Ciao Surveys: Don't waste your time (Ciao Surveys)

Member Name: Yzmarocks

Product:	Ciao Surveys
Date:	04/09/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Competition entries for screened out surveys, regular surveys

Disadvantages: Very poor payout for a lot of free time

Being a teenager not easily able to get a job (as parents work long hours and I am not yet qualified to drive a car), I started to look around for ways to earn a bit of extra cash. I came across Ciao surveys whilst consulting Martin, my online money saving expert. There is a whole page on his website (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/) which tells you about ways to earn a little bit more money. The two that struck me were completing surveys and, would you believe it, reviewing products on web sites such as dooyoo.co.uk. There is a further page which is dedicated to talking about surveys and lists a number of reputable, reliable and useful survey sites. Ciao was not at the top, in fact it was in the 'don't really bother' section and the reason was that the payout. However, since I am always up for trying something (and then reviewing it afterwards), I signed up.

Signing up

To register with Ciao is a relatively simple process which can be done through their website, www.ciao-surveys.co.uk or www.greenfieldonline.com. Signing up takes just a matter of seconds and is very painless with just the usual questions - name, date of birth, address etc. When this has been completed, an email will be sent to your account confirming details and completing the regestration process. I would advise that if you are thinking about joining a few survey websites, then a new email account is a really good idea, as is a new password.

By clicking on the link featured in this email, you are directed to the Ciao survey homepage, signature colour: orange.

Appearance of Web page

With a colour scheme featuring almost exclusively orange, grey, white and black, the Ciao web page is one of the better designed of all the survey sites that I am a member of. It is easy to navigate through, with just three main catagories to choose from: My Survey Centre, My Rewards Centre and My Help Centre. Upon first entering the site (and every time afterwards until you do it), you are asked to complete a series of more detailed questions in various catagories under the title: Profiles. These include sections such as 'personal profile', 'career', 'health' and 'interests'. There is no obligation to fill these out (and a few of the more personal questions have the option of "don't know/don't want to answer") though Ciao do suggest that by doing them, your chances of earning money are increased - following the logic of, the more details they know about you, the more surveys you'll be suitable for.

My Survey Centre

My Survey Centre is essentially the main page and features a large gray box at the bottom with survey suggestions and updated questions for the profiles. It is important to check this regularly as although Ciao do send survey invitations via email, there are more frequent surveys posted here (however I have found that I am often 'not suitable' as these are just random and not specifically chosen for you, unlike the emailed ones). The Survey Centre also features links to the profiles page and tells you when you took your last survey, and when you first joined.

My Rewards Centre

Ciao credits you for surveys in two different ways. Number one is awarding you money upon the completion and closing of a survey. The most common one I have found is £0.10 for about 15 minutes work - the survey description generally states that it will take longer than it does, eg. 30 minutes, though beware, they can last for that long. I don't really like doing a half hour survey for just 10p as it seems a bit of a rip off. However, I have become bored waiting for those more expensive surveys to crop up, usually about 50 - 75p for 15 minutes. Ciao actually claim that pay outs can reach £5 but I'll believe that when I see it! I get on average 2 expensive surveys a month (though I do not necessarily qualify, see below).

The other way that Ciao compensates you is by awarding an entry into the sweepstakes which are very regular. For every survey, there are about one to five minutes of screening questions to test if you fit the desired profile. If you fail these screener, the survey ends and you are informed that you will receive an entry into the sweepstakes for your effort (not bad as prizes can reach into the thousands). Also there is no limit as to how many entries you can receive so I do try to enter every survey, if just for the extra chance of winning a few hundred pounds. To be honest that would probably be more than I could earn in years by doing surveys alone.

A final way that Ciao gives you money is by inviting friends. For each person that you invite, and then consequently completes a survey, you are awarded a massive £1.

The My Survey Centre also shows My Survey History, a list of all the surveys that you have either completed or have been screened out of and the reward (money or a prize draw entry). Below this is the sweepstakes, and the number of entries, that you have been entered into. Finally you are able to view your total earnings and the amount available to request (bearing in mind that there is a minimum of £5 to withdraw).

My Help Centre

This is the frenquently asked questions area of the website and explains everything from "What is Ciao Surveys?" to "How can I request a payment?". This is very useful and covers just about everything you could want to ask about the web site.

Overall

If you are a bit bored and have some wasted spare time, then surveys are a good way of earning a bit of extra cash. However don't be expecting to earn a lot, especially from Ciao since about 80% of the surveys that I have received have been for just 10p. There are better survey sites with bigger payouts - Lightspeed and Valued Opinions (which pays out in high street vouchers). The best way I have found, so far, of earning a bit of money, quickly (and getting feedback AND improving my English) is reviewing on sites such as this. My concluding recommendation is: for 50p for 10 minutes work (though this one took a little longer!) opt for dooyoo over Ciao.

Summary: If you want to earn a bit more cash, opt for reviewing over surveys