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donbathe

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2 hours ago, NFriday said:

There are probably ways you can cut your expenses, such as taking your lunch to work,  I also always check the clearance section when I am at the grocery store.  I often save 50% or more at Jewel by buying what is on sale, and applying coupons to my mymixx account.  I also buy most of my clothes at rummage sales.  

Even if you are eligible for every survey, if a survey takes 15 minutes and only pays $.50 that works out to $2 an hour.  Communities do pay better, but I believe most of the communities pay in GC.  As far as I know they don't charge to join a community, but I believe most communities do not want you if you belong to another community.  I've only been part of one community and that was AARP, and I earned $150 in Amazon GC in a year for not a lot of work..  After a year they decided they wanted fresh blood.

I am not sure exactly what he is looking for as far as doing surveys.  If he is looking to make a set amount of money each month that is hard to do. I don't believe you can make enough money to live on by just doing online surveys. Even if you did it 24-7. Your ideas about finding ways to cut your expenses are good if he doesn't have enough money to make ends meet. Doing online surveys is great if you are looking for a little extra money each month to buy things you wouldn't be able to otherwise afford. Or to save for things like buying Christmas gifts. That is what I do. My preference is cash payments but I don't mind the Amazon gift cards because I can use them to buy things for myself or to do some Christmas shopping. And prepaid Visa cards are good too because almost everybody accepts them so in effect it is money. 

Doing online surveys has to be fun. If it isn't then it isn't for you. You can't put pressure on yourself that you must earn a certain amount of money each month or within a particular time frame. Also by not being interested in gift cards he is eliminating a lot of potential opportunities. Also another thing he has to keep in mind is he may not see great results right away. It takes time to earn enough points or dollars to be able to cash out. But if you stick with it and are persistent you will earn some money. And the more panels you belong to the better in order to maximize your opportunities. I could tell him the panels that work best for me but I really don't want to do that because what works well for one person might not for another. If he is really interested in doing surveys my advice to him would be to read the survey panel reviews to get a consensus as to what people think. Also I would start out slow. Do a few panels at a time and see how it works out. I wouldn't start out by signing up with 25 or 50 panels. Also you can't expect too much at least right away.  If he is looking to make 100 or 200 dollars a week that is not being realistic.    

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He has some medical expenses to pay off.  I think he said $300- $400, and it sounds like he is looking for a quick fix.  Lots of time if you have medical expenses. you can tell them you do not have the money upfront, but you are willing to pay it off in installments.  If they are threatening to send him to collections, I can understand wanting to look for a quick fix, but surveys are not it.  

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On 3/3/2018 at 4:39 PM, donbathe said:

what is the most that someone can make if they really applied themselves to doing online surveys???????????  can i make in reality like 300 dollars a month or not????????  whats the most that someone can make doing online surveys doing it full time???????????  can an online survey expert please tell me.  rsvp.  thank you. 

Sorry about your troubles but realistically I think it's almost impossible to make that kind of money doing surveys .

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22 hours ago, mikedorb said:

Am I correct that to join a paid community it is usually a one time minimal charge? As for joining as many sites as possible I gave him that advice as well because that is what I do. And then determine what your best money makers are and devote most of your time to those. He said he wants to be paid in cash or money so I am assuming PayPal is OK. But to be paid by PayPal he will most likely have to verify his account and attach it to a bank account. If he is looking for panels that pay by physical check there are a few out there but not many. And the old saying honesty is the best policy certainly applies when doing surveys. It is possible you might be able to fake it when trying to complete a survey but is definitely not something I would advise.Much too risky.  

No, absolutely not... I've never heard of having to pay to join a community.  Why would this person have a problem verifing his account with PayPal/a bank?  That's what keeps our accounts safe.   Maybe you can fake it a time or two, but it would be naive to think that the survey places (or anywhere online for that matter)  don't store your information.  Some of them even ask if you know it's against the law to give false information.  Sure isn't worth your integrity to scam the survey companies for a few lousy cents or dollars.    *****  Ooops, sorry Mike.... I'm editing here.  I thought you were the original poster but you weren't, so I know you won't have the answers to my questions.  I need coffee.  :-)

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On 3/4/2018 at 12:05 PM, donbathe said:

but which survey companies will pay only cash or check into direct deposit.  i dont want to get paid via gift cards, prepaid cards, tokens, prizes, ect...........  but actual cash, money, dollars!  what should i do in this case?????????????????  rsvp.  thank you. 

