I've been a member of Juicy Brains Panel for some time, having been a member of numerous paid survey sites over the past few years. Some I've abandoned after receiving a payout (Ciao), some I've given up on before getting any rewards (Toluna) and some I perservere with, even though payout seems a long way off (You Gov.) I feel experienced enough to judge Juicy Brains Panel to be one of the better survey sites, certainly in terms of rewards received.

Each survey is worth £1 if you complete the whole survey and you receive a respectable 25p 'screen-out' payment if you don't meet the exact profile required. The surveys are more interactive (and interesting) than other company's and give you the option to type in feedback and answers rather than restriciting you to a checkbox list which don't always meet your exact response to the question. As is the nature of survey sites, like buses, I could go long periods without any activity but then receive 3 surveys within a matter of days. Reward redemption is in the form of Amazon gift vouchers, payable in increments of £5. The vouchers were sent through very swiftly once requested and, all in all, the Juicy Brains experience has been a very positive one for me, netting me well over £20 worth of Amazon gift vouchers.

Before you get all excited and start looking for the sign-up process, I'd better warn you that Juicy Brains Panel is actually closing this month and, obviously, isn't taking on any new members at present. It's being relaunched as the Juicy Brains Community which promises to be a new exciting site with the chance to have a say in new products and brands. The email I received tells me '...you can select the innovation projects you're interested in and interact with a large team including the brand team over a number of weeks to invent new ideas.' The obvious drawback is that this new venture won't be paying out the guaranteed awards that we'd been used to under the old system and will offer 'larger prizes for the best ideas.' The cynic in me thinks that this is just a way of the company achieving the same amount of consumer feedback without having to pay out so much money! The Community site isn't actually up and running as yet, so I'll have to reserve judgement for the time being.

So - why have I bothered to take the time and trouble to write a review when new members aren't going to take advantage? Well, mainly as a reminder for any existing Juicy Brains Panel members out there. You should have received a couple of emails from the panel by now about their imminent closure so this should just act as a gentle nudge. The panel closes on 10th December 2008 and you won't be able to claim any Amazon vouchers after that date so you need to check your account balance and request your Amazon vouchers if you have over £5 earned.

Now, here's some good news. I was a bit disappointed when I logged on and discovered that I'd only earned £1 as I was under the minimum amount to convert to Amazon vouchers. I decided to chance my arm and email the panel to see if there was any way of withdrawing the money I'd already earned. After a few days, I recieved an email back saying that they'd increased my balance to take me up to the £5 threshold! Just confirms what a great site this is! (I couldn't imagine other survey sites like Ciao making a goodwill gesture like that, could you?!)

If, like me, you've been a longstanding member of the panel but don't currently have enough in your account to exchange for a voucher, I'd suggest emailing the panel and seeing what can be done. It's got to be worth a shot, surely? The email address I used was cedric@brainjuicer.com. Just get a move on as all vouchers need to be claimed by 10th December.