Moral Question of Freebies

[Deactivated] on 15/09/2013 - 09:39

I've noticed some freebies that were posted on this site are geared towards a market that does not really match the demographic of ozbargain (e.g. niche products to moms like that karicare promo)

well yes legally, you are entitled to claim it.

but think morally… if a deal gets ozbargained, it will end up being mostly useless junk people keep at the back of their car or go to waste or not being used to its capability…instead of going to someone who actually need it and will end up using it.

a parallel example would be: supermarkets dumping fresh food when it could have been given away to those in need. just doesnt seem right.

also a small business who does a small promo that gets ozbargain'd targeted at a niche market to promote their brand within a small community goes on ozbargain. they own up risk losing alot of money, if they don't honor then their brand name gets damaged. effectively you're hurting small businesses when you do that because a lot of people who get free stuff were never in the scene and come to not even appreciate the gesture and rendering the money invested by teh business a near complete loss. this was the case with the power steering and brake fluid thing where the owner copped tens of thousands in losses.

this post isn't a PSA or anything, just a reminder to think about the implications of what you post.

inb4 its free so i want it

Site Discussion

Comments

  • Almost Banned on 15/09/2013 - 13:19
    +5

    I would never send for a freebie that I wouldn't use.
    Just seems pointless to me.

  • mskeggs on 15/09/2013 - 14:48
    +5

    I think you are mistaken if you think there aren't quite a lot of mums reading ozb. And I think that goes for any other demographic you care to name.
    I think there are a lot of younger asian guys on the site, disproportionately to their number in the general community, but when I read through the comments I am regularly reminded there are young/old, male/female, gay/straight, left/right, rich/poor and everyone else.
    If somebody is bothered to fill out a form or whatever to get a free sample, they are by definition a little bit interested in the product, so I'm not sure it is a moral issue.

  • Nynaeve on 16/09/2013 - 07:59
    +2

    In my opinion any 'moral' question comes down to who applies for the freebie, not who posts it. Seriously, a poster has to decide who might find a freebie relevant and post or not depending on who they THINK is an ozbarginer? I like to try new products and if I like it I will buy more. If I ever get a freebie not directly for me, I get it for my husband or child. They never end up on the back shelf. I am a mum btw, I thought I would point that out as apparently I don't exist!

  • anna10 on 16/09/2013 - 08:19
    +1

    I'm not keen on getting things from small or very new businesses if I think they have possibly over reached and made a mistake in using a marketing tool like freebies that could undermine a potentially good reputation.

  • retiredfeline on 16/09/2013 - 08:57
    +1

    I'm with mskeggs and Mynaeve. It's up to the reader to decide. Who's to say that the applicant might not be someone who was alerted by a relative or friend reading OzBargain? When firms use social media to get exposure, the composition of the audience is out of their control. Personally I wouldn't apply for something I am unlikely to use.

  • Baghern on 20/09/2013 - 22:24

    After seeing posts as per the OP description, I also see people in the threads telling each other off.

    I think most people' morale compass is quite alright, or will eventually get right.

    I think some people new to the site get hyped by the bargain.

    There will always be extremist from both ends, but I wouldn't say the morale compass of people on the site isn't much different from society as a whole. We're all generally good.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/10/2013 - 11:16

    My wife uses OzB and claims freebies that I wouldn't be interested in. The OP seems to have a case of Murica-ism.

  • Davo1111 on 27/10/2013 - 15:09

    I very rarely take up ozbargain freebees for this reason. Also, in the past, when i have, the company has just cancelled the deal and it never arrives.

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