Oh I think better safe than sorry. Most especially if there are financial questions on it. You could always fill in the innocent type questions and leave the others blank. It sounds kind of hinky to me.

I don't do surveys. You never know who the survey is going to be sold to, who is getting the information. I would not want people to have such information like I have 4 TV's in my house, what my salary is, or even how old I am. I don't even tell survey people what TV programs I watch because they can then figure out when I will be home unless I pre-record shows. If I were to get this in the mail, I would just return it to them, complete with the money sent and a "No Thanks".

Raven, don't do it, please. It was their choice and risk to send you the $10. It is not worth $10 or even more to provide personal information. I know how you are about Facebook; this is an invasion of privacy as well.

P.S. I didn't get one but would love the $10 if they do send one. I'll be watching the mail.

Do they ask that you give such 'personal' info as name and address, or is it all anonymous? If no 'personal' info was required, I'd probably fill it out, or if personal info was requested (name/addy) I'd just fill it out as Jane Doe and my state residence, and mail it back in 'my' envelope as opposed to theirs. I imagine theirs has bar coding on it that means 'something' to them, or that might tie it to the senders name and address.

It is my impression that Ipsos is one of the more reputable survey agencies.

I've done surveys for them online ... and for others ... and have yet to receive one cent for it (whether a "red" cent or otherwise).

ole joyful

Don't feel guilty for one second about keeping the $10 and skipping the survey! This is just a marketing method for them, and you owe them nothing. I'm not a big fan of surveys and certainly wouldn't fill out pages and pages of personal information. Use the $10 to buy lunch for a friend, or donate to a charity if it doesn't feel right to use it for yourself. But don't feel obligated to do anything - this is just how this company chooses to spend its marketing budget.

I'd probably take the money to the bank to make sure it was real?

Shirley

I definitely would NOT send the survey in! You do not want your personal information going to strangers. You did not ask to participate and did not ask for the $10, so you are under no obligation to return it. Enjoy your new-found wealth!

No, I wouldn't fill out/send in a survey like that, either. Sounds way to 'scammy' to me. When it comes to safeguarding your identity/finances, you simply cannot be too careful these days.

As to feeling guilty? WHY would this survey company be so intent to get your personal info, that they'd sweeten the pot with money up front? What's in it for them? Who's fronting the cash? This is really, really suspect.

The only survey I can remember doing was for Consumer Reports and JD Powers.

We have received unsolicited surveys. If they include cash I keep it and then donate it to a charity. For some strange reason I just couldn't pocket it - but there's no way I'm sending it back. If it includes a check I shred it.

That is a great idea our Garden Club does a reforestation donation and I will donate that $10 to plant trees that were destroyed by the hurricanes.

I know they have my name and address since it was on the package and they did specifically ask for my email address which there is NO way I would give them.
I highly value our personal privacy so definitely was not answering the ones that hit that close to home.

I really am now thinking I will just destroy the survey and forget about it.

I don't mind doing them for companies that contact me to do one specifically for them about their place of business or product but those don't ask personal or financial questions.
I never do politically sponsored ones either.

Thanks for all the responses!!
It is going in the shredder and the money is going to plant new trees.

I too have wondered who is fronting this cash??? That was one of the real sticking points for both of us. That could add up to a substantial amount of money.
It was a legit $10 by the way I did think of that LOL

They are not shelling out all that money from all those surveys out of the kindness of their hearts. They want something more valuable to them than the money. Throw it out.

Huuum, I got some big survey the other day and threw it away! Now I'm thinking I need to check the recycling to see if it had $10! Huuummmmmm....

Any money I receive, I put into a special jar and at Christmas donate to the Red Kettles. But just donating it to anyone is good too. Mainly I think they want information is to sell it to anyone who will pay for lists. That is one reason I don't fill out surveys either in the mail or on line, unless it is one asking about a product/service I have personally received, then it is very limited.

I even have an aversion to filling out those 'warranties' that one gets with products....ie one new iron that cost $80.00. I ask myself if it is worth $80.00 to be added to yet another mailing list, and usually just forget it.

I'd send it in. Especially since you've already filled in what you were comfortable with.

I conducted market research surveys for years and remember often working for Mendelsohn (the parent company, it sounds like). Methods have changed, but companies still need unbiased input about their products and services.

Sandy

Skip the survey. Drop the ten in 'the poor box'.

I'd keep the money, and forgo the survey. Unsolicited items are yours to keep. You didn't request the survey. You have zero obligation to fill out the survey and certainly ZERO obligation to return the money.

If it makes you feel more comfortable to donate it, then do so. Personally, I'd go out to lunch.

I agree with others. Don't give out personal or financial information. keep the ten bucks. Better yet, buy yourself something special(a lunch out or a plant for your garden) or give it to your church.

If you are not willing to do the survey, then don't take their money. Do the survey and only answer the questions that you are comfortable answering. If you do not want to take the survey at least send their money back.