I think you're hurting yourself by insisting on only cash. I understand about the medical bills, but if you earn Amazon cards, you'd just order some things you're spending cash on through them...   bath tissue, paper towels, detergent, OTC health and beauty, shampoo....  I'm not understanding what the issue is with Amazon cards... I'd use them for things I'd be spending cash on and it all evens out at the end.   And by direct deposit, do you mean PayPal?  I assume so, because you won't find many (any?) places that will dump money into your bank account.

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3 hours ago, penangel said:

 account he can easily taI think you're hurting yourself by insisting on only cash. I understand about the medical bills, but if you earn Amazon cards, you'd just order some things you're spending cash on through them...   bath tissue, paper towels, detergent, OTC health and beauty, shampoo....  I'm not understanding what the issue is with Amazon cards... I'd use them for things I'd be spending cash on and it all evens out at the end.   And by direct deposit, do you mean PayPal?  I assume so, because you won't find many (any?) places that will dump money into your bank account.

Agree completely about him insisting on only cash. Gift cards in effect are money but in a different form. He can use them to buy things he needs .And he didn't make himself clear about what he meant when he said he only wanted cash. I thought maybe he didn't have a bank account and was looking for physical checks. And only a few panels issue checks. Many do PayPal and as long as you have a bank account verifying your PayPal account isn't a big deal. You could have PayPal send you a check but that is a hassle. You have to send them a lot of verification to prove your identity. Or at least that was the way it was many years ago. But once the money is in his PayPal account he can easily transfer it to his bank account. But as for transferring money directly to his bank account unless he is referring to PayPal I don't know of any survey companies that do that.

I sympathize with him that he has this $500 medical bill that he is looking to pay off and looking for a way to get the money to do so but he shouldn't lose any sleep over it. My advice to him would be tell them he doesn't have the money but will pay 5 or 10 dollars a month or whatever he thinks he can afford until it is paid off. If they don't want to go along with that tell them that is the best he can do.  And if they threaten to send the bill to collections tell them to go right ahead because from my experience they are just bluffing. I worked in collections for many years although not medical collections and from my experience companies will not turn a bill over to collections unless it is at least a certain amount of money. With my company it was a thousand dollars. Smaller amounts of money weren't worth turning over to a collection agency because the collection fees would likely be greater than any money that could be potentially collected. Companies will often resort to scare tactics to try to collect a debt .One thing he can't do is to agree to a payment plan he knows he can't afford just to get them off his back .And getting some money is better than none so that is why they should accept whatever deal he offers them. And if they ask him if he can borrow the money from somebody tell them no even if he thinks he can. If he doesn't pay the debt what can they do?  Nothing. This isn't like not paying your electric or gas bill and worried your service will get shut off. Eventually the medical debt will get written off if he doesn't pay especially considering the amount due is that small. Almost ten years ago I had a couple of surgeries and at the time I had no supplemental insurance so I got a bill for the 20% Medicare didn't cover and we were talking thousands of dollars here. No way I could ever pay that bill. But after numerous letters and threats to turn it over to a collection agency the bills finally stopped coming which told me they got the message and wrote off the debt.

A lot of medical debts eventually get written off. Over 20 years ago my mother died after a long hospital stay and long after she died she was still getting bills which obviously never got paid.           

