Mel L.

Prior to this month, I would have given a much better review of this company. But recent changes have negatively impacted my review.

#1- Previously if you did not complete a survey, you received $0.25 in partial compensation. This was for all surveys that were not completed. Today, you receive $0.20 in compensation if a survey is not completed, on only 5 surveys per day. So any surveys that are not completed after the initial 5, you get zero compensation. Even if you spend 5, 10, 15 minutes on the survey. Trust me, you will spend this amount of time on a survey only to find out "it has closed" or "you do not qualify". So take into consideration the unpaid time you will be giving away before deciding whether or not to start taking these surveys.

#2 - The "e-currency" you receive is worth about 33% in real dollars. So, when you complete a suvey for 3 e-currency dollars, when you get ready to redeem it, it will be worth $1.00. So, to get that $25 gift card you will need 75 e-currency dollars.

#3 - If you end up earning more than $600 in real dollars between January 1st and December 31st, this will be reported to the IRS. When filing federal taxes, as no deductions have previously been taken out, you will end up paying both federal taxes based on your tax rate, PLUS, you will be assessed social security taxes. In my case, earning $600 real dollars, resulted in a $200 tax bill. Figure losing about 1/3 of your "real" dollars.

4 - Many times your account will be shut down for "infractions" and this will result in not being able to redeem your e-currency. I have had this happen numerous times over the past 3 years. But my account has always been reactivated...until this month. I noticed that when I redeemed e-dollars for gift cards, I did not receive the email containing the codes. I have emailed customer service numerous times asking why I am not receiving my codes. At first I received a response indicating that my concern had been "elevated" and I would receive a reply. I have never received an answer and now, when I contact customer service, I hear nothing from them. Other reviews indicate this problem also, so I am not alone. You provide your valuable time taking surveys, with the promise of gift cards, only to end up with nothing. Keep this in mind, your account can be shut down at any time and you receive no notification or explanation. At that point, you are unable to redeem your e-currency.

So, if after reading my review, you want to take surveys for gift cards, I wish you well. Over the 3 years, I received over $7,000 in gift cards. But it takes a lot of time and effort. Remember, I had to accumulate over 21,000 e-currency dollars for this $7,000 and it took nearly 3 years. Also, I have to reduce this amount by 1/3 due to taxes being paid, which I did not initially take into account. Plus, if this survey site believes you have rushed through the surveys or provide incorrect information, your account will be suspended with no notification and your accumulated e-currency dollars become worthless.

This company is truthful, you will only complete 1 out of every 5, or so surveys. But what they do not tell you is that often, you will spend 10, 15, 20 minutes, or more taking a survey, only to be informed that you do not qualify and receive either 2 or 3 points. These 2 or 3 points convert to 2 or 3 CENTS! So spending 15 minutes to earn 3 cents means you are being paid 12 CENTS PER HOUR! Keep this in mind when you start taking surveys. You are going to have this happen to you many, many times. If you don't value your time very highly, then sign up and take these surveys. But if you feel that your time is worth more than a few pennies per hour, I strongly suggest you look elsewhere.