One Man's Opinion: Survey Savvy

We've all heard the age-old cliche "it's too good to be true." Most often, this is used to describe most get-rich quick schemes, in which overenthusiastic liars discuss how YOU can make $4,000 a month working only part-time (and from home!) But the under-discussed flipside to that are things that are "too true to be good," something that is pretty much exactly as it claims. A perfect example of that: Survey Savvy, an online survey site where you get paid to voice your opinions.

Now let me just get this out of the way so that there is no misunderstanding: I am NOT lumping Survey Savvy into the large groups of scam survey websites, that you either have to pay to use, or that promise more money than they could possibly provide in a lifetime. In terms of paid survey websites, Survey Savvy is but one of a few that are actually legit. I also want to clarify that the problems I had are in no way related to the amount paid to each survey. Survey Savvy's website never states that you'll make a fortune, and I made sure to do research (as any reputable person should before engaging in a new online endeavor) before I made the final commitment to sign up. I just don't want people thinking I was expecting a get-rich-quick scheme like so many others seem to do when they sign up for something like this over the Internet.

The set-up of the website is very simple. You fill out some personal information, including a home address (so they can send you your checks), click on the activation link they send via e-mail, and then you're technically ready to make some money. It takes anywhere from a couple weeks to a month to receive your first survey invite. However, there is an additional step that comes highly recommended, and it is where the main problems lie: You have the option to fill out a few profiles about yourself. They are in the survey format, are unpaid, and take anywhere from five minutes to close to an hour. Survey Savvy ensures the user that the answers to each survey are used to decide which surveys each user is more qualified for. Thus, if you answer that you are a tobacco user, and a survey about tobacco use comes up, you will then be on the list to receive the survey. If, however, you answer that you do not use it, then you won't be given the survey.

In theory, it's a great idea; one that had me spending a good amount of time truthfully answering each and every question so that a high percentage of the surveys I received would be ones that I would qualify for. However, this was not the case at all. Out of the roughly 20 survey invites that I responded to (immediately, might I add, as there is a cut-off to the number of people from each area that can take it), I qualified for only four, totaling a paltry $5 payout. Suddenly it became clear that my time spent answering each personal survey was nothing more than a huge waste of my time.

Again, the website clearly states that you will make anywhere from $1-$3 per survey, and that most of them will take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. I was prepared for that. It also states that the surveys are randomly sent out, so it may be two weeks in between survey invites. I was also prepared for that. But the fact that I did not qualify for so many, despite filling out the required forms, is inexcusable to me. I was also a little perturbed at the fact that I kept receiving the same surveys that I didn't qualify for the first time. It would be nice if they at least kept track of some of your answers, so that they would know not to send the same (or very similar) surveys to you at a later date.

To be fair, I know some people who have had success with the site, and there are certainly a few plusses to be found. I was very impressed by the number of invites I received. While it's certainly very spotty (as in, you can't depend on Survey Savvy as a reliable source of secondary income), there were times when I'd receive invites every other day, or so, for an entire week. The website is also very easy to understand, and the fact that they're a legitimate company, and they don't even attempt to exaggerate their income claims, are huge bonuses. They tell you right up front, in their simple yet informative FAQ, exactly what you can expect from signing up with Survey Savvy.

I am not writing this article to deter anyone from signing up, but rather giving them a fair warning. In fact, I would encourage you to sign up if you have made it this far, but are still leaning towards doing so. You may have the exact opposite experience I had, in which case, you can earn some extra spending dough. I'm estimating that, if I had qualified for all of the surveys that I received, I could have made around $50 in three months, which certainly isn't bad. Plus, what do you have to lose in today's rough economy, where everyone's looking for a little extra money? The point of this article, however, is to let you know that there are some things that are just too true to be good; where what little you stand to gain, is nowhere near worth the effort, or the time, you are guaranteed to lose.