Harris Poll Online Review

Filed under: Online Surveys — Tags: , , , — Cash for Surveys @ 5:44 am

Harris Poll Surveys (located at harrispollonline.com) is a unique online survey company that is one of the few companies open to minors at who are at least 13 years of age. This is a good opportunity for your internet-addicted teenager to do something at home while listening to music on the internet. It also insures privacy; no personal data will be stored in the “cookies.” It’s a safe site for young and old alike, although only one membership is allowed per household.

The rules for joining Harris Poll Surveys are simple – be honest. Provide your true name, age and e-mail address. This information will be kept private. I joined this company a month ago and have never received any telephone solicitations. Since then, I have participated in two surveys. They were quick and painless. And although I have not yet accumulated any points, my next survey will enable me to receive HiPoints (this is the system the company uses to reward survey participants).

Membership to Harris Polls is free. Unlike some online survey companies, Harris Polls is strictly legitimate. You are required to review the rules for membership, accept them and then fill out a brief information form to join. Your telephone number is not required, nor your address. You simply need to provide your birth date, country of origin (Harris Polls is available to people from all other countries, although you have to be at least 14 years old to join if you are not a US citizen) and your e-mail address. A security question is asked in case you forget your password.

Shortly after joining Harris Polls, you will receive an e-mail confirming your registration. Click on the link and you’re in the system. In approximately two weeks, you will receive an e-mail for your first survey. You are under no obligation to participate in any survey and your account will not be deactivated unless you choose to do so.

Once you have completed your third survey, you are eligible for “Hipoints Rewards.” Participants receive 200 HiPoints after completion of their third survey. They can be turned in right away towards a variety of merchandise or gift cards, or accumulated to earn greater prizes. Unlike some online survey companies, Harris Polls does not pay cash, but does offer gift cards to hundreds of different stores.

The surveys themselves take only 10 minutes to complete and are pretty easy. They never direct you to websites that try to sign you up for long distant service. They maintain your privacy. Harris Polls is one of the oldest consumer polling companies in the world and has a stellar reputation.

I recommend this site for anyone who has teenagers at home. It’s an excellent way for them to learn about different products and ideas, as well as earn points that can be redeemed for “Best Buy” gift cards. As one of the few online companies that accepts members under the age of 18, your teenager might have a little bit of fun accumulating points and earning such prizes.

Best of all, the site is 100 percent safe, even for teenagers. Those who are wary of giving out personal information over the internet have nothing to fear in joining this site. You will never be asked for a credit card or additional personal information.

I highly recommend Harris Polls. I just wish one of my kids would have taken an interest in this site rather than me. But they will probably both benefit from the Best Buy gift cards that I earn for participating in the short surveys.

The Mystery Shopper Scam Exposed

Filed under: Mystery Shopper — Tags: — Cash for Surveys @ 5:55 am

“All that glistens is not gold.”

Hmmm. That quote comes from Shakespeare. Do you think he was ever asked to be a mystery shopper? Highly unlikely. But he really nailed the topic of “the mystery shopper scam.”

Yes, there really are people out there who are true mystery shoppers, those individuals who work for a retail outlet and just go to various stores, buy an array of items and grade the individual store, clerk and manager on their services.

It’s been an effective approach to discovering the true level of quality of customer service for decades now. Sometimes these are called secret shoppers because the store obviously doesn’t know you’re reporting back to the main office of the company.

But as with every seemingly easy job, there always appears to be some people who need to prey on it and dupe people out of their money. And this niche is no different. Here’s how the scam works.

An individual reads an ad for a mystery shopper. They’re told the basics of the job; you get paid for shopping at different stores or eating at a variety of restaurants. (Talk about a perfect job; for the shopaholic it sounds like heaven!)

The company sends them the employment package. Along with all the typical forms, the package includes a cashier’s check, ranging between $2,000 and $4,000. This is your “training assignment”. You are to go to the bank, cash the check and wire the money to an address in Canada.

