Opinion Square & Permission Research

[eddieMX07]

There are many people who do not like Opinion Square (http://www.opinionsquare.com/Home.aspx) because of the software you have to installed. When I first installed this program, it had no effect on my computer but when I tried to take a Greenfield survey after clicking an email link, I was unable to take the survey. So I uninstalled the program and never had to deal with it again, but I'm still an Opinion Square member.

Two words: cash and prizes. At OpinionSquare, simply sharing your opinions about topics from cell phone companies to ice cream flavors earns you rewards like points redeemable for valuable prizes, cash, and entries into our $100,000 sweepstakes! We send you surveys via e-mail and pop-up windows. Decide if you want to take the survey, and then submit your opinion and start earning rewards! It's that easy.


We are one of the leading online market research companies, with over 2 million members taking electronic surveys and allowing us to anonymously monitor web surfing and purchasing behavior. We absolutely do not sell your personal information or advertise to you. Your opinions and web surfing stats are compiled with millions of others to influence the development of new products and services.

Since Permission Research (http://www.permissionresearch.com/Home.aspx) is almost the same thing as Opinion Square, I decided to add it to this thread discussion. So in this thread post your thoughts and experiences with Permission Research and Opinion Square.

[eddieMX07]

Here is more information about Opinion Square to help people decide if this panel is for them.

Benefits
OpinionSquare makes it easy for members to earn a variety of rewards. Simply join our panel and you’ll be eligible for the following exciting benefits:


$100,000 Monthly "Your Opinion Matters" Sweepstakes: You'll automatically be entered to win a chance at $100,000 just for joining OpinionSquare. Once you’ve joined, you can refer family and friends to join OpinionSquare and receive additional entries into the monthly drawing. One winner will be chosen each month to win $100 and they will have the chance to win $2500, $5000, or even $100,000.


OpinionRewards: OpinionSquare members can earn points redeemable for exciting prizes through our OpinionRewards program. When you complete an eligible survey or other offer from OpinionSquare, you will receive points. With continued participation, you’ll be able to redeem your points for valuable rewards like gift cards, electronics, and home appliances.


Cash and Gift Cards: From time to time, OpinionSquare members will be contacted about special surveys that offer cash or gift cards as a "thank you" for participating.

FAQS
Why should I join OpinionSquare?

It's free, and we'll reward you for sharing your opinion! Taking surveys is a pretty easy way to get free stuff, with rewards like sweepstake entries for a chance at $100,000 or the opportunity to earn points redeemable for exciting prizes. Plus, you get the satisfaction of knowing that the information you submit about your opinions, your frequently visited websites, and your favorite online stores influences decisions on thousands of products, services, and online offerings.


How do I join OpinionSquare?

Click here (http://http://www.opinionsquare.com/privacy.aspx), answer a few profile questions, and install the OpinionSquare software. Then watch your email for your first survey. It’s that easy.


Why should I install the OpinionSquare software? What does it do?

Installing the OpinionSquare software increases your eligibility for surveys. Like Amazon's recommendations to members, one of the functions of our software is to help us send you the surveys of most interest to you. It monitors your Internet surfing and provides you with surveys which are most relevant to the services/products you use. In addition, we combine your Internet surfing data that we track with other OpinionSquare members' data to create an overall (and anonymous!) understanding of Internet usage and e-commerce. Our goal is to understand Internet users browsing and buying habits, but never to influence them or interfere with your Internet activities. For this reason, we do not advertise on our site nor do we release your name or other contact information to third parties for direct marketing purposes. If you would like to learn more about the type of information we collect, how we collect it and/or how we use this data, please visit our Privacy Policy & ULA (http://www.opinionsquare.com/privacy.aspx).


Do I have to take all the surveys you send me?

No. Every survey is absolutely voluntary. If you don't have time or aren't interested, simply delete the e-mail. But remember, the more surveys you take, the more rewards you can earn.


Will I start getting unwanted SPAM and pop-ups if I join OpinionSquare?

