Welcome to the AnandTech Hot Deals Forum. Before you post, please take some time to read the rules for this forum.
Unlike websites devoted to coupons, bargains and "deals," AnandTech Forums are computer oriented forums. Our Hot Deals forum is provided as a convenience to our members. That is why most popular posts are for Hot Deals for computer-related items.
What is a good topic for a new thread?
New threads are for posting the deals you have found. We also have an ongoing thread at the top of the forum to ask for, or post information about, current rebate programs.
~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread ~~~~
If you are looking for deals on particular items, please use our search engine.
What is a Hot Deal? Here are a few examples:
What about COUPONS and PROMOTIONAL CODES?
There are no restrictions on posting coupons or promotional codes in this forum.
What other kinds of posts are not permitted?
You may post a simple link to your own business in your sig file. Please do not include specific offers for products, promotions or deals. Please do not include any links not permitted in your posts (pay-to-surf, auction sites, etc.).
What about ETHICS?
If you question whether a deal is real or a mistake, call or write the company, and ask. If it is a valid deal, post it. If it isn't, DO NOT post it, and DO NOT complain about it.
If there are limitations on a deal, DO NOT discuss ways to get around them.
If you think your post may be unethical, it probably is. DON'T POST IT. If you don't care about ethics, FIND ANOTHER FORUM. There are plenty of sites devoted to these kinds of activities. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM! If that is what you want to do, PLEASE GO THERE. If you insist on doing it, here, you may become an involuntary lurker.
What about CONSUMER RIGHTS and BAD DEALS?
We all know there are dishonest dealers on the Internet. We also know that, at one time or another, everyone makes honest mistakes. Legitimate Hot Deals are Hot. Dishonest, deceptive and fraudulent offers and practices are NOT.
If a company has acted dishonestly or fraudulently, threads discussing legal ways to enforce your rights are a valid and important topic for discussion.
If a company posts a deal and then cancels it for reasons such as a pricing error, before you scream for blood or go looking for a lawyer, consider the circumstances:
What about COURTESY?
No thread crapping. If the subject matter of a deal does not interest you, do not post negative comments about it, or about other members, in the thread.
Possibly the worst examples we have had of this have been in posts for free religious items, such as bibles, etc. If you want to discuss religion, or any other such non-computer topic, do it in our Off Topic forum. The discussions in that forum cover a wide range of topics, but needless flaming and rude, mean-spirited posts are not welcome there, either.
Stick to discussing the deal. Do not post needless rude or trivial comments about someone else's posts. Flaming can only hurt someone's feelings. Nuisance posts, such as "In before the lock," "******" or other needless bumps just recycle bad threads and force good ones off the first page of the forum.
Think before you post. Rude posts can kill a good deal. For example, posts for deals on sexually related items such as condoms and lubricants are ok, but if others cannot refrain from posting lewd or childish remarks, that would be reason to lock or delete the thread.
Be a helpful poster.
If you think you have a hot deal, give information in the title to describe the deal. Don't just put in a model number without the brand. Also put in the vendor/location of the deal if if you have room in the thread title. Don't make people have to click on the link to find out what you're referring to.
When are negative comments allowed?
Unlike websites devoted to coupons, bargains and "deals," AnandTech Forums are computer oriented forums. Our Hot Deals forum is provided as a convenience to our members. That is why most popular posts are for Hot Deals for computer-related items.
What is a good topic for a new thread?
New threads are for posting the deals you have found. We also have an ongoing thread at the top of the forum to ask for, or post information about, current rebate programs.
~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread ~~~~
If you are looking for deals on particular items, please use our search engine.
What is a Hot Deal? Here are a few examples:
- A discount coupon on a vendor's site.
- Info about a good "price match + rebate" situation.
- Links to store ads and reposts of store ads, especially if they contain a really great deal. You should include a "heads up" about the specific deal in the thread title and/or your post.
- Any nice premium deals, as long as those taking advantage are in the intended group. If a company wants to survey Senior Network Administrators, or if they offer a discount to retail sales employees, and you are in the tenth grade, you probably do not qualify. It is a good idea to point out such limitations in your post.
What about COUPONS and PROMOTIONAL CODES?
There are no restrictions on posting coupons or promotional codes in this forum.
What other kinds of posts are not permitted?
