Online Surveys - The Good, Bad, & Ugly

[pepper60]

There are lots of sites on the internet offering online survey opportunities
that claim to pay cash, give prizes, let you earn points to get incentives, offer product testing, etc. It can be a great way to bring in some extra cash or get free gifts but these are not all legitimate sites.

Some turn out to be just a listing of other survey sites. Some require payment for you to see their lists (never pay to get URLs for
survey sites...use a free search engine to find them yourself).

I recommend that you don't join a survey site that isn't located in the US.
That way if you ever encounter a legal problem with them, you would have better luck settling it if the site is governed by US laws.

Companies that ask you to complete offers as surveys: That's up
to the individual whether they like to sign up for offers to get freebies,
GCs, or whatever the offer may be. Sometimes you have to sign up
for several things in order to qualify for the freebie or GC.

Be careful and do your research before you join any. Here's a link to a very
helpful site where you can read reviews of just about every survey site and you can post your ratings of sites www.surveypolice.com/

TAX FACT: Currently US Tax Law allows you to earn up to $600 annually
from any one company and you don't have to claim it on your income tax.
So monitor your earnings from each survey company you are registered with
in order to avoid paying taxes on the earnings.

And, in case you are wondering, yes, I do surveys. But I always check the company out before signing up. Hope this information is helpful to you.

[Melissa]

I've done a few surveys that you get paid for over the years. I can't remember the name of the place, but I still get emails from them randomly. I think I made 16 bucks over 4 or 5 surveys. Not too bad considering I didn't have kids so I didn't have anything else to do, haha.

[Dru15]

I do surveys off and on. For a couple of years I did a few surveys for Harris Polls and had never checked to see how many points that I had. I wanted to get a DVD of "The Green Mile" and almost bought it, but just happened to go check my points and what I could get for them and they had the movie and I had enough points. I got it Free from them, they sent it right out to me. So I am happy with that site.

I have received 2 $5.00 checks from American Consumer Opinion and also did 3 product surveys for them. I got to keep the products I tested and was paid $12.00 for each one.

I tried to do "Survey Spot" for about 6 years, but never "Qualified" for any of their surveys! (Could this have been age discrimination?) It would go along fine until it asked for my age, then suddenly I didn't qualify. I unsubscribed from this one finally. I GUESS US OLD FOLKS DON'T BUY ANYTHING AND DON'T USE ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES!

[Nan]

I've always wondered about these surveys. Thanks for giving me some info!smiliebow

[Krissy]

I do e rewards and that's it. I'm to lazy to take the time to fill out surveys.. i dunno

[pepper60]

I do surveys off and on. For a couple of years I did a few surveys for Harris Polls and had never checked to see how many points that I had. I wanted to get a DVD of "The Green Mile" and almost bought it, but just happened to go check my points and what I could get for them and they had the movie and I had enough points. I got it Free from them, they sent it right out to me. So I am happy with that site.

I have received 2 $5.00 checks from American Consumer Opinion and also did 3 product surveys for them. I got to keep the products I tested and was paid $12.00 for each one.

I tried to do "Survey Spot" for about 6 years, but never "Qualified" for any of their surveys! (Could this have been age discrimination?) It would go along fine until it asked for my age, then suddenly I didn't qualify. I unsubscribed from this one finally. I GUESS US OLD FOLKS DON'T BUY ANYTHING AND DON'T USE ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES!

I've had similar happen to me at Survey Spot. I qualify for about every 5th survey and they aren't the paying ones either.

I did win $10 in a drawing at one of the surveys sites. Got their email congratulating me and said the check would arrive in 7-10 days. After
2 months passed and no prize, I wrote to them and got some lame excuse
that that particular drawing had problems and they withdrew it. I say, suck it up and pay off the prize winners. The problem was at their end, so why should winners be penalized?

