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Forums > Home› Support› C-Store, ZEN, and Promotions

The 'Great Free Zen' scam

wraeniawraenia Member Posts: 10 Arc User
edited November 2012 in C-Store, ZEN, and Promotions
Hello,

I am certain that I am not the only person in this situation. I see the 'Do you like free ZEN?' banner and of course I want free Zen! Who does not?! So, I click the banner and click on the first few watch-a-video links that give you 3 Zen. Okay, 3 free Zen is better than NO free Zen, yes? Of course it is! So, I decide to try the other larger Zen deals that give you 60+ Zen for doing surveys, or the other's where you are to submit your information to get the free Zen. After completing several of this, and spending around 45 minutes doing so, I check my Zen on my account and the only Zen there is the Zen earned from watching those videos.

I have given away my information, will inevitably receive HUNDREDS of spam mail, and wasted my time for absolutely nothing. I am forlorn that this company would be associated with such scrupulous business practices, and I will NOT be spending money on ANY services under this business. I consider the hundreds of dollars spent on this game as a lesson learned and will not be spending another dime on this game. :mad:
Post edited by wraenia on

Comments

  • wraeniawraenia Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    I'm sorry! I went off on my rant and I totally forgot to ask my question! I wanted to know if anybody out there actually received their larger quantities of Zen? Thank you. :eek:
  • thecosmic1thecosmic1 Member Posts: 9,365 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    I'll just copy/paste what I posted in another thread:
    I've done 10 Surveys and been paid on 6 of them. Some of the Surveys are sneaky, though. They have questions hidden within them like: "If you're reading this question check box 3." It's designed to make people read all of the questions and not just spam-bot them. If you get that answer incorrect you don't get paid. Many of them also have timers - they how long it takes to go through and answer the questions and if someone does them too quickly it's assumed they didn't read, they just picked random answers. If you do it too quickly, again, you won't get paid. The Surveyors aren't stupid. If they're going to pay PW they want to know they're getting real data.

    The best chance to collect on a Survey is to really think about what they're wanting to know as you take it - and don't pick Surveys you have no interest in. If you're not into shoes don't pick a shoe Survey. They odd are very good you won't get paid for it.
    STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
  • goedzooigoedzooi Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    wraenia wrote: »
    I have given away my information, will inevitably receive HUNDREDS of spam mail, and wasted my time for absolutely nothing.

    That's why I have a separate e-mail adress, the spam arrives keeps comming and I never have to see it. (sometimes I do look and it's almost over 2000!!!)
    And about wasting time, there's nothing you can do about that except for not doing these surveys.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    (Or a pig)

    Sorry if my English is bad.
  • thecosmic1thecosmic1 Member Posts: 9,365 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    goedzooi wrote: »
    That's why I have a separate e-mail adress, the spam arrives keeps comming and I never have to see it. (sometimes I do look and it's almost over 2000!!!)
    And about wasting time, there's nothing you can do about that except for not doing these surveys.
    On the other hand, I have done 10 Surveys, and checking my email account and spam folder right now, see a total of 1 email that is spam - and that constitutes about 2 weeks of time since I started doing the Surveys.
    STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
  • kassad2kassad2 Member Posts: 17 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    Unfortunately, a lot of these "Free" deals are in fact scams. As long as they give you a single Zen, they are in compliance. And they know that no one will do anything about them reneging on any adidtional zen so they feel free to simply not pay up. If they stiffed you, they are probably crooks.

    Personally, I recommend avoiding those banners. At the least, they will sell you personal info all over the web. At worst, you could become a victim of identity theft. I am guessing that most people's time is worth move than a few dollars.
  • thecosmic1thecosmic1 Member Posts: 9,365 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    kassad2 wrote: »
    Personally, I recommend avoiding those banners. At the least, they will sell you personal info all over the web. At worst, you could become a victim of identity theft. I am guessing that most people's time is worth move than a few dollars.
    What personal information are you giving? I've never had to give more then my Age, Sex, Email, and State I lived in to take a Survey.

    Of course that doesn't include Netflix - they like a lot of info - but I didn't qualify for that as I was already a member. :)
    STO is about my Liberated Borg Federation Captain with his Breen 1st Officer, Jem'Hadar Tactical Officer, Liberated Borg Engineering Officer, Android Ops Officer, Photonic Science Officer, Gorn Science Officer, and Reman Medical Officer jumping into their Jem'Hadar Carrier and flying off to do missions for the new Romulan Empire. But for some players allowing a T5 Connie to be used breaks the canon in the game.
  • rikevrikev Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    Why do you insist on honeycombing a blatant rip-off? Yes I've clicked on these, yes they asked for more then the information you listed there. I've been asked for everything from address to phone numbers when I investigated these affiliate surveys. The answer is conclusive: DON'T FILL THE DAMNED THINGS IN!

