If you’ve been banned on multiple occasions from paid online surveys in India or the USA, perhaps your profile has the wrong information. Or you might have answered with inconsistencies. Mistakes (unintentional or otherwise) like these can hurt your rewards while taking surveys.

Scamming is another major problem with paid online surveys. Let’s talk about some common mistakes in paid surveys panelists make and simple solutions to these issues.

Paid Survey Mistakes Panelists Make and Their Simple Solutions

    1. Scammed Because Lack of Research

Scams exist right from the inception of any profitable scheme in the market. And paid online surveys aren’t any different. Online surveys started somewhere in the 1990s, and scammers followed soon. However, not all bogus surveys will rob you of your money. Here are some reasons for being scammed:

     (i) Asking you to pay a fee as a membership or instead of worthless training.

     (ii) Ghosting on you after collecting your demographics, which would be passed on or sold to shady companies for their marketing campaigns.

     (iii) Collecting your data, including education and sensitive personal information, for identity theft.

     (iv) Luring you into fraudulent money-making schemes and collecting your bank details for bigger financial frauds.

Here are some tips not to slip into this trap:

     (i) Look for the social media profiles and reviews of the online panel you aim to register with.

     (ii) Do some due diligence before joining, and figure out the legitimacy of the panel or market research company.

     (iii) Never pay for any membership or prerequisite training; all a paid survey needs is your opinion about products you’ve used.

     (iv) Don’t fall for the tall promises of hefty cash payment; most online surveys pay you in vouchers and redeemable points

    2. Fake Demographics to Make More Money

Not getting qualified for paid online surveys in India, the USA, or elsewhere? Perhaps your personal data might restrict you from most surveys. And you might get tempted to create multiple profiles at various panels with varied demographics to bag as many surveys as possible.

But the teams working in customer satisfaction research and market research are proficient in spotting skewed data. Posing as a 20-something girl for surveys related to free cosmetics samples for selling in your shop might land you in trouble. One mistake and your profile might get blocked and banned.

Follow these instead to bank on rewards:

     (i) Use survey routers to opt for suitable surveys.

     (ii) Don’t ever fake your profile because companies keep an eye on inconsistent responses that morph their studies.

     (iii) Participate in legitimate and popular surveys to avoid disappointment with failures and scams that can divert you to misleading tracks.

     (iv) Keep a tab on survey-related emails and app notifications and grab the opportunities at the earliest possible chance to avoid issues with quota or time limit.

Expert tip: Here is how not to disqualify and bag more opportunities with online surveys.

    3. Unorganized As Management is Difficult

If you’re planning to play a long game in paid online surveys and earn some good rewards, you should be organized. And it hardly takes any herculean effort:

     (i) Keep your survey-related emails separate from your work, education, and personal emails; rather, devote a new email account only for surveys.

     (ii) Block your time every few days or weekly based on how much you want to devote to the surveys.

     (iii) Follow up for any lost reward or points, and keep track of your efforts.

​​​​​​​    4. Skimming Past Surveys Because Bored or Lured

Making money or grabbing discount coupons through paid online surveys can be tempting. You might want to utilize your 30 minutes in not 1 but 2 surveys. Hence, you skim through and miss some crucial details in a survey. This can throw you out of a survey, and you might miss rewards from 1 survey, much less 2.

Here are some tips not to flunk surveys:

     (i) Look for questions that aren’t related to the surveyed product but scrutinize your attention. For instance, “which phrase was coined by <a personality> that we have mentioned at the start of this survey?”.

     (ii) Be more attentive when you’re popped with a video. Such surveys ask questions based on a short video shown during the survey, which people tend to skip.

     (iii) Don’t miss any questions, even if it’s optional; this increases your chances of qualifying.

     (iv) Attempt the open-ended questions with complete vigilance because companies rely on such answers for customer satisfaction research and can invalidate your responses even if you have submitted them successfully.

​​​​​​​    5. Missing on Bonuses Because Unaware

No legit survey sites would ask you to pay a small (or hefty) fee in lieu of lifelong membership. Rather, many companies pay you rewards just for joining. This is a welcome bonus, and you must reap such benefits.

Likewise, sometimes, companies announce extra bonuses for existing and new members. Here are tips to make the most of such bonuses:

     (i) Look for online panel companies that offer joining bonuses.

     (ii) Use referral bonuses and loyalty programs to bank on extra points.

     (iii) Register for new survey announcements and grab such opportunities quickly.

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Join Opinionest to Make the Most of Your Opinions and Views

If you’re planning to or already filling out studies to earn money from surveys in India or elsewhere, you shouldn’t miss Opinionest. We release frequent and legit paid online surveys for our participants in automotive, healthcare, and several other industries. Register with Opinionest for free and start earning gift vouchers.

But before that, go ahead, check our users’ reviews, and make a sound decision. See you soon on our panel.

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