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Why do we do this?!

I have posted this question before, but not found many/any replies. So I am running it again to see if there is now interest.
I do many surveys and am a member of many survey panels. But I sometimes wonder why I do it, because there is so much aggravation, that I sometimes wonder if it is worthwhile.
I am talking about the disregard these panels have for our free time. When they invite us to enter surveys, often times we are rejected for nothing more than that the survey has already closed! Sometimes, despite giving our personal details to join, we are invited to surveys which exclude those details and though we have to answer a number of questions at the start. It is clear that we are rejected on the details that they already know!
Sure, if we manage to get through the initial questions and reach the end of the survey, before they have enough other responses. Then we get paid a small compensation for our time. But why do we give up so much time that isn't compensated?!
I would estimate that about one third of my time given to entering surveys results in some form of compensation. But that leaves a large amount of time, that I have given in good faith, which has been thrown away by the survey panel.
So my question is why do we do this, when such a large amount of our time is wasted?
I see many of you complaining about poor rewards and difficulties in getting what you deserve. So what are your views on this?
Maybe we should get Martin on board to investigate why these survey panels make so free with our personal time!
Nigel

Comments

  • Unfortunately, DNQs are par for the course. There is little point asking a 67 year old man about ladies fashion stores or asking a childfree woman about baby food.

    If you want to continue with surveys then stick to sites which offer points on DNQ. YourWord, for example, pays 10p per screenout and at £5 for an AGC, it's possible to withdraw without having taken a single survey. I'm a fan of MintVine too but I'm sure other posters will have sites which work better for them.
  • The only survey site I bother with is YouGov. Took me about three years for that £50 payout.
  • DQ's are frustrating but you have to shake them off and get on with the next one. Better to DQ in the first 30 seconds of a survey than get all the way through and waste 20-30 minutes.
  • justaquestion
    justaquestion Posts: 737 Forumite
    edited 5 October 2016 pm31 4:00PM
    Sometimes I wonder myself so good thread, and have reached the conclusion that its all about money earning from the companies point of view.

    1 was asked to do a smoking survey once, the survey crowd offered £3 but forgot to remove the details that they were getting pad £15.

    2 A lot of the surveys are aimed that so called "high fliers" people who earn good money in good jobs like being Tech Head of a large company. What person in this position is going to give up their time for maybe 80p to one pound. Not many I think, and the survey company probably know this, that they will still get their quota of surveys from people who know the ropes and simply fill in the survey willy nilly without a care in the world.

    The company gets paid, and the survey doer gets paid, and everyone is happy, maybe even the people who commissioned the survey are happy too.

    Which begs the question, how much of the merchandise and services we use in every day life that have been subject to survey result are accurate at all, and are not totally skewed in every way?

    The survey rewards have totally diminished in recent years maybe partly as a result of the financial crash in 08 and the survey companies knowing that people on the breadline will continue to do it for a pittance.

    I don't do any surveys now, not worth it,
  • It is frustrating to give out information only to be screened out but unfortunately it is part of the process and some survey sites are far, far worse than others, I have found the sites that work well for me and have dropped the ones that seem to waste my time. Mysurvey was the worst one for me but others like it.
  • sharpe106
    sharpe106 Posts: 3,558 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I do very few surveys as most ask repertitive questions and are dull, you get asked the same qualification questions that they already know the answer to and sometimes can spend 5 mins answering them before being told you do not meet the criterea when they already had that information.

    When I first started them I answered them with care now like many just do them when doing something else. As most of the time they say a survey will take 10 mins to complete then show you a few adds that takes that amount of time.

    Do they really believe that the high flyers running IT systems with over 100 emplyees are really filling out a survey for 50p or 15 mins.
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