home scan from ac nielson

[Kelly]

ups just dropped off this scanner for me. i dont remember where i signed up for it but it is really nice. i was wondering if anyone else received one? i know my mom got one last week. was this from a post here? and which one if it was?
:0party0006: :0party0006: :0party0006:

[pepper60]

https://www.homescan.com/homescan/US/EN/Login.htm

I signed up for it last year and ended up sending the machine back.

It's probably a good deal for families but wasn't for a single person.
Your earnings build up very slowly unless you do a lot of shopping.

Plus, I received the machine and the next day starting getting emails
and phone calls bugging me as to when I was going to start scanning.
This went on until I sent the machine, instructions, etc. back via
return receipt so I could prove I returned it and get them off my back.

I think you have to pay s&h on freebie items you get from their offerings.

What I was concerned about with it is you scan in purchase receipts.
If you pay by CC or debit card, some of that info is on the receipts.
It bothered me that thieves working for Nielson could be smart enough
to figure out how to get into my accounts or sell my info.

[Kelly]

thanks pepper.
i am not even sure what to do with this thing yet. i dunno
i have no idea what it is for........

[collinsmom]

I signed up for it last year and ended up sending the machine back.

It's probably a good deal for families but wasn't for a single person.
Your earnings build up very slowly unless you do a lot of shopping.

Plus, I received the machine and the next day starting getting emails
and phone calls bugging me as to when I was going to start scanning.
This went on until I sent the machine, instructions, etc. back via
return receipt so I could prove I returned it and get them off my back.

I think you have to pay s&h on freebie items you get from their offerings.

What I was concerned about with it is you scan in purchase receipts.
If you pay by CC or debit card, some of that info is on the receipts.
It bothered me that thieves working for Nielson could be smart enough
to figure out how to get into my accounts or sell my info.
actully you only scan in the items you buy not the reciepts and it really dosent mater how much shopping you do as you get the same amount of points either way! i dont think you really understood the program.
if you dont make any purchases in a week just scan the card that came with the kit to say i didnt buy anything.you get the same points either way as long as you remember to download the scanner.
new user ive been doing homescan for 2 years so if you have any questions please feel free to ask

[Megan]

I've been doing homescan for about a month...seems like a good thing to me!!

collinsmom...how long did it take for you to build up enough points for prizes?

[Missy]

sounds neat to me, if you found out where you got it from ,Kelly, let me know.

[Kelly]

if you want the phone number i can give that to you missy. i cant find where i signed up for this...
i did a search for home scan and for ac nielsen and nothing comes upi dunno
but pm me if you do want the number and i will give it to you....wavesmiley

[mom2acat]

I've also been doing this for a couple of years. I haven't redeemed any points yet, but I'm saving them up for a Dooney and Bourke bag. I haven't had any phone calls from them; I had my scanner about a month before I installed the software and starting using it and they never bugged me about it.

[collinsmom]

sounds neat to me, if you found out where you got it from ,Kelly, let me know.

https://www.homescan.com/homescan/US/EN/Login.htm

[collinsmom]

I've been doing homescan for about a month...seems like a good thing to me!!

collinsmom...how long did it take for you to build up enough points for prizes?
i have 25,000 points in 2 years enough to get something but havent done it as of yet..

[manda40475]

I received one in the mail yesterday. I had received a letter or email from them a couple of weeks ago asking if I wanted to sign up (I think) and I did. Was kind of surprised when UPS showed up, but then I remembered. Looks really neat and I don't think there is any way of getting your cc info. However, if it takes that long to build up points, I wonder if it's really worth it. That will be a lot of time wasted scanning things. i dunno Also it kept referring to phone jacks and I don't have a landline, so I'm not even sure I can use it. I emailed the company to ask and haven't received a response yet. I want to do it, but if the benefits aren't good enough I may just be sending it back.

[mom2acat]

Mine is just hooked up to my computer through a USB port. As for scanning, it doesn't take too long once you get used to it. I usually scan my items as I'm taking them out of the bags when I get home.

[Missy]

https://www.homescan.com/homescan/US/EN/Login.htm

Thank you! I registered and it said it would send me an e-mail and that I may or may not be picked randonmly. We'll see!