    AdBlock FTW. Don't have to put up with the TRIBBLE any longer.
    Hi, my name is Nigel. I'm your group's healer.
  • wraeniawraenia Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    I see now! Thank you all for your replies. I never considered that there were 'bots' that could automate this process thereby 'cheating'. I did in fact read everything the first few deals before becoming frustrated and skimming through them... So I technically was at fault for the rest of them I suppose, but that does not account for the 3-5 that I did take my time to complete and not get any Zen. I will just leave this entire feature alone and not spend any more money on this game, because I do believe that it is set up to scam you. Speaking of which, I had the insurance agent call me for a quote... No Zen for that. Mhmm
  • wraeniawraenia Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/internet-shopping/peanut-labs-media-in-san-francisco-ca-312165
  • wraeniawraenia Member Posts: 10 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    As with a lot businesses, there are complaints about 'scams' and 'rip offs', but there happens to be a lot of this in regards to PeanutLabs.com. Do a little research on Google. You would think that a popular brand such as Perfect World would not associate themselves with such scrupulous degenerates.
  • thibashthibash Member Posts: 506 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    wraenia wrote: »
    You would think that a popular brand such as Perfect World would not associate themselves with such scrupulous degenerates.

    They're getting less and less popular by the minute.
  • blitzsthblitzsth Member Posts: 257 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    Anyone who fill's out these free zen deals and don't think of the consequence, is kidding themselves.

    These market research are going to bombard you with messages, they will pass your information on to other companies who will do the same thing. They are set up to gather information and sell to other people. Now some of these people are genuine companies, but others are more likely to use your information for illegal activates . I could go buy customer data and run a bunch of phishing scams if I was so inclined.

    Here is a website advertising said info

    http://www.customlists.net/databases/united-kingdom?gclid=COCT6ebLgLICFSTHtAodVDAAUg

    Fill out these surveys and say goodbye to your privacy, you have been warned.
  • baudlbaudl Member Posts: 4,060 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    blitzsth wrote: »
    Anyone who fill's out these free zen deals and don't think of the consequence, is kidding themselves.

    These market research are going to bombard you with messages, they will pass your information on to other companies who will do the same thing. They are set up to gather information and sell to other people. Now some of these people are genuine companies, but others are more likely to use your information for illegal activates . I could go buy customer data and run a bunch of phishing scams if I was so inclined.

    Here is a website advertising said info

    http://www.customlists.net/databases/united-kingdom?gclid=COCT6ebLgLICFSTHtAodVDAAUg

    Fill out these surveys and say goodbye to your privacy, you have been warned.

    totally agree...anybody who thought this was genuin is very naive.
    Go pro or go home
  • lostmoonylostmoony Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    nothing in your life is for free so you will pay more then you think.

    thats why i will never touch any of this banner in this game or other games anythink can happend from spam mail to accout hack on this way.


    but i think anyone who reach 18+ have enought "brain" to know this thinks.;)

    and to all kiddies here dont to it it will eat you!!!!
  • profthadbachprofthadbach Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    lostmoony wrote: »
    nothing in your life is for free so you will pay more then you think.

    thats why i will never touch any of this banner in this game or other games anythink can happend from spam mail to accout hack on this way.


    but i think anyone who reach 18+ have enought "brain" to know this thinks.;)

    and to all kiddies here don't to it it will eat you!!!!


    That is not how it is billed. It is billed as "earn" Zen. I don't mind earning something and I thought ( wrongly I might add) that PWE would be more reputable than this. I was wrong.


    What I do think is we should hold them to a higher standard than Zinga and now that the wizard is exposed not stand for it. Personally, I will not put any more money in this game until this feature is removed or improved to an acceptable level of reliance
  • bigsalgo911bigsalgo911 Member Posts: 13 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    I've done a number of the promos, as have others, and I've always gotten the Zen from them. You're doing it wrong, somehow?
  • wilkaastwilkaast Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    I've made hundreds, if not thousands, of Zen filling out those. I did had a few instances where I did not get the reward after filling the survey, but overall usually works, at least for me.

    However, since the last patch, the surveys are often not available, like right now. Yesterday, it was telling me I needed to have a level 10 character to have access to the offers - I have 5 VAs - but it did let me buy Zen. Weird. And there is this Netflix offers that is always displayed, but that you never have access to because somehow its always "full". And some other offers takes you to a survey company website. You have to register with them (and you can get Zen from that), but the rewards for the survey proper are only able to be deposited in a Paypal account.

    All in all, free Zen is free Zen, but the thing is buggy, to say the least, and often do not do what it advertises. So take what you can from it, or just ignore it. Buying actual Zen points or grinding Dilitium in-game is simpler, and you know what you are getting into.
  • profthadbachprofthadbach Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    wilkaast wrote: »
    I've made hundreds, if not thousands, of Zen filling out those. I did had a few instances where I did not get the reward after filling the survey, but overall usually works, at least for me.

    However, since the last patch, the surveys are often not available, like right now. Yesterday, it was telling me I needed to have a level 10 character to have access to the offers - I have 5 VAs - but it did let me buy Zen. Weird. And there is this Netflix offers that is always displayed, but that you never have access to because somehow its always "full". And some other offers takes you to a survey company website. You have to register with them (and you can get Zen from that), but the rewards for the survey proper are only able to be deposited in a Paypal account.

