Monday, May 27, 2013

Reward Port: Good Or Bad?

Originally, I would have said that Reward Port was an excellent site, since I'd redeemed for 2 Starbucks gift cards and received them within less than 3 weeks. However, my last redemption (30,000 points for another Starbucks gift card) has been pending since October 2012 (for those of us that can count, that is 7 1/2 months) and I've received nothing.

At first I thought the delay was because 330 points should have been deducted from my account after I had to return my bicycle to Walmart (I received the 330 points as 'cash back' for buying the bike using a Reward Port link) BUT I have earned another 2722 points since that redemption was placed...additionally they could have simply refunded the 30,000 points minus the 330 points and let me redeem again (by this point I want an Amazon gift card anyway rather than a Starbucks gift card)

I have contacted them via email four times, starting in February 2013 and continuing until today, about the missing Starbucks gift card and I have heard nothing at all.....not even a drop dead email in reply much less an explanation of what is going on.

Edited to add that I did some research on Reward Port. They have an F rating with the Better Business Bureau because of 215 complaints filed against them, with 179 of those complaints not responded to by the company. In addition, there are numerous complaints with the Ripoff Report regarding non-delivery of even electronic gift cards much less physical gift cards.

I've copied and pasted the latest email (sent on May 27, 2012) into this blog post (see below).

I redeemed 30,000 points in October 2012 for a $50.00 Starbucks card which is still pending.

Now, I am FULLY aware that the WalMart purchase in September 2012 was returned; that bike completely fell apart after only 4 days of riding (a total of less than 5 miles ridden altogether)

However that purchase was only 330 points and I don't see why that return would or should screw up 30,000 points. Why can you not just return 29670 points to my account? I'd rather have an Amazon gift card anyway instead of the Starbucks card, and I've earned over 2700 points since I redeemed the 30000 points which more than covers the 330 points for the WalMart purchase.

In addition, this is the FOURTH time that I have contacted you regarding this redemption, and I've heard absolutely nothing from you (nor have I received my card).

This is not good customer service-- the redemption was 7 1/2 months ago, the first email was sent in February 2013--6 weeks ago, two emails were sent in April, and its now the end of May.

Please tell me what is going on with my redemption. As I said, 330 points should not hold up a 30,000 point redemption and I would be perfectly happy if you returned 29670 points to my account so I could redeem for a $100.00 Amazon gift certificate.

And please don't think that if you ignore me, I will shut up and go away. I will do neither, until I receive either a refund into my Reward Port account of 29670 points OR my Starbucks gift card.


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Where I'm Waiting For Payout (Edited)

Very short list of where I am waiting for payout:

Bird Crazy Mail
There are 31 requests in front of you. Your request for 1.00 USD Serve is 2 day(s) old.
PAID 5/21/2013

Majestic Mails
There are 19 requests in front of you. Your request for 1.00 USD Serve is 2 day(s) old
. PAID 5/16/2013

Babbling Brook
There are 16 requests in front of you. Your request for 1.00 USD Serve is 2 day(s) old.

Wallaby Mail
There are 14 requests in front of you. Your request for 3.13 USD PayPal is 20 day(s) old. (trying to switch this one to Payza since I don't want to pay PayPal fees on a small payment amount)
PAID 5/15/2013

Fusion Mails
Your cashout request of 5.86274 (PayPal) from 03/27/2013 21:20 is in the queue position 232. (already know I probably won't get anything here, and if I do it will be MONTHS late).

October Mails
Requested $1.39 5/14/2013 because the site is closing as of 5/25/2013
PAID 5/16/2013

Myster-E-Mail
There are 30 requests in front of you. Your request for 3.43 USD PayPal is 65 day(s) old. (trying to switch this one to Payza since I don't want to pay PayPal fees on a small payment amount)

Shorter List of Where I am Waiting for Payout as of May 24, 2013:

Babbling Brook
There are 16 requests in front of you. Your request for 1.00 USD Serve is 2 day(s) old.

Fusion Mails
Your cashout request of 5.86274 (PayPal) from 03/27/2013 21:20 is in the queue position 232. (already know I probably won't get anything here, and if I do it will be MONTHS late).

Myster-E-Mail
There are 30 requests in front of you. Your request for 3.43 USD PayPal is 65 day(s) old. (trying to switch this one to Payza since I don't want to pay PayPal fees on a small payment amount)

Sweet Clickers
There are 28 requests in front of you. Your request for 1.00 USD Serve is 2 day(s) old.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Changes in the PTR/PTC World This Year

Kandy Gronley sold Sweet Clickers, Sea Turtles PTR, 3 Bears PTR, and Kool Klickins to Misty Schoiber, Joe Tarkington, Sheila Tomkinson, and Heather Conzett (in that order).

Charlie Blaxill sold Bird Crazy Mail to Misty Schoiber.

Jan Boogaloo sold Our Safe Harbor and Email Money Maker to Joe Tarkington and Debra Smith (in that order).

Deep C Link and Lady of the Links are parked domains due to the death of the owner.