[pepper60]

actully you only scan in the items you buy not the reciepts and it really dosent mater how much shopping you do as you get the same amount of points either way! i dont think you really understood the program.
if you dont make any purchases in a week just scan the card that came with the kit to say i didnt buy anything.you get the same points either way as long as you remember to download the scanner.
new user ive been doing homescan for 2 years so if you have any questions please feel free to ask


I understood the instructions I received perfectly (read them twice
to be sure). They stated to scan receipts (nothing about scanning products). There was no card with it to scan if I didn't make any
purchases. As a matter of fact, the instructions indicated that if I
didn't make purchases weekly, they'd request I return the machine, etc. I guess they aren't interested in people that shop once or twice a month
I don't know.

Glad no one else got bugged by them like I did once you got your machines.

[manda40475]

I understood the instructions I received perfectly (read them twice
to be sure). They stated to scan receipts (nothing about scanning products). There was no card with it to scan if I didn't make any
purchases. As a matter of fact, the instructions indicated that if I
didn't make purchases weekly, they'd request I return the machine, etc. I guess they aren't interested in people that shop once or twice a month
I don't know.

Glad no one else got bugged by them like I did once you got your machines.

Sounds like they've made some changes then.

[Kelly]

pepper, when i actually open mine to get started and read the directions i will let you know what is going on. hopefully it is easy. i spend lots of money weekly and it would be nice to be rewarded from it.

[Missy]

pepper, when i actually open mine to get started and read the directions i will let you know what is going on. hopefully it is easy. i spend lots of money weekly and it would be nice to be rewarded from it.

me too, since the kids have gotten older and my boy is eating like a horse, I see myself going to Wal-mart a few times a week. Even if I try to make one big trip he has eaten everything, so I wind up doing a big trip and then several more before the end of the month...lol

[Megan]

It isn't just for groceries either...it's for everything including online shopping. It really is easy to set up!

[manda40475]

I still haven't gotten a reply to my email to the company yet. Does anyone know if I can use the scanner without having a landline?

[collinsmom]

I still haven't gotten a reply to my email to the company yet. Does anyone know if I can use the scanner without having a landline?
yes you can i have cable and just hooked up through the usb port
there is a 1800 number to call if you have any trouble setting up i have used it and they were quite helpful

[manda40475]

yes you can i have cable and just hooked up through the usb port
there is a 1800 number to call if you have any trouble setting up i have used it and they were quite helpful

Thanks! I haven't even attempted it yet because the manual kept talking about phone jacks and said to call if you only had a cell phone. Well, I didn't want to call and use up my minutes. blue laughing Also said the transmission was done once a week by calling up a toll free #. I'll try to hook it up this weekend.

[Megan]

mine is nothing like that...mine transmits through my computer...I have never had to call them...do they have different variations on the product or something?

[collinsmom]

i dont know it doses sound odd might have gotton wrong setup??

[Missy]

Upon completion of the membership form, your household will be placed on our waiting list, and will be contacted as soon as a spot on our panel for a household like yours becomes available.
We look forward to your participation! Sincerely,
Lynne Morrison
National Director
Homescan Consumer Panel

[Kelly]

i still have not hooked mine up. i have been so busy this past week with my daughters party and everything else going on. i am going to try and hook it up tomorrow and will post any info you all would like to know.

[manda40475]

I finally got a response to the email I sent 5 or 6 days ago. The reply was:
It will not work with a cell phone. If you can transmit elsewhere that
is fine or you will have to send it back. Please let us know.

Well, I rarely go to anyone else's home and my mom doesn't have a landline either. Guess I'll be sending mine back after all.

