acop.com > Reviews (5)

To put it simply, American Consumer Opinion (or ACOP for short) really works. It's not going to make you a millionaire, you won't be able to give up work, and you probably won't be able to buy a new car unless you do this for a very very very long time. However, it's an enjoyable way of earning a few bucks for something that I for one find quite enjoyable.

If you like surveys, and don't mind putting a little effort in once in a while, read on to find out more. If you would rather spend your £100 joining a get-rich-quick program, you can always send it to me instead. I'm a very worthy cause, honest!

I joined ACOP alongside many many other "make money on the Internet" programs over a year ago now, as things weren't so good on the bank balance front. Most programs I still have yet to earn even a dollar from, but I was somewhat surprised with what happened with ACOP.

I received a screening survey for a survey they were conducting on electronics. Then a couple of days later came an offer in my inbox to join a survey that would be worth $10. So I did, it took about 15 minutes and to be honest thought they would probably send me a cheque it would cost me a fortune to cash, and completely forgot about it. Until a couple of weeks later I got a phone call at work from my partner at home to tell me a letter had arrived for me from Dallas. I thought it was junk mail, it wouldn't have been the first time I'd have received junk mail from abroad, so thought nothing of it.

Imagine my surprise when getting home I opened the envelope, and yes you guessed it, it was from a nice lady called Anne Parks at ACOP thanking me for taking part in the survey and enclosing a $10 American Express Voucher. I really wasn't expecting it, and I think I was more excited that I actually had something nice arrive that wasn't a bill. Believe it or not, it wasn't so important that it was $10 but more that I had earned that money, it was a bit like winning a prize and I was all excited!

~ It all sounds so easy ~
Yes, it is, if you like surveys or marketing questionnaires. I know that not everyone does, but if you do, companies are prepared to pay for your thoughts and opinions. Some are more work than others, but they still don't take up too much of your time. In between surveys you may get invites to do short surveys to update your information on their site and screening questionnaires to find participants for upcoming surveys.

~ What kinds of surveys are there? ~
I've had mostly surveys on electronics, and one thing they offered was to come up with a product name for a new drink. They gave you a description and paid you $20 for your suggestions. Not strictly a survey, but we had a fun half hour coming up with names for that one!

~ You mention dollars, but I live in the UK! ~
There is no problem with international membership, although I wonder how many more survey invites I would get if I lived in the US... They pay using American Express Gift Vouchers, which you can use one of two ways (1) Take them to your local Amex or foreign exchange counter and change them into your local currency, or (2) If you're going on holiday to the US take them with you and you can use them to buy goods over the counter directly, thus avoiding changing them into cash at all.

I'm saving mine for my next US vacation!

~ Can I make referrals? ~
Sadly you can make recommendations but you don't get any money for these, unlike some sites. Unless you own your own website and sign up as an affiliate. You then earn 30 cents for each new person that signs up, but they say they pay by US cheque in US dollars. I suspect they would pay by real cheque rather than Travellers' Cheque, which is why I never bothered to sign up. However, there's nothing to stop you recommending it to people you know so they can get some money too, even if you don't stand to gain financially!

~ What can I earn? ~
Well I've told you what I have earned. They say that all registered members participate in a monthly draw for $250, but I've never won anything from this. Answering their screening questionnaire should also enter you in a draw. Their site says that surveys can generate between $4 and $25, "depending upon the length of the questionnaire and the time it takes to complete it". With one exception, I've earned $10 a time for fairly short questionnaires.

~ How often do they pay out ~
They pay out after every survey you complete, not saving it up in an account like other companies. Obviously it takes some time for mail to reach the UK from Dallas but you can usually expect payment 2-3 weeks after you've done the survey, unless they tell you otherwise on the site or the survey itself. Since their gift vouchers thus far have arrived in $10 denominations, I suspect in the UK we're limited to those surveys that would pay you $10 or $20, rather than the £4 or $25 ones, since they would be difficult to pay in gift vouchers but I could be wrong, it's just a thought...

Payment for prize draws are sent within 4 weeks, which could mean you getting something pretty much out of the blue here in the UK. For privacy they do not publish winners names on the site, but equally it doesn't say whether or not you are informed by email first. Would be interested to hear from anyone who has won something how this works, or if you just get some money in the post!

~ Who can join? ~
They say that anyone can join. They welcome participants from all over the world, and we know for a fact the UK is OK. In fact, their website (www.acop.com) is available in 8 different languages, including Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish etc. However, they do say that membership of the scheme is limited to one per household and they will refuse membership from extra applications, I'm not entirely sure how accurate that is though, but you're probably safest not to chance everyone joining up in the same house!

~Other things ~
They have one of the most helpful FAQs I've seen, explaining clearly how it works, who can join etc, and will generally get back to you on any email queries pretty promptly. They also offer a number of 'fun surveys' on their site which you don't get any recompense for, they're just, erm, fun!

So to recap, if you like:
a) Filling out surveys
b) Earning a bit extra money

And don't mind:
a) Having to pop to the travel counter to change some money up once in a while
b) Having to stay at work until you win the Lottery
c) Doing the occasional survey

Then joining ACOP could be for you :o)