Consumer Voice Panel CCB Fastmap

sylviesinc

Thanks for this thread. I too have been a member since 2007 and by 20/07/10 I had accumulated £41.30...no paid surveys since, just prize draws which I refuse to do. Also no response from Chris Smith, so I have just sent a complaint to DMC and emailed Chris Smith a copy!

If everyone does this they may think about paying us.

ChrissyToph

Hi everyone,

I've been following this thread for a while now and I thought I'd post to share my experience with fastmap:

I've been a member with Consumer Voice for three years now and , back in late November 2013, I noticed that I'd accumulated £46. As I'd been with them for so long, I couldn't remember what the minimum payout was and looking on the website, I couldn't seem to find any info so I emailed Chris (who I'm sure we're all very familiar with by now). I know some people have said the minimum payout is £50, but according to him it was £45 and he said he'll process the cheque once I send him my address details, so I did. Since most other survey sites seem to take like a month to process anything and given that there was Christmas as well, I waited until early January to ask whether the cheque was on its way. I got a reply a few days later telling me that they were NOW going to process the cheque and that it'd be with me in 28 days. So again, I waited. Late February, and still nothing - so I emailed to chase up on it. By this time, I was getting pretty worried having read all the negative experiences people have had on this forum (and other forum posts that come up on Google about them). Chris did reply and said that he'd looked into the issue and that the cheque will AGAIN be processed 'now' and will be with me within a week. Surprise surprise, it didn't turn up within a week. So I emailed two weeks later (now in mid-March) to chase it up. He didn't reply within a week, so I emailed again (i.e. last week). He emailed me back (quite quickly this time) telling me he had processed the cheque and that he'll discuss with their 'finance department' to sort this out. Yesterday afternoon, I received an email from David Cole with an apology that he was the one who'd messed things up - he wasn't very specific about what happened but it did seem like a sincere and nice email. Anyway, he said the cheque will be sent off 'today' (i.e. yesterday) and, given all that's happened, I expected it to take another month to get to me or something. But I was pleasantly surprised this morning when it finally turned up. I haven't put it in the bank yet but it looks pretty legit.

So long story short: It took them four months to get the cheque to me, but, very eventually, I did get it.

I'm not entirely sure why I didn't seem to have much of an issue reaching the minimum payment compared to everyone else - I mean, yes, it took 3 years to get £45, which is kinda rubbish compared to what I earn on other sites like Toluna, but considering some of you have said it's taken you like 7 years and you've still not got to the minimum payout, my situation does really pale in comparison. Funnily enough, judging from the recent survey emails they've sent me, I apparently have £61 now. I'm not quite sure whether it's from really old surveys I've done, 'cause after I read the posts in this forum, I stopped doing any of the surveys they sent me (not that there were many, maybe about 6) 'cause I was worried I wasn't gonna be paid for it. But it seems like all is well... ish. I'm not entirely sure I want to continue my membership with them since it's been such a hassle trying to get the cheque, but we'll see. Maybe if the survey invite comes on a day when I'm in a good mood.

Sorry that this is such a long post, but given everyone's bad experiences, I thought I'd share my two cents (or pennies, rather).

karen5416

I joined these in 2007 took me 3 years to reach £41.30, since then not one paying survey, that's 4 years waiting for a survey to take me to cashout, wrote to him A while ago asking why, the reply I got was we will be sending out paying surveys soon. I am going to write again then going to complain. :mad:

avvie

Same problem here, think i reached around £43 and then paid surveys stopped. After getting lots of emails for a chance to win prizes i sent a complaint to Chris who did email back saying that i would still get paid surveys but its random. I gave them a chance and the last 10 emails have all been to enter to win a prize, still no paid surveys. Just received another email to take part in a non paid survey, so i have sent a slightly less friendly email complaining that i wasn't happy. Waiting to see if there will actually be a reply!

karen5416

avvie wrote: »

Same problem here, think i reached around £43 and then paid surveys stopped. After getting lots of emails for a chance to win prizes i sent a complaint to Chris who did email back saying that i would still get paid surveys but its random. I gave them a chance and the last 10 emails have all been to enter to win a prize, still no paid surveys. Just received another email to take part in a non paid survey, so i have sent a slightly less friendly email complaining that i wasn't happy. Waiting to see if there will actually be a reply!

Hi I had the same problem, after posting on here I again emailed Chris, Surprisingly he was pretty co-operative, He sent me what I was owed £41.30, Ive had my cheque and it cleared so very pleased

lizzyjm

Thanks for the updates guys - after reading these messages last week I emailed Chris again and threatened to report them to the DMA. Got my cheque for £41.30 in the post yesterday!

MarkA2011

This is my story, it might help some of you, you can also find it on survey police, but I cant post the link here as a new user.