[collinsmom]

Kids and Teens Survey Site

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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complete surveys and get a $15 WalMart Card. or a $10 Amazon GC . You score 100 points for registering, 3000 points one of their surveys, etc.

To get extra 100 points, use Redemption Code: p54668809367
For Teens and kids:http://www.wrinsiders.com/





we have gotten 5 gift cards from them in a very short time!

[collinsmom]

this survey site pays cash usually $1 to $2 each

To sign up, click on the following link:

http://www.surveysavvy.com

[Emmie]

The link is not working speechless

[collinsmom]

thanks fixed

[collinsmom]

your 2cents surveys

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http://www.your2cents.com/members/Login.asp
they pay between 1-5 dollars done as a instant win spin after each survey

[travlfreek]

cool!

Thanks....Linda
:)

[Lori Ann]

Wow, This is very educational and useful information..thanks Diane for the sites and advice and also thanks to you gals for your survey hot picks, lol ..:thumbsup:

clapping Any more survey ideas - just post them to this thread! clapping


Lori :happysmiley: Ann

[collinsmom]

another one i like is www.mysurvey.com also known as nfo have had good luck with them im currently enrolled in about 15 different companys and get about $150 a month doing surveys so there are good ones out there and as with anything some bad ones.

[Modemouth]

I love Pinecone Research too. It seems like my $5 is here the day after I do a survey. clapping That is the only one I do.

[pepper60]

There are lots of sites on the internet offering online survey opportunities
that claim to pay cash, give prizes, let you earn points to get incentives, offer product testing, etc. It can be a great way to bring in some extra cash or get free gifts but these are not all legitimate sites.

Some turn out to be just a listing of other survey sites. Some require payment for you to see their lists (never pay to get get URLs for
survey sites...use a free search engine to find them yourself).

I recommend that you don't join a survey site that isn't located in the US.
That way if you ever encounter a legal problem with them, you would have better luck settling it if the site is governed by US laws.

Be careful and do your research before you join any. Here's a link to a very
helpful site where you can read reviews of just about every survey site and you can post your ratings of sites www.surveypolice.com/

And, in case you are wondering, yes, I do surveys. But I always check the company out before signing up, Here's one that is very reliable and gets high ratings www.pineconeresearch.com This site pays promptly and offers product testing (some are paid tests) that are fun and interesting.

Hope this information is helpful to you.

Try this one. You mostly earn points that you can turn in for cash, gifts, enter contests, or make donations. Occasionally, they send products for you to test. http://us.lightspeedpanel.com/index.html

[pepper60]

This site lists companies that currently pay to take surveys.
Broken down by counties.

www.thesurveypro.com/Freesurveys.htm

Please use www.surveypolice.com to check out any you are interested
in before you join.

[emtluvs2cook]

:thumbsup: Pretty cool info to know...usually I just delete the mail I get frome them---I might check out a few of the ones you guys listed.

[Kelly]

good stuff. i belong to 5 or 6 survey sights

[wldoneathrt]

I have had much success with e-rewards. You earn e-reward money and you can purchase different discounts. I normally get the 6 free Blockbuster rentals for $25 worth of e-rewards, you get 6 coupons for a free rental each coupon is good for one month. It's great, I've never paid to rent a movie at Blockbuster.

[Modemouth]

Bump!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/Modemouth/tarzan.gif

[Kelly]

these are the sights I belong to:

NFO - mysurvey
surveyclub
creationsrewards
lightspeedpanel
your2cents
NPDOR
surveysavvy
Americanconsumeropinion
IPSOS

the one i seem to like is american consumer opinion. Im trying to get into pineconeresearch but i just cant seem to find a place to sign up by them. they wont let just anyone sign up.

