Is Opinion Outpost Legit Or A Scam? [Truth Revealed!]

 

Welcome to my Opinion Outpost review!

No doubt about it, when evaluating paid surveys online, Opinion Outpost is clearly one of the longest running and most popular out there. But just because it’s gained so much recognition doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth your time. In this comprehensive review, you’ll find out whether it’s a legitimate opportunity or just another get-rich-quick scheme that’s too good to be true.

OPINION OUTPOST SUMMARY

Product Name:Opinion OutpostFounder: Tom Danbury, Beverly WeimanProduct Type: SurveysPrice: FreeBest For: People with free-time who want to make extra money from home

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Summary: Opinion Outpost is close to being great, but falls short of the mark. While it’s certainly one of the better survey sites, it just won’t generate any substantial income for the average person.Rating: 5/10Recommended:No

WHAT IS OPINION OUTPOST?

Founded in 1977 by Tom Danbury and Beverly Weiman, Survey Samples International (SSI) manages several survey companies, including Survey Spot, OpinionWorld, and the focus of this review, Opinion Outpost. SSI currently has over two dozen office locations worldwide with headquarters based in Shelton, CT, USA. [source​]Opinion Outpost is an online business that collects opinions in the form of online surveys, which is then sent to other companies located across the globe. The primary purpose of the service is to help big brands better understand the way consumers think, thereby making it easier to improve products, services, and how they reach consumers. In other words, Opinion Outpost makes deals and sells the information they gather from consumers like us to high-profile companies. By poking around in our heads, these companies can meet the demands of market research departments to help optimize their products and services. Now, as you’d expect, this kind of group-thought online targeting has been around since the dawn of the internet and it’s not going away anytime soon. Why? Well, for one thing, it’s far cheaper than recruiting people off the street to test products and watch ads (not to mention keeping them on a payroll). Getting the scoop on a new product is a lot easier when everyday people like us fill out a short form instead.Sounds like a good idea, right? I mean, what could be better than filling out a few simple forms for decent money? Trouble is, the internet is littered with scam survey sites that practically trick you into doing volunteer work. Is Opinion Outpost another such example or can it really earn you a nice side-income? Let’s find out…

HOW DOES OPINION OUTPOST WORK?

Working with Opinion Outpost is a simple 3-step process: create an account, complete surveys, and collect points.

Now, you won’t be completing just any survey. Instead, surveys will be sent to your email address based on your location and interests. Opinion Outpost wants you to actually care about the topics you choose to ensure the information you provide is as reliable and authentic as possible. Unlike a few work-from-home systems I’ve been involved with in the past, I appreciate this aspect of Opinion Outpost.

To help better target your interests, Opinion Outpost includes several categories to choose from, including electronics, food, medicine, sports, politics, and kitchen appliances. Personally, that’s a bit too narrow for my taste but maybe there’s something there for you.

Once you select your categories, you’ll start receiving email messages with surveys catered to your interests. You then pick a survey you’re interested in, fill it out and submit the form, whereupon reward points will be added to your account.

Best of all, there’s no limit to the number of surveys you can take. How do you get paid? Stay tuned as we’ll cover that a bit later in the review.

WHO IS OPINION OUTPOST FOR?

Opinion Outpost is intended for those who want to earn a little extra cash or gift cards for fun. In other words, it’s not “quit your day job” type of money. Stay-at-home moms, college students, and people with some free time on their hands might enjoy it.

Now, you’ve got to be at least 18 years old and you absolutely can’t register more than one account. You also can’t let anyone else do surveys for you. Moreover, the terms and conditions state that Opinion Outpost can’t be operated under commercial use.

So long as you live in the regions of North America or Europe, you can sign up.

HOW DO YOU SIGN UP WITH OPINION OUTPOST?

If you go to their main page you’ll see a button that says ‘Join Now’ along with a basic form. There you’ll be asked to include your full name, gender, and email address. You’ll then receive a confirmation email for signing up afterward.

In the confirmation email, you’ll receive a link to a more in-depth registration form. There you’ll be asked to include your zip code, interests, date of birth, and ethnicity. So while the initial sign-up process seems easy, it’s a bit misleading when you discover all the additional details you’ll need to provide.