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4 hours ago, penangel said:

No, absolutely not... I've never heard of having to pay to join a community.  Why would this person have a problem verifing his account with PayPal/a bank?  That's what keeps our accounts safe.   Maybe you can fake it a time or two, but it would be naive to think that the survey places (or anywhere online for that matter)  don't store your information.  Some of them even ask if you know it's against the law to give false information.  Sure isn't worth your integrity to scam the survey companies for a few lousy cents or dollars.    *****  Ooops, sorry Mike.... I'm editing here.  I thought you were the original poster but you weren't, so I know you won't have the answers to my questions.  I need coffee.  :-)

I do belong to some communities and never had to pay to join although it is possible with some you might have to. A couple of problems with communities. One is you have to be accepted and a lot of times I tried to join a community and was rejected. Plus you have to have enough time to spend on activities and I always don't because I spend so much time on survey sites  With some communities you are guaranteed a monthly reward if you participate in so many activities and others you get entered into drawings. But sometimes in a community you are asked to participate in an activity that offers a guaranteed reward. But with communities the rewards are generally gift cards. As long as he has a bank account there should be no issue verifying a PayPal account. And as far as faking a survey I have done it a couple of times because I was close to doing a cash out and needed .50 or a dollar.  But it is not something I make a habit of doing or would advise anybody to do because it can be very risky.  

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On 3/5/2018 at 10:16 AM, NFriday said:

There are probably ways you can cut your expenses, such as taking your lunch to work,  I also always check the clearance section when I am at the grocery store.  I often save 50% or more at Jewel by buying what is on sale, and applying coupons to my mymixx account.  I also buy most of my clothes at rummage sales.  

Even if you are eligible for every survey, if a survey takes 15 minutes and only pays $.50 that works out to $2 an hour.  Communities do pay better, but I believe most of the communities pay in GC.  As far as I know they don't charge to join a community, but I believe most communities do not want you if you belong to another community.  I've only been part of one community and that was AARP, and I earned $150 in Amazon GC in a year for not a lot of work..  After a year they decided they wanted fresh blood.

Not all communities pay equally I am luck to get $5 a month from United Health Care.

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3 hours ago, mikedorb said:

Agree completely about him insisting on only cash. Gift cards in effect are money but in a different form. He can use them to buy things he needs .And he didn't make himself clear about what he meant when he said he only wanted cash. I thought maybe he didn't have a bank account and was looking for physical checks. And only a few panels issue checks. Many do PayPal and as long as you have a bank account verifying your PayPal account isn't a big deal. You could have PayPal send you a check but that is a hassle. You have to send them a lot of verification to prove your identity. Or at least that was the way it was many years ago. But once the money is in his PayPal account he can easily transfer it to his bank account. But as for transferring money directly to his bank account unless he is referring to PayPal I don't know of any survey companies that do that.

I sympathize with him that he has this $500 medical bill that he is looking to pay off and looking for a way to get the money to do so but he shouldn't lose any sleep over it. My advice to him would be tell them he doesn't have the money but will pay 5 or 10 dollars a month or whatever he thinks he can afford until it is paid off. If they don't want to go along with that tell them that is the best he can do.  And if they threaten to send the bill to collections tell them to go right ahead because from my experience they are just bluffing. I worked in collections for many years although not medical collections and from my experience companies will not turn a bill over to collections unless it is at least a certain amount of money. With my company it was a thousand dollars. Smaller amounts of money weren't worth turning over to a collection agency because the collection fees would likely be greater than any money that could be potentially collected. Companies will often resort to scare tactics to try to collect a debt .One thing he can't do is to agree to a payment plan he knows he can't afford just to get them off his back .And getting some money is better than none so that is why they should accept whatever deal he offers them. And if they ask him if he can borrow the money from somebody tell them no even if he thinks he can. If he doesn't pay the debt what can they do?  Nothing. This isn't like not paying your electric or gas bill and worried your service will get shut off. Eventually the medical debt will get written off if he doesn't pay especially considering the amount due is that small. Almost ten years ago I had a couple of surgeries and at the time I had no supplemental insurance so I got a bill for the 20% Medicare didn't cover and we were talking thousands of dollars here. No way I could ever pay that bill. But after numerous letters and threats to turn it over to a collection agency the bills finally stopped coming which told me they got the message and wrote off the debt.

