What: Consumer Opinion Services, operating in Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas, invites consumers to take surveys to potentially participate in focus groups paying up to $75 per hour
Expected pay: $1 to $75 per hour
Husl $core: $$$
Where: Seattle; Portland; Las Vegas, though surveys can be completed from anywhere
Review:
If you happen to get selected for a focus group, you can make decent pay. But realize that these opportunities are rare. Moreover, they’re not likely to happen unless you live in one of the cities where this company has a physical presence.
If you are anywhere else, you are likely to be simply filling out online surveys in exchange for “honorariums, coupons and gifts.” In other words, a very small amount of money. If you have time on your hands and don’t care how much the world knows about you, go for it.
Otherwise, you can find other survey/focus group opportunities at FindFocusGroups; Shifrin-Hayworth, and SignUp Direct.
What their focus group participants say:
“YOU want to give ME cash money to sit around with a group of my “peers” and give my opinions of products? I’ll just sit there and answer honestly and eat your free pretzels, sample some new beverage and tell you what I think of it? The leader will try to use his minor in Sociology to relate to us and try to extract the information he really wants from the information we give him? With a two-way mirror? And then you’ll give me $75? That sounds amazing and hilarious. And it is!”
“Not once have I been called in to be interviewed or offered a chance to give feedback and contribute to their studies. I believe from my experiences that they are just trying to get people’s opinions for free. When I have called this company following up after doing long Internet or email studies, they either don’t pick up their phone or give me false hope. They encourage me to do more surveys online or over the phone “to prequalify” for their studies which I have never been included in. They duped me twice recently. They promised to call back and follow up with me, and then they ignored me and even emails when I follow up with them again.
I feel like I have been in an abusive relationship because they have taken my opinions and information over and over again without ever giving me “promised” money. I am so done. I thought being persistent worked, but not with them. Unsatisified!” (Note: The company responded to this review saying that it’s not bait-and-switch, but a screening process, where the client has final say on focus group participants. Sometimes, you don’t get picked.)