avoid other scams because of our efforts.
Thanks for chiming in.
I have a fealing its a scam, as I have been scammed many times before I found your site.
Thanks again for you in depth analysis of this opportunity. I too was wondering about this site after seeing it presented to me on the PTC (Paid To Click) sites like the two you mentioned… Generally I agree with your analysis, but there are a couple of things that perhaps I’m being more generous about.
First was your comment about renaming the site. I agree that the renaming is probably because of the bad reputation that the previous site had, but I don’t think that necessarily means that the software may not have been the true culprit. I remember watching Kitchen Nightmares and for one of the restaurants, Chef Ramsey had gone into town to see how the restaurant’s reputation was. When he realized that the restaurant’s name was mud among the locals, he persuaded the owner to not only relaunch a new menu and atmosphere (which was the reason for the bad reputation) but to also rename the restaurant itself. If you’re gonna start new, best to start brand new rather than try to convince others that still have a bad taste in their mouths that the same site will be different this time.
Now don’t get me wrong… If this guy has been known for doing this frequently, then the blame is most likely the scam artist and not some “software” excuse. But if the only reason why this guy got his reputation was from a previous site that he argues failed because of the software, then it may be exactly as he says, so renaming the site is just his way to get rid of the past and moving forward with a more stable site.
The second issue I had was your complaint about people purchasing memberships to a freebie site. Perhaps a month ago I’d agree whole-heartedly with you. But recently I’ve been watching Extreme Couponing. For some of these people (who are saving 90% or more by using coupons), they actually are members of coupon-clipping sites that charge a nominal fee to clip and send coupons to these people. On one episode, the person mentioned she had spent close to $70 on these sites for the coupons. However when figuring out how much she saved overall, then spending money for “something free” makes sense. People may also factor in the time it takes to find those freebies; going to a site where everything is organized and you can “get in and get out” quickly with a freebie may be worth the added cost of a membership.
One issue that I was wondering about that you didn’t really talk about is how “free” are the offers themselves. A lot of GPT (Get Paid To) sites that will pay you for trying a “free” offer, you come to find out aren’t really free after all. Although some have a money-back guarantee if you cancel your offer within the trial period (and hence can be listed as being a free trial), other offers (eg get a free cookbook) may be coupled with some other program you have to sign-up for, like signing up for a credit card and making an initial purchase with the card. Plus the internet is full of these so-called free trial offers to join some other site… If that is what a majority of these “freebies” are, I’d rather join a GPT site (like Fusion Cash, that you have promoted before) where you can actually get paid to try the offer rather than pay $10 for a listing of these free-trials.
The only way I’d pay for freebies are if they are true sample products that the manufacturer is giving away in order to promote their product. For example, I found on some different site that you can get free samples from Walmart.com, and I actually picked up a sample packet of Aleve (which also included a manufacturer’s coupon). So perhaps if the freebies were mostly like this, I’d be more tempted to spend the $10 a month.
Larry, You’re quite welcome buddy. You’ve made some great observations.
1. In terms of the name change, your example makes sense and it may very well be the case with this guy. So that’s a great point!
2. I’ve watched a few episodes of that show and was totally amazed by the amounts of money these folks could save and wondered where they were getting all these coupons and deals from. Based on the savings I saw it was totally worth the fee. I’m not one of those people that hate on companies that sell information that you can find for free. It’s why I made the comment you can argue the same point about books, magazines, newspapers, etc. If you’re resourceful enough and have the time and energy you can get damn near anything for free. But most people aren’t and would prefer people do the work for them in which case it makes sense they should have to pay a fee for that privilege. However a lot of people don’t necessarily think like you and I and can see it this way. So I had to list it as a con because I’m sure someone would moan about it. But I agree with you. I’ve paid for things i know I could get for free but I was being lazy. lol
3. In terms of the free offers, I don’t have much input on that because I’m not a member. But I’m sure it’s a combination of risk free trials and maybe some totally free ones. I’ve go into a lot of details about the pitfalls of these freebies and free trials in my article about get paid to try offers here:
https://www.workathomenoscams.com/2008/05/07/getpaidtotryoffers/
So I agree with you that they can be loaded or tricky if you aren’t aware of how they operate in which case, people should definitely read my article about them. But since I’m not a member I couldn’t really tell you much about their actual free offers. And to your point there are a lot of places where you could find freebies directly from the companies without paying a fee assuming you know where to look.
In any event, thanks for chiming in. I appreciate it.