Survey schmurvey! A warning about zoompanel, ciao and consumer lifestyles
Today's Adventure in the Biz opp Jungle:
'In which Charlie is threatened by a Bandwagon Raiding 'robot' run amok, gets a warning about 3 popular home survey opps, and an email about Pegasus Racing from a new reader.'
Hi,
Ever heard of the Bandwagon Raiding Machine?
Neither had I, until this week.
All of a sudden, emails asking for more information about this have come flooding in. (Probably not a good phrase considering last weekend's weather.)
Agora Lifestyles and Streetwise are both pushing this hard, each using their own promotional copy. Whatever the spin, both websites explain that by plugging in a 'robot' you can make money from the US property cash.
Will that robot suddenly lurch from your PC and run amok through your house, bleating "EXTERMINATE"?
....I don't know.
Will it shoot laser beams at your TV and try to strangle your cat?
...I don't know.
Truth is.... I know nothing about robots.
I don't have any inside information about this opportunity at all. But if you've tried it, please drop me a line at
Charlie@bizoppjungle.com.
For my part, I'll keep my eyes and ears peeled. (Can you keep ears "peeled"? Is that the right phrase? I don't know that either.)
Onto things I DO know about...
Why most survey opps are best avoided
In my experience, biz opps that involve you filling out surveys for cash are bad news.
Okay, so they sound good on paper. The blurb explains that all you have to do is fill in some answers as part of a company's market research.
You send in the survey, they send you cash. The more you do, the more you make.
Lovely jubbly, right?
I wish this was the case. If you're tempted, please take heed of this warning from one of your fellow readers. She has personal experience of 3 opps - Ciao, Zoompanel and Consumer Lifestyles....
"One of these sites (Ciao Surveys) has sent me a lot of surveys and I have spent ages filling them in but everyone has come back saying that I have not qualified but have been entered in a draw, after they have already had a load of information. Most of the surveys only offer 10p anyway. A second site, Surveys.com has only sent me 2 surveys but the result was the same, do not qualify. Zoompanel.com offers points but the prizes are pretty cheap."
So far, so unrewarding....
Then my reader came to a survey that appeared to offer cold hard CASH.
But this turned out to be a waste of time, too....
She explains...
"Consumerlifestyles-uk.com said it would pay me £10 - but I didn't notice that I should have clicked on that to get more details. After I had spent a considerable amount of time filling in a survey I had been awarded £15 and was directed to another site - vouch4me. This gave you vouchers for answering some questions. I got enough vouchers to claim a free case of wine - after I had paid £80 for the first one.
When I went to claim my £15 - guess what? It was in the form of 3 lots of £5 vouchers for bingo and scratch card games for which you have to register, one even wanting bank details. I have 2 sites left that haven't come back yet. If I actually get any money from them I will let you know.
Needless to say, my inbox is now full of spam and I have received a phone call all the way from Phoenix, Arizona offering me a 'Business Opportunity'."
Having done some digging around on forums and other websites, I've found nothing to counter this criticism.
Even the people who've had a GOOD experience with survey opps are hardly dancing a jig round the maypole.
Here's what one successful survey-user says online:
"I must warn you... this is not something that you can support yourself on, but just a little extra cash every-now-and-then, as it takes a while to accumulate the points for the rewards."
So you may be able to get some vouchers and freebies from this type of opp. But probably not a consistent second income.
Onto some better news...
It's not all bad news in the Biz Opp Jungle though. I got a pleasant email from a brand new reader this week.
"I have recently signed up to your excellent Biz Opp Jungle, I wish I had known about it earlier, it would have saved me a lot of money over the years. I just gave up work, at the age of 76, at the end of April this year, and I have been looking for something, not to make a fortune, (although that would be nice!) but just to supplement my very small pension in a time of ever increasing utility bills etc."
This is a brilliant attitude. Rather than think of business opportunities as a "magic wand" you wave to make an instant fortune for no effort, the happiest people in the jungle know the truth...
That it's about making enough regular extra cash to buy the nicer things in life... supplement your income or pension... and avoid hardship in the current economic downturn....
It's usually a slower process than the gurus tell you. But with patience, it's one that can bring incredible rewards.
My new reader goes onto say:
"Back in July I signed up for the Pegasus Racing System, on the basis of their past results, and it is working very well for me, although I am still building up my betting bank, as per their instructions..."
I've reviewed Pegasus on my website, so check it out at the usual place. Or see for yourself what Nick Laight has to say about it here:
The offer is stated very plainly. When you take up the trial, you get walked through the steps you need to take to set up a 'Pegasus Rollover Plan'.
After 30 days, if you haven't made money - or for any reason at all - then you get a refund.
Finally.... am I wrong?
And to finish today....
If you've made a success of a survey 'work at home opportunity'... and you think I'm being too scathing in my criticism, then let me know:
Charlie@bizoppjungle.com
Later alligator
Charlie Wright
The Biz Opp Jungle