1 Cent Mail and Firecracker Mail are now suspended after a long slow death spiral.

Just recently Misty Schoiber sold her sites (Bird Crazy Mail, Sweet Clickers, Wallaby Mail, Downhome Folks, Babbling Brook PTR, and Majestic Mails) to Joe Tarkington and Anthony Bishop. Joe bought Bird Crazy, Sweet Clickers, Babbling Brook, and Majestic Mails while Wallaby Mail and Downhome Folks went to Tony.

. Also, Misty had several PTC sites that she sold to Constantinos, who seems to be doing a great job with ALL of his PTC sites. He's also purchased a few PTC sites from other owners.

Reba Flannery closed Jolly Clicks (ptr) and relaunched it as a great PTC site. She owns a few other PTC sites as well.

Poker PTR has come back to life with a new owner and PTP for all.

Of course new owners mean changes, but for the sites I am still at (all but Email Money Maker, which went ads only) the changes have been mostly positive at least for me.

Who Has Paid Me In May 2013

Amazon Gift Cards: $41.00
Anthony Bishop: $8.84
Aqua Mail: $4.39
Clix Sense: $6.15
Donkey Mails $4.99
Fast Ptr: $1.84
October Mails: $1.37
Precious Poms PTR: $4.55
Joe Tarkington: $2.68
Wallaby Mail: $3.13

Amazon Gift Cards: $41.00
Alert Pay aka Payza: $4.97
PayPal: $24.14
Serve: $2.68

Total for May 2013 (as of May 21 2013): $72.79

Who Paid Me In April 2013

Amazon Gift Cards: $14.73
Clix Sense: $7.33
Easy PTR: $1.69
Polar Bear Clicks: $4.55
Pinecone Research: $3.00
Sand Castle Cash: $1.15
World Wide Cash: $2.38
Joe Tarkington: $.60

Amazon Gift Cards: $14.73
Alert Pay aka Payza: $5.22
PayPal: $14.88
Serve: $.60

Total for April 2013: $35.43

Who Paid Me In March 2013

Amazon Gift Cards: $12.48
Anthony Bishop: $7.64
Clix Sense: $11.83
Jolly Clicks: $9.00
Paid Viewpoint: $15.01
Pinecone Research: $3.00
Joe Tarkington: $.42

Amazon Gift Cards: $12.48
Alert Pay aka Payza: $0.00
PayPal: $46.48
Serve: $.42

Total for March 2013: $59.38

Who Paid Me In February 2013

Amazon Gift Cards: $28.00
Clix Sense: $6.57
Deals N Cash: $30.24
Donkey Mails: $1.02
Penny Mails: $3.12
Pinecone Research: $3.00
Raining Cash Mail: $7.12
Vice PTR: $2.18
Joe Tarkington: $.36

Alert Pay aka Payza: 0.00
PayPal: $53.25
Serve: $.36

Total for February 2013: $81.61

Who Paid Me In January 2013

Amazon Gift Cards: $20.00
Butterflies N Rose: $3.58
Clix Sense: $7.83
Lucas Links: $2.02
Pinecone Research: $3.00
Showcase PTR: $2.00
Social Surf 4 U: $50.00
Joe Tarkington: $.42

Alert Pay aka Payza: $4.02
PayPal: $64.41
Serve: $.42

Total for January 2013: $88.85

Life in the VERY Busy Lane

It's been over 4 months since I posted here, and there's a whole lot of excellent (and not so excellent!) reasons for my absence from my blogs.

On Thanksgiving Day I got sick with a virulent case of bronchitis that lasted for 3 weeks (a not-so-excellent reason).

One of my Odesk jobs is now 30 hours a week (instead of 20) and I picked up a side job that is approximately another 30 hours per week. The money is nice (from both jobs) but the jobs don't leave a lot of time for anything else.

The two jobs (with a side one thrown in) are excellent reasons for my absence though, thanks to the two jobs I've been able to take my 2 cats to the vet for nail trims and curing two respiratory infections, paying down quite a bit of past due space rent, buying food during the month when the food stamps have run out, and stocking up on cat food and cat litter.

My older cat has had two upper respiratory infections since December, and the first one I had to take him to the vet on the bus. How fun, our buses don't run often (only every 40 minutes during the week--6 am to 6 pm-- every 80 minutes from 8 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays). So it was 40 minutes or so to get to the vets office from my house (2 buses and 1/10 mile walk with a carrier that is big enough for a medium size dog), another 20-30 minutes wait after his exam and nail trim for the return trip, and another 40 minutes before I got home). Luckily for me, the cat, and my fellow bus riders, Mick the cat was very quiet and well-behaved.

I sill don't have a car, so everything takes FOREVER. Even a simple shopping trip is 2 hours because of the buses running every 40 minutes (see paragraph above). On the bright side, still walking and probably going to start riding my bike again soon now that the weather is improving. Have gained some of the weight I lost back, but still looking on the bright side because my feet and ankles no longer swell to the size of footballs!