The thing about opinions is they're like belly buttons, everyone has one. And quite frankly most of them are useless. But that's not always the case especially when you have marketing research companies that will pay you for your views. So today in my Ipsos I-Say Review, we'll determine if it's worth your effort. Because let's face it there aren't many quality get paid to take survey website out there. Hopefully Ipsos I-Say will be different.
What is Ipsos I-Say?
Ipsos is a company that is based out of Paris, France. It was founded in 1975. By acquiring Synovate in October of 2011, Ipsos became the world's third largest market research company. They have offices in 87 countries and employ a little over 16,000 people. i-Say is a survey service under the Ipsos company umbrella, rewarding people to take surveys about certain things. The main url for Ipsos is ipsos.com and the url for i-Say is i-say.com. Pretty easy to remember.
How Does I-SAY Work?
You can join the Ipsos Isay website for free. Then you're invited to take various surveys where you're paid points. i-Say pays about 45 points per survey with some surveys in the range of 90-150 points. We'll cover what points mean later on. But on average surveys take about 20 minutes to complete. This can vary depending on the survey.
How Much Are I-Say Points Actually Worth?
At the time of this review, 1530 points equals about $15 which is the minimum that you'll need to be able to redeem them for a reward or cash. Actual cash is paid out via PayPal. If you don't have a paypal account, Visa gift cards are available at the $20 level. You have to manually redeem your rewards and once redeemed they can take 5-8 weeks to process.
What else can I-say points be used?
You can also redeem your i-Say points for anything from dumbbells to designer handbags, etc. Additional options include:
- Use your points for electronic gift cards from stores like Amazon, Starbucks, Target, and more. These electronic gift cards come in $5-$15 denominations (500-1500 points) and are typically instantly delivered after request.
- Canadians can exchange their points for Air Miles Reward Miles.
- Members can redeem their points for a cash donation to various charities.
I-SAY Points Hacks & Tips:
By continuing to use i-Say and taking multiple surveys with them, you'll earn loyalty points. The way those points break down is: 5 surveys = 25 points, 50 surveys = 200 points, 100 surveys = 300 points, 200 surveys = 600 points.
Loyalty points go towards your regular point score, so it's like earning a bonus on a test. Instead of just earning 45 points for your 5th survey, you get 70 points and so on.
I-say also has contests where you can use your points to enter their Trading Post Draw for prizes such as a vacation or cruise.
You can also join the Ipsos Referral Program and earn money for each person that signs up under your and takes surveys. This is an easy way to make some extra money with i-Say because unlike the surveys, it doesn't take any time.
Ipsos I-SAY Complaints:
People either love or hate online survey websites for various reasons. Well the feelings on Ipsos I-say are no different. We've identified some of the complaints against Ipsos I-say.
Don't Expect To Live Off This!
You are never going to make a full-time income with i-Say. There's just no way, unless you're the Flash and you take surveys at the speed of light and that's all you do 24 hours a day. It takes a lot of points to even reach the minimum payout amount of $15, so even if you are the Flash, you might be a little bit disappointed in your earnings. At the end of the day surveys are based on demographics. So if you're not the type of people they're looking for, you're not going to get a lot of surveys. It's nothing personal.
They shut down my account!
There are people that have complained that their accounts were shut down for no reason. But the company has claimed these people are providing false or bad information in the surveys. So it's hard to tell who to believe. I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle. We all know there are some people that try to abuse these sites. But there are also some people that just fall through the cracks. Either way, be aware that this is a complaint out there.
Can I get some international love?
At the time of this review the only countries that are able to participate in the i-Say rewards program are the United States and Canada. The website does feature multiple languages for the user, but it has yet to be extended for international use and payment. Unfortunately that is the case with many reward and survey site.
Please hold until the next operator is available..
Tick. Tock. You're going to be waiting awhile to get a reply on that e-mail you sent to their support team. Maybe it's that i-Say only has 1 of those 16,000 employees working in tech-support, or maybe the IT person is taking some surveys of their own. Whatever the reason, the tech support seems to be extremely slow to respond.
Why you gotta be so rude?
