Update: 30-07-2009
This is not a scam, but the owner has given up, and set the site for sale.
The future of the program is unpredictable, and I will no longer recommend anyone to join.
Michael
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What I am about to do, I thought never would had happen.
I had never thought, you should read a review from my hand about a program, that should be categorized only as a cycler, hyip, or a gifting program.
Under normal circumstances it would be most unlikely, that I even spend time visiting such site, but I was introduced by a friend, who asked me my honest take on if he had got scammed (once again).
Read on and decide if he is or not your self, because honestly I can’t make a decision.
‘Birthday Bonus Club’ is set up as a WordPress blog. Nothing wrong in that; it’s fast, easy, cheap, and the site can be very professionally designed. Lots of professional and very serious businesses do set up their home pages in this manner, and in fact most of my sites are based on either Joomla or WordPress scripts.
Now; the design of ‘Birthday Bonus Club’ is absolutely alright, though I believe I have seen the theme used times before, and I am pretty sure they have got it for free. Nothing wrong with that either. Why pay for something if you can get your needs covered for free? I don’t, and again you will find that I too, make use of free themes if you visit my blog, though I have made some changes to the original template.
Ok – so far no real red flags waving, but what is the program it self all about?
Basically it is a gifting program. You join and hope for (some really seriously believe) strangers to pay you a certain amount of money over time. The likeness of a pyramid scheme / scam is not hard to see, and in most countries, if not all, both gifting as well as pyramid programs are illegal with a very good reason.
What makes ‘Birthday Bonus Club’ standing out from the outright scams, and most likely also makes it legal most places, is that it doesn’t cost you anything to join.
You read that right – it is free to join!
Of course there must be money involved somewhere or where is the ‘bonus’ part of the birthday? Why run such a website if not to earn money somehow?
First off – you are never to pay anything to ‘Birthday Bonus Club’ directly. The owners will make their income from advertising, eventually bought by you and otherwise. So that’s where the owners expect to make their money – and lure me if not they participate in the program at top positions too.
Once again, nothing wrong in that; why shouldn’t they? – It’s their program.
I know for sure I would if in their shoes.
Now; what’s in it then for the general public – my friend from before, you and I?
Well after reading the program through, for I don’t know how many times, I decided this to be
such a cozy and funny idea, I just couldn’t resist to participate my self.
Because that is exactly what it is: A cozy and funny idea, but with the potential giving you an unexpected and very nice surprise at your birthday. How would you like lots of people you don’t even know, to pay you a small gift at your Birthday? You see; that is what ‘Birthday Bonus Club’ is all about.
You join the program for free, but every now and then, on their birthday, you are asked to pay some other members between $2 and $5 as a present. The most you will have to pay in total is $60 a year.
This is because of the nature of the program. When you join, you are placed in a forced matrix (3×9), and the members you will be asked to pay a birthday present, is limited to no more than 12 people (only once a year of course – at their birthday – max. $5 x 12 = max. $60).
You are not even required to donate to any member ever.
When you are asked to give a donation to somebody on their birthday, you are given a ranking on how well you give on other people’s Birthdays. At your birthday, the system behind the program will determine according to your ranking, how much other members should give to you (between $2 and $5).
It’s like that very important saying: ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you’. If for some reason you can not afford or just will not pay the birthday child, you can do so 3 times. The fourth time you will be dropped from the ‘Birthday Bonus Club’.
Of course any such program will work only, if everyone do their best to get new members. The goal for any member would therefor be to refer at least a couple of people. The more people in your downline, the more people will be giving you a birthday present.
It shouldn’t be hard though to make people join to a free program, but as the club is build on a forced matrix, even though you are not able to convince anyone at all ‘Birthday Bonus Club’ is worth joining, you are likely to have a downline build for you over time. That’s because of ‘spill over’ coming from your upline from time to time. One just has to remember not to rely on ‘spill over’ as if everyone did that, the organization would stall immediately.
Your potential birthday bonus is more than $140,000 a year, and I find that to be a very nice present indeed. But I know that even if I got only a few bucks, I personally would still find it to have been a lot of fun just to have participated.
As a last remark; the club has an active forum, where support of all kind is available. By reading just a few postings, I recognise an admin that take good care of his members and the club.
For (most likely) the only time ever, I recommend a ‘gifting’ program.
As mentioned earlier, I have chosen to participate in this ‘free to join’ program my self, and I consider it as a fun and cozy lottery ticket. If you do not consider joining right away too, at least have a closer look at ‘Birthday Bonus Club’. I find it entertaining and who knows; perhaps even able to make my next birthday a very profitable one.
Popularity: 65% [?]
