Review of Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research (found at http://www.pineconeresearch.com) is one of the most talked about survey sites on the internet these days. Browse any personal finance blog and Pinecone Research is probably mentioned atleast once.

Pinecone's purpose is to introduce people to new products, or in some cases products that are not even on the market yet, in order to get a feedback on these products from a broad spectrum of consumers. The surveys go into deep detail about everything from packaging to when the consumer would use the product to where in a store the product should be location. Pinecone surveys even ask the consumer how much they would be willing to pay for the product which is not something you do not see on many survey websites these days.

In order to become a Pinecone panel member you have to find a Pinecone banner somewhere on the internet. They do not accept new members year round so perspective members should be on the lookout for that banner at all times. If you pay attention to personal finance or frugality blogs, they will oftentimes post the link when a new banner shows up.

Pinecone's payment system is one of the best I've encountered. As a panel member you will frequently be asked to fill out short surveys that allow Pinecone to determine which surveys are right for your household and these short surveys don't offer any payment. Once you take one of those surveys though, you almost always recieve a bigger, paying survey within a few days. Payment for the big surveys arrive in your Paypal account within 24 hours of taking the survey. You can also choose to be paid by check but you will not receive payment as quickly.

Payment amount varies depending on how long you have been a panel member. When Pinecone first opened it's internet doors they gave every panel member $5 per survey they completed. Now it's my understanding that panel members start at $2 per survey and move up in payment as they do more and more surveys. I have been told by quite a few people that only after a couple surveys they were moved up to $3.

One of the biggest perks of being a Pinecone panel member is that sometimes a company will want you to try their new products in your home. Pinecone won't notify you that you have been chosen but a few days after you complete the survey a box will show up at your door with the new product waiting to be tested. Since becoming a Pinecone panelist I have already gotten chosen to do an in-home product evaluation so it may be rare but it can happen. When you are chosen you not only get the payment for the survey that qualified you, but you get another payment once you test the product and review it!

One thing to keep in mind before becoming a Pinecone panel member is that Pinecone assumes you are going to keep everything discussed confidential. They do not want new product information being leak before the product is even finalized. If you recieve an in-home product evaluation, no one outside your household is allowed to no about it. It is tough to keep quiet about the products as some of them are very exciting but it is worth keeping quiet to stay a panel member.

The last and final important thing about Pinecone is how user friendly they are. Since joining the panel I have communicated a number of times with the people of Pinecone and each time I've gotten a timely and polite response. At one point I had an issue with my paypal account and the employee that I emailed was so helpful and seemed to genuinely care about getting the issue taken care of. I have been a member of many survey websites and never once have I encountered such a helpful staff.

If you are searching for a new way to make extra money from home, Pinecone Research is definitely a company worth looking into. You will be hard pressed to find another survey company who is so dedicated to taking care of not only the companies that pay them, but also the panel members. Just remember to look out for the banner, be completely honest in the surveys you are given, and keep everything confidential.