According to some members, the company's customer service reps aren't exactly the most friendly folks in the world. They can be downright rude. I feel for reps because they have to deal with disgruntle customers all day so I'm sure it has it's impact on them. That said I wonder if the members that are complaining were actually rude with the reps first and they just got a dose of their own medicine. Who's to say?
Where's my money?
Along with the tech-support problems, there is a problem with getting your money on time. It seems like this website must be made to teach people patience. It's supposed to be a virtue, but when you're waiting on a payment, it doesn't seem like it. Some people have reported that points are being calculated incorrectly and that they're either receiving the wrong amount of money or no money at all.
So is Ipos I-Say A Scam or Legit?
i-Say has been around for quite awhile with some survey takers going back 10 years with this division of Ipsos. It seems like they're having quite a bit of trouble lately, though. Overall, I'd say the business is legit and apparently the Better Business Bureau seems to think so. But I always take that BBB Work At Home Rating with a grain of salt. At the end of the day Ipsos I-say is up front about what you're going to get for your time taking surveys. Even though it can't be a full-time income, it could be a little extra cash for someone. Don't expect the shiny, happy faces that you'd see in a Disney World Resort Hotel when you're contacting customer service. Also, be ready to wait for assistance. It seems like Ipsos needs to do some revamping of the i-Say system to fix these glitches that lots of their survey takers have been experiencing. It's not perfect, but if you've got some patience you might give it a try.
What's Next?
I rarely focus on survey websites anymore because of the fact you aren't always paid for your time and you're paid so little if it all. I'm not knocking those that do but I needed something that would be worth my time and could pay some real bills. If you feel the same way, then you might want to consider looking into My Top Free Work At Home Recommendation. It's pretty much helped me earn a full time living online. It does require some work and patience but it's definitely worth it in the end if you want to make REAL money online.
That said I don't like keeping all my eggs in one basket. So I'm a big follower of a multiple streams of income philosophy. So if you want to maximize your potential income, then I would recommend you follow this philosophy as well by exploring my Work At Home Courses. If you couple all these opportunities it increases your likelihood of making real money. Furthermore it diminishes the risk of losing everything by focusing on one job. So keep that in mind and be sure to explore all the options I've laid out for you.
In any event, I would love to hear your thoughts about my Ipsos Isay Review. Would you give this company a shot? What has been your experience. I would love to hear from you either way, so leave a comment below.
Take care,
Eddy with a y
I been a member of ipsos isay for 10 yrs. Out of no where my membership has been cancelled without notice. Customer service suck. I haven’t had a reply back yet it’s been over a month. I look at many reviews recently and thousands of people are experiencing the same thing. One person said they responding saying they are no longer a good fit and membership has been cancelled. I suggest if anyone register know that your membership will end without notice and could lose all points and money.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sorry to hear this has happened to you. It’s reasons like this I stress multiple streams of income online. Sometimes these companies change for the worst without warning.
I have just joined I-SAY after reading your review. I’m hoping to see a lot of surveys there. Thanks.
Good luck. Surveys are based on demographics. So hopefully you’re part of group that is in demand.
IPSOS still has not paid for the completed shop. They are still hiding behind their in house attorney. There seems to be a pattern after reading several postings of IPSOS non payment for shops completed! I even pleaded with IPSOS after Hurricane Harvey hurt and I am now desperately in need of some money to make repairs and of course IPSOS refused to even respond. IPSOS should be ashamed of themselves!
Sorry to hear about your issue with Ipsos. It confirms some of the complaints I laid out above. And this is why it’s important to have various sources of income online just in case one of these companies pulls crap like this.
IPSOS had a year long mystery shop in which you were required to have a specific phone plan in which you pay first of course and then eventually IPSOS would reimburse you…or so they say.I was reimbursed for the first 6 months no problem and now they refuse to pay my for the balance owed.
I was never told the shop ended prior to the posted shop instructions that stated: You will keep the plan going for 12 consecutive months April 2016 to April 2017 and now they claim I breached my contract by claiming emails were sent to me or I failed to do something. I even have payment pending in the history log and they refuse to pay me. IPSOS claims that the plan was changed and the study ended without any notification in Dec 2016. If a shop ends early it is the responsibility of IPSOS to notify and pay for any outstanding fees incurred due to no notification and/or early termination fees!
