Pinecone Research Reviews and Features

Pinecone Research

85 Broad Street, New York, New York  10004 US
Tel: 800.864.1224   Contact: https://members.pineconeresearch.com/#/ContactUs
Operated by: The Nielsen Company, LLC

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KEY FEATURES:

> Pinecone Research sign up
> Reward types and amounts
> Product testing opportunities
> Is Pinecone Research legit?

Pinecone Research is a trusted leader in the survey panel industry. They are owned and operated by the market research company Nielsen, whose operations are headquartered in New York.

Pinecone Research focuses on improving the quality of tomorrow’s products through collecting research via paid surveys and product testing opportunities offered to consumers.

Pinecone Research Sign Up

Pinecone Research is an invitation-only survey panel, where members can earn rewards for participating in online surveys and product tests. Potential new members must be invited by other members to join, or they must find a join link posted on a website. SurveyPolice currently offers Pinecone Research signup links for Americans, Canadians, and people living in the UK: » Join Pinecone Research here.

To learn more about how to sign up for Pinecone Research, including tips on joining and why there are membership restrictions in place to begin with, check out our article on how to find an invitation to join Pinecone Research, as it should help answer any questions you may have about the process.

Reward Types and Amounts

For each survey successfully completed, Pinecone Research awards its members a minimum of 100 points, which equals $1.00 in your local currency. For example, Americans will earn $1.00 USD per survey, Canadians typically earn $1.00 CAD per survey, while Britons earn £1 per survey completion. There are a variety of rewards options that accumulated points can be exchanged for. These include:

• Bank Transfer - Pinecone offers cash payments issued via bank transfer. When selecting this option, you will be asked to create a 'wallet' on a third-party payment processor website. Once set up, you can request a cash payment deposited directly into your bank account. Payments are issued in $10, $5, and $3 increments (which can be in different quantities; ex. 4 x $3 = $12). Bank transfers are typically issued within 48 hours of request, but can take up to 3-5 business days.

• Amazon e-Cards - You can choose to receive an Amazon gift card with your collected points. The e-card will be sent directly to your email account.

• Other Gift Cards - Pinecone Research offers a variety of gift card options including Starbucks, Apple Store, Walmart gift cards, as well as many others. Gift cards may be digital or in physical format and are listed under these categories.

• Merchandise - Pinecone Research offers an extensive merchandise catalog consisting of various small electronics, household items and more. Merchandise rewards will be mailed directly to your home.

• Prepaid Virtual Visas – prepaid Visa cards are available for redemption, however, they may only available to US residents.

Redeeming Rewards

To redeem your rewards, simply visit the Pinecone Research website and log in to your account. From there, click the "Redeem" button to access the reward site. Under the SHOP tab next to HOME tab, select the reward items you wish to redeem and once you click on an item you are interested in, click the shopping cart icon to add the item to your cart. Click the shopping cart icon on the right side of the page to complete your order.

Note that PayPal is no longer offered as a rewards option and was replaced by bank transfers.

Earn your First Check/Bank Transfer Automatically

Once you complete your first survey, which is always worth a minimum of 100 points, Pinecone Research will automatically send you a check for $1.00 to the mailing address on your profile, or will ask you to cash out via bank transfer. This is a security measure to establish your profile and account. After your first check/bank transfer (or 30 days of being an active Pinecone member, whichever comes first), you will have the option to choose the form in which you would like to receive your future rewards.

Survey Types

Interesting online surveys are e-mailed to members, and are on a variety of different topics. As a Pinecone Research member, you are part of an elite group that represents consumers and households like yours nationwide. Your opinion is important to manufacturers who count on people like you to help predict which products will be developed and which may not be suited for launch. Paid surveys opportunities usually take about 15 to 20 minutes of your time to complete and you will be notified by e-mail when one becomes available.

Product Testing Opportunities

Occasionally, Pinecone may mail out products for their members to test from home. These may be physical products, or food items that may come delivered in a cooler. A follow-up survey is usually provided as part of the product test. These opportunities are highly sought after, as you may receive free food (or a product that you might be able to keep), as well as a paid follow up survey!

Pinecone Research App

If you prefer to take surveys on the go, you can download the Pinecone Research app onto your iOS or Android mobile device. The app will allow you to view available surveys, take online surveys, view and redeem your points, view your account history and more. Just remember to first join the Pinecone Research panel itself before attempting to take surveys through the app!

Quick Customer Service

If you have a question on anything Pinecone Research-related, do not hesitate to send in an inquiry through the website. The response time is usually 1-3 business days, or even quicker depending on the workload of employees during the time of your question.

Is Pinecone Research Legit?

