Make sure you check out my list of paid survey sites. I only list companies that I have experience with and I give you the low-down on each one. And if that’s not enough, you can check out surveypolice.com for ratings and reviews.
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.
UPDATE 8/2010: Their screens and graphics have changed since the writing of this article but the results and content remain the same.
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!
For more information on taking paid surveys:
About Kim
Thank you for this post! I can’t believe how many scams are going on nowadays! An ode to the new technology age!
You’re welcome, thank you for stopping by!
I signed up for 2 survey companies this Summer.Completed some surveys (most told me I was not qualified) and never received 1 prize or any $. Boths survey companies cost me $40.00 which I lost forever. They are all a rip-off as far as I am concerned.
Rule #1 in survey taking is NEVER pay to participate in paid surveys or to receive access to a “database” of companies. Those are scams. I promise you that there are legit ones out there.
Was getting ready to sign-up for BigSpot and read your Big Spot Surveys revisited, Thanks for checking it out for others ands sharing
Nancy,
Have you been paid? Do they ask for SS No.?
Thank you
thank you so much for clearing this up. I started doing these surveys,but I don’t qualify for most of them. Actually,I haven’t qualified for any yet and it has been 3 months. At least I know now that ‘most’ of them are just scams and really don’t work.
Thaanks again!
A little word the wise about LightSpeed Panel that the first check I got was stolen. It was a hot check that had I not been aware of how to seek out bad checks I would have been stuck for over 4,000 dollars. Good Luck one and all.
Ed,
Do you mean that you were paid with a hot check?
Thank You
Very good detective work Felipe. As you know, when I first met you, it was because of the surveys that I sang the praises of your website and survey information.
I think I also mentioned (don’t know if you recall) that I *bombed* out on a lot of the survey qualifications, probably because of my Baby Boomer status age (you mentioned something about your mom & me).
I gave up on the whole survey bit since all I kept getting was “You don’t qualify.” No loss for me here, but you provide a valuable source of inspiration for your readers who are interested in surveys.
Thanks for this, Felipe. I have bookmarked it. Now who is giving you grief about this?
Hi Kim! Thank you so much for taking the time and exposing Big Spot as a deceptive company! Shame on them for trying to take advantage of us.
hey! thanks so much for the advice! I was just wondering if the money or prizes you get from doing surveys is taxed? Like will they send something at the end of the year about filing the money earned on your taxes? (like a w-2 from an employer)
Technically according to the IRS you are supposed to report all income but as far as the survey companies go, the only time you might be forced to fill out tax forms is if the individual prize or cash or whatever you receive is valued at more than $600. 99% of the time you will not be filling out the forms and they will not issue any forms.
I just have a couple questions to ask! 1). Does it slow down your computer? 2). Do you get taxed when you receive your reward? 3). Do you actually receive your reward? Would someone please reply to me because I have no clue if I should use Big Spot!
Rachel,
There should be nothing you install that affects your computer. I don;t think any of these companies have you fill out tax forms unless you participate in something that has over a $600 value. If you sign up for the legit companies I have listed on my sidebar you will get paid. Big Spot does not pay you because they do not administer the surveys.