Opinion Outpost also requires you to file a W-9 tax form as a U.S. resident, or provide proof of citizenship in most countries when receiving any compensation. No legitimate business can pay someone without proof of payment and neither can Opinion Outpost pay someone outside its licensed regions.

After completing the registration, you’ll have to wait to be accepted as a full-fledged member. You won’t be able to earn any points until you’re officially accepted. The average wait time is a few weeks, up to a month, or longer. Yeah, that’s a bit of a buzzkill, but so it goes.

In the end, Opinion Outpost has full control over who they accept or not. If you give a fake name or provide incomplete details, you probably won’t be accepted. So it’s in your own best interest to be as honest and accurate as possible.

This is, after all, a real business so they’re required to keep records of all their users. Keep in mind that your state and country will require documentation of any earnings you receive. You’re definitely not going to fly under the radar when tax-time comes, so be prepared.

Transferring your points into USD is done through PayPal, which could be a setback for those who live in countries where PayPal isn’t available or if you’re not eligible.

HOW MUCH CAN YOU MAKE WITH OPINION OUTPOST?

Each survey is worth a certain number of points where a point is worth 10 cents USD each. On average, you’ll get around 5 to 10 points per survey, which amounts to around 10 cents or less per minute on the low-end.

If you sit down and do the math, your average pay would range from $6 to $12 per hour, and that’s only if you’re able to find surveys you like. The cold-hard-truth is that you won’t have a consistent stream of surveys to complete. Instead, you’ll receive an occasional list of available surveys to fill out throughout the day or week.

While you may be able to recoup the time you invest, it’s highly unlikely. You have a better chance of filling your bank account by winning one of Opinion Outpost’s sweepstakes. Surprisingly, they make their quarterly $10,000 contest the focal point of their website…

Much of the time you’ll also be rewarded with an extra sweepstakes entry when completing a survey. This serves as a way to encourage you to sign up and work regularly. Sounds nice, but ideally your motivation should come from doing the work itself rather than relying on blind luck.

Thankfully, Opinion Outpost is an even playing field for all users. It doesn’t take months of hard work to build yourself up in rank. You’ll get the same opportunities and pay as anyone else starting on their first day.

HOW DOES OPINION OUTPOST PAY YOU?

Once you hit the minimum threshold of $50, you’ll be able to redeem your points in three different ways:

• PayPal is the only way to receive direct currency. I use Paypal constantly to receive payments and then immediately transfer to my bank account. It’s very easy to work with and super-convenient.

• Amazon gift card codes are your next best option. You might enjoy ordering a few things online from your hard work, but you could also use Paypal for the same purpose. There’s not much reason to request your payments through gift cards, and you can’t pay a tax accountant with your Amazon account.

• iTunes gift card codes. If your only goal is to earn a few dollars to buy that hot new album everyone’s talking about, you’ve got realistic expectations, which is a good thing!

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?

To be frank, Opinion Outpost has an overwhelming number of complaints. In fact, it seems nearly impossible to find any positive comments from its members. Bad attitudes towards this site are everywhere.

The big issue with users is how often Opinion Outpost terminates accounts for supposedly violating their terms and conditions. Many members have had their accounts banned immediately after asking for a payout. This seems, however, to be more of a recent problem as veteran survey-participants seem happy with few customer service issues.

In other words, it looks like Opinion Outpost changed their policy in recent months and years, causing their reputation to sour.

Supposedly, the main reason for the recent slew of terminated accounts is due to members creating multiple accounts. But it’s impossible to know if this is the real cause. I find it doubtful that all these users somehow intentionally broke the rules.

While some members may find Opinion Outpost’s company practices suspicious as of late, there’s never been a question of its legitimacy. You really can take surveys, earn points, and redeem them. And you don’t have to worry about your information being stolen, or getting phished with false advertisements.

Moreover, plenty of members have yet to experience any issues with Opinion Outpost’s pay transfer services.

