The Unwired Medic

Teaching EMS providers & other public safety pros about using mobile tech to improve their practice, patient care, continuing education, scene safety, general entertainment, & productivity.

When “FREE” isn’t…

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I like free as much as the next guy. In fact, I count on it to provide reviews on new tech for public safety here for you to read about.  What I don’t like is false advertising, like when you are given a code to redeem for a “free” product (in this case, a Bluetooth tracker for your keys, purse, or whatever you want to attach it to) and you sign up on the site and are told you’ll get an e-mail with instructions on how to complete the offer redemption.  Now they have the code, probably specially generated for the event or marketing campaign which is fine and probably a smart business decision to track marketing effectiveness, and they also have your e-mail address. Then they send you the “offer” to complete, and it takes you back to their site. The product is free, and suddenly, you see “+ S&H“. REALLY? You didn’t think to mention that when I visited your vendor booth at CES and talked with the rep for 10 minutes about your product, or to put that slightly totally relevant information on the “free” offer card, or on the special website page you dedicated to it BEFORE I submitted my e-mail address? You had to wait until the page where you paroxysmally ask for credit card information?

FREE *plus S&H - image by Fotomedic

…image by Fotomedic

Too bad! I was really looking forward to writing a review article here to share with the public safety community. Wouldn’t a relatively inexpensive product like that be useful for preventing crews from leaving jump bags and $25,000 monitor/defibrillators, or portable ultrasounds, or laptops and tablets, or apparatus and narc cabinet keys on scene?

I’d love to publicly shame the company that opted to use this disappointing tactic on its guests and potential customers, but I apparently have more integrity than they do, and I don’t post negative reviews.

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