A lot of medical debts eventually get written off. Over 20 years ago my mother died after a long hospital stay and long after she died she was still getting bills which obviously never got paid.           

If you mail a check to the hospital ,doctor or whomever the bill is from and they cash that check then that means that have excepted your terms .If for some reason they cash the checks and then turn you over to a collector my advice is to go to  Experian or whatever credit report company they turned it over to and explain to them what happened.However you need to keep all records whether it be emails-check stubs or whatever it is and turn your records over and tell them what is  going on.I had to do this before and they took  the bill off my record.Plus getting a part time job would be easier and pay more then doing surveys.Especially if you used all your earnings to paying off the debt.

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2 hours ago, footfree said:

If you mail a check to the hospital ,doctor or whomever the bill is from and they cash that check then that means that have excepted your terms .If for some reason they cash the checks and then turn you over to a collector my advice is to go to  Experian or whatever credit report company they turned it over to and explain to them what happened.However you need to keep all records whether it be emails-check stubs or whatever it is and turn your records over and tell them what is  going on.I had to do this before and they took  the bill off my record.Plus getting a part time job would be easier and pay more then doing surveys.Especially if you used all your earnings to paying off the debt.

Yes that is true. If they cash the check or money order it means they accepted your terms. I can't believe any doctor's office or hospital would turn down money no matter how small an amount it is. My roommate has been paying small amounts each month on a doctor's bill and they are accepting the payments by cashing her checks. He needs to be up front with them. Tell them he can't pay the bill but can pay a little each month. If they won't agree to that then tough luck and then let them do what they want to do. Nobody in their right mind would pay a doctor or hospital bill if it meant they couldn't buy food or risk having their utilities shut off. Yes they can report it to one of the credit bureaus but as you said he can try to fight it in order to not damage his credit rating. And if they turn it over to a collection agency which is something entirely different what makes them think he will pay anything to the collection agency? And he can't make any promises he knows he can't keep..But my guess is they will not turn  a $500 debt over to a collection agency.   I can't tell you how many times while working in collections I heard the line the check is in the mail. You can't dispute it because you don't know for sure but very often people say that to either the company or collection agency just to get them off their back for a little while. I can't really say he should get a part time job because we don't know his circumstances. Maybe he is on disability like I am which might make doing that very difficult if not impossible.  But trying to earn that much money doing surveys it might be possible but it will take some time.      

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1 hour ago, peach6 said:

Seems like he's getting more answers to his original post but he really hasn't said much more.

I think we have given him all the information we can give him. Now it is up to him to figure out what he wants to do. But trying to make that much money doing surveys is probably not the way to go. He is in a tough spot and what I would do is tell them he can't pay the bill but will send them a little each month and then let the chips fall where they may instead of figuring out a plan to quickly come up with $500. Other than getting a part time job or borrowing the money from a relative or friend I am not sure what other options he has. 

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12 minutes ago, mikedorb said:

I think we have given him all the information we can give him. Now it is up to him to figure out what he wants to do. But trying to make that much money doing surveys is probably not the way to go. He is in a tough spot and what I would do is tell them he can't pay the bill but will send them a little each month and then let the chips fall where they may instead of figuring out a plan to quickly come up with $500. Other than getting a part time job or borrowing the money from a relative or friend I am not sure what other options he has. 

I agree they will usually will work with you if all he can give is 5.00 then that is what he should do.

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5 hours ago, peach6 said:

I agree they will usually will work with you if all he can give is 5.00 then that is what he should do.

I doubt very seriously they won't accept a payment no matter how small it might be. It would be bad business practice for them not to accept money .Say somebody borrowed a hundred dollars from you and they said they don't have the money to pay you now but they could give you 5 or 10 dollars would you turn it down and say you don't want it? I wouldn't. And I doubt very seriously they would turn it over to a collection agency because if he doesn't have the money he wouldn't be able to pay the collection agency either. But these people do use intimidation to try to get somebody to pay. But if he doesn't have the money what do they expect him to do. Rob a bank or steal the money from somebody?  

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