This is a very interesting discussion.
I have tried to look at this from a surfer's prospective as well as a webmaster/business perspective.
From the surfer's point of view: It obviously looks too good to be true. If something is too good to be true, it probably is. So, if you're still brave enough to give it a try...read the fucking small print. If you are satisfied that it is worth it after reading the small print then sign up and you get what you pay for (or got paid for, as the case may be).
From the webmaster/business point of view: As Hooper so eloquently put it, "grab the surfers by the ankles and shake em upside down til all the money falls out..." If this tactic (the site in question) gets more signups/money then so be it. I don't see anything inherently wrong with this "marketing strategy". I don't feel responsible for people that don't understand what they are getting into. It is the surfer's responsibility to read the fine print and make an educated decision to move forward.
This is the "Gym Membership" mentality. I got burned the other day by my soon to be ex-wife. She signed up for some fucking tanning salon that dinged my fucking checking account for $15.97/month. I have quite a few auto-withdrawals out of my checking account, all of which I know where they came from. This shows up one day. I had to track down who it was to, then send a certified letter to the corporate office, and then after receipt, a 30 day cancellation was in place. Holy shit...I got fucked right in the ass...but it was my wife's fault...not the tanning salon...in my opinion.
Everyone out there that is crying fraud, scam, or other such nonsense...is the "gym membership" mentality also a scam? hell yeah, but you have to take personal responsibility when you knowlingly walk into a "scam". Is it fraud? Nah, I don't think so...
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Travis
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