freshPOINTS Are Not So Fresh Anymore – Guest post by PegCityLovely

13 Jun
I love apps! I love looking for new apps and trying them out; then of course I love to tell people about it!
I started using the freshPOINTS app one day about six months ago.   For those who are unaware, freshPOINTS was a mobile grocery rewards app where folks like myself would scan in their groceries and receive points for doing so. After collecting points, you could cash them in for gift cards to a variety of stores etc.
I really enjoyed using the app so I decided to feature it on my blog. About a week after I published my post about the freshPOINTS app, I was contacted by their PR rep.  We discussed a Sneak Peek feature and every week they would send me a listing of the items that would be posted in the app for the following week. It was fun and I loved being able to share, at no point did I think they were sketchy etc.
In the beginning,  there were quite a few abusers of the program because you could get points via referral. They abruptly stopped the referral process.  In the past month they changed the point structure for whatever reason but it was also abruptly changed without notice.  I thought nothing of it, as these things happen right?
However, what I didn’t count on this past week was the abruptness in which they ended the app.  Yup, it’s gone! No more freshPOINTS app.  An email was sent to all participants, and they also posted on their Facebook page and Twitter account that the freshPOINTS app is no longer.  All of my thousands of points – gone.
Am I bitter?  No, not really, I guess I could have cashed them in sooner but then again, how was I to know?  I wanted to save up for valuable gift card!  But you have to wonder, was it just a ploy to get UPC coding information – nah I don’t think so.  Was it a clever way to capture the  spending habits of the users – perhaps ? Or did they not have the right business model in the first place to sustain the growth and deal with the challenges? We’ll never know, but from the passionate comments they had on their Facebook page, I think they may have a rough time when and if they resurrect in the future.  By the way, don’t bother looking for their Facebook page, twitter account or website, they are all gone!
Did you use the freshPOINTS app? What are your thoughts on the app closing down so abruptly? Have you experienced this with any other app?

4 Replies to “freshPOINTS Are Not So Fresh Anymore – Guest post by PegCityLovely

  1. I was saving my points for a gift cert. it was only a matter of time if would do – just like the supernetwork thingy – gone. Some notice would have been nice. Oh well. Next…

  2. IT sounds fishy to me – they should have given you all warning that the app was going to ‘closer’ to give you a chance to redeem your points!

    Interesting to know if anyone received their rewards..?

  3. I found Fresh Points to be a waste of my time. I tried it out for a few weeks, and just couldn’t be bothered with the amount of work it seemed to take… I always forgot to check in at the grocery stores because several of them that I frequent didn’t show up in their system, and then I would put away all my groceries without scanning them… I gave up quickly because time really is money!

    I LOVE the Check Out 51 app thou, and haven’t cashed in yet… I’ve been contemplating cashing in simply because of Fresh Points going under… I’m at 46$ and I would be extremely upset if I didn’t get a check… I think I’ll go cash out now LOL!

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