A few months back, I reported that my former student Josh Clark had pursued one of those internet ads to get a free MacBook Pro. He researched the ads and found a company that had a good reputation for actually giving away these kinds of gifts. In order to get a free iPod, computer, television, etc., one has to respond to a number of offers from various companies. These range from things such as movie clubs like Columbia House, Netflix, or Blockbuster to various weight loss products or even real estate programs. All of the "offers" are for free trials for one or two weeks or sometimes longer. The main company can afford to give away these gifts because the average person isn't disciplined enough to stay on top of the trial periods, let alone cancel them on time. This is similar to rebate programs in stores. Companies make money on rebates simply because the average person doesn't send them in.

For Josh to get his MacBook Pro, he kept extremely detailed records in Excel spreadsheets regarding when he signed up for offers, how long the trial period was, when they confirmed his cancellation, etc. In the end, if a person sends back everything and participates in the offers only to the barest of minimums, he or she should be out somewhere about $100, which is not a bad investment that returns a $2,000 value (the price of Josh's MacBook Pro). I won't go into all his details, but I will point you to two very significant posts of his (especially if you want to try this yourself):

"How I Got a Mac for Next to Nothing"
"The Free Mac, Part II"
"Counting the Macs"

So, anyway, I decided back in the middle of November to try this myself. I didn't want a new laptop though--I'm still delighted with my black MacBook. However, if there's any luxury item out there that I'd never pay for on my own, it would have to be a high-def television. So I ran a google search for "high-def television" and found an ad from the same company Josh with which Josh participated for a "Gift Card for a $2,000 Plasma TV" (I'd give you the link, but it's now expired). I had to complete 18 offers, which although seemed like a lot, turned out in the end to be pretty manageable. Although I didn't keep a spreadsheet like Josh's, I did record all the same kind of details in a MS Word file that he had done. Plus I made PDF files of all agreements and emails confirming cancellations as I returned items. It took me about three weeks to complete all 18 offers. Then I was given a link to download a PDF file which I had to fill out with where to send my gift card and also tax forms since the card is worth $2,000.

The whole time I was working on this, I referred to it as "my scheme to get a free plasma TV." Kathy simply referred to it as my "scam" because she was skeptical till the end that it would actually work, especially with so little investment. Nevertheless, last Saturday I opened the mail to find a $2,000 Visa Gift Card in my name. Yeah, I know...I couldn't believe it either!

I talked it over with Kathy. Although the offer was for a gift card for a plasma television, technically we could do anything we wanted with the money because it was a generic Visa gift card. Heck, we could even withdraw the money from an ATM. Obviously, I knew there were lots of things we could do with $2,000 but Kathy (wonderful wife she is) said that I had wanted a television to begin with, I had worked hard to stay on top of the offers, and that I should stick to my original plan. So I set off Monday to get the television.

After some shopping at about three stories, plus research online, I settled on the LG 42PC3D, a 42" high-def plasma flat panel. The picture on the left actually doesn't do it justice. The frame is actually black with a gray/silver bottom and base. I knew that I couldn't get a television that actually costs $2,000 because I would have to pay sales tax. Plus, a buddy had told me that I had to get a special HDMI cable to receive HD channels and a special surge protector. Originally, I was looking in the $1,500 range, but Best Buy had the LG listed for $1,599 with an instant $200 rebate bringing it down to $1,399. Further, if I signed up for the HD channels from my cable company while in the store, I could get it for another $100 off for a new lower total of $1,299. Isn't life grand. I was getting such a great deal, I added the HD DVD player that plugs into the Xbox 360 (which I already own). With the television, a new stand (the TV wouldn't fit in our old entertainment center), the HD DVD player, the HDMI cable, surge protector and all applicable sales taxes, would you believe that I still had $100 left over? Isn't America wonderful?! Kathy and I took the remaining money and bought a few things that we actually needed around the house.

I'm absolutely delighted with the way everything has turned out. The television is great for high-def movies, games on the Xbox 360 and the handful of HD channels our cable service offers. I don't have surround sound, but the television has an audio mode that emulates it, and at the just right volume, our living room feels like a movie theater. This is the first television that I could honestly use to double as a CD music player as well.

In the end, I don't think I could have ever justified paying for something like this with hard earned money, even if I saved for it over time. But when someone says, "Here's $2,000--go get a plasma TV... Well, I just can't turn that down.

This really does work if you stay on top of it. See the links to Josh's posts above if you want to pursue it.

Tags: television, HD DVD