Is Global Test Market a Scam?

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For years, businesses have been paying market research companies to collect information from consumers about their tastes, demographics, behaviors, and attitudes in the form of surveys. This information is invaluable to businesses as they develop their products. The market research companies usually offer small incentives to the consumers as a thank you for completing the survey.

Years ago, these surveys were completed with paper and clipboards at busy shopping areas, or by phone. Today, the internet makes it fast and easy for survey companies to reach a wide variety of people – and for people who take surveys to comfortably click through several surveys a day and reap the rewards.

People take online surveys because they are interesting and fun, but also because of the rewards offered for completion.

What sort of company is Global Test Market?

Global Test Market is one of the oldest and largest survey companies in existence. They have been offering surveys online since 1999, and boast over five million members in 60 countries. The fact that Global Test Market has a presence in so many countries is a huge draw for many survey takers. For one, it sets them apart as a more legitimate and experienced company, because the majority of survey companies out there lack the legal resources to do what they do on a world-wide level like this. It also opens up opportunities for takers who live in countries other than the U.S.A.

How does it work?

When you sign up with Global Test Market, you answer some basic questions about your age, income, and occupation. This helps them identify which kinds of surveys you might best answer. Then, you have the opportunity to answer surveys. When you successfully complete a survey, you earn points that you can bank and convert to cash when you earn enough. Successful completion of a survey also earns you a sweepstakes entry: There is a daily sweepstakes of $300 and a quarterly sweepstakes for $200,000. It is worth noting that the sweepstakes are only available to people who live in certain countries.

Have other users run into problems with Global Test Market?

Global Test Market is an enormous company. With 5.5 million users, it’s inevitable that some users will be unhappy. Overall, it seems that most of their users enjoy the experience and have not encountered any problems. The complaints that do appear online fall into a few categories: There are reports of poor customer service, or the company being difficult to contact. Some users have stated that it is hard to cancel an account. A number have complained about the very long time it takes to receive the cash payout from the site (from six to eight weeks is average) and some have said they never received their payout at all, although they are in the minority. Notably, users have remarked that complaints have recently increased. It’s possible that the company is currently going through a period of adjustment after a change in ownership.

So is Global Test Market a Scam?

In short: it’s NOT a scam. It’s a very labor-intensive way to make money, and the company is a real, legitimate company that offers exactly what they say they do. They are not trying to sell you anything and they are not farming for information. They do not require any fees from their users. The vast majority of users have earned and received money in the form of actual checks from Global Test Market. They have a good Better Business Bureau rating because they seem to make an honest attempt to treat their users well and they make good on their promises.

One important note: Like many prominent companies, Global Test Market has attracted the attention of unscrupulous people, and the company has issued a warning that they are aware of several scams out there that make use of the Global Test Market name and images. Messages inviting people to become “mystery shoppers,” “survey agents,” or “customer service representatives” are all likely scams. Messages asking users to send payments via Western Union are scams. These frauds are not affiliated with the actual company in any way.

What’s the overall impression?

Global Test Market is a solid company, backed by years of experience and an enormous user base. Customer service may not be ideal, but for a veteran survey taker this should not be an issue. You may have to wait a long time to receive payment from them in the form of a check, but you will get paid eventually. They are legitimate, and a good way to make a little bit of extra cash on the side, especially for users outside the U.S.A. and Canada.


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  • Yonnie May 17, 2016 Reply
    Anyone else use Ibotta for their electronics purchases? I used it for groceries and drug store purchases and am amazed by it so far....