---

This is an old post I know but I think it's still worth a reply since no one has answered and I know a LOT about this particular survey site, which I think other users should know.

£43.50 and then the paid surveys stopped, just £1.50 of the payout and you got prize dra surveys....that's what they do!

For 2 years I waited at 43.10 for a survey to take me to the £45 and not one ever came.

I even emailed, wrote and called to ask why the surveys for £ had stopped and they told me each time both verbally and in writing that paid surveys were still part of the scheme but sometimes the surveys were for prize draws....but that they still were offering the £ ones.

So I waited and waited, another 6 months and another batch of prize dra surveys came and went.

I then decided to see what would happen if I created a fake profile and became a new user and much to my surprise (NOT) ALL the surveys for my new identity were £1.80 CASH surveys!!

Luckily around that time they were trying to recrute new suckers...erm, survey takers and were offering £5! for anyone who signed up a friend who then took at least 3 surveys.

So, I signed up...again, as another user using the reccomend a friend and earn £5 link I was given.

To be totally sure I would get my £5, as by this point I did not trust this survey company at all, I made sure I took still screen shots and videos of the sign up process from my account and videos of my 'friend' completing the surveys whilst logged into her account.

My 'friend' did the surveys as required and I waited for the £5 to be credited to my account, which of course would take me over the withdrawal limit and allow me to claim my £45!!....WOOHOO!!

I waited, and I waited, but still no £5 was added to my account.

A couple of months passsed and I decided to contact them explaining that I had not yet been credited for recommending a friend.
The reply I got was there was no record of me ever signing up this person from my account.

HAHA!!

So, as my friend I contacted them to confirm that I was indeed the one who signed her up and if it was any help to them I had screenshots as proof that I could send if required.

Remarkably and rather coincidentally a few days later I got an email to say the £5 had been credited to my account!

At last I was over the £45 (which I took a screen shot of) and sent them an email immediately asking them to confirm I was now due a payout, to which they replied I was as I had reached the £45 minimum payout level.

within a few weeks I received a personal cheque (hand written) for 45. I did notice that the cheque number was rather low considering they must send 100s of cheques out to their panalists a year *cough*.

So that's almost the end of my story, except.....when new surveys no came in they were ALL for....£1.80 cash reward!!

3 years of prize draw surveys and being 90p off a payout and no cash surveys then VERY VERY COINCIDENTALLY as soon as I manage to get over the £45 and my balance is £3.10 and a long way of the payout level, I get cash surveys!

Of course I never did a single survey with them ever again, although still get regular invitations still.

If you're reading this and near your payout level....good luck, I hope you find a way to get YOUR money.
If you're considering signing up or have just started with them, PLEASE DON'T!

Unless they have changed practices since I went through what you've read above (2 years ago) they are not to be trusted!

I also STILL have all the screen shots, videos, emails and letters if anyone tries to dispute this!!

(picture and link is included on survey police site)

MarkA2011

[QUOTE=ChrissyToph;_Funnily_enough,_judging_from_the_recent_survey_emails_they've_sent_me,_I_apparently_have_£61_now._[/QUOTE]

At least request the £61, which surely they should have paid you out automatically at £45.

The minimum payment is (or was) £45, I still have the original membership agreement I signed up with stating this.

Former_MSE_Megan

Hi everyone,

Fast.Map have asked us to post on their behalf. MSE does not endorse anything posted for a company.

I would like to respond to those fast.MAP panellists who have contacted Money Saving Expert expressing their dissatisfaction with the Consumer Voice payment system.

Panellists’ contributions are vital to the success of our organisation and we take their comments very seriously. This is why we would like to explain why it can take a long time to reach the payment.

Some years ago most clients commissioned paid-for surveys, but there has been a steady trend towards less-personalised incentives such as prize-draws, which the majority now believe deliver more accurate findings. We invest in our prize draws to offer an exciting range of prizes and. fast.MAP is proud to have paid out more than £20,000 in prizes.

But it does mean there are fewer paid-for surveys. Also, those clients who still commission paid-for questionnaires tend to do so because they want to reach a specific demographic group, e.g. within a specific age/ sex/ income group; living in a particular part of the UK etc. and this results in excluding panellists in all other groups.

And because fast.MAP is one of the smaller research companies it never sends out as many surveys as the bigger organisations. This is why, in our welcome pack, we advise those whose main motivation is to receive fast payment not to join.

Our panellists’ enquiries and complaints are very important to us, so we apologise if we have not addressed these in the past as quickly as we should have done and as a result have introduced a new system which should ensure all panellists receive timely replies to emails addressed to Chris Smith at Chris@fastmap.com

lizzyjm

Fast payment? I joined in 2007 and got to £41.30 in 2011. Then nothing until I complained a few months back. Strangely enough I've just received my first paid survey since 2011, now that I'm starting from zero again! I think I shall be closing my account.