You guys must remember I hosted a giveaway in May on behalf of Oasap. I have seen their name on several blogs. So I staked my reputation to give the readers of the blog an opportunity to get something nice in return. I got scammed. I have been working with brands for a while now. If it was a paid post I always got the money in time, if it was a giveaway they always kept their end of the bargain. I haven't worked with brands if we had differences, but, it has always been amicable. I have never had a brand lie so blatantly to me before. I have lost count of how many emails I have sent them to get a reply. When I replied to the original mail pretending to be interested to know more about hosting the giveaway I got a response within hours, asking me to join the June giveaways.
They are scamming hundreds of people in monthly installments. Ain't that a charming pr team at work!
They are scamming hundreds of people in monthly installments. Ain't that a charming pr team at work!
My bells started ringing when I read how Abhi M got scammed by them. Read all about it here - Oasap Giveaway Scam and Giveaway : Good News and Bad.
So I have been digging around a bit. It didn't take much to find others who have had bad experiences with them. This blogger *click* used to advertise for them. But she realised all the photos on this website are from other websites and there is no mention of which brands they belong to. If they had proper tie-ups with these other brands then they would have been upfront about it.
When she inquired about this she was promptly told that her blog doesn't generate enough traffic so they won't work with her anymore. When she wrote this post they apologised and wanted to restart the partnership. But she refused.
When she inquired about this she was promptly told that her blog doesn't generate enough traffic so they won't work with her anymore. When she wrote this post they apologised and wanted to restart the partnership. But she refused.
If I had a bad experience with a brand, even with a sponsor I have been honest about it on this blog. Whatever compensation I get to review products or write about them is never going to be enough for me to lie to you. I can highlight a brand but, if I have never bought from them I will never encourage you to do it, I will rather ask your opinion on them or their products. I always check for reviews of the brands I work with. I am afraid this time my research wasn't enough. Too many out there will tell you how they love a product they got from a sponsor, they won't tell you about the rough dealings if there were any. This blogger *click* also raised doubts about their authenticity. As a blogger working with brands it is our duty to be honest about our experiences. That is the reason more and more consumers turn to online reviews of products and brands than they do to ads on magazines and TV.
This is what they emailed me
Hello Dear, I should like to extend my grateful thanks to your support of Oasap.com!(I had never advertised or bought from them before at that point. So, I don't know what support they were thanking me for!)
Oasap.com has released a lot of pieces for spring and summer 2013, and we'd like to sponsor a giveaway on your blog.
Just a few steps:
1. Put on Oasap banner on the blog (please find the banner from this page: (not linking them);
2. Create a giveaway post which lasts 10 days, and more than three links back to oasap.com;
3. To get more than 50 participants, require all the participants to register as a member of oasap.com and make a comment on your post with the account email;
4. Choose a winner from the participants and send her name, shipping address and phone number to cooperation@oasap.com.
Oasap.com has released a lot of pieces for spring and summer 2013, and we'd like to sponsor a giveaway on your blog.
Just a few steps:
1. Put on Oasap banner on the blog (please find the banner from this page: (not linking them);
2. Create a giveaway post which lasts 10 days, and more than three links back to oasap.com;
3. To get more than 50 participants, require all the participants to register as a member of oasap.com and make a comment on your post with the account email;
4. Choose a winner from the participants and send her name, shipping address and phone number to cooperation@oasap.com.
| The requirements for the participants: 1. Sign up as a member of oasap; 2. Follow at least one of following accounts: (not linking them) 3. Provide the correct shipping information if she will be chosen as a winner. |
| Oasap will also provide $40 credits for you if this giveaway post will bring more than 100 visits to Oasap.com; and more visits more credits. (Data will be based on Google analytics.) |
I was to get 40$ credits if the traffic from my blog reached 100. That has got no relation with the winner getting the prize. I got 74 participants, 100 comments on the post and not even mentioning how much traffic it generated. They however said my blog hasn't generated enough traffic and that they can't be sure if I have had enough participants. That's it. I gave them details of the participants, the winner and told them their behavior was unprofessional. Of course, true to their nature - no response.
I am sincerely sorry for causing you the trouble. I will be deleting my account with them and have removed all links to them. I encourage you to do so too and share anything you can about them
Maybe you or a friend or a blogger you know had a bad dealing with them. Share the stories here and others would know what scam artists they are.
P.S. - The winner was Swarnali Das and I would be sending you some kind of a token for all your troubles and also I apologise again for putting all my readers through this.
Giveaway : Good News And Bad :)Givea
OASAP Giveaway Scam
OASAP Giveaway Scam
OASAP Giveaway Scam
OASAP Giveaway Scam
OASAP Giveaway Scam
OASAP Giveaway Scam
Honestly Debi I've been wary of them for quite some time now, my friend was a paying customer sent a wrong product and it took them three months to send her the right item, they refused to refund her money all through that time and blamed the fact that Sydney is so remote!
ReplyDeleteHonestly Debi I've been wary of them for quite some time now, my friend was a paying customer sent a wrong product and it took them three months to send her the right item, they refused to refund her money all through that time and blamed the fact that Sydney is so remote!
ReplyDeleteNo wonder I saw them EVERYWHERE! Literally almost every single blog had one giveaway like that - it was unbelievable. Thank you so much for opening our eyes! (:
ReplyDeleteI signed up with Oasap and then gave up after a few months. They are ridiculous and so unfair. I'm sorry you were scammed! Save your blog posts for PR's that are actually worth it! Lovely blog by the way :) my dad was born in Calcutta!
