Using False Birth Date for Vouchers

Slippy on 08/05/2015 - 13:14
Last edited 08/05/2015 - 13:16

Hi

Wednesday was my birthday. I was spammed with vouchers in my email from websites I have bought from before. most were $5 and not worth it (can give away if anyone wants code) however a $20 voucher code came from one website im signed up from the crazy deal on ozb a few months ago

I then found a free shipping voucher on ozbargain and combined with my $20 to get a $60 order delivered for $30

my friend really wants something on their site that is $50 + 10$ shipping and would love to only pay $30 (50% off)

I suggested to sign up and put birth date as tomorrow and wait and see if receives a voucher. here are my 3 questions to the Oz Bargain Professional's before we go ahead and try it.

  1. Would this work ?
  2. Is this Ethical/Legal?
  3. Should we use this more often and compile a list of websites that give decent birthday rewards?

Kind Regards,

Slippy

General Discussion

Comments

  • pyramid on 08/05/2015 - 13:16
    +33

    Unethical. Why do you even need to ask this question?

    • Slippy on 08/05/2015 - 13:20
      -2

      Good point, i guess question 2 doesn't need to be asked, however quite a lot of the tactics used here to get extra savings could be considered unfair from seller's point of view and we +1 the person for pointing out the tip to get the extra saving.

      • pyramid on 08/05/2015 - 13:26
        +4

        Can you point to at least one deal or post that uses unethical tactics like this one?

        • grasstown on 08/05/2015 - 15:55
          +8

          This to me is one of the most non unethical ( double negative) ideas on this site. I usually put 1 Jan as my birthday on all sites. My bday is none of their business and the year is enough for them in my opinion. I don't do it for the reason of the op, but in my view a fake email on a website mail list is not comparable to using a fake birthday where it is important.

        • [Deactivated] on 08/05/2015 - 17:48
          +6

          @grasstown: I am with grasstown on this. I ALWAYS change my birthday when I do 'stuff' online. MY privacy is my business. By providing my name, address, DOB, etc I am leaving myself open to identity fraud. Sometimes when I have an issue and need to call and they ask me a security question I give them 3 or 4 birthdays to try :) Obviously this only works for websites that do not require ID documents to enrol - like flybuys, Woolies Card, etc. I also change my middle name sometimes so that if I start getting spam I can track who sold my details.

        • readannie on 10/05/2015 - 16:34

          @cniminc - I would say, posting a targeted code to Ozb is one of them. Creating multiple accounts to get the same deal. Gift card AMEX deal. The list goes on.

        • Geewhizz on 11/05/2015 - 06:04

          @grasstown:

          You're my twin! Like you, it's none of their business, and as I see it anyone who does give their correct birth date on the net is asking for trouble. They already have plenty of personal info without that.

          EDIT: Oops, I see Bradn has already posted pretty much the same thing. Unlike Bradn though, I always just stick to the same date though ….. easier to remember

        • ilovepizza on 11/05/2015 - 13:24

          @grasstown: but you could just put your birthday as a day after your real birthday

    • Scrooge McDuck on 10/05/2015 - 16:45
      +1

      Unethical

      Is it ethical for a business to con today's Facebook generation sheeple en masse into divulging all their personal identity information in a webform to be stored in databases forever for who-knows-what purpose present and future by the order of who-knows-who anounced only on the umpteenth page of a gargantuan obfuscated Terms & Conditions or Privacy Policy document just for some measley perk in return?

      *gasp*

      And if they're willing to accept my 'Name' as "Mickey Mouse" and my 'Address' as "123 Fake St"; I'd say using whatever-the-heck date I like for my 'D.O.B.' is fair game! ><

  • alwayscheaper on 08/05/2015 - 13:37

    Lol, only suggestion I got is put birth date to next month, business takes time to process datebases and usually send vouchers in advance.

  • ajdlinux on 08/05/2015 - 14:19
    1. Possibly, depending on how their system works
    2. No, obviously. OzBargain tends to prefer working within the terms and conditions of offers. (well, except if they're Amex statement credits with gift cards…)
    3. A list of birthday rewards would be great - for use on birthdays.
    • Maki on 08/05/2015 - 14:29
      +10

      I think we got this already?!