    All in all, free Zen is free Zen, but the thing is buggy, to say the least, and often do not do what it advertises. So take what you can from it, or just ignore it. Buying actual Zen points or grinding Dilitium in-game is simpler, and you know what you are getting into.



    Well tell us your secret because I did the netflix one and have not gotten jack.
  • jeykooljeykool Member Posts: 14 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    I just watch the videos. They're quick and always pay up. I use short the the zen on the exchange. I've made a few thousand refined dilithium in the past week so it's worth it.
  • genaccgenacc Member Posts: 1 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    wraenia wrote: »
    I'm sorry! I went off on my rant and I totally forgot to ask my question! I wanted to know if anybody out there actually received their larger quantities of Zen? Thank you. :eek:

    i got all my zen so far nearly 1000
  • rdm1958rdm1958 Member Posts: 822 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    nothing of value is ever free.
    http://startrek.44thfleet.com/
  • rifter1969rifter1969 Member Posts: 654 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    I've been doing the survey since, oh, the end of September.

    I think, but may be off by a little, gotten somewhere around 5000 zen from all the surveys.
    I've bought master keys, character slots, costume packs. All form survey zen.

    Now I'm working on the zen needed to buy the Vesta triple pack when it comes out. I just under halfway there.

    Now, I do supplement it with selling dilithium, but that is small potatoes. Then as a Gold member, my monthly stipend helps boost it at the beginning of the month.

    I usually stay clear of the Free offers, as these are the ones that generate spam.

    I stick to the surveys, and its almost even that ones give me zen, and ones don't.

    Oh, I've done a few surveys where it finished, and didn't pay anything.

    I contacted Peanut Labs, and they resolved the matter in 24 hours or less, not bad.

    All in all, the surveys are the way to go. Be patient, and take your time. They do pay out and if you are persistent, you can get a good amount of zen out of them.
  • jh3463stjh3463st Member Posts: 3 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    Thank you wraenia, for reminding me. I haven't played STO for almost a year now, lots of family problems and three jobs just to stay in my house, and I did do about 25 surveys back then for free Zen. I had received 270 Zen for my troubles back then but my spam box is overloaded with 200-300 spam daily. Yes, I believe that Peanut Labs did sell my Email address to other markets which resulted in the receipt of increases phone calls (yes I am on the Do-Not-Call-List for my state) that quickly hang up or start cursing when I tell them about the do not call list, increased spam Emails and even increase phone and Email scams. Free Zen is not worth the hassle in my eyes. I can't afford the Zen the honest way, so I'll just do without.
  • tfomegatfomega Member Posts: 812 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    goedzooi wrote: »
    That's why I have a separate e-mail adress, the spam arrives keeps comming and I never have to see it. (sometimes I do look and it's almost over 2000!!!)
    And about wasting time, there's nothing you can do about that except for not doing these surveys.

    NOTHING is for free.. you pay for it one way or the other... best to be smarter than the scam artists.
    I AM NOT A FAN OF PWE!!!!
    MEMBER SINCE JANUARY 2010
  • revleighrevleigh Member Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    Nah its rubbish.
    If I complete anything on Peanut Labs It hardly ever works.
    Sponsor Pay is ok though.
    Its pretty much instant and you only have to watch videos, and even then you dont actually watch them you just let them play and get your zen.
    I can get about 100 zen an hour doing that.

    Not much really, but its free and it builds up. And if you play the exchange right, you can get more back.

    All in all though, its very rare you get sponsorpay as opposed to Peanut Labs.
    Just avoid the activeyou and selected winner stuff because they never work.
    SET PHASER'S TO FABULOUS!![SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • maddog0000doommaddog0000doom Member Posts: 1,017 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    yea i did a few when it 1st out and got my zen but when i did a few more a few months later 0zen for some reason they stopped paying out. even the reapeatable one.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • comrademococomrademoco Member Posts: 1,694 Bug Hunter
    edited November 2012
    wraenia wrote: »
    I'm sorry! I went off on my rant and I totally forgot to ask my question! I wanted to know if anybody out there actually received their larger quantities of Zen? Thank you. :eek:

    Today is Nov 21st, 2012 and I got to tell you I recived 400+ FREE ZEN by spending 15 mints on those sign up things, then canceling the contract... lol
    6tviTDx.png

  • rezkingrezking Member Posts: 1,109 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    comrademoco wrote: »
    Today is Nov 21st, 2012 and I got to tell you I recived 400+ FREE ZEN by spending 15 mints on those sign up things, then canceling the contract... lol

    they still have your info :rolleyes:
    NO to ARC
    RIP KDF and PvP 2014-07-17 Season 9.5 - Death by Dev
  • borengar629borengar629 Member Posts: 1 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    wraenia wrote: »
    Hello,

    I am certain that I am not the only person in this situation. I see the 'Do you like free ZEN?' banner and of course I want free Zen! Who does not?! ...

    In fact I don't... in my experience you always get what you pay ;)
  • comrademococomrademoco Member Posts: 1,694 Bug Hunter
    edited November 2012
    rezking wrote: »
    they still have your info :rolleyes:

    Not if you give false info and have a seperate email for junk :P
    6tviTDx.png

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