[pepper60]

:0sign0178:

[SNOWBEAR3]

Thank You for bumping this thread! I had asked for some tips on good survery sites and ones to avoid last qweek on the chit chat forum but got no response......this will help me a lot!:thumbsup:

[mzsud]

I belong to e-rewards, my 2 cents, lightspeed, and reward tv and harris pole. I received the blockbuster coupons from e-rewards, I recently received money from my 2 cents and i have received several gift cards from reward tv. My favorite is my points. All you have to do is open your e-mail and check their messages for 5 points and even if you don't qualify for a survey you get 10 points.

[Kelly]

i belong to my points also but never go on their site

[pepper60]

i belong to my points also but never go on their site

OMG, I shop through MyPoints a lot. I also get lots of GCs, etc. with
the points I build up and give them as gifts for holidays and birthdays.
I've been with MyPoints since it first started.

[Sugar]

My Points is one of my favorites.:D

[Kelly]

boy, i guess i better go there more often :0innocent0009:

[pepper60]

Try this one. You mostly earn points that you can turn in for cash, gifts, enter contests, or make donations. Occasionally, they send products for you to test. http://us.lightspeedpanel.com/index.html


Yes, I have been with lightspeed for several years. BUT, this year
they changed entirely and now it takes 5,000 points just to get
paid $10!!! Plus, they changed the prizes for points considerably
and it takes a lot more points to get the good stuff. I guess it
depends on your registered profile as to how many surveys you
are offered and actually qualify for. Being single with no kids
lets me out of a lot of the surveys. But some people manage to
earn lots of points on this panel and very quickly.

[pepper60]

your 2cents surveys

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.your2cents.com/members/Login.asp
they pay between 1-5 dollars done as a instant win spin after each survey

I like your2cents....they pay promptly when you request it.
They don't send me a lot of surveys, but I always manage to
qualify.

[Kelly]

the best survey site for me is nfo.

[pepper60]

On the positive side, if you live in the area where a focus group
or research study is going to be held, do apply to see if you
get accepted. They usually don't restrict it to residents of the
location where the group or study is held.

[HIPeGURL]

I love Test-spin, just got $30 on my Amazon account. And MyPoints, I only need 30 more points to get a GCclapping Hoping I could have got it to do some Christmas Shopping

[pepper60]

I love Test-spin, just got $30 on my Amazon account. And MyPoints, I only need 30 more points to get a GCclapping Hoping I could have got it to do some Christmas Shopping


:D Hint Hint - Well, umm, you can use it for my b-day present. blue laughing

[dmm2702]

I belong to most of the ones listed above my favorite is Globaltestmarkert.com when you get 1000 market points you can cash out for a $50.00 check and their surveys can go from 5 points up to 150 points for each if you don't quality you still get 5 points for trying to complete the survey and they don't take long to complete. momsknowbest.com is also a good one they also do the same as global test market once you get 1000 market points you can cash out for a $50.00 check.

[pepper60]

I belong to most of the ones listed above my favorite is Globaltestmarkert.com when you get 1000 market points you can cash out for a $50.00 check and their surveys can go from 5 points up to 150 points for each if you don't quality you still get 5 points for trying to complete the survey and they don't take long to complete. momsknowbest.com is also a good one they also do the same as global test market once you get 1000 market points you can cash out for a $50.00 check.


I agree Global Test Market is one of the better ones. Last year I
let my points accumlate and cashed in for $100. Sure helped with
holiday shopping deals.

[gayle]

I don't do so well with Global test market. Most they say I don't qualify. Haven't been doing them lately though.

[pepper60]

I don't do so well with Global test market. Most they say I don't qualify. Haven't been doing them lately though.


They changed things and do award a few points just for trying to
qualify for a lot of surveys. Not a lot of points, but they do add up.

[Kelly]

They changed things and do award a few points just for trying to
qualify for a lot of surveys. Not a lot of points, but they do add up.
i agree with that

[Bec]

Thanks for so much good info. I really appreciate the info for the Survey Police. I have had a problem with Ipsos. I have been trying for almost a year to get my money from them. The promised me two gift cards for two different surveys I did and I have not received them yet!! Every time I finally hear from them its a different story! (They don't have a very good rating at the BBB.) Just thought I'd pass this along. My favorite survey companies are Pinecone and Synovate Global Opinion Panels and e-rewards.