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/list_of_birthday_deals

      • ajdlinux on 08/05/2015 - 17:18

        …I knew I'd seen that somewhere!

    • grasstown on 08/05/2015 - 16:01
      +9

      Wow there is a huge difference between law and ethics. Ozbargainers can't tell the difference. But staying within the terms and conditions is not an indication of ethical. Something illegal can be ethical and something legal can be unethical. Much on this site is questionable and appalling to some who have higher ethics.

      • ajdlinux on 08/05/2015 - 17:20
        +3

        I didn't phrase my original post particularly clearly, so to be clearer - yes, there's a difference between law and ethics, and there's certainly stuff on this site that straddles that line. But as a general rule, I believe that within the context of a country like hours, "ethical" is usually a subset of "lawful".

  • MITM on 08/05/2015 - 15:43
    +2

    Happy Birthday Slippy, but sounds like white collar crime.

  • iridiumstem on 08/05/2015 - 16:05

    I don't think it's unethical level, but certainly, it's questionable.

    Though, I think there are groups of people who should be allowed to get away with it or at least be able to use those vouchers on the month their birthday is on, like those people who were born in Christmas or near Christmas (as no shop is open around Christmas), or those people who were born on leap day.

  • c64 on 08/05/2015 - 19:43
    +4

    i get an aweful lot of happy birthday emails for 1 jan.

  • babylon on 08/05/2015 - 19:45

    Do you have a Priceline $5 birthday voucher? The barcode you have to print out if you joined the Sister Club?

    If you aren't going to use it, can I have it? I need some contact lens eyedrop.

  • outlander on 08/05/2015 - 21:15
    -2

    You used a $20 voucher and a free shipping code to get a $60 order delivered for $30?
    dude you can do whatever you want. You magic

    • juventino on 09/05/2015 - 05:34

      $50 + $10 shipping = $60 order.

      Deduct it with free shipping code and $20 voucher

      $30 delivered.

      I magic too . It seems.

      • outlander on 09/05/2015 - 15:50
        -1

        No, you just fudged the numbers to make it make sense. There are plenty of jackasses in this world who do that everyday.
        nowhere did he say his order cost $10 to ship

        • grasstown on 09/05/2015 - 18:13
          +1

          But he did say it . He said 10 to ship. Slippy said it. Up the top there. Have a look. It's still there

        • outlander on 09/05/2015 - 21:22
          -2

          @grasstown:
          quote it for me

        • grasstown on 09/05/2015 - 23:44
          +1

          @outlander:
          my friend really wants something on their site that is $50 + 10$ shipping and would love to only pay $30 (50% off)

        • gimli on 10/05/2015 - 08:23

          @outlander:
          Why so serious?

        • outlander on 10/05/2015 - 12:02
          -2

          @grasstown:

          I then found a free shipping voucher on ozbargain and combined with my $20 to get a $60 order delivered for $30

          It costs $10 for his friend. Is it the same for him?
          Here's a quiz - I bought a piano for $200 including shipping to my house in sydney. My friend bought a tshirt from the same site, for the same price, including a shipping cost of $30, except he lives off the coast of Antarctica 500m below the surface of the ocean. What was the cost to ship the piano?

        • outlander on 10/05/2015 - 12:02

          @jubba:

          Why so serious?

          Because this is serious business jubba

        • grasstown on 10/05/2015 - 12:38

          @outlander:

          I presume there is still a free shipping code for the friend.

        • dazweeja on 11/05/2015 - 11:39

          @outlander:

          Here's a quiz for you:

          I found a free shipping voucher on ozbargain and combined with my $20-off voucher, got a $60 order delivered for $30. How much did my shipping cost?

          There's only one possible answer…

        • outlander on 11/05/2015 - 15:18

          @dazweeja:
          Thomas Jefferson?

  • djones145 on 09/05/2015 - 08:21

    can do what every u want I guess, but u better sleep with one eye open, the birthday police is coming and will be checking ur ID any time to match those on the birthday discount websites!

    • gimli on 10/05/2015 - 08:23
      +1

      Is the birthday police friends with the tooth fairy

  • Hildy on 10/05/2015 - 09:53

    Illegal. Misrepresentation for financial gain.

