Virgin Mobile referrals? Waste of Time!

Virgin Mobile in Canada offers a referral program whereby if you refer friends to Virgin, you get a $25 gift card for each friend you refer.

However what they don't tell you is that the referral program is ridiculously complicated (you and your friend both have to be on Facebook, and you need to get a code off a Facebook page, which your friend gives to Virgin, your friend has to sign up for 1 specific package deal, and your friend has to pay their first bill on time to be considered a proper referral).

So to repeat that you MUST have the proper code.

You must both be on Facebook to qualify.

It only counts if your friend signs up for Virgin Mobile SuperTab™ or 3 year agreement.

And the first bill must be paid on time.

Or else you get nothing.

Lastly, the prize?

Its just a gift card. Possibly even has an expiry date. A mere $25. If you spend 3 hours talking to your friend, getting the proper code, going with them to the store to browse phones, make sure they pay their first bill on time... well then its not even minimum wage.

A better solution would be a decent number (say $40 to $50 per referral), ignore the Facebook requirement, ignore the "on time" requirement and make it "as soon as they pay their first bill"...

And don't make it a lousy gift card. Make it $40 or $50 cashback. Virgin Mobile Canada can certainly afford it, they're owned by BCE which reported $5 billion in profits in 2010.

Now you might think, hey, if you refer lots of friends each month then you could basically get free service on your phone... but there is a limitation in the fine print.

You can only refer up to 5 friends maximum. After that you get nothing.

Basically Virgin is looking for FREE social marketing from people promoting their products - social marketing they don't really have to pay for, because the gift cards are being supplied for free from advertising partnerships.

But I don't recommend people actually bother referring friends. Waste of your time. You would be better off getting a part time job, starting a profitable hobby, or even starting your own business.