It's ok to accept promisises from dot.coms so long as you are willing to roll the dice, AND can afford to lose what they promised. Often, you will make out well.
For example:
Pointclick - ripped me off - pending check for 23.75, that will always be a pending check for 23.75. cest la vie. No happy ending or silver lining there, but not enough to sue over, so I'll just write it off.
ValueAmerica. Got about $2000 worth of stuff that I needed for about $1000. I think I did well. Now they are gone, but I still have my cheap stuff.
Priceline - saved $20/50 gallons for about 200 gallons of gas, and then I got hurt a little on the last 50 gallons. Overall, a good experience.
More.com - yes, the "lifetime charter member promises" lasted an entire 8 months or so, but hey, I got about 8 $6 packs of Mach 3s for $1 each shipped. HealthCentralRx handled its acquisition of more.com badly, screwed the charter members over, and as a result I will not shop there, but I STILL saved about $40.
The point is... Don't be afraid to gamble a little on these offers. I am running about 4 for 5, which isn't too bad, considering that all of the stuff I purchased, I really needed or wanted anyway. The key is to never RELY on the promises, then you won't get hurt. The worst that can happen is you pay retail for something you would have bought at the store anyway.
Nack