ReplyDeletewww.gvadlln.blogspot.co.uk
I knew there was something fishy about them. They would constantly send random mails to me too as if I was working with them and I received the giveaway mail too. So glad I didn’t respond. Thanks for sharing this with us. What they did is really unprofessional and goes to show their standard.
ReplyDelete<3
Sonshu
www.thesonshu.com
I am sorry you had to go through this. I also entered more then several of their giveaways . thanks for giving us a heads up and am passing this on ..
ReplyDeleteThis happened with me but with another brand (sheinside) they told me to make a set andvi did it. Than, they told me that if i'd get enough traffic (more than 100 clicks) they would start the sponsorship! But then they told me it.didnt.get the the traffic they wanted... I was surprised and kind of mad at them.. noe i know hows the brand like :s
ReplyDeleteDear Debi,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear what you've been through. I always trust your posts and reviews since you are honest to us.
With regards to Oasap, I have been working with them since April and by working I mean that I receive credits and then I post my items on my blog.
So far I have never experienced anything bad. They are honest to me. They reply to e-mails and I have not been deceived as far as I am aware.
I have never received this scam e-mail about the giveaway but it was good of you to make this post and make the issue public.
But as a concusion I do believe that we should keep our eyes open with all this kind of companies and their pr programmes.
Send you a kiss my dear!
X
Stella
I quit ollabroating with them almost immediately, They are unprofessional!
ReplyDeleteDon't Call Me Fashion Blogger
Facebook
Bloglovin'
I didn't host the give-away but they also said I didn't bring a lot of traffic while I posted a lot on FB and twitter and I know this brings more then 80 clicks (my current oasap rank) so I just quit with them!
ReplyDeleteoh i'm sorry sis and sorry to heard that. i hope its not happen to you again. and i just to want to say too sis, not all blog giveaways is a scam. they are other giveaway is eligitimate and true.
ReplyDeletexoxo;
rh0ze
http://total-desires.blogspot.com
I got that email and it seemed fishy to me and I don't like that if you didn't get enough participants they wouldn't send a prize. So I ignored it glad I did. That is def a company I will never be affiliated with.
ReplyDeletewww.nightchayde.blogspot.com
I'm sorry Debi!
ReplyDeleteThey are unprofessional!
So sad!!! Not unprofessional
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cultureandtrend.com/
Oh, wow! That is so surprising! What a horrible thing of them to do, completely unprofessional. I'm so glad that you made this post and that I came across it. If I ever get a email to collaborate with them, I definitely won't agree.
ReplyDeleteI don´t do giveaways, and I will have to really know a brand to even considere to work with them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
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Wow thanks for the warning. Just goes to show you can't be too careful! X
ReplyDeletewow I didn't expect that people would do such thing o.o thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteDebi, I am so sorry that you had to go through this. I'm glad you made a post and hope all the others will so the message will get across the blogosphere. I hate slime like that. Don't let this deter you. Have a great week doll.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
Hey Debi I am so sorry and angry that they did the same to you, I was hoping that maybe it was just me..
ReplyDeleteAnyway I think we have learnt a valuable lesson..and moved on
I just feel bad that these people are still scamming customers and bloggers..ughh!!
OOPS...horrible it is...lesson learnt!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Bong's Belleza
thanks for posting this others need to know!
ReplyDeletexo Ilana @ My Modern Vintage
This sucks!! >< I had one giveaway by them and already that time I decided I won't have another one since they will not offer the price if there are not enuff participants, and some participate by e.mail, so.. ;(
ReplyDeleteI like your honesty!
x,
LaraLizard
Thanks so much for the heads up! I haven't worked with many brands yet and am in the process of doing research...so its great when I find information and early warnings! Thanks a lot for this!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this article! It really is a lesson learned that bloggers should research brands before working with them. I just started trying to work with brands and sites for sponsored posts, etc. Thanks for honestly sharing this!
ReplyDeleteI used to be part of their Fashion Hunters Program. I started receiving $30 credits every month then several months later it became $25, then $20, and I even reached $10 until they no longer renew it. I no longer contact that email "cooperation" after that and just promptly removed their banner on my blog. I knew there's something fishy about them but I rather focus on honest brands that I work with now. Thank you for blogging about this, this will serve as a warning to other fashion bloggers.
ReplyDeleteWWW.STYLEVANITY.COM
I joined several blogger x Oasap May giveaway to increase my chance of winning. I won one blogger's giveaway and got so excited since then. After a week or so, the blogger told me that Oasap won't be sending the prize anymore because the blog post didn't generate enough traffic (which is, I think, not true since there are more than 60 participants). The blogger and I was so disappointed. She tried to reach out but she got no response from them :(
ReplyDeletehttp://missstylestunner.blogspot.com/
I Also work it Oasap, and i have done a few give-aways with out any issues. However i try to only do them once in a while because i feel so many people do them, I also agree that they are bit sketchy on where there items come from. I have received over $300 in credits from them and they have always awarded my contest winners. But if i feel that they are trying there scams on me i too will take a step back and re-evaluate.
ReplyDeleteRika's Fashion Box
this was my 1st and last collaboration of any kind with them. there behaviour was frankly unprofessional. i am happy to hear your experience was not bad. but why this erratic way with the bloggers? some good and some really nightmarish!
DeleteI order from this company NEVER AGAIN! Poor quality and won't refund your money.
ReplyDelete