Vindale Research

Vindale Research advertises that it covets "the finest minds" in online research. Signing up for this website was easy; I simply entered my name, e-mail address, gender and birth date and they sent me an e-mail. I opened the e-mail and clicked on the confirmation and was a member.

The site advertises that it has a "zero tolerance spam" policy. Vindale Research pays its members monthly through their PayPal account, but you have to have a $50 balance in order to get paid.

Surveys are easy, but some of them require you to test different products. One has to be careful with this. A survey to "test" a different online carrier pays $75, but how difficult is it to drop the carrier if it doesn't work out?

There are many surveys, however, that pay in the $5 range and they normally last about 20 minutes to complete. They consist of the use of different household products, online shopping sites and cigarettes. Members can also earn $5 for every friend that they get to join the site.

I took a very quick survey for which I earned $2. This asked me many of the usual questions that most survey companies asked such as my average household income, occupation, number of dependants and ethnicity. I found it odd that they asked my religion and sexual preference, however. This was the first time that I've been asked such questions during any survey.

Those who get easily offended can take comfort in the fact that answering these personal questions regarding your religion and sexual preference is optional. Vindale Research affirms that they will not share this information with anyone.

Unlike some survey sites, Vindale Research sends you surveys through your e-mail account that fit your criteria. If you truly like taking surveys, answer "yes" to anything they ask you. Tell them you eat at fast food places at least three times a week and smoke like a chimney. Answering "no" to any questions limits your survey taking ability.

Beware of giving them your credit card or billing information. Many of their surveys require that you "test" a product. Vindale Research will send you the product, charge your account for it, and then, once you return the product with the completed survey, refund you. For someone like me who doesn't like running back and forth to the post office, this isn't for me. Be careful of what type of survey you sign up for.

Vindale Research reminds me a bit of some of the survey companies that I joined years ago. These companies offered up to $75 in exchange for testing their products at their facility. In some cases, you had to bring the product home, use it for a certain period of time and return to the facility to fill out a questionnaire. The surveys offered by Vindale Research pay more than the average online survey companies, but are much more involved.

People who enjoy actually testing new products might enjoy participating in this research company. Those who are looking for a fast buck, however, are best to seek out other legitimate online survey sites.