MouthShut Is Full Of Sh*t. (mouthshut.com)

Member Name: DiFranco01

Product:	mouthshut.com
Date:	29/11/01 (344 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Yeah right.

Disadvantages: Everything., They're Scam Artists.

About a month ago, I joined MouthShut. Now, I am a member of this site (obviously) as well as Epinions (though I'm terribly fed up with them for playing games with their members), and of course at Ciao as well. I'm not doing this "writing on the Internet" thing for money, folks. I have no bills. I live at home with my parents. WHY do I need a "second income" - especially one as small as this type of thing generates? I don't.
Besides which, I live in the United States. That means most non-American sites won't pay me regardless of how well I write, how many of my pieces get rave reviews, et cetera. I'm not asking for payment: I'm asking for honesty from the site founders as well as from other members. I do this because I love writing. I adore it with a passion. Writing on the Internet gives me a chance to receive instant feedback from like-minded people as well as from those who disagree with what I've got to say. It has helped me improve my writing skills, and I have read some VERY interesting and informative things on various author's sites such as this one.

I really didn't care if MouthShut paid or not, but the "earn cash and prizes" caught my eye. Upon further investigation, I discovered that MouthShut does not tell users ANYTHING about what "cash and prizes" means. How much cash, and in what form of currency? MouthShut is based in India, and has a smaller annex in Virginia, U.S.A. Would American members get U.S. currency checks from the Virginia site, or would they have to try and exchange Indian currency?
What about the gift vouchers MouthShut promises? Will I redeem them for toasters, mouse pads, or a MouthShut tee-shirt? They made no mention whatsoever regarding the nature of the gift vouchers.
They also did not say ANYTHING that would exclude non-Indian users from payment or reward. NOWHERE in the FAQ, Web site, or Terms of Service did I read
anything that indicated I would not receive a reward.

That is why I am so upset to hear so many non-Indian members complain of not receiving the rewards they have earned. Some of these writers are absolutely spectacular: Many have even made the "high society" sections of MouthShut - namely, the Featured Reviewer and Star Writer sections, which are given to those with outstanding skills.
This is the way that things work, according to several of the MouthShut users I've interacted with regarding this heinous crime:

Users sign up, but must be members for six months before they can redeem their points. They must also have at least six hundred MS-Points in their account before they can redeem.

These users join the site and write opinions about almost anything - much like dooyoo. MS-Points are given for reading reviews, writing opinions, rating the work of other users, referring friends, et cetera - again, much like other sites like it.

After six months, some of these users have tens of thousands of points in their accounts, have been given the privilege of Star Reviewer status, and are ready to redeem their points.

So, they go to the "My MS-Points" section. This lists the number of points in the account, as well as how they were accumulated. Very spiffy, I must say!

There is no mention of how to redeem points, so the users e-mail MouthShut.
Several times.
And never get a reply.

This goes on for weeks or even MONTHS in some cases. These non-Indian users are quite upset at this point, because they are not getting what they were promised. They have definitely earned their rewards, and would like to get them. Let's face it: NOBODY likes a con job, regardless of its nature. Even I, who does not pay attention to my MS-Points total, can't stand the thought of being inadvertently ripped off and scammed.

Nine times out of ten, MouthShut users who continue t
o complain will try to log in, only to find that MouthShut has deleted their accounts - as well as all the points they've racked up! My my, isn't THIS interesting?

Further e-mailing and probing obviously generates no response. At this point, it is a lost cause, because even if you were to sue MouthShut, they are all the way over in India - a lawsuit THAT far from our home countries would be absolutely trying, if it could even be pulled off to begin with.

So, users such as myself as well as the ones who have actually gotten scammed are spreading the word. MouthShut will NOT pay you unless you live in India - regardless of what it says on their site!

There is also the matter of censorship on MouthShut. Here at dooyoo I may write things good, bad, or indifferent about other sites like it (such as MouthShut or Ciao). MouthShut does not allow this. In fact, they have Content Filters in place: Every time you write a review and attempt to submit it, the software automatically checks to make sure that the words "Epinions," "Ciao," and "dooyoo" are not in your work. If they are, your work will get kicked back, and you will be informed that those terms are not allowed.
When I openly complained about this blatant act of censorship (which upsets me greatly - MUCH more than the fact that I won't ever get paid, as a matter of fact), many Indian users (God bless 'em, I'm not trying to complain about them personally!) wrote nasty comments to me. "Greedy users like you are what got Themestream shut down," et cetera. HOW in the WORLD does my dislike of being censored equate greediness? It makes no sense to me. But, whatever the case, MouthShut royally sucks, and I strongly recommend that you get out of there while you still can.

MouthShut has a few positive aspects, but they are nothing when compared to the overall nature of what will most likely prove to be a giant con job.
Just because MouthShut has a Trusted List and direct messaging to other members doesn't mean getting scammed is going to hurt less, right?

Summary: