Handspring Visor PDA for free with account at DLJ ($179 value)

[SimMike2]

http://www.dljdirect.com/cgi/inet/promotions.trn?promotion=GEN1000AD Open an Internet Stock account at DLJ, keep a minimum deposit of $1000 for six months and get a free Handspring Visor PDA, which is very similar to Palm PDA. After you open the account, and DLJ receives at least $1000 for deposit in your account, you get the PDA in 6 to 8 weeks.

Anyone else get this deal? I bought one of the Staple's closeout DaVinci's and while it was OK for $30, it wet my appetite for a more full featured PDA. Did I make a smart decision going for this DLJ deal?

 

[perry]

Sounds like a decent deal to me! I'd jump on it if I had $1000 to spare for six months.

 

[dukdukgoos]

I did it. Came very quickly. I love my Visor, although I'd love it even more if it were wireless! Anyway, this is one of many great deals you can find if you're willing to tie up some money for awhile (still earning interest, of course!)

 

[loogie]

Hey, i'm a newbie at this online trading, but if the money just sits in the account, is it FDIC insured? I applied, but they have to review, probably because I'm at a new address. Oh, how long does it take to get the thing?

 

[SimMike2]

One question to people who got this deal: when I signed up, I went through screen after screen of regulations, which I just said "yes" to. (I could've be signing away my first born for all I know.) Does DLJ send me some regular mail with details on how to deposit the money? Or do I just get the address online and mail the money myself? I do have my account number and other details and I can access my account.

E-Trade was different. They made me print out a big registration form, sign, date the form, and send in the money. DLJ seems almost too lax.

Mike

 

[mwa009]

When I sign up for a new account, nothing about this free visor was
mentioned. So I wonder how do they know they should send me a free visor? Do they send a free visor to any new account which has $1000+ in it? Did I miss anything? dukdukgoos, you already got the visor. So you should be able to answer this question. Pls help.

 

[Good4Me]

dukdukgoos:
Does the visor come with a cradle or a cable?

 

[RandomCoil]

Good4Me: Following the link would have answered your question...

"This offer is for a 2MB Visor with USB cradle package."

RC

 

[dukdukgoos]

as long as you signed up via the free visor link you'll be okay. it comes with a usb cradle; serial cradle is extra if you need it. i have the money in a money market account...not fdic insured but it's perfectly safe. i'll close the account after the 6 months is up and put it in my etrade account, which i prefer.

 

[hkchan]

dukdukgoos,

Since you did it and I assume it was the last time they had this same promotion, how did you send in the money? They never gave me an account # after I had signed up online. I logged on and tried to see my "Account Profile". The system is currently down. Did you simply send them a check with your user ID? They never even mentioned an address to send the check either.

 

[Agamemnon]

Received this from them Friday, Sept. 1

Dear Investor:

We apologize for the delay in the delivery of your Handspring Visor, and regret any inconvenience this may have caused. We are currently in the process of mailing this special offer. Please expect to receive your Handspring Visor within the next two weeks.

Thank you again for choosing DLJdirect as your online brokerage. We look forward to serving your online investing needs.


Sincerely,


Barry Mione
DLJdirect Inc.
Member SIPC, Member NASD.

 

[dukdukgoos]

They sent me a information kit in the mail and I sent them a check. I forgot to put the account # on it the first time so they sent it back to me. Sent it again with the account # and got the Visor 2-3 weeks later. I'm totally addicted to the thing now...AvantGo is very cool...

 

[Shupaman]

Questions for people with Visors
1. Does Visor sync with Outlook...I know that the Palm IIIe doesn't unless you buy the $40 software.
2. Is it sturdy? I heard the Palm feels stronger.
3. Have you had a problem with scratching the screen with the included stylus?

Thanks guys...

 

[dukdukgoos]

syncs with outlook 2000 just fine...

feels sturdy enough, although i wish it had a flip top like the palm...

stylus doesn't scratch the screen...

 

[dbLA]

This is a sweet deal. I just signed up and mailed my check. The online application was a little confusing because, when I finished, it took me to a page that said I could now login to my account, but the rest of the page gave instructions for how to open an account. I called customer service and was assured that the application process was complete.

So, I will earn money-market rates on my $1000, plus I will get a $179 PDA which I was going to buy anyway. The annualized rate of return for getting the PDA is better than 35% (when you figure that you can close the account after 6 months). This is much better than most of my other investments have done lately.

 

[SimMike2]

I dont' want to resurrect this thread from the dead, but here goes. The details of the promotion state that your account can't go below $1000 during the six month period. Well what happens if you invest that money in a stock that goes down in price? This means your portfolio would be worth less than $1000. The gist of this comment is that it might be best to just let your money sit in the money market account. Since you are getting a PDA that would cost a minimum of $100, your return on $1000 dollar is darn good, especially when you add in the fairly decent money market rates.

Mike

 

[sweetca]

Agamemnon, pretty off topic but I just realized what your name is

very intellectual

Sam

 

[quickcat]

Just signed on.
But one question about the deposit check. Why is it payable to "DLJdirect", not myself like other banking accounts do?? Is it safe?
Then where should I indicate my name and account?
Thanks!

 

[Ender510]

So how long does the Visor really take? Does it really take 6 weeks or is it really less?

 

[AkumaX]

a question for those who can do w/o a $1000 for six months:

what's better, the palm IIIe from DLJ or the visor from etrade?
is it easier to buy stocks from DLJ or etrade?

 

[dbLA]

quickcat,

For some reason, brokerages always have me make out the check to them, rather than to me (like with a bank account). Nothing to worry about. Brokerage accounts are not FDIC insured, but they are heavily regulated by the SEC, and DLJ has been around for longer than most of us have been alive. Just put your account number on the check, either at the top of the check or in the endorsement area on the back (I phoned customer service to get my account number, but if you login with your account name and temporary password, you should be able to find your account number in there somewhere).

SimMike2 is absolutely correct to note that you can't let the account value drop below $1000 during your first 6 months for this offer. To be safe, I'm just going to park it in the money market "sweep" account during that time. The interest rate is comparable to a bank CD rate.

 

[Nitzylplick]

AkumaX you have those switched around, the visor is from DLJ. Go to your local B&M staples and check them out for yourself. The visor has the springboard which allows you to drop in extra memory, a digital camera, a modem, a game and other things. BTW you can buy the visor direct for $149 but I don't recall if that includes the USB docking bay.

 

[SimMike2]

Just to be on the safe side, I parked $1050 in this account. For the first six months I don't plan on investing in any stocks, I'll use E-Trade for investments. People better at math can figure out the interest rate, but getting a $149 device for a six month $1000 investment is darn good interest! And you still get money market rates on top of this.

If you want a PDA, and you have some money sitting in a poor interest account, like credit unions, this is a fantastic deal.

Mik

 

[hanybanoub]

Where on earth do you find

<< the money market &quot;sweep&quot; account?? >>

dbLA

I can't find it anywhere, nor my account number. How do you know you'll be getting the Visor? Will it be after the recieve the $1000? And can you just cancel at the end of 6 mos. as such without any hassles from them?

I'd appreciate any help guys. And thanks for a GREAT deal.

Woo-hoooo!

 

[hanybanoub]

ttt with a great deal!