Saturday, November 1, 2008

Paid For Surveys: Is This For Real?

By James Pierce

Paid online surveys have been lurking around the internet for a long time now, and many consumers are participating in them hoping to get some extra cash for payment of monthly bills, everyday expenses or get a new cell phone or iPod. Companies are basically spending some time and money for researching the capabilities and potential of their products and services through these surveys which also includes focus groups. A number of paid for surveys are available in the internet and one must be able to pinpoint which site is genuine and which is fake.

There is actually some light behind paid online surveys in the web; you get paid for sharing what you think about their products. Companies big or small are aware of how significant consumer opinion is because it is what would help them make betterments on the quality of their products and services and in turn provide better income. These online surveys are part of a bigger marketing campaign that companies are paying a big sum for.

These paid for surveys are about almost anything under the sun. From luxurious restaurants you love to eat at, upcoming movies and music events, the products you buy at your favorite grocery store, and even the latest gaming consoles, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Surveys may target specific age groups, hobbies and areas of interests; all of which are aimed at improving the quality of the products and services that these companies are offering.

Upon registering with sites offering paid for surveys, you will then be entering some pertinent information including your gender, age, income range and type of work. You will then be notified thru email if you are eligible to participate in a certain survey, and will be receiving an invitation that contains a link to the survey form.

The incentives coming from paid online surveys can come in a wide variety of forms like cash, gift certificates or reward points that are redeemable to cash. Different survey sites will have different methods of rewarding consumers that participate in their surveys; it can be a direct payment of a small sum of money, or a point system which will need you to acquire a certain number of points in order to get cash or freebies.

With the birth of paid online surveys also comes deceitful websites determined to lure people into scams. These websites boasts the cash incentives that can be earned from them upon signing-up. They tell you that they have a collection of paid for surveys which you can access only upon being a member.

But the membership does not come free, and this is where bogus sites will take advantage of your search for extra income; membership comes at a price ranging from $25-$100 or some even more. These sites contains a lot of information on the services they offer after you sign-up, and even give you pictures of the earnings of their members just to entice you to join. Problem is, after signing-up, they will leave you with fake survey sites or those that are expired and no longer active.

These bogus websites will try to tempt you with huge monthly or daily income and tell you that you can earn enough to quit your job and get retired early. They also present you with member testimonials that are so believable and make their site more irresistible to those unaware of their gimmicks. They even tell you that they have a 24-hour customer service feature which will answer your queries and give you guides, but after joining you'll be surprised that no one is answering their chat programs and email contact options.

Knowing all these, one must be very careful in participating in paid online surveys. For one, they must not require you any amount of fee for completing a survey, as legitimate companies will not ask for anything in return; in fact they are the ones which will give something. Do not get carried away with their too-good-to-be-true promotions and promises. With a little effort, you can easily find yourself some genuine websites offering real paid for surveys. Good luck! - 15485

About the Author: