Opinion on an Ad by Google

Question

Any opinions on this:

Learn Spanish in 10 Days. World-famous Pimsleur Method. As seen on PBS - $9.95 w/ Free S&H. PimsleurApproach.com/Learn-Spanish

I see it on the right of my screen but I can't check it out on my iPhone because it doesn't have Flash.

I'm not interested in the "10 days". What I want to know is if it's something I can do with my daughters. What do you get for the $10?

Answer 1

I bought that product for $9.95. I learned how to order two beers, then they sent me the following sets without me ordering them. I sent them back, but I had to have a tracking number to keep them from charging my credit card again.

I intended for this to be a serious response. I believe I still have mine at home. There are 8 CDs in the collection (if I recall correctly). Each is a 30 minute lesson giving situations and likely conversations between Spanish speaking people. The phrases or words are spoken and time is allowed for the student to say the response. That's about the extent of the lessons.

Greetings, asking for directions, ordering food and beverages, introductions. That's about it.

The real problem comes when the company sends you the next set (about $70) then bills your credit card if you don't return them. If you buy those, they send you another set, and... well, you get the idea. First, the company should not store credit card information from the first transactions. Second, I don't want anything I don't directly order.

I'll never do anything with Pimsleur again.

Hope that helps!

Sounds about right - I hope you enjoyed the beers. :) - ian-hill, May 17, 2011

Thank you for the helpful info. YOUR response was not the response I was referring to. - Tosh, May 17, 2011

wow dogwood, that is really helpful, great answer, what kind of people are they, well, happens all the time and everywhere, sad really - 00494d19, May 17, 2011

I would have told you how to order two beers if you'd just shared one with me. - KevinB, May 17, 2011

It wasn't really helpful for me, since the last beer I had was at the Mardi Gras 1973. :) - 0066c384, May 17, 2011

Answer 2

Ads like that should be banned.

Answer 3

I did it. It's not particuarly stimulating. The videos here are much more interesting.

and free, I have to add! - Gocika, May 17, 2011

Answer 4

Read nothing into this response except that the price of 9.95 reminded me of it...and I've got precious little else to do than write nonsense here at SD.

I once saw an ad in of those awful fake newspapers they sell by the cash register at grocery stores (Star, Sun, Enquirer, etc.). This was a centerfold ad for an amulet that contained "all the power in the universe" due to having a piece from each of "the seven power centers in the universe." For example, the amulet apparently contained a chip from an Egyptian pyramid (I think it's pretty common knowledge that the Egyptian pyramids are one of the universe's power centers.)

Fortunately for the company that was marketing the amulet, all seven of the universe's power centers are conveniently located on Earth.

The price for all the power in the universe: $9.95 (plus shipping and handling).

Pretty good deal I thought.

Answer 5

I'm not sure if they are accesible worldwide but the BBC have some good resources for children link if you can't access them then try googling schools Spanish and I am sure you will find something similar.

Answer 6

I doubt that Pimsleur would appeal to your kids. There are other programs that are designed for kids which you could probably check out from your local or regional library.

Most libraries have Rosetta or something like it. :) - 0066c384, May 17, 2011

Answer 7

But I did ask a serious question, pertaining to something that my young daughters may be interested in. As good as Paralee's videos are, they will not hold a child's interest for long.

Sometimes I will record "Reino Animal" (which I believe is just "Animal Planet" in Spanish) with my dvr and watch it with my youngest children. It always seems to hold their attention.

Answer 8

I have done Pimsleur German with some of my kids in the past (the 10-day version), and two of them enjoyed it and one absolutely abhorred it. If you do want to try Pimsleur out, I would suggest starting at your local library where you might be able to find the full version (rather than the 10-day abbreviated set), if not the entire set. One of the libraries in my area carries the first two full sets (beginner and intermediate) but not the final installment (advanced).

My own opinion: I liked Pimsleur when I first started learning languages. My only knock is that it is somewhat limited and relies too heavily on translation early on (but considering the media, it is hard to see a way around this). If you need to get familiar with the spoken language in a relatively short period of time then Pimsleur can probably help out, but I doubt that using Pimsleur alone would help anyone become anything more than minimally conversational. Still, I have heard others rave about it in the past, so maybe its just a case of different strokes for different folks.

Answer 9

I do work for Disney, and I have seen Dumbo, so I know elephants can fly.

But I did ask a serious question, pertaining to something that my young daughters may be interested in. As good as Paralee's videos are, they will not hold a child's interest for long.

I intended to offer a serious response. I'll add more to my response. :) - 0066c384, May 17, 2011

No I guess they wouldn't :) - ian-hill, May 17, 2011

Answer 10

One from each Wonder??

Answer 11

Gracias a todos...

Answer 12

If you believe elephants can fly, then you should definitely invest in this "Learn Spanish in 10 Days World-famous Pimsleur Method."