No. OpinionSquare will not sell your personal information to other companies and will not give any other companies permission to market to you. The only e-mail and pop-ups you will receive once joining OpinionSquare will be surveys and occasional member services notices. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy & ULA.


How do I win cash and prizes?

Just take the surveys! Our OpinionRewards program is our way of saying thank you for your ongoing participation. Every time you complete a qualifying survey, you will earn points which you can accumulate and redeem for prizes. To learn more about the OpinionRewards program visit www.opinionsquarerewards.com.


Are non-US residents eligible for surveys and cash prizes?

Under most circumstances, US and Canadian residents are eligible to receive cash, prizes and sweepstakes entries. Residents of other countries may receive survey requests with special incentives for their participation.


How many surveys should I expect to receive?

On average, OpinionSquare offers 3-4 surveys per month. It is always up to you whether or not to take a survey. Some months you may not receive any surveys and some months you may receive many. Some surveys are targeted to specific groups, so you may not qualify to answer every survey. You can increase your chances of getting more surveys by installing the OpinionSquare software and keeping it active on your computer. Log-in to your OpinionSquare account now and "Test your browser" to make sure your software is active.


Why am I not receiving any surveys?

Surveys are offered via pop-ups and e-mail. Your e-mail surveys may be getting classified as spam. Click here to learn how to add us to your address book, to ensure you receive e-mail surveys. Anyone surfing with an Internet Explorer, Firefox, or AOL browser can receive pop-up surveys, however they will all be displayed in an Internet Explorer window. If you do not have Internet Explorer on your computer, you will not receive any pop-up surveys. Since surveys are not delivered on a regularly scheduled basis, you may not receive a survey right away after signing up. But remember, you can always visit our home page and answer the Question of the Day!


How do I know if you received my survey?

If at the end of the survey you get a page that says "Thank you," we have received your survey. You may only complete a survey once, so please do not try to retake the survey once you have received this "Thank you" page.


What happens to my survey responses?

Your survey responses, along with the responses of every other OpinionSquare member who has answered that survey, are compiled and delivered to our clients on an aggregated and anonymous basis. Like TV ratings, your opinions help to shape the future of the products and services that our clients offer.


How do I know if I'm registered for OpinionSquare?

Log into the Members' section from the home page, or by visiting www.opinionsquare.com/members.aspx. Once you are logged in, go to the section called "Modify or Remove Services" and check to make sure that you are still set to receive surveys. If you cannot log in, click the "forgot password" link, or re-register. Otherwise, complete the support form and describe the problem you are experiencing.


How do I cancel my OpinionSquare membership?

Although OpinionSquare hates to see members leave, we realize there are good reasons for you ending your OpinionSquare membership. If that is the case, simply use the Windows "Add/Remove Programs" function to delete the OpinionSquare software. Or you can login to the OpinionSquare member's section from the home page or at www.opinionsquare.com/members.aspx and go to the "Modify or Remove Services" section. There you will find instructions on how to deactivate your membership and un-configure the software from your computer. (Please note: to avoid disrupting any of your other computer settings, please DO NOT attempt to adjust the settings yourself or through the use of third party software; instead, please go through the Members' Section as described above). If you are having problems removing the OpinionSquare software, please email us using our support form (https://www.opinionsquare.com/supportform.aspx).


What are the system requirements for joining OpinionSquare?

In general, we support most Microsoft Operating systems. Pop-up surveys are only delivered via an Internet Explorer browser; however, anyone surfing with Internet Explorer, Firefox, or AOL can receive a pop-up survey provided Internet Explorer is installed on your computer. For a more complete list of browser and system requirements, click here (http://www.opinionsquare.com/browserssupported.aspx).


How can I prevent my survey invitations from being falsely classified as SPAM?

Add us to your address book. Please click here (http://www.opinionsquare.com/whitelist.aspx), select your ISP from the list and follow the instructions to add us to your address book.


How do I contact OpinionSquare?

Complete our support form with your detailed question and someone from our Support Team will respond within 48 hours, Monday-Friday.

[eddieMX07]

Eddie, are we seriously recommending this company? I think it is a waste of time and should be moved to the 'Survey Sites' that are NOT recommended' thread. Any thoughts?

