SoapZone Community Message Board

Periodically, either Dad or I will receive an "invitation" to a free meal...in exchange, of course, for sitting through some kind of presentation. Today I got an invite to enjoy a free dinner at a local nice(ish) upscale chain restaurant. I've been meaning to try the place but it's just out of my price range, or at least just out of the amount I'm comfortable spending on dinner out. Of course there's a catch: before you can enjoy a free dinner, you have to sit through a talk by a local(ish) financial institution who really wants you to sign up with them and let them manage your retirement fund(s). I was telling Dad about this, knowing full well there is NOTHING anyone could offer him that would be worth sitting through any kind of talk, and expressing some minor interest...in the free meal. I told him I was more than capable of sitting through a long talk on a subject I had no interest in (and politely refrained from saying I've done just that sometimes when he's pontificating on a subject HE'S interested in <g>). But I wondered if there was a further catch. Like, sit through our long-azz, boring speech AND give us $1000 on the spot to invest and THEN you can have your free steak. He didn't think so...he believes the cost of the meal is part of their advertising budget and while they would of course like everyone to sign up with the company, and they would certainly give you the hard sell, the meal would still be 100% free.

So I'm wondering...has anyone here had any experience with this sort of thing? Or do you always scoff and toss the invitation away?