Survey sites -- do they work?

Lately, I've been trying my luck at those survey sites that promise rewards of some kind (cash, gift cards, etc.) -- I'm trying to see if I can feed my Starbucks addiction and get a Starbucks gift card.

Has anyone ever had any luck with these? I only ask because I want to know if I'm wasting my time or not. I know getting shit for free is difficult, but when I see shit all the time on personal blogs from folks talking about how those "Get a Free iPod" were legit, it makes me wonder.

God, I never even bother becuase a lot of time they ask for personal info and then you end up inundated with a bunch of junk. I get those household surveys all the time questioning me about what I buy at the grocery store and promising me coupons.

They can tell enough about my spending habits and electronic sale. What I eat is none of their business....as far and non household, I'm too lazy.

That's why I have an alternate email...one for my primary contacts, and one for spam/survey shit. I've been surfing those "free samples" websites lately and I'm wondering if those are also legitimate. If so, I've got a bottle of shampoo, a tube of mascara, a bag of cat treats, a box of truffles and a t-shirt coming my way. For free.

If survey sites worked, most people would be on them to get the $. It is just another internet scam. I play Mafia Wars and do not EVER go on those sites any longer to get reward points for the Godfather to give me new hired guns. Man, the surveys are endless! I am not into having another inquiry on my credit report to get the blasted survey finished by filling out a credit card I do not want. I do not want any free samples of junk. Cambion, it is better just to get the Starbucks yourself and forget about those places. Nothing is free...

I don't bother with any of those freebie sites/scams. I am quite protective of my regular email address. Hence, I get very little unwanted (i.e. spam) emails.

Another hazard associated with some of these freebies is getting spyware or adware loaded onto your system. That can often be a nuisance (or worse) to get off your system.

Bottom line: The less of that garbage you exposue yourself or your PC to, the less of a chance you have something bad happen to you or it. Any upside associated with these "freebie" scams is far outweighed by the more likely chance of the annoying stuff assoicated with them.

as someone who's been trying to find legitimate ways to make money from home for about a year now, i would agree that they are not worth your time. those sites love to sell your info to yet other spam/phishing sites, too.

good luck!

(you live in a dorm? is there a way you can get a coffeemaker and buy some good coffee in bulk? way cheaper than starbucks in the long run!)

Well, since the email I provided to these survey/free sample sites is my alternate email, they can spam and phish that one all they want.

And I would buy my own bulk coffee, but...my drink of choice from Starbucks is one of their iced coffees. I've been trying very hard to mimic the recipe so I can stop buying their product and make my own, but it's difficult as hell. Especially when trying to measure out a bearable amount of mint extract.

I will say this much, though...of all the shit I signed up for, there is one I really hope I get. It was apparently a deal/survey/questionnaire from some sort of science lab, offering a free t-shirt with a little alien on it and the slogan "Got Probes?" -- I LOLed pretty hard at that and had to try for it.

I haven't made any money, but I did get one of the free samples I requested - some bizarre cat treats called Greenies. I'm still doing surveys on one site to see if they pay off, but I can't request payment until I have $30 earned (right now, I have $10).

If it's from a reputable research company, i.e. Harris Interactive, then it's legit. Unless you are an audience that is frequently targeted, IT professional, medical professional, you aren't going to make a lot of money doing surveys but every so often, you get a fun survey like I once got a survey asking me to evaluate some movie trailers or magazine covers.