Of course I have some thoughts. Here they are:

Well since I have NOT had any problems with Opinion Square, I think this panel does not belong in the "NOT recommended" page. If some people share their BAD experience with this panel, then it might belong in that list. The software is not annoying unless you are worried about spyware and if you experienced the same problem when trying to access Greenfield surveys. I am recommending this site ONLY to people who don't mind being a member of "Survey Sites that Pay in Points/Gift Certificates/Merchandise". If you don't like these kinds of survey sites or if you just want cold hard cash, then I recommend you stay away from this.

On I forgot to mention that you said "we". It's ok if you think this panel is a waste of time and not want to recemmend it. By all means, express your opinion whether it's good or bad. But I have had a good experience with Opinion Square so I guess I'm recommending this panel to people who don't mind joining a website like this one.

[eddieMX07]

Yesterday I received a survey invite from Opinion Square. It was a screener for a online focus group that would paid $50. I did not qualify for this survey but I did receive the same email invite from Permission Research. I already knew what was the "RIGHT" answers for this survey but since the survey topic did not interest me, I was disqualified.


9/4 3:53 PM (Disqualified)
Topic: Men's Health
Length: 3 minutes
Reward: 200 points - $50 Visa card
Date of Online Discussion: September 15, 2008 or September 22, 2008

[eddieMX07]

I also received that. It was the first email thing they have sent me in three months. I still have not managed to time my Opinion Square online survey-taking correctly. If you try to take one before the seven day waiting period is up it starts a new seven day waiting period. I can't believe you are still messing with this AOhell-owned survey company.

Well first of all I have on idea what you mean by "seven day waiting period". I receive at least one or two survey email invites from Opinion Square each week and after I complete a survey I'm redirected to MyOpinionSquare where I can take a survey by clicking on a link.

By the way Opinion Square and Permission Research is owned by TMRG Inc. (http://www.tmrginc.com/).

TMRG is an organization dedicated to managing a leading market research community comprised of millions of Internet and mobile consumers from around the globe. The data generated from this community is used to help companies understand trends and patterns online and on the mobile Internet. Just as the television industry uses rating services to determine which are the most watched programs — and to affect the programs and advertisements that are shown — the Internet community relies on services like TMRG to understand the likes and dislikes of Internet users and hence make informed business decisions

[LapisLee]

Maybe I was thinking about Opinion-Place, which I unsubscribed to recently. I often get Opinion-Central, Opinion Place and Opinion Square (Opinion Rewards) confused. I thought Opinion Square just offered gift cards ($5 Starbucks and no Amazon gift cards) and prizes. Maybe I just haven't received any of their email invitations for cash rewards yet. I am starting to lose interest in some of the lesser paying survey companies lately, partly due to a vision problem I am having since last Saturday. Keep up the good work.

http://i33.tinypic.com/fypfg4.gifhttp://i35.tinypic.com/s4ool2.gif

[eddieMX07]

I currently have 10,550 points in my Opinion Square account and I will be redeem my points for one of items in the electronics section that is worth about 4425 points.

[eddieMX07]

Today I redeemed my first reward from Permission Research. Before I requested the prize, I had 10250 points in my account. Here is the message I got after I completed th transaction:

Redeem: Killzone 9/28

Congratulations! Your order was placed successfully! Your order number is 0051-71494-3211-2. You can view the status of your order at any time in your order history.
Note: Orders placed with Online-Rewards are usually shipped within 7-14 days. Some items can take longer to ship depending upon the item and the ship to address. We try and get your items shipped as quickly as possible. Once the items on your order have shipped, we will update the status on those items and provide tracking information where available. If you are having problems with an order or wish to cancel an order, please go to the 'Help' page. Information on shipping and handling can be found in the program "Terms" and "Help" section of the site.