Sounds cool, right? Wrong! Because, the check is fake. But it doesn’t “bounce” until after you’ve wired the money to Canada. Now, the anonymous person in Canada is several thousand dollars richer and you . . . well, you’ll left with a deficit the size of a black hole in your checking account!

So why do people wire the money even before the cashier’s check clears. First, cashier’s checks are theoretically guaranteed money . . . that is when they’re legitimate. That’s the only reason the bank will dole out the money to you instantly like that. Cashing a personal or even payroll check that size at any bank would, indeed, mean waiting the several days to a week for it to clear.

But the scam artists also state in the employment packet that you must complete the first assignment within 48 hours in order to keep your job. Who wants to lose a cool job like that?

Remember, a legitimate mystery shopper position will never ask you to cash a check and wire it to an address unknown to you . . . in Canada or anywhere! If you’ve answered an ad and that’s what you find, toss it all away and keep looking! There really are legitimate mystery shopping positions available. Just watch out for the scammers.

SendEarnings Review

Filed under: Online Surveys — Tags: , , — Cash for Surveys @ 9:40 pm

Sendearnings.com is an excellent way to may a few dollars while sitting home doing nothing. Just for signing up to this online survey company, I received a $5 bonus. I then began participating in a few surveys that paid $1 each. In less than a half an hour, I earned $7.

Signing up for this service is rather simple. You simple click on to the sendearnings website, give your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to your e-mail address. This sometimes goes into your bulk or spam folder, so look for it shortly after you sign up. In order to earn any money at sendearnings, you must confirm your e-mail address.

The surveys for sendearnings are simpler than those on some other paid survey sites. They actually seem legitimate and do not direct you to countless other websites. They will occasionally send you e-mails from their advertisers. If you click on these e-mails and visit the sites, you will also receive a small bonus from the survey company for doing this. It is important, to remain an active member of SendEarnings to continue to visit the websites of the sites advertisers. You don’t need to purchase any products or provide information. Simply click on and click out – it’s that simple. Those who don’t visit the websites are normally put on the “inactive” list and not eligible for pay. So be sure to check your spam folder every other day or so from the sites advertisers.

Only one user for the site is permitted per household. You cannot make up “fake names” and use the same computer, either. Your IP address will be tracked and will result in you getting kicked off the site.

I was actually impressed by the first paying survey I did for SendEarnings. It was all about gym shoes and although it asked dozens of questions, it was about a topic I knew something about and a product that I often purchase. Another survey I attempted was denied by the site because I didn’t fit the criteria. This did not deter me, in fact it added some credibility to the site.

There are dozens of free surveys in which you can participate in SendEarnings. In addition to answering survey questions, participants can refer other members to the site and earn a bonus if they sign up to do the surveys. More money can be made by continuing to visit the sites’ advertisers.

Payment is made once a month, but for not less than $30. Once you have earned $30 in your account, you can request payment. Payments are sent to your house via check or money order and there is a $3 fee if you request a money order.

Those living outside the United States can also sign up for this service, however they do need to speak English as this is the only language available on the site. WebTV users are also permitted to participate as well.

Once you have made $30, you can request payment from the site. However, do not expect it to come quickly. Most of the survey sites I have visited take about 30 days to send out payments to individuals. You also must continue to be a member in good standing in order to get paid, so bookmark the site and visit it each day. And be sure to pay attention to the e-mails you receive from the site. They will not only earn you a percentage of the profits, but will keep you an active member of the account.

Members of the site can purchase a “Gold Membership” which gives you extra benefits including unassigned referrals. When I signed up for the website, I did not do so through a referral, so my referral bonus went to a Gold Membership member.

Once you have completed a survey, it can take up to five days to show up in your earnings account, although some survey payments show up immediately. In many cases, it takes a while to confirm the survey. I have found that this is the way of most survey companies.

For the most part, I found Sendearnings.com to be a reputable online survey site. Although the survey process was a bit lengthy, there were no “hidden agendas” and the survey stayed right on target. It reminded me of taking a survey at the mall. I definitely recommend Sendearnings.com to anyone who is thinking about taking surveys at home for extra money.

Older Posts »