[Kelly]

just out of the blue i received a $5 american express card from ipsos. have no idea where that came from. as far as i can recall ipsos didnt hand out money. i actually stopped doing their surveys cuz there was no money involved. you only got to enter sweeps and play their instant win game that you never win! but i havent cancelled my account with them because i have gotten some nice products to test from them:thumbsup:

[pepper60]

For any opportunities we post that are for kids, be really nosey
and check out the company first. I try to check them out before
I post if it's a company I am not familiar with....but I still feel
it's better for parents to check.

I bring this up because there have been a number of postings on
other sites that have turned out to be phishy or even sickos
looking to gather information and lure kids onto sites parents
would not want them to see or be a part of.

[bikerbabe]

I do my survey n bzz BUT BZZ NEVER HAS ANYTHING 4 ME
arr caps...........

[Kelly]

i get a lot from bzz agent. the more reports you give the higher your tier and then you will be offered more

[Raiderchic29]

I like BZZ also...I am doing 3 right now for them actually and I like NFO...I have redeemed my points and have gotten some pretty nice things. :D

[pepper60]

I am posting this to alert anyone that is a member of mypoints.com.
A friend of mine and I joined mypoints shortly after the company
began business....almost 10 years ago. Here's an email I received
from her. She's not just mad, she's ready to take legal action if necessary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you know, I have been a member of Mypoints for 10 years or so. The last year or so they have been offering monthly Exclusive Offers where you earn 500 points for completing four offers. They never post the points and many times I don't even get confirmation e-mails from the vendors. Recently I requested my points from several months back. I sent all of my e-mail confirmations as proof of completion. They refused to adjust my account saying they are no longer giving adjustments when points don't post automatically. I refused to back down stating that I earned the points, have the proof and expect the points to be posted. Guess what they did? They canceled my account. I had over 14000 points in there. I have kept track of all my points earned over the years. Most large point offers (over 50 pts) are never posted without a fight.

I am warning everyone to be careful with Mypoints. They sent out a general e-mail to members recently stating they would be canceling accounts if they think you respond to offers you don't have a true interest in. How would they know what interests us? For those that may have not read it, I have included it below. I am not done with them. I will be filing complaints with the BBB, the Attorney General, etc. if they don't reinstate my account.

======================
Open Letter to Members

First of all, I want to heartily thank you for being a MyPoints member. We have such a loyal membership, and it is your use of our program that has allowed us to grow over eight million strong in the ten years we've been around. We are grateful for the opportunity to help you earn rewards for the things you do every day.

We want to be able to continue giving you these great rewards. That's why we have a request to make of you today.

We all know it's tempting to get Points every way we can. Taking surveys, signing up for programs, filling out online forms — it's so easy, and it adds up so quickly. But please, do us and our affiliates a favor: Only respond to those offers you are honestly interested in.

People do business with us because they trust our integrity and the integrity of our members. When they get the feeling that people are just in it for the Points, they're less inclined to do business with us — which means we can't pass along their value to you. And to protect the vast majority of our members who use our program honestly, we'll immediately close the accounts of those we find making fraudulent use of the program.

In the long run, the few Points you gain in this way will seem pretty unimportant if doing so damages the program, and you can't shop and earn the way you used to.

By all means, participate in MyPoints. Complete surveys — with integrity. Sign up for programs — that you have a real interest in. And continue to redeem for great rewards with the best, most reliable companies around.

Sincerely,

John Fullmer
President of MyPoints
Grow Your Points!

[Krissy]

i never received that email... i should check my account, its been awhile

[xavirose]

I don't think I received that either. But that's ridiculous not to take her word for it that she completed the offer--(the 500 pts. are worth maybe $2 to them). Especially considering that they have, according to them, 8,000,000 members!!

Unbelievable. I, too, have been a member for about 10 years, and while I haven't had a problem yet, I'll be double checking those points!

[MagiePerdu]

That's hardly the way to treat a "loyal" and valued member. I'd write a letter to Mr. Fullmer, just to make certain the he is aware of and approves the way the company appears to be doing business. If she gets no response, no reinstatement, and no adjustment, then she might have the basis for some further action. Does she have or can she get a copy of the TOS and, if so, is there any mention of conditions under which an account will be terminated?

[pepper60]

That's hardly the way to treat a "loyal" and valued member. I'd write a letter to Mr. Fullmer, just to make certain the he is aware of and approves the way the company appears to be doing business. If she gets no response, no reinstatement, and no adjustment, then she might have the basis for some further action. Does she have or can she get a copy of the TOS and, if so, is there any mention of conditions under which an account will be terminated?


Not sure if she's considered contacting Fullmer. But to cancel an
account when a member is trying to get restitution for points that
were never credited is truly unbelievable.

I've referred a few people over the years and never received referral
points when they joined. I did write them about it once and they
claimed they couldn't find my referral in their records. Since it was
the first time I'd had a problem like that I just figured their system
wasn't working correctly and let the matter go.

[Michelle]

I belong to several of the sites listed and here is another site that I like to use too... they have the sites coded so you can see if they pay cash, sweepstakes, points... ect. :thumbsup:


www.dontwasteyourtimeonline.com/Earn%20Rewards.htm


There is also a page there that they have blacklisted on sites and they explain why... also I just noticed there is a valid link to P*nec*ne near the bottom on the home page :) I use this site a lot.. HTH!

[SummerBreeze]

I belong to several of the sites listed and here is another site that I like to use too... they have the sites coded so you can see if they pay cash, sweepstakes, points... ect. :thumbsup:


www.dontwasteyourtimeonline.com/Earn%20Rewards.htm


There is also a page there that they have blacklisted on sites and they explain why... also I just noticed there is a valid link to P*nec*ne near the bottom on the home page :) I use this site a lot.. HTH!



There is alot of good info in thyre i always check to see if they are listed with the BBB if they arent i dont waste my time

[Kelly]

wonder why they dont have survey spot on their black list, it should be there up near number one!!

[Michelle]

wonder why they dont have survey spot on their black list, it should be there up near number one!!



I have great luck with them... Just did a $10 survey a few mins ago. Sorry your experience isnt the same as mine. :smileyhugs:

[pepper60]

I belong to several of the sites listed and here is another site that I like to use too... they have the sites coded so you can see if they pay cash, sweepstakes, points... ect. :thumbsup:


www.dontwasteyourtimeonline.com/Earn%20Rewards.htm (http://www.dontwasteyourtimeonline.com/Earn%20Rewards.htm)


There is also a page there that they have blacklisted on sites and they explain why... also I just noticed there is a valid link to P*nec*ne near the bottom on the home page :) I use this site a lot.. HTH!


Thanks for the reminder...I haven't checked this site in a while.

[pepper60]

wonder why they dont have survey spot on their black list, it should be there up near number one!!


They've made changes....you might want to check them out again.

[pepper60]

This has never happened to me before.

A while back, I did a home study using a palm pilot provided by
the survey company. I thought I followed their instructions completely.
When the study ended, I sent the palm pilot back to them in the return
packaging they provided. Yesterday I got a letter from them listing
several possible reasons why I didn't qualify for the study??? i dunno
I don't know which of the reasons they gave applied to me but they
are asking me to return the $ incentive they sent in the original
package with the palm pilot and study instructions. I can't even
remember how much the incentive was. But they did give a way to
contact them if I have questions.

