Not Free Stuff.

[pckouris]

I just want you all to know I love and enjoy this web site. However, I find ads which announce "free" stuff and it's not free a little out of character for this fine web site.
I went for the ad on the "fringe", which announced a "free" bread making machine.
Well thinking that my old one needs replacing I would go for it. After I filled out pages and pages and pages of information and stuff, I came down to you must selct (and subscribe) to at least two of the "items" in order to qualify for the "free" machine.
This is NOT a free machine! And I wish the Discuss Cooking web site would elevate themselves above the madding crowd which pushes forward this kind of deseptive advertising. Please.....we are intimidated enough on web sites, and on tv and in world, couldn't we have a place where we all could go and not be hawked by shisters? I thought I had found that place, but no.

[kitchenelf]

Hi Pete - I guess we have two options. We can go to a paid site (wherein members pay to be members) or what we are doing now is the most common type of websites you will find.

I just KNOW that you already know that when something sounds too good to be true it usually is I understand the delima. I'm just not sure there is anything we can do about it right now. If you thought you were getting something for free you are getting too much sun down there in Marathon - you come live up here for awhile and "cool off" and I'll stay down there - yes? no? I think it sounds like a great idea!!! We're almost to ski season too - it will be a change of pace anyway.

Sorry, I couldn't help it. In all due respect - I understand. At the moment there's just no other options.

[purrfectlydevine]

Apparently my pop-up blocker gets rid of a lot of them, although I do get several. I just close them. Like was already said, those ads pay for the site.

[licia]

I don't get it either, but have seen what you are talking about on other sites. It is very annoying. I just remember NOTHING is free, completely so I don't even go there.

[pckouris]

I understand the entire scam, kichenelf, and I hate it! It's not free so they should not be allowed to say that, just as with the newspaper and or TV industries.

[Constance]

Pete, I got sucked in by some of those pop-up ads that offered free gift certificates to various restaurants. I did the same thing...went through all those pages, then discovered you had to subscribe to something. That's false advertising, for sure.