Are these internet response panels worth your time?
I've been a member of Response Panel for years. They are a company who send you questionnaires and then say that they will pay you for your time completing them. I can't say that I have ever completed enough questions to reach a payment threshold but it's an interesting way to spend a half hour or so especially as now that I find typing difficult I can use voice recognition..
There are many market research organisations who need their questions answered in a timely manner so it seems like a win-win situation. You give your time and get paid.
Until recently Response Panel seems quite straight forward. They have my details on record so should only send me appropriate questionnaires. For example no (or very few) pensioners will be new mothers! I am therefore unlikely to receive questions about nappies.
A new trend seems to have altered the entire concept however. It started a year or so ago and is getting worse and worse.
Instead of sending a questionnaire about (say) car insurance they start to ask many diverse questions about my age, sex, where I live, and even my religion. They then ask (for example) how many children I have, their ages and do they live at home. After filling all this in I might be asked which car each drives, when purchased and whether new or second hand.
In other words they now know quite a lot about my family and can no doubt send us offers based on this.
After all these are answered I am THEN told that I am unsuitable for the questionnaire! This happens almost every time now. If you are unsuitable then you don't get paid.
Please bear this in mind if you want to consider joining such a marketing organisation. It's rather like an honest business is now a con. I do hope not!
