When special offers are not really...well....offers at all !

I received an email from my telephone provider today.Its a strange one really because they also own the company that I have my broadband with...but I am not actually a broadband customer of theirs! .Anyway,I digress !. The point of this post is to illustrate how companies can "bend the facts" to make bad deals appear to be very good ones!

This is the email

I received.....

"Welcome to February's TalkTalk Rewards. This month we've got even more great gifts for you - from PC accessories to educational games, music and DVDs.

You could get your hands on a funky laptop sleeve, learn the basics of French, boogie on down with the greatest hits from the 70's and 80's CD or get fit for summer at home with a Body Blitz DVD. With loads of gifts to choose from, there's something to suit everyone.

Remember these gifts are free* - all you have to pay is £2.99 for postage and packaging. It's our way of saying thanks for being a TalkTalk customer. So what are you waiting for? Collect your reward today! "

Sounds good so far yeah ?.....well, not quite.....let me explain why.........

This is an example of some of the FREE gifts on offer:

A Neoprene laptop sleeve."Worth £13.99" + £2.99 postage. I bought one of these in the POUND SHOP 2 weeks ago....yes, for a pound !

An HDMI Cable. "Worth £12.99" Err...sorry again ! £1.99 actually in Home Bargains ...less than the postage for my "FREE" item !

A 12-in-1 card reader. Worth £9.99 (as they tell you) ? No.Bought one the exact same from the POUND SHOP...for a pound (Strangely) 2 weeks ago! And yet again you have to pay £2.99 for their postage !

A 4GB MP3/4 player. Foehn & Hirsch W180 Groove MP4 Player 4GB FM Radio G-Sensor and Charger with 1.8 TFT Screen Black.£ 27.99 (SRP £59.99)+£2.99 P&P. Erm.........Ebay says you are wrong

So be warned, all that glitters is not gold, and all that is "free" may actually be being sold !

Suffice to say that I won't be "buying" any of these "rewards" :-)

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