Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel Email Scam Update
Last year, I wrote about a suspicious email I received that was supposedly from the AC Nielsen company asking me to sign up for their Homescan Consumer Panel. I never heard back from the Nielsen company after contacting them, so I decided to do some follow-up research.One of the first places I went was the AC Nielsen Homescan homepage. This page says that in order to join the Homescan Consumer Panel, you can register through their website to be put on a "Reserve Status Waiting List" from which households are randomly selected to join the consumer research panel.
This self-registration aspect makes me think that the email I received asking me to sign up was probably not legitimate. The website makes it sound like they have more than enough applicants to choose from and wouldn't need to go out of their way to solicit applicants. One poster on an online forum thought that perhaps AC Nielsen was contacting them via email because they were a member of the Pinecone research panel (I was, too). But I still don't think we live in an age where solicitations by email can be trusted.
The way the program works is they send you a handheld scanner. You use it to scan the bar codes on all of your purchases. Once a week, you submit this information to AC Nielsen. In exchange for their time, participants earn points that can be redeemed for merchandise and entries into sweepstakes. But according to the website, the biggest reward is "making your opinions count." There doesn't seem to be much more information than this available from the official website, so I poked around online to see what other consumers have to say about the program and whether they have received any emails purpoting to be from AC Nielsen.
If you do want to participate in this program, I recommend signing up directly through their website and not through a link in any email you might receive, which could be a phishing scam. But before you sign up, consider the pros and cons of participating in this program.
According to online accounts from various people who have participated in the program, here are some of the cons:
-Scanner sometimes freezes up; have to call customer service to learn how to fix frozen scanner; calling customer service may be a hassle.
-Inputting purchase data is time consuming
-You have to earn too many points to redeem for a priz
-Prizes are not useful
-Depending on where you shop, sometimes you have to not just scan items, but also input the price you paid for it (obviously a lot more time consuming than just scanning)
-The system also asks you if you used a coupon and if you used a loyalty card for each item. This makes inputting grocery purchases very time consuming.
-If you forget to submit your data for the week by the deadline, you don't get credit for all the data you already entered.
-Unlike credit card rewards programs, Homescan points cannot be redeemed for gift cards.
-Technical problems where the scanner and the participant's computer won't communicate
-It is tedious to input every single purchase you make
-It takes a long time to accumulate points, especially at the beginning of the program when you earn points at a slower rate than you do as a long-term member
-Credit card rewards programs are better
-Not a lot of options in the rewards catalog
-Prizes are probably things that were unpopular and retailers couldn't sell (one panelist's opinion)
And here are some of the pros:
-Scanning items is easy and not time consuming
-Easy to accumulate extra points by completing email surveys and earning bonus points
-You can quit at any time, and it's free to return the scanner by mail
-The rewards catalog includes nice items like a flatscreen television and iPod Nano
Finally, here are some of the gifts people have reported actually earning/receiving from participating in the Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel:
-nice, expanding bag that starts out the size of a wallet
-cheap dry erase board
-flashlight
-nightlight/flashlight
-kitchen appliances
-Little Tykes toys
-cheap reading light
-thin blanket
Based on what I've read, participating in the panel doesn't sound like a good use of time. If you need a way to make a few extra bucks, there are easier, faster ways to earn money (besides, the Nielsen panel doesn't pay out in cash or even in gift cards). If you like earning prizes, you're better off signing up for a credit card that offers rewards. Some people seem to think participating in this program is fun, but for me I think it would just be a very time-consuming chore that would take away from more productive uses of my time (like exercising, gardening, reading, and working, to name a few).
If you've been on Nielsen's Homescan Consumer Panel, what was your experience like?
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Comments
After about a year of faithfully submitting purchases every week and filling out every available survey, I finally have enough points to redeem for a prize, an electric coffee grinder. I would be able to buy a similar gadget for between $ 10 and $ 20.--, I would imagine. Definitely not worth the effort!
I will stop being a panel member as soon as I receive the grinder.
I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I ordered my shop vac and food containers, and sent my scanner back to Homescan yesterday.
I will say that once you get the hang of it it's not all that time consuming. You just scan things as you are putting them away.
But they do harass you a bit about making sure you bring home candy bar wrappers and pop bottles you buy while you are out of the house. I never did that. And I never entered whether something was on sale or bought with a coupon, I just said NO to both to avoid having to deal with that. I only scanned things that I brought into the house from the store, and entered whatever price was on the receipt when it was from a store that didn't get the prices automatically.
If you are considering doing then and you get the scanner that has to be transmitted over the phone, call them back and tell them you don't have a landline phone you need the one that transmits over the computer. I had the phone one at first (basically you hold it up to the phone and it transmits to their computer like a fax machine, via various static sounding noises), and it sometimes took a dozen attempts or more to get it to transmit over the phone. They wouldn't send me the other one until I told them we were getting rid of our landline.
I've since returned my scanner and although I've confirmed they've received it, I continue to be harassed about returning it. Very frustrating.
A lot of things I buy are from ebay and have no way to scan them- used items, etc. I also forget to scan some things. I am thinking about taking the scanner to the store and scanning as I shop. I don't want to damage it though.
I bought one item with points a year ago and now I have enough for a DVD player or a toaster oven with some left over. They add up quicker after you have been part of it for a while. Reminds me of when my mom did Green Stamps when I was a kid...
All in all a lot of work for little reward, but it is free and a lot like a modern Green Stamps program if you don't mind the work.
Of note:- there does appear to be a proliferation of these. (and they sleep easy at night.)
Very disappointed in them, watse of my time
I've been a Neilson Homescan consumer panel member for close to 10 years now. it only takes a few minutes to scan and input purchases or to do surveys and I've found that the reward points allow adequate compensation for my time. As to the prizes I've twice won a $500 prepaid AMEX card and I have the second one in my wallet right now.
then I searched on google nothing I guess I will send my scanner back
I dont get it
bernadette6009@hotmail.com
I tried emailing people and it keeps bouncing back anyone can help me start the program I would appreciate
bernie6009@gmail.com
thanks for any help
In your article under 'some of the cons' you state that you cannot exchange points for gift cards, that is incorrect as I have exchanged my points many times for gift cards.
Regards.
we received our scanner but couldn't get it to work back in the summer of 2013. They sent us a new scanner and another time new cables and it still didn't work and so they sent us a bag to return the scanner in September 2013 having wasted hours scanning our shopping over the few months we had it.
We returned it only to receive an abrupt phone call automated message in October 2013 demanding we return the equipment which I called and said we had done some weeks before.
We have today January 17th 2014 had a Final Notice letter demanding the return of their equipment with the threat of them taking legal action and charging us for the equipment!
I tried to call their helpline which gives you three options to choose from but each option takes you back to that same automated message offering the three options over and over again.
I managed to search an alternative number for them through their press office and called to say yet again that I have returned their equipment 3-4 months ago!
They told me the letters have been sent out in error and that they have had lots of calls today but NO apology!!
We wont get anything for the points we had collected and I wish I'd never had anything to do with this rude officious company whose customer service leaves much to be desired!
Don't use them, it's not worth the hasssle and threats!! here's hoping this is the end of the matter and that they retract their threats made to us but somehow I fear this wont be the last of it. Please spread the word!
Thanks