The Valued Opinions website says this:
- Your opinions count. It’s only through market research surveys that companies large and small can truly learn what people like you think, about everything from specific products and services to topics as wide ranging as fashion, film or global warming.Therefore it is true to say that we believe your opinion has a real value. And that’s why we offer you incentives that can build up to rewards, in exchange for completing surveys.
It's certainly not a recipe for getting rich quickly. On average, I probably qualify for less than a quarter of the surveys offered and the rewards are modest - usually 75p or £1 for 20-30 minutes' work. It's surprising, though, how it mounts up over the years. I've just been looking at my Reward History and see that, since I started, I've completed 469 surveys and earned £420 in Amazon or Boots vouchers.
If you fancy giving it a try, be warned that some surveys are carelessly written and will have you screaming at the screen. For instance, a recent one asked:
Can you hear this sound?.. yes, it's a cat
Can you see this video?.. yes, it's a frog
My gender female
My age 65
My job category (if retired, select most recent occupation) intermediate managerial
My income (I gave them a rough figure)
In what area of the country do I live? southwest
Do I visit online betting sites? no
Sorry, but you have not qualified for this survey!
If they had asked the last question first, I would have been saved a lot of time and typing. It's tempting, sometimes, to give the answers you think they may want but, on principle, I always try to answer honestly.
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| I took this screen print during the consultation, as we talked about furniture, carpets, etc that would match the scheme. (Manufacturer's details removed by me.) |
Occasionally I land a gem of a survey, such as one I did last week. A well-known paint company is developing an online design service. I completed an initial survey, during which I diligently sang the praises of their paint - absolutely truthfully, as I've recently repainted our lounge, using one of their published colour schemes, and am delighted with the results.
I qualified for the next stage and was invited to send them details of a room I wish to refurbish, and select a few possibly schemes that I liked from an online catalogue. Then, last Saturday, I had a 40 minute online consultation with Sarah, one of their design staff. Not only was this enormous fun, but Sarah came up with some brilliant ideas that I'd never have thought of. But here's the best bit... when this service is launched it will probably cost about £60. I got it for nothing and was rewarded for completing the survey! Not bad, eh?
I had a go at some of these 'invitations' a few years ago and as you say I found them badly organised too. Not only did they not ask the relevant questions first some of the questions seemed to go on forever, often duplicating as you went along. One of the most annoying traits was their insistence in having all questions answered even if they didn't apply to me and they often didn't supply an alternative question or the ability to skip over those that didn't apply. I found myself having to answer some questions with answers that truly didn't reflect my opinion. It was as though I was being steered to give answers that they wanted me to give. In the end I gave up on it all as it was wasting my time. That is the whole point for me, I don't like wasting my time.
ReplyDeleteShirley Anne x