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'Buy a new phone for £20' - my experiences! |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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I admit it - my curiosity got the better of me today!!
I've just put my name on the list on one of those websites that claim to get you the latest mobile phone for £20 - I'm going to report on how I get on, if the phone arrives, etc. You know the ones, Ebay's full of them, and I've often wondered if they work - I've heard from a few people who say it does, you just have to be patient. I've 'ordered' a  K700, and looking at the list I should get it (if I get it?) in about 2-3 weeks when enough people have signed up and paid their £20 (25 people in total)
I'm not going to put the link here, for starters I'm not sure if I'm allowed to anyway. If anyone's interested, PM me and i'll give you the link. In fact, please do if you're interested - I get to jump the queue a bit if I refer someone!  Which of course, sounds like an incentive to attract as many people as possible to the site, which would work in your favour as it means you get your phone quicker.
I have to admit I'm a little concerned at the moment - my name hasn't appeared on the list yet! I'm hoping this is because the site hasn't updated yet to include me, but I've made my £20 payment by Nochex (or Paypal if you like) and will be recieving my 'ebook' and a signal booster (  ) soon. The K700 is apparently the 'free' gift, whereas I've paid for the ebook and the signal booster (which probably gives the website a get-out clause if things go wrong or they're not making enough money!)
Anyways, I'll report on how I get on if anyone's interested, and if I recieve the phone!
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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Jim
Joined: Jan 20, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Belgium
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Oh yes finally a real experience, I was allways curious about such things  . Keep us updated with any changes |
Elrond
Joined: May 14, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Slovakia
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Yeah, keep us updated. If this really works, then it would be great, but I'm not very optimistic in this case.
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ultimatemobiles
Joined: May 18, 2002
Posts: 328
From: London
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I cant believe anyone would sign up for one of these sites! Its just a modern day version of the old pyramid scheme scam!
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BOOYAR
Joined: Aug 19, 2003
Posts: 310
From: UK
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It sounds to me like its a pyramid scheme but using phones as payment, very clever but obviously a con. Remember a pyramid is thin at the top (the winners of the scheme) and wide at the bottom (the loosers) and why are they started, because there's someone at the top reaping the benefits
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Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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Looks like people are interested either way!! £20 isn't a huge amount of money, although I'll certainly be very annoyed if I lose it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained......
What worries me with this site is that they say that they could cancel lists without notice or without compensation as the phone they class as a 'free gift' from the ebook and signal booster.
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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BOOYAR
Joined: Aug 19, 2003
Posts: 310
From: UK
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But you never know, it could be some generous billionaire with alot of time on his hands. Fair play to you for trying
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Jim
Joined: Jan 20, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: Belgium
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Quote:
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On 2004-06-19 22:17:05, ultimatemobiles wrote:
I cant believe anyone would sign up for one of these sites! Its just a modern day version of the old pyramid scheme scam!
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He knows that and we all too but he had the courage to try it for his curiosity, wich I think we all have. So great respect to sammy
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Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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Thanks. From what I can gather, person one signs up, then he has to wait until another 25 (in this case) sign up, and then the person at the top of the list gets his phone sent out. The time before the first person gets the phone depends on how long it takes the list to fill up.
If you think about it, by the time 25 people have signed up, that's £500 to the organiser of the site. Folk get a phone for £20, and the site organiser gets £500 for a phone that probably cost him £300.
Sounds too good to be true, but only time will tell......
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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haynesycop
Joined: Mar 10, 2004
Posts: > 500
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believe me it works i have recieved 2 sony ericsson p900 mobiles, an ipod and i £500 cash alternative from 4 different sites
i sold 1 p900 for £325, the ipod for £200
and i kept the other p900 for myself, theres no way i could afford to buy one
good luck with it
there can be a few dodgy sites out there, i guess i was lucky |
Sammy_boy
Joined: Mar 31, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Staffordshire, United Kingdom
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Thanks @copperfield!
I'm still not on this list yet, hopefully because it hasn't been updated yet.
I've been doing a few calcuations. It looks like I'll be 12th on this list, and looking again at the way this works, it looks like 25 people have to sign up before the first person on the list gets his phone, then another 25 have to sign up for the second person to get one, etc. Which means that, if I am 12th in the list, 300 people have to sign up before I get my phone!! 
So, the site's owner will get £500 for each phone/full list (25 on list multiplied by the £20 they paid equal £500), and he will have recieved £6,000 by the time I get my phone (if!!) (£500 x 12).
Now, if an average of one person a day joins this site, then it will take 43 weeks before my phone is dispatched. It will be obsolete by the time I get the K700!! And I very much doubt that 300 people will sign up.
Apparently I can refer other people, or even refer myself, which means I can jump the next person in the queue. So, if I refer myself 11 times to get to the head of the queue, I will then pay £220 for the phone, which wouldn't be far off the asking price for the K700!
I suspect in these lists only the top person, or the top two people will recieve anything. I am wondering about asking for my money back, before it's too late! It appears this scheme works if you're right at the top of the chain, like @thecopperfield appears to have been, but the further down you are, the less likely you are to recieve anything.
"All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" - Edmund Burke
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50Cent
Joined: Nov 08, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: ...whatever psycho!!!
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i saw a "investigation" of one of these site on ShortChange UK. They found that the time it takes for you to get ur phone is a realllly long time. By the time the owner sends out 1 phone hes made over a grand. Other website just send you a cd and will never send you a phone, no matter how long u wait. However trading standards agencies are having trouble shuttin them down because they are selling you goods (the CD) and you are only entered to get the "oppourtunity" to get a phone.
But i am v.interested to see how this goes.
Best of luck 
Twista
Trusted Trader: 50Cent (+6, -0)
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don_vercetti
Joined: Feb 01, 2004
Posts: 64
From: A little place called brackley
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I've always been curious about these. Really good of you to actually do it, satiate everyones curiosity about whether they work or not.
I personally wouldn't touch it with a 10ft barge pole, but i don't have much money to spare and i'm paranoid as hell. |
50Cent
Joined: Nov 08, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: ...whatever psycho!!!
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Its a good idea for a scam. cos £20 to most ppl isnt that much and gets the person thinking "i'll give it a shot". then hundred of other think the same thing.... u'd be rolling in cash
Trusted Trader: 50Cent (+6, -0)
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BOOYAR
Joined: Aug 19, 2003
Posts: 310
From: UK
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If you want a phone you'd be better off starting a pyramid scheme yourself. The money you make will allow you to buy one
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Posted: 2004-06-19 22:07
K750i, Nokia 6120c and a HP iPAQ hx4700 