[Kelly]

oh well. better luck next time....i dunno

[Missy]

http://www.homescan.com/Homescan/Common/Images/logo.gif (http://mailer.homescan.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=ir6,sfyq,4es1,2gge,e6tg,im3e,35jy)


Thank you for signing up to participate on ACNielsen's Homescan Consumer Panel! Your household is on our Reserve Status Waiting List. This means a scanner is not available; however, your potential panel membership is very important to us. So, until a place on our panel opens up for a household just like yours, we'd like to give you more information about the panel.
As a Homescan panelist, your consumer opinions count each time you record your purchases or take one of our surveys. Your opinions will make a huge difference in what manufacturers make and what retailers sell.
Speaking of making purchases, did you know that according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Valentine's Day is the second most popular holiday for greeting-card purchases made by U.S. consumers? Here's some more data about this consumer-focused holiday:
Last year, PayPal reported that online purchases for Valentine's Day increased 23 percent from 2005.
The estimated number of roses produced for Valentine's Day in 2006 was 189 million, according to the American Society for Florists.
In February 2006, the approximately 29,000 jewelry stores in the United States sold $2.6 billion worth of merchandise.Remember: Homescan Consumer Panel membership is always voluntary and completely free – there is never a cost to you. We provide the scanner and any associated materials.

[kutikat]

I've been doing homescan for a while now and I think it is fun. The first scanner I recieved was broken but once I got my new one in it was a breeze. I think it is kinda fun to scan everything.

[ajfoot]

I like it, too, it doesn't take long once you get the hang of things

[meandn]

I have been a homescan member for many years now. I think that there a lot of misunderstandings out there about how this works. The AC Nielson company is a well respected business that has been around for a long, long time. They are only interested in buying habits and coupon usage and generalizing this info across the broad spectrum of family size, area of the country, etc. as a way of letting manufacturers of the products we consume, exactly how we consume them and how often.(I find this to be a good thing, as this is how we get products produced that are more suited to our needs and it is really no different than doing a survey, just more complete) Nothing sinister, they don't want our personal info or our cc #'s to use for illegal purposes. I really am not sure why one would get instructions to scan receipts, as the scanner is only capable of scanning upcs just as they do in the grocery store. One time, in fact, in the early days of my using the scanner, I had left an item in the car and I attempted to "scan" the upc number on my receipt, and it would not do it. The scanner is only capable of reading a bar code and could not read your cc info. If you are getting a lot of "reminders" from them about using your scanner it is because they have a huge investment in these machines, and they need to be sure that you are going to use them. There are many others still waiting for theirs and they have to be fair to everyone, so if you are not using it, of course they are going to want to know why!
Your instruction booklet should contain all of the info you need to get started, so I am confused as others here that one person did not get all that they needed to start up or that they thought that they were supposed to scan receipts. They do state at times to not forget to scan your receipts, but that, I think, is just a term they use to cover the whole process, as in my instruction book, it is quite plainly stated that it is the product code you will be scanning as that is the info they need. Perhaps some of you did not get all of the info with your shipment and I would suggest that you call customer service, as they are very friendly and quite helpful. If you perhaps did not get all the info you should have, I'm sure they will send it out ASAP. As to not wanting to record a one-person household, I would say that is not true, either. One of the reasons that it takes quite a while to get the scanner after you put in your application is because they are looking at certain demographics and grouping them according to what they need at the time. If you signed up as a single person household, then you got the scanner because they had an interest in single households from their manufacturing clients. If they had zero interest in a single household, you would not have been sent the scanner. You can do what you want and if you are not comfortable with it, by all means, send it back and give someone else in line waiting a chance to be a member. But I urge you, as a long time user and member, don't make assumptions about this until you talk to the nice folks at Nielson Homescan, as there are only two of us here and they have wanted our info for many years now!
Also, others are correct when they say that it doesn't matter how much you purchase each week, the points given are the same, and the longer you are a member, you get more points each week you scan. Along with this, you get super scanner bonuses for scanning every week in a month, points for surveys sent to you and the option to join several other specialized panels to earn more points as well as nice little "goodies" sent to you once in a while and several big and small sweeps that run throughout the year. If you are going to be gone from home, you can scan in a code from the booklet or card that you will be gone and rescan when you are home, and you will still get your points.
It takes time when you first start, but once you get used to it, it goes pretty quickly. I find that over the years, it has helped me to pay more attention to my purchases because I am scanning before I put them away and have actually cut my spending on certain items because of that awareness!
As for the landline vs cellphone problem, I really don't understand that, as it is done through your computer. It would be nice to know if there is a reason for this and what that is. If you don't feel that your question was answered, I would ask again. Seems to me, if it is a requirement that you have a landline in order to transmit, then it should be specified in the application. If it isn't, then those of you who have to send them back because of this, should point out this flaw and request a return shipping label from them so
you don't have to pay for it yourself.
I guess that you can tell that I am a satisfied user and happy to be a member. PLEASE, all of you, before you make a jugement.....call the 800 number! I agree that it does take a while for the email responses, and I have been told that they are working on that problem, but the call works better and you do get to talk with a real person. They have regular business hours from Monday through Friday between 9am and 9pm, ET and on Saturday from 10am to 6pm, ET. 1-800-962-6700 Be sure that you have your member number handy when you call. I will be happy to hear your comments! Mary