We all know mystery shop dates change and it is up to the company to let us know the updates and have them posted as an update on the assignment instructions! I am out $800, because I was on a one year contract. I only had this plan for the IPSOS study and of course they did not have me on a cheap plan. They even had their attorney contact me to scare me off and he did not even have the correct study dates on his letter.
I had to email him the original job instructions and dates. summitscheduling.com was part of this nightmare as well. Anyone have any suggestions on how to collect this money from IPSOS.
Just found out through other posts that the client did actually cancel their contract with IPSOS and IPSOS failed to notify their mystery shoppers.I have been told that I am not the only one who was not paid!
Review about: Ipsos Customer Care.
Reason of review: Poor customer service.
Monetary Loss: $473.
Preferred solution: Full refund.
I didn’t like: Fraud, Failed to properly post updates on shop portal, Uses their in house attorney to scare shopper to prevent payment, Client cancels contract with ipsos and they hide it, Ends mystery study with no notification to shoppers.
Review #1048967 is a subjective opinion of sillyan.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Obviously this isn’t a great situation for you.
Its hard to choose just one reason I quit them. I’m sick of their bullshit scams. I will be reviewing their site to the review sites. I’m sick of agreeing to do a 90 point survey, then 10 minutes into it, they say “ok, you qualified”, then you ask 20 minutes of questions and almost everytime they all of a sudden say “sorry, you don’t qualify” or “the study is not available, but here’s 5 points”, were not stupid, we just did a 30 minute survey for 5 points (that won’t buy anything). I’m also sick of answering the same 10 questions, store my answers. questions like zip code, how many people live in my house, their ages, male or female, adults….. damn, everytime, just save that information. your points don’t buy anything. I use alot of survey sites, and the good ones send me a $5 amazon card for EVERY survey. your BS gives me one for doing 50 surveys!!! Do not join this site, Horrible!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Unfortunately I think many survey companies behave like this and it’s why I don’t recommend surveys as a way for consistent extra income.
I’ve been an Ipsos I-Say survey taker for over 10 years. I love it when I get enough points to add money to my Paypal account. I used to make around $20-30 a month when I worked it regularly. Now I make that about every three months because I don’t have the time. I love it and I answer surveys as often as I can. This is one of the few survey companies I highly recommend.
Thanks for sharing your positive experience with us. It doesn’t sound like you can make alot with this but I guess it all depends on your needs.
Hi Eddy, thank you for this great review on Ipsos I-Say. It seems that one need to invest a lot of time to get paid with few bucks. I think that my time is too precious and I will rather invest it in some other activities/ jobs than online surveys. How long it takes to earn $15?
P.s.Your website is great, full of useful information and you have super cute kids.
Kind regards, Tamara
You’re welcome Tamara! I agree the amount of time spent on this could probably be used better else where like running your own site and building that up. But everyone has different needs and tolerances. Thanks for the kind words about my site and kids! lol
Eddy,
Ipsos I-Say sounds like the most legit survey taking programs I’ve heard of in a while. I’m actually very surprised it’s founded back in the 70s… that’s a long time ago!
Anyway, you clearly can’t expect to make a living out of this as you have to do over 50 reviews in order to receive $15. I can do that once, probably. But in the long run? It’s frankly king of a waste of time.
Thanks for sharing,
Anh
Hey Anh,
I don’t know if if they’re the most legit survey programs online. But they have been around for a longer time compared to some of the other ones out there. Surveys definitely are meant for making a living so I agree with you. Thanks for chiming in.
Nice and detailed review, good job.
In my personal opinion, all those get paid to do surveys aren’t worth anyone’s time. Even if one could invest hours and hours into this, like you said, you aren’t gonna make a full time living out of this.
Unless you have some recommendations for trusted survey sites?
Thanks Julius. Honestly some people really enjoy the surveys. Some demographics are more popular than others so they may get more surveys than you and I may get. So I can’t speak for everyone. But I definitely don’t think its something you can depend on for real bill paying money that is consistent. That said I only really focus on InstantCashSweepstakes.com and PaidViewPoint.com in terms of surveys because they’re quick and always pay. But other than them i don’t really do the others. I hope this helps.