by Magda D. Healey

Created on: October 23, 2009

*Intro & Rationale (same for all survey site reviews)*

I have "subscriptions" to quite a few online survey companies (pared down from many more) and have already written reviews for some of them. I contemplated detailed reviews of the others but then thought about the main criteria that matter when choosing an online survey company and decided to concentrate just on those. I will thus review all of them in a similar, hopefully concise and useful format, rating relevant factors on a following scale: poor, not very good, average, good, excellent.

*Review Proper*

1. Company:

www.globaltestmarket.com

2. Registration and paid surveys available to:

Global public.

3. Pay in:

Good. Payout is in real money, for UK members by GBP cheque, but the actual earnings are in USD so what you get depends on the exchange rate.

4. Site currency:

Poor. Market Points, worth 0.05 USD per point: it's not at all clear how much you'd earn per each survey, but it's a fairly minor point.

5. Payout threshold:

Good: 1000 points, (50USD).

6. Payment per survey:

Good: usually between 35 to 75 points, which translates to 1.35 to 3.75 USD, with the most common payment being 50 points (2.50 USD), or approximately 1.50. However, recently (late 2009) they started to send out many "sweepstakes only" surveys, so watch out.

7. Frequency of surveys:

Excellent: at least once a day, and sometimes more. The downside of it is described below.

8. How likely you are to get screened out and how long are the "screener" parts?

Poor: it obviously depends on your socio-demographics, but there are many, many more surveys I get screened out of than I qualify for. The screeners are often quite long too. There sometimes is a small incentive (5 points usually) for SOME of the failed screeners which is a saving grace as otherwise I would give up on this site: it's really quite a generous incentive to fill in the screeners; 25 cents translates to at least 10p, and bearing in mind that some full length Ciao surveys offer 10p, it's worth doing. Not every survey screener offers this incentive, though and now is seems that most offer just a sweepstake entry.

9. How long does it take to get to payout:

This depends entirely on how diligent you are in filling the screeners as soon as they land in your mailbox, and how good a potential subject you are for them. Many surveys are for people who have decision making powers in their companies (esp. regarding to IT). The links expire quite quickly, too. I would say anything from three months to a year is possible.

10. Length, subject and mind-numbing character of the surveys:

Average: This vary a lot as GTM are used by other survey companies too, so you'd be often transferred to another website altogether. Some surveys are well designed and quick, some are terribly designed and mind-numbing.

11. Payment in relation to effort:

Average. This is my own rating, and depends mostly on the fact that I get screened out of so many of GTM's surveys. I think for a person who qualifies for more surveys, GTM would qualify as "good".


12. How quickly is the payment made after claiming?

Poor. It takes ages, to the Uk at least - 2 weeks minimum but possibly as long as 5 weeks.


13. Bottom line:

Average to good, depending on how many surveys you manage to qualify for. Long surveys and many screeners are balanced by decent enough payment in real money.

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