Thus, these problems are most likely due to members misunderstanding the terms of service and possible device integration issues. To get around this problem, I’d recommend working on a desktop or laptop rather than a tablet or phone.

One comment, in particular, stood out to me to back up this claim. A user who hadn’t received payment filed a complaint with the BBB whereupon Opinion Outpost replied by stating that a malfunctioning or incompatible device was to blame.

To sum up, public opinion suggests that the opportunity is real, but the results are unreliable. You could very well have a great experience, but the exception only proves the rule. You’d never want your hard work to go to waste when you can’t redeem your points, right?

PROS OF OPINION OUTPOST

• It’s Legit – Managed by SSI with headquarters based in the United States, Opinion Outpost is definitely a real company and legitimate opportunity (no phishing or scams).
• thumbs-upIt’s Easy – All you need to do to earn points is provide your honest opinion and information by answering survey questions. The process is straight and simple.
• thumbs-upIt’s Flexible – You can choose when you want to work. You’re only required to participate in a survey at least once every three months. Account points will reset to zero if you miss this deadline.
• You’re In Control – You have full power over the surveys you wish to complete, nothing’s ever forced on you. You get to choose the topics you’re interested in beforehand.
• No Limits – You can earn as many points as you’d like. There’s no limit to the number of surveys you can take in any given time.
• Cash or Gift Card Payouts – Unlike many survey sites, payouts can be sent in USD to your PayPal account. You also have the option of receiving Amazon and/or iTunes gift card codes instead.
• Convenience – Opinion Outpost encourages you to voice your thoughts and will regularly send you emails containing available surveys that meet your interests.
• Sweepstakes – You have the added benefit of being entered into routine sweepstakes up to $10,000, which is just icing on the cake.

CONS OF OPINION OUTPOST

• Unreliable Customer Service – The biggest complaint is slow, useless, and sometimes non-existent customer service.
• User Complaints – Reviews are filled with many negative comments about payouts. Many members feel cheated and misled because they hadn’t received payments.
• Points System – A redemption system based on points can be stressful. It’s especially an issue if the company changes their value-rates or if inflation occurs. There’s no real security until you have your earnings in currency.
• Low Pay – There are better paying work-at-home jobs that meet and surpass minimum wage. You shouldn’t expect this platform to replace your income.
• Inconsistent Work-Load – Some days you might have a decent amount of higher-paying surveys, other days you won’t. Your productivity completely depends on the current surveys available to you.
• Possible Long Registration Process – Your background information has to be verified, which can take up to a month or longer. Plus, you have to be accepted before you can start earning — it’s not an instant process.
• Account Termination – Opinion Outpost has been known to terminate accounts, causing you to lose any points you’ve accrued. Often, this is the result of misunderstanding their terms.

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THE FINAL WORD ON OPINION OUTPOST

Opinion Outpost gets a lot right, but it just isn’t a viable way to make money. While it’s not as bad as other data-collection companies, the few dollars you’d earn wouldn’t even be enough to pay your bills.

But if I had to limit myself to one flaw only, I’d highlight Opinion Outpost’s point system. Even if everything else checked out, this alone would be reason enough to avoid this site.

If Opinion Outpost replaces their point system, ensures payments go out without fail and provides consistent work, then, and only then, will it be worth your time. Until that time, I don’t recommend it.

SO, NOW WHAT?

The problem with Opinion Outpost is the same problem with most online survey sites: lots of time and effort for very little reward.

Sure, filling out surveys is a quick and easy way to earn a few dollars here and there, but wouldn’t you rather spend that time building something that pays you dividends in the future?

That’s exactly the path I took and it’s served me well. And since it worked so well for me, I’ve no doubt it can for you too.

Best of all, you’d be building a passive income stream based on your passions and interests.By dedicating yourself to something you already love to do, you’re much more likely to reach your financial goals! How great is that?

I achieved this myself just by following a simple step-by-step process taught by Wealthy Affiliate — an amazing online training platform and community. And that’s what I’d like to introduce to you now…

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!

Have you dealt with Opinion Outpost in the past or other survey sites? What’s your experience been like? Leave your comments below!