Pinecone Research is legitimate and is not a scam. This survey program is over fifteen years old and has paid out millions of dollars in rewards to its members. Pinecone offers quality paid surveys and product tests to its members and is known for offering fair rewards. Operated by Nielsen, a market research leader, Pinecone Research is not a scam and is a completely legitimate website.

Eligibility: Available in select countries including USA, UK, Canada, Pinecone Research is an invitation-only panel.

Please note that PInecone Research has been targeted by a cashier's check scam. If you receive a large, unexpected check seemingly from Pinecone, DO NOT attempt to cash it!

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Pinecone Research Reviews (695)

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May 12, 2015 by Steve from United States

I will also echo the recent posts about being dropped from the panel for no apparent reason, or reasons that didn't make sense. After being a panelist for almost 8 years, I recently stopped getting surveys like the others. And also like others it was when I answered one while on vacation. In my case, I didn't get to a few during that time as well, but received several upon my return that were promptly completed.

The first time I inquired I received a generic response about responding to surveys quickly and all appeared to be normal. A few weeks went by with no surveys, so I inquired again.

The second time I was told: "A review of your record shows that you have not been able to complete several product evaluation studies. Periodically, we remove names from the database of those we have not heard from on regular basis. We tried to contact you numerous times prior to removal. You have been removed from the panel."

Here's where they are caught lying. As an IT professional I run my own email server. I have full access to all logs and communication and had created a survey email address just for them. Not a single email was received with their claim of contacting me multiple times.

Their blunt treatment of someone who's done everything asked over the years really speaks to what they think of us. I think 8 years of studies classifies as "hearing from me on a regular basis."

I would beware of them. So many positive reviews here that I would have agreed with before, but along with what others have written here recently, something is going on with them.

August 3, 2014 by Andrea from United Kingdom

Having been a panellist for two years they decided to "deactivate" my account without telling me. Only on trying to update my profile did I discover my ID and password were not working. Assuming the mistake was mine, I emailed the company to request a reminder of my login details. The response came quickly but it was only a standard printed script (did not even bother to address me by name) to tell me that from time to time they 'refresh' their panels and some of us panellists must be, ahem, 'deactivated'.

It is, of course, the company's right to select and even deselect their membership - but their manner of doing so without bothering to inform is rude in the extreme. So if you do join Pinecone, make the most of it as they could drop you at any time without taking the time or trouble to tell you. They do pay quickly when you do one of their (infrequent) surveys but in my experience there are better sites out there. Better paying and definitely better mannered!

March 31, 2014 by Isla from United Kingdom

I was a reasonably new panelist and was being sent a large number of surveys which I duly completed.
From the onset I received luncheon vouchers which I was happy with. I was then told they no longer do these so I set up a paypal account instead.
Over the past two weeks (whilst awaiting over £25 from Pinecone) I have phoned them three times, been promised on numerous occasions that I would receive this payment and that it was being dealt with as a matter of urgency via management and by their accounts section. Nothing has been done and no recent payments have been forthcoming. The last time I phoned I asked to speak to a manager but they did not want to speak with me.
I have been given contradictory information by email - "Yes you can get luncheon vouchers, no you cannot get luncheon vouchers, yes you can get them, no you cannot, etc etc). Their most recent email told me i could get them but it was too late - I had already redeemed the points for a paypal payout.. which has never happened, and I am certain now that they will not pay.
I am so upset with this company and I feel very let down by them AND I feel used. My time and my effort all for nothing. It feels as if I am hitting my head against a rock trying to get them to sort this out. They simply do not care. I am sorry but I really cannot recommend them. Not at all.

August 19, 2013 by Jean-Pierre from Canada

I have been doing surveys through a multitude of survey panels for the past 10 years and I must say that Pinecone is by far the worst panel I have been a member of, on so many levels.
The website, interface, poor communication and unresponsive/bad support.

I have filled out all the profilers and initial surveys. After a long wait I finally started receiving survey invitations along with their respective user PIN and passwords. These were not profilers but actual surveys. Not a single time was I paid for any survey I completed on Pinecone, nor do I see any history/logs of completed surveys on the site.

The site is terrible. I feel misled and cheated of my time. Their support is unresistant and does not reply to any e-mails despite several attempts.

I have completed all their surveys and thanked for my time, yet I don't see any of them listed. I was led to believe I would be paid $3 or more per survey.

Never once did I get paid.

I would strongly caution avoiding this survey panel. I wish I could give it more than 1 star, but it is bad on all levels.

March 2, 2013 by Linda from United States

Had a few surveys at first and was getting a little chunk of change, but then out of nowhere the surveys stopped coming. No information on the website - and when I emailed, I was told: " Periodically, we remove names from the database of those we have not heard from on regular basis. We tried to contact you numerous times prior to removal. You have been removed from the panel." - This is simply not true. Not once was I ever contacted about being removed - the surveys simply stopped coming! Beware!!