For immediate assistance, please call: 1-888-233-1797 (Mon-Fri, 8.30am - 5.30pm)

[tidyclean]

I really liked Opinion Square Surveys. But of course they only offer rewards and No Cash. I got to my 5000 pts and cashed out for a hair clippers - my husband was happy with that. Oh - I actually did get one unexpected $5.00 check in the mail from them... After I received my reward I decided to Cancel from this site - not that it's a bad site by no means, there just aren't very many rewards that interest me.

[eddieMX07]

Today I logged in to Permission Research to play their new football scratch off play were you scratch three of six cards. You have to get 10 to win the prize that it shows. I was surprised when I was the "Indoor Grill" instead of the usual 50 points. I managed to WIN the prize.

After that I was asked to claim my prize and verify my address. Here is the message I got showing me my prize:

Winning Prize Claim


Congratulations! You are a Prize Winner! Claim your prize below.

http://i36.tinypic.com/rcu6if.jpg

32 Sq. In. Contact Indoor GrillLow-fat grilling
Easy clean nonstick surface
10-minute meals
Compact size fits anywhere
Dishwasher-safe drip tray
Black


This is so cool.... This the first prize I won from an instant game like this one. I also have my Killzone prize I redeemed with my points coming on Monday. Now Permission Research is one of my favorite surveys sites. :)

[eddieMX07]

Today I logged in to my Permission Research Acount to see the tracking number for my Killzone prize. Then I entered the number to the USPS webstie. I saw that the item was delivered yesterday. They sent me an email earlier this week and said it would be delivered on Monday. The reward was in a package with the Amazon logo it. Now that I have redeemed my first prize with Permission Research and also won a prize on their scratch off game, I definitely recommend this website to anyone who enjoys surveys that reward you with merchandise.

[eddieMX07]

Here is another scam where someone is using a market research company's name for their own gain. I saw this the Permission Research website but it's very likely that the same message appears in the Opinion Square.

Permission Research members beware of this scam:


Recently it has come to our attention that a third party has been using the PermissionResearch name and logo on fraudulent checks for “mystery shopping,” “secret shopping,” or “Customer Service Evaluator” assignments. Please be aware that PermissionResearch does not run a mystery shopping program and is not responsible for these mailings. This is a scam and should be reported to your local law enforcement agency or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/contact.shtm.

[eddieMX07]

Today I received my second prize from Permission Research. It was Resistance Fall of Man. I redeemed this prize on 12/21. I think they are delivering my prizes a lot faster. This is my second prize I redeemed from Permission Research next to Killzone. So far I am very happy with Permission Research and would strongly recommend this website

Here is the Resistance Fall of Man

http://www.slipperybrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/resistance-fall-of-man.jpg

[eddieMX07]

Yesterday I redeemed my first prize with Opinion Square. The prize was Burnout Paradise

http://www.ownage.nl/images/content/50205.jpg

This game was worth 8,532 points. Before ordering this prize, I had 15,300 in my account...

[eddieMX07]

On February 6, I received my first Opinion Square prize after a long wait. I redeemed this prize on 1/23. After a week has past of waiting, I knew their was something with the delivery because the Opinion Rewards email said I should have received it on or near Jan 31. So I checked the tracking link and I learned that the package was missent or misrouted. I was disappointed about wait since I was really looking forward to playing this game. I finally received my prize two weeks after and I was relived that I didn't have to contact USPS about the problem. It was mainly their fault for the delay so still have a positive experience with Opinion Square...

On another note, today I earned 500 points from playing the Permission Research rouettle game. This is the first time I made that much points with that game

[purplerain]

I love Opinion Square, have gotten paid twice. However since I updated my email address I have stopped getting surveys...i always use to get 1 or 2 a week. I hope I did not screw anything up. Has anyone else had this problem? I just joined Permission Reasearch and have been liking it so far. I do not mind getting paid with points or gifts because it saves me money in some sense. I can give the gadgets and gift cards out as presents and therefore do not need to spend my money.

[eddieMX07]

On May 12, I redeemed my second Opinion Square reward. It was Killzone Liberation and it cost me 6194 points. I received the the amazon prize this monday and so far I'm :) with the Opinion Square.....


http://img.vidaextra.com/2007/05/VidaExtraKillzoneLiberation.jpg