Have you ever seen the ads saying fill out this survey and get a free laptop and wondered if they were legit? Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is, and while it’s not exactly a scam, it’s certainly less than honest. You’re survey is not the part the website is interested in at all.

Once you tell the company how green you really are or what karate belt you deserve you will be directed to the actual business part of this transaction. If you look closely, there will be a paragraph of fine print at the top or bottom of the page telling you how many bronze, silver, gold, and sometimes platinum offers you have to complete before you get your prize. So what actually are all these color coded offers?

Well the truth is, this site isn’t interested in your survey information. Their goal is to get you to accept a certain number of trial offers. They get a commission on every customer they send to these sites, so that’s where their money comes from and why they can well afford to give that laptop to whoever manages to complete the offer.

Many people, on seeing this, won’t catch the fine print. When they see it says complete two bronze offers, they think that’s not to bad and start filling some out, not realizing that there will be at least eight more to go when their done. If they give up before they complete all the offers the company just got those referrals for free and made even more money.

So can you actually get your laptop? Yes, but it won’t be free. You need a credit card to complete these offers and most will charge you a small amount for the trial or shipping and handling.

It is important to keep track of any offer you sign up for, since almost all of them will roll over into a full monthly plan and start charging your card automatically. Be sure to read their conditions for cancellations, since some companies will intentionally make the process difficult.

In the end you may well get your laptop and for less than it would have cost in the store, but it will not be free. It’s up to you to decide if the effort is worth it.

If you’re still thinking about receiving laptops for free, visit this page for more information on the costs and benefits.