[HIPeGURL]

I'd keep it them. What are they going to do - sue you or come pounding on your door? I had the same thing happen with some Beta test. They said to return two phones and the wireless thing and no incentive. Plus pay UPS to pick them up. I'm keeping the phones.....they're sweet........6.0 - I can go next door and still get calls. The guy has never asked for them again and it's been over a month

[pepper60]

I'd keep it them. What are they going to do - sue you or come pounding on your door? I had the same thing happen with some Beta test. They said to return two phones and the wireless thing and no incentive. Plus pay UPS to pick them up. I'm keeping the phones.....they're sweet........6.0 - I can go next door and still get calls. The guy has never asked for them again and it's been over a month


I would keep it except it's a survey company I've been with for many
years and get good $ incentives or rewards from points. So I don't
want to have them drop me because of this one situation. I will
try contacting them about this and see what happens. Just surprised
me when I got their letter because I am always careful to follow instructions with studies or product tests. Guess there's a first time
for everything.

[pepper60]

Gee, I'm having a run of bad luck with survey projects lately.
Besides the issue about the product test I mentioned previously,
I just received an email from a study I did for a University.
I completed everything successfully and they supposedly
emailed me a $25 GC. But I never got it so I wrote back to
let them know and asked them to resend it. They said they
did but I still haven't got it. It's coming from a third party
so of couse I check my regular email box and the junk mail box, too.
But still nothing. i dunno Guess I will write them again and hope
for the best.

[pepper60]

This has never happened to me before.

A while back, I did a home study using a palm pilot provided by
the survey company. I thought I followed their instructions completely.
When the study ended, I sent the palm pilot back to them in the return
packaging they provided. Yesterday I got a letter from them listing
several possible reasons why I didn't qualify for the study??? i dunno
I don't know which of the reasons they gave applied to me but they
are asking me to return the $ incentive they sent in the original
package with the palm pilot and study instructions. I can't even
remember how much the incentive was. But they did give a way to
contact them if I have questions.


Here's an update for others that do surveys like the one I described.
I called the toll free number listed in the letter and spoke with a
wonderful representative who annotated my file that I do not have
to return the cash incentive. She was able to let me know exactly
what happened and I was able to explain my situation at the time
of the study.

So it pays to contact survey companies to iron out any issues
that may come up like this.

[beanie]

I dropped testspin. I NEVER qualified!!!!!! They send tons of surveys, but I never ever got to do even one! SO I said BUH BYE!!

[SweetMtnRain]

Here is a website i found that lists Surveys that are blacklisted. Seems like a pretty good site to check in to.. I hope it hasn't been posted before..

http://www.dontwasteyourtimeonline.com/Survey_Company_Blacklist_Improved.htm

[Krissy]

Thanks Leslie :thumbsup:

[Kelly]

thank you leslieclapping

[travelerandrea]

Gee, I'm having a run of bad luck with survey projects lately.
Besides the issue about the product test I mentioned previously,
I just received an email from a study I did for a University.
I completed everything successfully and they supposedly
emailed me a $25 GC. But I never got it so I wrote back to
let them know and asked them to resend it. They said they
did but I still haven't got it. It's coming from a third party
so of couse I check my regular email box and the junk mail box, too.
But still nothing. i dunno Guess I will write them again and hope
for the best.


i got an empty envelope once , called complained then got the gift card !!!!!!!!!

[travelerandrea]

Here's an update for others that do surveys like the one I described.
I called the toll free number listed in the letter and spoke with a
wonderful representative who annotated my file that I do not have
to return the cash incentive. She was able to let me know exactly
what happened and I was able to explain my situation at the time
of the study.

So it pays to contact survey companies to iron out any issues
that may come up like this.


i did the beverage one twice from lightspeed and got paid no problem. i am surprised they would bother to send it to you then say they did not want you plus ask for the 5 or 10 dollars advance they sent !!!!!!!! it is good you called right away !!!!!!!!!!! i dunno i hope you do not have grief again !!!!!!