Readbud IS a Scam

Update 12/9/10: Red Alert! Readbud IS a SCAM! It’s official - see PTC Investigations for full report.


Ok - I’m finally tired of Readbud. Even if I eventually am paid, I’m not recommending anyone waste their time on the site. Is Readbud a scam? If you define scam as a site that never pays, I don’t know yet. If you define scam as a site that doesn’t deliver as promised? Then yes, Readbud IS a scam.

One Reason Readbud IS a Scam

The site states “readbud offers hundreds of articles daily across all our Interest Topics. On average, a readbud member will receive just over 50 relevant articles daily assuming they've chosen the maximum 50 interest topics from over 340 interest topics we provide for selection.”

I’ve chosen 50 topics and have followed all other Readbud guidelines. I’ve never received 50 articles in a day so I guess I’m not average? But 2/day for weeks on end as I approach payout? It’s obvious that Readbud would like me to give up. I’ve sent them messages and received no reply so there’s another indicator of a scam, right? In addition, my husband, mom and sister-in-law have never received 50 articles either – 15-20 has been the max. I guess none of us is average.

Dismal Readbud Earnings

Once I reached about $30 in my Readbud account, the articles for me to read dried up. Over the past several weeks, I’ve received just two articles per day and have earned $.03-.$.21/day, with an average of just over $.08/day. I am at $47.26 right now and figure at the rate I’m going, I won’t hit the $50 payout for another 25 days. Will I persevere? YES! Why? To see if they actually pay, of course. Either way, I will be posting here.

In a previous post, I had my husband and sister-in-law on board with a Readbud experiment. Due to site glitches and low earnings, we’ve abandoned the idea. At this point, if I can just hang in there to payout and see what happens, I’ll be happy.

Bottom Line – Avoid Readbud

The bottom line from my perspective is that Readbud does not live up to their end of the bargain and should be avoided if you ever want to actually be paid for your efforts as promised by the site. I did a web search and found a real person who reached payout in May and was never paid, and another real person who finally gave up in July when her articles slowed to a trickle. I’ve yet to find a real person who has actually been paid although that individual could certainly exist out there somewhere.

If you enjoy reading and don’t mind a lot of substandard writing with a few well-written articles thrown in occasionally, then Readbud may be for you. I’ve enjoyed many of the articles and have even given a few the highest rating. For the most part, however, the articles contain numerous grammar, punctuation and even spelling errors. Those receive a lower rating but who cares? Does the author ever get feedback? I don’t know. And if so, do they have a clue why they received a particular rating? No, there’s no mechanism to explain your rating.

I’ve removed all links to Readbud from my blog. If I’ve missed any, please let me know. I will continue to read articles in my most-likely futile attempt to reach payout but still recommend against Readbud – even if I'm eventually paid – as the site does not deliver as promised.