Call For Free Product: You Don't Get What You Don't Pay For

If you watch television, or listen to the radio, or read magazines or newspapers, this is going to sound familiar.  "Tired of working long hours for no pay?  Want to be your own boss?  Make double, triple, up to TEN TIMES your current salary from the comfort of your own home!  Call now for our free book, 'How to Make Money Even When You're Comatose'.   No obligation, and no salesperson will call.  Dial 1-888-888-8888 now!  Hurry, supplies are limited and you don't want to miss out on this golden opportunity!  CALL NOW!"

Have you ever tried calling those numbers?  I have.  Over the past few weeks, I've called several of these ads to see exactly what I could get for free.  Here's what I found out.

Item:  Free Book on Home Remedies
The gentleman who makes this offer says he bought the book himself and was so impressed that he purchased an additional one million copies from the publisher to give away.  When I called, I was told that I could get this book and a second one and only had to pay $10 shipping for each book.  I don't suppose that the gentleman's owning the publishing company had anything to do with it.

Item:  Free CD on Learning a Foreign Language
The company offers to send a CD in the language of your choice to show you how revolutionary their language-learning program is.  The operator informed me that the free CD only showed a very small part of the program, so for an additional $90 I could get the first installment of the program as well, with a full money-back guarantee if not satisfied (less shipping and handling).

Item:  Free Month's Supply of Revolutionary Dietary Supplement
There are several of these floating around right now, with each claiming that you'll live longer, look and feel younger, have a revitalized sex life, and pretty much become somebody you're not.  In each case, you get the free month's supply once you make a purchase of an additional one- to three-month supply of the product, again with that money-back-if-not-completely-satisfied-less-S&H disclaimer.

Item:  Free Book on How to Get Rich Quick
The book is free, and I don't even have to pay for S&H.  However, in order to get it, I have to sign up for a seminar hosted by the author, where he'll hawk his supplemental products that work hand-in-hand with his book and show you step-by-step exactly how to make those millions.  (First, write a book...)

Needless to say, I turned down each of the "free" opportunities.  The bottom line is that nothing in life is free.  Nobody cares enough about you to lose money so you don't have to pay for anything.  These hucksters are aiming for that part of the market that is very young, very naive, or very desperate.  Hopefully you don't fall into any of those categories, and therefore know better.  If not, well, let me talk to you about the deal I learned about on the Internet on how to gain immediate wealth in the real estate market...!