I have been a "panel member" for Synovate, longer than I can remember (A year or two). I knew, I would not become a millionaire taking Synovate surveys.
Synovate sends you 3 sometimes four surveys a week and ask that you complete them as soon as you get them. You are awarded points for each survey you take and can redeem them for cash when you reach a certain level. It takes 5000 point to get $5.00 and most surveys are a few hundred points.
Synovate states that most surveys take 5-10 minutes. That was not the case with me. Most were longer, AND here's the BIG STINKER, Synovate most often sent me surveys which had "mini surveys" inside of them disguised as the "real survey". During one of these "mini surveys" Synovate seemed to get the information they were after and then during the survey say something like "Sorry you didn't qualify for this survey" This allows them to award you partial points which very often were a fraction of what you would have received had you completed the whole survey.
For instance, at the start of a survey Synovate would state the total points you would receive upon completion would be 300 points. After answering some questions about your ethnic background, age, income, job address, phone number, marriage status and personal habits, you would get a message saying something like "Sorry you did not qualify for this survey." Now that is all find and dandy if it happened once, twice maybe three times but when it consistently happens in THAT fashion, you have to wonder why is this company, who already knows your traits, (because you fill-out an application of sorts when first becoming a Panelist) are sending you surveys you don't qualify for? After the first, say 10 or so disqualify surveys, any reputable company would have noted the specific traits you stated that you possessed and only give you qualified surveys. Not Synovate! Their whole scheme of things seem to be hurry-up take this survey so we can be paid. I bet they got their full pay from their customer requesting the survey and I bet they got it faster than the 6-8 weeks the take to pay their Panelists.
After taking these surveys for about a year I finally obtained enough points to request a check worth more than the paper it was issued on, ($25.00) I made my request on June 2. As of July 22, I have gotten nothing but excuses from these lame people. I even had one manager recently tell me that, "I needed to wait another week so as to ensure I did not really get the check and cash it". This one sentence not only just called me a liar but a thief as well! Way to go to the idiots at Synovate.
So BEWARE! If you got nothing better to do than give out you personal information about your income, habits and the like to Synovate who is building a fortune because of you and yet cares little about whether you get paid the pittance they grudgingly pay you, go ahead take all the surveys you want! I feel a Panelist has a duty to answer the surveys as honestly and truthful as possible, I also believe that the company should reward you with more than the foot dragging and procrastination that [email protected] and the rest of her crew have given me.
Which leads me to this question, "If Synovate can't accommodate simple bookkeeping procedures and pay their Panelist's in a timely manner, how can they manage, interpret and keep safe the sensitive information they receive from they surveys their customers request?
By the way not once does Synovate point out to you that you are made to wait 6-8 weeks Until after you request redemption of your points. When I first signed up I asked, "When do I get paid?" I was told, "Checks are mailed once a survey closes and the list of panelists completing the survey are compiled." That's where Synovate stopped. When in fact their policy states that
"Checks are mailed once a survey closes and the list of panelists completing the survey are compiled. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of your check."
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