Big Spot Surveys revisited
A few weeks ago I wrote about Big Spot Surveys and honestly I didn’t realize that so many people would be searching Google to answer the question: “is Big Spot Legitimate?”
So I decided to put on my detective hat and go digging a little further to help answer the questions that have arisen from my initial post.
First of all, I decided to sign up for Big Spot. I went through the sign-up process from beginning to end to see if my assumptions were correct.
The sign-up process:
The first screen that came up after I entered my information was this:
The next screen that came up after I entered my information and then clicked join was this:
This screen shows a list of “Free Sponsor Offers” that consist of other survey companies, newsletters and samples. They look interesting and exciting and the word FREE is very enticing. You can sign up for these FREE offers yourself and even earn money doing it by joining certain sites like MyPoints.com and other similar “pay to complete offer sites.”
The next screen that comes up will fill you with anticipation as you wait for all of your great, exclusive free paid survey listings:
The next screen is the “database” you have been waiting for:
This screen lists just a fraction of the market research companies who are willing to pay you for your opinion, and I actually signed up twice and filled out completely different personal information and you know what, I got the same exact list just in a different order.
What this means to you:
I don’t know all of their motives, and I certainly don’t know what they do with your personal information, but Big Spot and Survey Payoff appear to have basically set themselves up as an affiliate marketer. They are providing you with information, and you sign up through their links and they make money.
Is it legal? Yes. Is it wrong? No. Is it safe? Maybe. That depends upon what they are doing with your email address. To me, they are at least misleading people because not only is their “database” shamefully small, they do it under the guise that they have secret resources you can’t find on your own. I can even tell you why their database is so small. Because not all paid survey companies participate in affiliate marketing, so they only list the ones they get paid for sign-ups on.
If you have never signed up for a paid survey panel, and if you see their list, you can rest assured that their list does contain some legitimate market research companies who will pay you for your opinions and it does contain some of the most popular companies. But there is still the issue of why they need your email address and what they will do with it. Plus it also contains some questionable resources that I have seen other experiences survey takers claiming are not legitimate.
You will need to sign up SEPARATELY for each of the individual survey companies so it appears unnecessary for Big Spot to require your name, zip code and email address.
So, smarty pants, how do I get a list of Free Paid Surveys without providing my personal info to a third party?
If I had more time, I’d list every paid survey company known to man for you to sign up for. I don’t have that kind of time, plus there are a couple of resources I will point you to that have already done it. I have some of my favorites listed on my Free Paid Survey Sites page and also on my right sidebar. You will find that the sites I list are ones that I have been a member of for years (some since 2002 or earlier), have received surveys from and have received payment from.
When it comes to survey taking, there are a couple of “golden rules” that any experienced survey taker would tell you. The first would be to never, ever pay to receive information or access to free paid survey databases. The second would be to be extremely careful with your personal information because there are a lot of “cash for your opinion” offers out there that are not legitimate, in fact I would say the scam sites outweigh the legitimate ones. This means you have to be smart, do your homework, and read reviews and opinions from people who have experience.
The bottom line:
When it comes down to it, Big Spot does not appear to provide you with anything you cannot get from somewhere else without having to key in your personal information. You will still need to sign up with each individual market research company separately in order to receive survey invitations and payments for surveys. So the question remains about why they need your information, especially when the list they provide can be found across the web without having to share your personal info.
In addition to the sites we have on our Free Paid Survey Sites page if you want a complete database of paid surveys including actual participant ratings, check out FreePaidSurveys.net, and SurveyPolice.com. You won’t get rich taking paid surveys but you can earn some extra cash each month to order a pizza, or save it up to help fund Christmas.
Happy survey taking!
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116 comments for “Big Spot Surveys revisited”
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I want t take surveys for extra money.
do ppl from overseas (caribbean) get paid, and if so how?
You will have to check with each individual site. Some are global – not many but some. Definitely start with Global Test Market. Good luck!
I have found one web site that sends me a check for each survey that I complete its called pinecone research.I get 3 dollars for each survey.
Pinecone is great! They only recruit new panelists at certain times though so unfortunately I can’t share the link! You have to come across one of their banners. It’s a good thing to tell people though…if you ever see a Pinecone Research banner SIGN UP. They are good and legit.
thank u for heping people who have had enough BS with these web sites.
Your info was very helpful and people should know about Bigspot.com. I lost my job about 6 months ago and still looking. im just so tired of all the so called companys that say they want to help u and in the end u end u paying for it.
Kim, Thank you so much for your article. I too was about to fall prey to another obvious waste of time doing endless surveys. I WILL be looking forward to any other items you wish to publish. Your Blog is much easier to read than Snopes..LOL!
Thanks Lucy, glad I could help!
Thank you for the article; was just getting ready to “sign up” for Big-Spot; now I won’t but will check out the other sites you listed.
Glad I could help!
Thank you for posting this. I saw a commercial last night for BigSpot and thought they were an individual site like Opinion Outpost or Lightspeed. I am already signed up for all the sites you have listed or I would gladly click through here. You are correct – you will not get rich doing surveys, I have made approximetly $60 in the 6 or so months I have been doing surveys. My problem is my husband works for a pharmceutical company and I am disqualified quickly for many surveys because of his occupation. The company also manufactures many personal care items and that disqualifies me for many other surveys. I wish I had found you sooner, I did pay to get the list of sites when I first started taking surveys.
Gina,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences. It helps my readers to have feedback from others too. I didn’t realize the pharmaceutical thing would disqualify you – I know marketing jobs do because that is the first question on many of them. Good luck!
Since my husband’s company also makes and distributes personal care items (shampoo, lotion, tampons) I am often disqualified unfortunately.
I have been keeping track of my payments and would like to let your readers know that Opinion Outpost has paid me the most. There is one that I have subscribed to that will award points even if you do not qualify for a survey, but I cannot remember which one right now. When I figure out which one it is, I will come back and let you know.
what ones do you like best. I stay at home and take care of my kids, like to earn money to do things at the ead of th month, with nthe kids.but money is geting tight
Hi and thanks for stopping by. The ones I listed are the most consistent. There are others that you can find on freepaidsurveys.net as well that are pretty decent. The bottom line is that the more you sign up for, the more invites you will get and the more likely you are to make some money. Just getting started I would recommend the ones I have listed.
Good luck!
Thanks for the heads up I am disabled and like others just looking for extra cash.that I could do from home.
I too want to thank you for the research. I was going to look into this to make a little extra $, since I am at home 24/7 taking care of my husband, who has Alzheimers.
Thanks for you help,
Cindy