[meandn]

You're right, Megan, it is getting more and more specialized as time goes on. They have recently sent out a bar code card that you can use for things that don't generally have a bar code, such as fresh deli items, produce, gasoline, prescriptions, photo developing and more. You can do as much or as little as you please, but remember, that the info we send them is used to make services better for us! I also scan freebies I get, if they have a bar code and gifts, as they have a way to scan those listed in your scanner, as well. All in all, I find it pretty cool to be part of the whole process, just as I do when I take part in surveys and test products.

[meandn]

I signed up for it last year and ended up sending the machine back.

It's probably a good deal for families but wasn't for a single person.
Your earnings build up very slowly unless you do a lot of shopping.

Plus, I received the machine and the next day starting getting emails
and phone calls bugging me as to when I was going to start scanning.
This went on until I sent the machine, instructions, etc. back via
return receipt so I could prove I returned it and get them off my back.

I think you have to pay s&h on freebie items you get from their offerings.

What I was concerned about with it is you scan in purchase receipts.
If you pay by CC or debit card, some of that info is on the receipts.
It bothered me that thieves working for Nielson could be smart enough
to figure out how to get into my accounts or sell my info.
I just sent a long resonse after I read all of the comments on this subject and now I came back and read this one from you, Pepper. I think that after I got to the end of all of the comments, I forgot :wrong_smiley: that you said that you had sent yours back! But what I said in my post is still true, you really got the wrong idea about it, and I'm sorry that you didn't think that it was a good deal! boo hoo Also, as to shipping, they do not charge you for it. When you look through the catalog, and see what you want, you can scan it in, just like you do your purchases (the instructions are in the catalog) and they send it to you. Or, you can go online and access the catalog on the site and order that way, but still no shipping.
It's too bad that you didn't give yourself a chance to try this out, but it's not for everyone, and it does take a certain amount of time and a degree of commitment, but it's not really fair to make statements and cautions about it if you do not know for sure, you know? If anything, we all, as a part of this community, owe our fellow "buddies" a fair opinion of what we KNOW to be true, not just what we think, don't you agree? :idunno:
For myself, and it seems like other who have responded, this is a great deal, it does not create unwanted SPAM or personal info problems and is kind of fun to do. I would personally recommend this to any of you who are interested wholeheartedly and without hesitation, as they are an honest company and easy to work with! :thumbsup:

[manda40475]

I wound up sending mine back after they said a landline was needed. I never even tried doing the setup without it as I didn't want to waste my time. i dunno I'm sure they wouldn't select me again though considering it took me awhile to remember to return it. LOL

[meandn]

I wound up sending mine back after they said a landline was needed. I never even tried doing the setup without it as I didn't want to waste my time. i dunno I'm sure they wouldn't select me again though considering it took me awhile to remember to return it. LOL
Oh well...I don't know if it would have worked either. I'm just surprised they don't put it in their application form. Maybe the info is actually transported over the phoneline through your computer (or vice versa). When I used to use a Textron scanner to input codes for ordering items we were out of at the store I worked in, we actually called a phone number and then put the scanner up next to it and it transmitted the info with a series of beeps. I never really understood how that worked, either, but it was very effective and saved a lot of time not having to write it all down.
Sorry you couldn't take advantage of the opportunity....it really is kinda fun!