    • johnno07 on 10/05/2015 - 10:06

      However, can it still be classed as fraud if this "financial gain" was something that they would have been entitled to anyway, just at a later date? The legal question then being: if you misrepresent some fact, causing a financial gain to come about earlier than it otherwise would, is this still fraud?

      • kronicmacstigator on 10/05/2015 - 10:47
        +3

        It may in some courtroom in fairy land be considered fraud… but there is no way in hell would I even ENTERTAIN the thought of prosecuting a person for fraud just because they used a different birthday date than their real one! Would be a complete waste of time. So go right ahead. If the business is willing to send it, good for you!

        • johnno07 on 10/05/2015 - 12:57

          It would really depend on the circumstances (degree/nature of gain etc), but in this case, I agree - it wouldn't get past the post.

        • rapoot6 on 11/05/2015 - 20:43

          @johnno07: It is unlikely that the birthday promotion is going to be a significant cost to the business. Taking legal action on the other hand would be.

    • grasstown on 10/05/2015 - 10:31

      Haha . What financial gain did they obtain at the time of the misrepresentation?

  • supnigs super skids on 10/05/2015 - 09:59
    +4

    Nah. Do what you want. I am careful to give any websites my real d.o.b. They could use the details to potentially reset accounts or gives them a step closer to do if the website ever gets hacked.

  • coldogga on 10/05/2015 - 11:00

    While slightly off-topic, I've always wondered how much information is passed between a website and a bank during an online purchase (via VISA or Mastercard). I was under the assumption that birthdate, at the very least, was communicated.

    I was always under the assumption that with VISA at least, the site would provide information about the person to the bank, as a form of verification that they are the cardholder (or at least have more information than just the card number an CCV).

    I tried googling around for this information but couldn't find anything relevant, is anyone able to shed some light on the process that takes place? Better yet some official links?

    • twig on 10/05/2015 - 17:16

      It's not required. I've put false DOB many times (because most sites don't need to know your real one anyway, and it's easy enough to create a new account if need be)

      Name, card number and CCV number and address is generally sufficient. Any extra information is optional but helps identify unusual spending.

  • shortgum on 11/05/2015 - 09:16

    This one is hard to say. depend on where to use these birthday vouchers.

  • mousie on 11/05/2015 - 14:44

    everyday my birthday because b*tches love cake

  • rompastompa on 11/05/2015 - 14:57
    +2

    I don't think it's that unethical. They're prepared to offer the discount anyway (whether it be their cost price or just a smaller mark up). It's not like they'll be offering it less than their cost price, and if they do, then I'm sure they'll be in your good books for you to pay retail next time.

    It's purely a marketing strategy to get you to buy from them. It's like saying you'll get a discount for your first purchase. Is it unethical for you to create a new account so you get a discount again? Businesses are (or should be) aware of this, and make sure they still are making profits.

    I think it's more unethical for you to find a loop hole in someones script and whinge when they don't honour it. You know it's a mistake, but you still try and take advantage of it. (Though, you may see it as error-correcting, you're helping them by showing them the exploit so it won't happen again.. that's worth something, right?)

    • rapoot6 on 11/05/2015 - 20:42

      I see where you are coming from and agree but isn't it unethical to make a false claim (birth date)?

      • rompastompa on 12/05/2015 - 11:40
        +1

        If it was a government body where you have to prove your identity, yes.

        This just a marketing strategy to make you feel like they're doing a special thing for you.

        It's like valentines day sales. They're selling flowers/chocolates cheaper because they care about you. Or, they're doing it because they know they'll get the business. Small profits can lead to big profits.

        It's a great marketing strategy if everyone thinks that the business is making no money or perhaps losing money just because it's your birthday. It grants that little bit of loyalty which seems so lacking these days.

        Additionally, it gets you to sign up for it, so they're giving you a BOGOF or discount once per year so you're on the mailing list. Would you be on their mailing list if they didn't offer your birthday "gift"?

        Don't read that I'm against it, I can just see why they do it.

        Maybe I'm reading too much into it, and all these companies just want you to feel special on your birthday because you deserve it! ;)

  • CandyMan on 11/05/2015 - 21:12

    It's a once yearly promotion
    Chose whatever DOB you like
    I never give out my real DOB
    Unethical in this case … No (IMO)

    Will it work : some businesses send vouchers closer to the year mark after you opened you're account or a month before you're bloated birthday so you might miss out

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