- No SPAM!
- This includes:
- Links to multi-level marketing schemes such as pay-to-surf or pay-for-referral sites, whether paid in cash or premiums.
- No links to auction sites. We do not consider auctions to be Hot Deals. Posting a link to your own auction offer may be reason to lock your account.
- No links to deals, promotions or offers by your own business or your employer. This is the "No Dealers" rule. We do not intend our forums as a free sales floor for your business. If you want to promote your company on AnandTech, contact our sales department about buying a banner ad.
- No links to gaming sites or pornographic or sexually explicit materials.
- No links to offers of OEM software without qualifying hardware or to software licenses without a qualifying installation disk (CD, etc.).
- No group buys. Sorry, but these deals have been costly to our members from both honest mistakes and outright fraud.
- No posting of referral links and no soliciting or requesting referrals by PM either.
You may post a simple link to your own business in your sig file. Please do not include specific offers for products, promotions or deals. Please do not include any links not permitted in your posts (pay-to-surf, auction sites, etc.).
What about ETHICS?
If you question whether a deal is real or a mistake, call or write the company, and ask. If it is a valid deal, post it. If it isn't, DO NOT post it, and DO NOT complain about it.
If there are limitations on a deal, DO NOT discuss ways to get around them.
If you think your post may be unethical, it probably is. DON'T POST IT. If you don't care about ethics, FIND ANOTHER FORUM. There are plenty of sites devoted to these kinds of activities. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM! If that is what you want to do, PLEASE GO THERE. If you insist on doing it, here, you may become an involuntary lurker.
What about CONSUMER RIGHTS and BAD DEALS?
We all know there are dishonest dealers on the Internet. We also know that, at one time or another, everyone makes honest mistakes. Legitimate Hot Deals are Hot. Dishonest, deceptive and fraudulent offers and practices are NOT.
If a company has acted dishonestly or fraudulently, threads discussing legal ways to enforce your rights are a valid and important topic for discussion.
If a company posts a deal and then cancels it for reasons such as a pricing error, before you scream for blood or go looking for a lawyer, consider the circumstances:
- Did the original ad contain enough information to show that the company knew (or should have known) the true value of the items offered and the amount of the discount they were offering?
- Did the company announce the cancellation in a timely manner?
- Did the company offer any reasonable compensation (discount, gift certificate, etc.) to those who were legitimately inconvenienced by their actions?
- Does the company have a documented history of "bait-and-switch" or other questionable tactics?
- Uninformed rants and misinformation accomplish nothing.
- Calls for illegal acts of retaliation can only lead to trouble. Those who engage in such acts may lose any rights they had and end up with legal problems of their own.
- If a bunch of greedy people actually manage to hurt a good company, it will only ruin future good deals for everyone.
What about COURTESY?
No thread crapping. If the subject matter of a deal does not interest you, do not post negative comments about it, or about other members, in the thread.
Possibly the worst examples we have had of this have been in posts for free religious items, such as bibles, etc. If you want to discuss religion, or any other such non-computer topic, do it in our Off Topic forum. The discussions in that forum cover a wide range of topics, but needless flaming and rude, mean-spirited posts are not welcome there, either.
Stick to discussing the deal. Do not post needless rude or trivial comments about someone else's posts. Flaming can only hurt someone's feelings. Nuisance posts, such as "In before the lock," "******" or other needless bumps just recycle bad threads and force good ones off the first page of the forum.
Think before you post. Rude posts can kill a good deal. For example, posts for deals on sexually related items such as condoms and lubricants are ok, but if others cannot refrain from posting lewd or childish remarks, that would be reason to lock or delete the thread.
Be a helpful poster.
If you think you have a hot deal, give information in the title to describe the deal. Don't just put in a model number without the brand. Also put in the vendor/location of the deal if if you have room in the thread title. Don't make people have to click on the link to find out what you're referring to.
When are negative comments allowed?
- If you know a "deal" is a scam.
- If the post contains improper links, such as click-through referrals, etc. If you know a better link for the same deal, post it in the thread.
- If there is any other reason to warn others about an offer or link. For example, many sites offering free magazine subscriptions have been known to continue billing credit cards long after the subscription was canceled. Also, if you know a vendor has a bad reseller rating, you are doing your fellow members a favor by warning them.
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