Unfortunately there is no way of knowing until you try the offer, all
the details of how to get your Gmail account will be contained within
the offer. The only thing I can say is if the offer was received
directly from a Google employee it is likely to be legitimate.
As you probably know Gmail is only currently available to beta testers
and invited guests. People who already regularly use Gmail are
granted a number of invitations to allow their friends to try out the
service after a period of time. It is these invitations that are
often advertised for sale (there is currently a thriving trade for
these on eBay).
As with all purchases or offers over the internet, try to discover as
much as you can about the person who is offering you this. Can they
supply you with valid telephone numbers and addresses should the deal
turn out to be false? Can you pay with a credit card that will cover
any losses?
If you are having to buy the account offer ask yourself how much you
are willing to lose, if they are asking more than this I would
seriously consider not buying it. Also remember that when the Gmail
service is opened to all it will be free to sign up (your first choice
name may have gone but there will still be many alternatives), is it
worth paying top dollar now?
I hope this answers your question, I hate to sound too negative but I
would be very cautious about spending too much money on an invitation.
If you have any further questions on this subject please ask for
clarification and I will do my best to help. |
Request for Answer Clarification by
susanam-ga
on
11 Jun 2004 09:43 PDT
You mention credit cards as a safeguard. They have asked for payment
through PayPal-- something I have never used. Is this an indicator of
legitimacy.
The person who is offering the accounts says they have a friend who
works for Google.
|
Clarification of Answer by
palitoy-ga
on
11 Jun 2004 09:51 PDT
First of all, can they prove their friend works for Google? Just
because they say they do doesn't mean they do. Ask them for some
proof of this. You will have to decide for yourself (or contact a
Google employee, Google Answers researchers aren't employees I'm
afraid) whether you then believe this is legitimate.
PayPal is notorious for not helping people get their money back if
something goes wrong but it is also has many supporters. It is a
quick and easy way to pay someone but it can have problems. Take a
look at some of the links here to decide for yourself whether PayPal
is worth the risk:
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=paypal+complaints
://www.google.com/search?q=paypal+sucks&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off
Personally I do use PayPal but that is usually because I have to
rather than because I want to! Incidentally, PayPal is now owned by
eBay.
It should also be noted that PayPal does have a Buyer Protection
Scheme (but I have never used this):
https://www.paypal.com/eBay/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_pbp-info-outside
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
susanam-ga
on
11 Jun 2004 11:52 PDT
Thank you. I got the account. --S
|
Clarification of Answer by
palitoy-ga
on
11 Jun 2004 11:55 PDT
Excellent! I hope you enjoy it, I'm still waiting for mine :-)
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
susanam-ga
on
12 Jun 2004 10:22 PDT
I found three invitations in my new Gmail this morning. Would you like one? --S
|
Clarification of Answer by
palitoy-ga
on
14 Jun 2004 01:08 PDT
Thank-you!
|
