I am home from my high school teaching job, recovering from my recent kidney
transplant and spend some time each day on my home computer. I was searching
for something or other and landed on a site called bigwin.com, promising a
$500 gift card to Target (among numerous other offers) if you complete a
certain number of offers. NO WHERE in the rules and regulations does it say
you have to BUY anything unless specifically directed by each offer
provider.

I laborously completed the required signing up from the numerous pages of
offers for things that I was interested in persuing. I started taking notes
during the process suspecting this was fradulent. I was right.

I received calls from 4 colleges regarding my desire to add to my master's
degree, but none could help with individual courses. (What could I "buy" if
they didn't offer what I was hoping to find?)

I received 2 calls from a septic tank product with a free 1 month offer, but
you had to buy the 5 year supply after the free month. Well after 1 month,
how would I KNOW if it made my tank "happy and healthy". I did not buy but
their ad said nothing about purchase of 5 year supply required to get the
bonus gift card.

I did join and am participating in the Coca Cola points club.

I ordered, paid and received booklets from a company that helps with home
based businesses, as I thought that with my illness, I have to be very
careful for infection. Pefhaps a high school isn't the best place to be. I
have taught there for 24 years and am currently on medical disability. Home
based business, a viable possibility?

I have received 17 additional calls from home based business experts,
including several different firms. I did NOT request these. I only asked for
information from the firm from whom I purchased the booklets (above).

I signed up for Discount.com, which is nothing but a directory to other
shopping online sites, and finally,

I signed up for buydiscount.com which offers office supplies, certainly
nothing that I need just now. Do I assume that you have to BUY things that
you don't want or need to "complete" qualifications for the gift card?

In short, I HAVE complied with the requirements of this offer $500 gift card
offer. Why am I not surprised that I can no longer sign in to the site and
when I call customer assistance this afternoon, I was politely told that the
calls I received were surveys and had nothing to due with the offers for
which I signed up. (REDICULOUS!) "Bigwin.com did not initiate them" I was
told repeatedly. Well, that is blatently untrue and I do plan to continue my
investigation and reporting of this site. Of course the lady to whom I spoke
at Bigwin.com this afternoon also could not locate my account (I only use 1
ID and password) and told me that records should be available if I complied
with any of the required number of offers. I find this fascinating and since
I have time on my hands (I can't return to school until September in order
to limit illness exposure risks) I will follow this through. Next call I
make is to the Attorney General of my home state.

Thanks so much for your time and interest. Next, attorney general's office
and othere online "complaint" sites.