Any survey that I have ever done, if they did ask about household income it was a very general question like 'does you household earn between 30,000-60,000 or 60,000-90,000. I mean they haven't ever asked me for a copy of my W-2s or anything crazy.

It might just be me, but I have never gotten $10 in my life for nothing, and I feel like keeping the $10 they sent you, even if you give it to charity, isn't yours to keep. They are paying you to do the survey, do the survey, keep the $10, don't do the survey, send it back. Pretty basic and simple--kind of falls into do onto others. Just me.

I think maybe you misunderstood I did not agree to do the survey I have never been contacted by them asking me to do the survey. They did not get approval from me to do the survey at all they just are randomly sending them out to the general public you have no option to say no and tell them you do not want the money it just comes to your address in the mail. There is no option what so ever to return the money. In fact they say the $10 is a gift in their letter.

In addition I got a reminder card in the mail from them yesterday. All of this for something I never asked for I never agreed to, they never discussed with me in any way to see if I was interested so at this point I do not feel any obligation to them at all and any further "reminder" harassment mail will go right in the trash as well.

That is not the way to do business. I have in the past done some surveys that were contracted with me to do them they were for actual businesses that wanted responses on their actual business or stores those I had an agreement with and they only sent me the money after we had made the agreement.
In that case I was obliged to preform the task which I was paid to do and I did.

This survey is 14 pages long front and back and it gets quite personal in the financial questions, asking about retirement plans and how much each of you have in them and what bank you use and how much you have in the accounts, ask for any other type of income, asks about your income tax info. and of course the total of all income for everyone in the home the fact they specifically ask which bank we use I thought was way overboard. None of which I would give to anyone. The title page calls it Personal Interest survey. It also asks for all vehicles you own and to list them all along with yr models, how many tvs, computers, smartphones all that, any boats or other vehicles, it also ask what websites you visit and how many times with in the past 30 days, there are several pages on expenditures and wants to know exact amounts of money heck how on Earth would someone remember that kind of stuff , they ask how many personal contacts I have in my life!!
I had not filled it all out I started the first couple pages which were not very personal then I looked ahead and went whoa and put the brakes on.

So that is the end of that! The $10 goes to a good cause and the survey goes no where.

Again thank you for your thoughts. And who knows you may end up with one in your mail box too!

Over the years, I have had similar surveys, but no money and they do ask for more information that I want to give. Since I have moved back here, the attorney general of the state has been very good about answering my questions either by mail or by phone. Bascially they have told me not to release any information to anyone other than name and address, even when registering a product, Yes some request way too much which someone could use in the wrong way. I think you did the right thing to destroy the survey and donate the money. They even might phone you, and I would tell them I did not request this and according the law enforcement agency I contacted was advised to destroy it.

I wouldn't do the survey, don't want to spend my own time doing something like that. I would keep the money. No way am I spending a stamp to send it back to them after they sent it to me!

Bet this will soon be listed on Snopes.com. There is one survey site listed there from a a few years ago. With all the scams out there, I wouldn't send or give anyone any information unless you know for sure it's not a scam. Personally, I would take the $10 and buy myself lottery tickets and hope for a big win. LOL

My neighbors that live about 5 miles from me got a survey in the mail several weeks ago. I don't remember where it was from, but they decided to not fill it in, then someone called them..they told them no thanks" & thought that was the end of it. One day there was a guy at the door & showed them the paperwork & wanted them to fill out the forms...the husband booted him off the property...they then called the state rep. office & was told they HAD to fill it out or could be fined. Then one day a lady came with the papers....and they filled them out!!! There was no money involved with the survey. 28 pages though!!!

Mary 7060, could the survey have been a U.S. Census? I know those forms MUST be filled out, and if you don't fill them out you'll get a "field visit".

Well, I've certainly changed my mind. They've gone far from what I used to do, if they're expecting that much info. Can't imagine what kind of surveys they are getting returned,though, if they are from people who don't know any better than that! Hehe.

Sandy

Guess I need to check the contents of more junk mail.

jannie....yes, it was U.S. Census....just found out.

I saw on 20/20 or one of those type shows several years ago that some of those companies send those surveys to the prisons to do the opening for them.Cheaperthan hiring extra hands to do it.

Nope wouldn't do it.
kathi

I've also always heard that anything you receive in the mail that you didn't order,is yours to keep.

How do I get a survey in my mailbox

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

How do these old threads get brought back?

Good grief this is from 2012!!!!

I'm not quite sure whether I checked the date of the original post ... until I read my comment: then I did.

Ipsos is a legitimate survey company.

I've done online surveys for them, some of them asking personal info, and I think that their claim that the info is confidential and kept private, except for the aggregated answers, is legitimate.

Raven (of the black feathers?) Maybe send them back $9.50 or so - they pay the postage.

Oh, right ... but the ten bucks isn't worth as much now, is it?

Ah, but ... should you pay them interest on the money, held for those five years plus??

Life *do* have its problems!

o j