[Missy]

I'm still on the waiting list

[mom2acat]

I redeemed points about 2 weeks ago for a Nintendo DS Lite; I got it today! :yahoo_smiley: I thought that was quick for a reward program; there are other sites I have requested redemptions from that have taken as long as 6-8 weeks.

[Kelly]

congrats to you. that is great!!!!!!!!!!!!:0party0006::0party0006:

[pepper60]

I just sent a long resonse after I read all of the comments on this subject and now I came back and read this one from you, Pepper. I think that after I got to the end of all of the comments, I forgot :wrong_smiley: that you said that you had sent yours back! But what I said in my post is still true, you really got the wrong idea about it, and I'm sorry that you didn't think that it was a good deal! boo hoo Also, as to shipping, they do not charge you for it. When you look through the catalog, and see what you want, you can scan it in, just like you do your purchases (the instructions are in the catalog) and they send it to you. Or, you can go online and access the catalog on the site and order that way, but still no shipping.
It's too bad that you didn't give yourself a chance to try this out, but it's not for everyone, and it does take a certain amount of time and a degree of commitment, but it's not really fair to make statements and cautions about it if you do not know for sure, you know? If anything, we all, as a part of this community, owe our fellow "buddies" a fair opinion of what we KNOW to be true, not just what we think, don't you agree? :idunno:
For myself, and it seems like other who have responded, this is a great deal, it does not create unwanted SPAM or personal info problems and is kind of fun to do. I would personally recommend this to any of you who are interested wholeheartedly and without hesitation, as they are an honest company and easy to work with! :thumbsup:


Wow, you must work for them. You've written volumes and volumes here about it.

Still not convinced it's for a person flying solo that doesn't buy a lot of groceries, home products, etc.

Glad some of you are getting good use out of the program and earning
nice rewards. https://www.homescan.com/homescan/US/EN/Login.htm

[tinkerboooo]

I love this program, I feel it can be useful for any size house hold. It can be a pain in the booty, when you also have to put in the prices. But, whoever does this usually does this if they have the time to do it, and goes with the flow.

[mom2acat]

Still not convinced it's for a person flying solo that doesn't buy a lot of groceries, home products, etc.

I am single, and I don't buy a lot of home products. You get the points by transmitting every week, it's not based on how much money you spend or how many stores you go too. Most weeks, I have only been shopping at one or two stores.

[Missy]

when i first strated a few months ago i thought it was only for groceries, but after reading all the info and them sending me barcodes in the mail, i realized its for almost everything you purchase. they want me to scan any fast food, clothing, gas, furniture and pretty much anything you spend money on except for paying your bills...lol. So i now just keep the scanner in my purse and my kids fight over who gets the scan the next purchase. if i don't carry it, my receipts will stack up and never get scanned.

[tweetyjgrl]

Hi Everyone,

I have read through this thread and have a question of my own about this program. I see that there was some debate about having a landline phone, which I have, but I was wondering if you needed a home computer as well. I get my internet access from work and the library. I received an email from them inviting me to join the program, but I don't want to accept if you have to have an internet connection at home. Any advice would be appreciated.

Have a great day! :D

[mom2acat]

You have to connect the scanner to a computer to transmit the data to them once per week, though I don't know if you can do it on any computer, or just from your home. I've only transmitted from home, I've never tried to do it from anywhere else. But you do have to have their software in the computer for it to work.

I just got another reward redemption from them, last week I cashed in some points for a Euraka Boss Stic Vac and I got it today!

[Kelly]

that is awesome!! yay for you!
i never actually did this. i got a scanner and then sent it back. this was a couple years ago. maybe i will try it again. i just don't know too much about how this works.

[Sugar]

Yea, I got a scanner too, and then ended up sending it back.

[Kelly]

i tried signing up again and it had an error page when i clicked the submit button.

[mom2acat]

I just placed an order for my last point redemption from them. I enjoyed doing it, but I just can't make it work on my new computer, so I have the scanner all packed up and I'm sending it back. At least I got I got some pretty nice rewards from it while it lasted, but it will be nice to be able to just put my stuff away when I get home from shopping and not have to scan it all.