ECN Research

[Heath]

I’ll have to tell you that I’m not a fan of ECN Research. I alluded to that fact in my Good, Bad and Ugly blog, but thought it might be a good idea to go into a little more detail for you. I joined this site on January 15th, and to date, I’ve received 20 emails from them, so I’ll give them an A for effort. But that’s the only passing grade they will earn from me. Let me give you a break down of what is considered research for ECN.

1) 5 promtional offers of “guaranteed cash” with platinum, gold, silver, bronze levels that are tedious and have no hope of cash without paying out cash. These are my pet peeves!!!

2) 2 emails to particape in opinion polls to receive a $250 gift card….purchase required to receive.

3) 5 offers to join other promotional and offer sites

4) a check for $4000, made payable to me, which says Click Here to Claim, yeah right….

5) Get “free samples” of mascara but you have to apply for a credit offer before you get it…

These are only my experiences, and I welcome any input to the contrary. My advice to you is to read the fine print in the survey sites to determine if it’s a real survey or an offer that requires a purchase of some kind. This gives you the abiility to opt for the X button instead of wasting your valuable time.

[djuna73]

ECN Research is NOT a survey company. They are a direct market traffic company - or at least the online "scam" section of one. What does that mean? Well, they "conspire" (probably not the best way to put it) with other market research panel companies to drive traffice to those companies.

Meaning, survey company XYZ hires ECN to get new people to register for their company. ECN goes out there and makes it look like they are the survey company and blast you and everyone they can with offers of "get rich quick" or something of the sort. Once you sign up with them they sort of force you into registering with various companies such as survey company XYZ. In doing so XYZ gets new people and ECN makes a big fat paycheck. ECN charges major dollars to market research companies to drive you into registering with these companies. That is why they are so relentless and spam the hell out of you.

There are a million and one companies like ECN out there. Best way to avoid them is to do the footwork yourself. You don't need to register with ECN - sites like this (yourfreesurveys - both the blog and the forum) are the way to go. The community of panel members is the best way to find out about legitimate sites and avoid the ECN's of the world.

:)

[eddieMX07]

their will always be sites like ECN research as long as people keep on falling for their lame scams. I was once a member of ECN research, but I'm no longer with them. The only reason I joined their their site is so I can get $1 with IndoxDollars.

I still get ECN email even if I'm not a member of their so called panel. But the good thing is they are all sent to the junk folder. Here is one of their emails they sent:

Dear Sweepstakes Enthusiast:

The above facsimile check represents First Round Jackpot funds reserved and available to be claimed by the winner from Prize Claim Center. If you are the named and confirmed winner in accordance with the official rules, it is important that you claim your winnings before May 29. You will also be given six opportunities to win considerably larger amounts within 24 hours without cost or obligation. No purchase necessary.

Congratulations and continued good luck!

Michael J. Armstead
Director Prize Claims

PS - Act now to avoid forfeiture. In accordance with the rules any prize not claimed by the deadline will be forfeited. Void where prohibited.

Did anyone else get an email like?

I do remember joining them at some point, but I quickly unsubcribed from their mailing list a long time ago. I wonder if this email is really associated with ECN Research. If it is then, ECN is definitely a scam. Not only was the message sent to my JUNK folder, but the messasge it self seems like a complete lie. Well this message is still in my JUNK folder until it is delete in 10 days.

[djuna73]

Yes, I agree, there will ALWAYS be sites like ECN. At least they don't charge you for the information. The ones that really "chap my hide" (to use a tried and true expression) are companies such as Highest Paid Surveys. They charge people something like $69.95 to give a list (an outdated one at that) of online survey companies. It's horrible! Granted, they are praying on the naivete and, in some cases, laziness of the consumer who is looking to sign-up for these various sites. But it kills me - this informaiton is all over the web for FREE. Just a little sleuthing will produce the same results.

[shmoocat]

Thank yoou all. I was thinking that I was just getting this crap now but things will get better. Now that I havew heard your experiences, I too, will unsubscribe and redirect all future mailings from them to my spam folder.

[taesurvey1]

I've been seeing this name floating around, and considered trying my luck. Forget that!

[eddieMX07]

Here is an email I received when I was a member of this website:

How To Join A Survey Site
POSTED: 10/29/2007 5:49:20 PM

Internet surfers are increasingly participating in surveys. If you spend a lot of time online it is a great way to earn cash or reward points. But how do you start?

There are many survey sources to consider. You will want to ensure that your chosen survey source is an ethical and productive site for you to participate.

A Google search for paid online surveys reveals about 15,600,000 results! All of this can be overwhelming for the Internet surfer seeking viable paid survey offers.

How To Start

We recently spoke with someone who has been taking surveys for cash for over two years. This individual was very pleased with “cash pay” survey opportunities, since the Internet surfer was realizing an extra $800 to $1900 per month in income. As a result, this person indicated that she did not need to get a second job to cover all of her bills.

The way you find an offer and start is very important. First, if you have “opted in” to receive information about survey offers through email delivery, you should take these offers seriously. Most of the marketers and advertisers responding to your interests have invested a considerable amount of time and money to structure surveys that will be lucrative to you, while providing a significant amount of information that will benefit the products or services being surveyed.

You should also read a review before you join any web site. Do some research, see what other members saying about the web site, read some testimonials, then determine what are the pros and cons a certain web site. This will help you decide whether you want to join it or not.

How Much Can You Earn

This depends on two main factors. How much are you willing to work? Are you interested in converting your online time into money making opportunities? How many surveys are you willing to participate in?

It is advisable to do some research to seek out viable web sites that pay at least $20 for every survey you take. This is important, especially if you want to earn good money and spend less time doing it.

What if I Live Outside the United States?

Many survey sites offer surveys for cash only for US citizens, but there are also international survey providers. You can live in Canada, the UK or even Europe. You can still take surveys for cash and get paid. But again, it is important to select a well-known, respected site.

How Do I Get Paid to Take Surveys for Cash?

The Internet makes it possible to receive your payments almost instantly. Thanks to PayPal, for example, you can receive your money right after you complete the survey. In addition, some companies will pay you via wire transfer or send you a check.

[LapisLee]

I do not believe that anyone is making "$800 to $1900 per month in income" from taking surveys no matter how many hours per day they put in. I also do not believe that any amount of research will allow you to find "web sites that pay at least $20 for every survey". That is not realistic. I know of one person who made $747 during a single month and who claims to average $500 per month, but I cannot confirm this and I have never heard of anyone else on any of the 8-10 forums that I have visited over the past year who claims to earn more than about $200-300 per month. I think CEO's of larger companies, IT guys and medical professionals have the highest earning potential as far as $20+ surveys go.