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Valued Opinions New Policy--charging $5 fee on $20 visa code


Huntress

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I received it, and posted about it on here, as did others. Just seems that they did not send it out to everyone.

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I received it, and posted about it on here, as did others. Just seems that they did not send it out to everyone.

I first read about the fee charging on here and I couldn't believe it so I went to my email and, sure enough, there was an email from Valued Opinions.

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I wasn't a member of Survey Police when I got the notice the first week of April--or I would've posted about it (I actually found this site because I was looking for information on how others felt about the policy change). Here is the 'notice' I got (not really a notice since the change was already implemented giving me no advance warning so I could cash out before the new policy took effect):

USA Visa

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Having redeemed a Visa® Promocode in the past, we wanted to let you know of a change to the cost of Visa® Promocodes offered on Valued Opinions.

Over the last few years, we’ve managed to absorb increased service fees associated with purchasing Visa® Promocodes. Like any business, we constantly review our costs and unfortunately, we’re no longer able to offer Visa® Promocodes at the same rate.

Faced with the difficult decision to keep it as a reward option or not, we’ve decided to keep Visa® Promocodes due to its popularity. However, this means we now need to pass on some of the service fees associated with purchasing these codes. In order to redeem a $20 Visa® Promocodes you will need to have built up $25 in your Valued Opinions account.

We also wanted to point out that we have a new reward option which is redeemable at $15 and offers a great value to our members. Log into your account to find out more.

Thank you for your understanding,

Kind regards

The Valued Opinions team

A second notice:

USA Amazon

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Having redeemed an Amazon voucher in the past, we wanted to let you know of a change to the cost of Amazon vouchers offered on Valued Opinions.

Over the last few years, we’ve managed to absorb increased service fees associated with purchasing Amazon rewards. Like any business, we constantly review our costs and unfortunately, we’re no longer able to offer Amazon rewards at the same rate.

Faced with the difficult decision to keep it as a reward option or not, we’ve decided to keep Amazon due to its popularity. However, this means we now need to pass on some of the service fees associated with purchasing these codes. In order to redeem a $20 Amazon code you will need to have built up $22 in your Valued Opinions account.

We also wanted to point out that we have a new reward option which is redeemable at $15 and offers a great value to our members. Log into your account to find out more.

Thank you for your understanding,

Kind regards

The Valued Opinions team

Adding I certainly DON'T understand!

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I'm not sure but I don't believe there are fees for Visa gift codes, in general. The actual cards yes, but not the codes. Anyone know for sure?

Amazon, however, I'm certain has no fees. Anyone can look this up on Amazon.com since it is in boldface print in their gift codes section, or inquire directly about it. So I wonder what fees they are talking about. Wages to those that send out the codes?...But they're sent out by an automated system. So what "increased service fees" were they shouldering? Sounds like BS.

I don't believe their explanation, not in the least bit. Perhaps they have some cost but it certainly isn't from the fees associated with buying the codes.

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Now I have money missing in my pending.I did a survey for them on 3/21/13 no. 182855 for $2. I haven't been paid yet so I sent them a email.Guess what no reply.I cant even go to the participation history to look it up because it doesn't go that far back.I still have the original invite but what good does it do if they don't reply.So what, they aren't going to pay ?And why aren't they going to pay?I don't want to do surveys for a company who treats me this way.

I know not all of us are unhappy with them, but wait till this happens to you.So just be warned who your dealing with what happened to me this could easily be you.

So apparently they have no problems telling some people about their plans but I must not be one, even my account earned is going in front of my eyes without a word.

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Having redeemed an Amazon voucher in the past, we wanted to let you know of a change to the cost of Amazon vouchers offered on Valued Opinions.

Over the last few years, we’ve managed to absorb increased service fees associated with purchasing Amazon rewards. Like any business, we constantly review our costs and unfortunately, we’re no longer able to offer Amazon rewards at the same rate.

Faced with the difficult decision to keep it as a reward option or not, we’ve decided to keep Amazon due to its popularity. However, this means we now need to pass on some of the service fees associated with purchasing these codes. In order to redeem a $20 Amazon code you will need to have built up $22 in your Valued Opinions account.

We also wanted to point out that we have a new reward option which is redeemable at $15 and offers a great value to our members. Log into your account to find out more.

I AM QUITE CERTAIN I DID NOT GET THIS!

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Anyone else upset about Valued Opinions new policy to:

1. charge a $5 fee to redeem your cash rewards for a Visa Promo Code--not a physical card you can use in stores, mind you--but merely a code

and then:

2. lowering the value of the amount you can redeem on this item from $30 to $20, resulting in a 25% loss of value.

This policy change came without warning and without allowing the rewards earned under the former policy to be cashed-out at face value--instead of 75% of face value, which is the new policy.

I emailed them about this and after 2 days received nothing but a form response:

Dear Valued Opinions member,

We appreciate any suggestions our members make and will forward your email to the appropriate department so that they may take your idea into consideration.

This used to be a decent survey company--now I feel ripped-off.

same here. i too emailed my displeasure and got the same email. :x

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well i just look at it as i don't have to give much effort at all on the last survey before cash out.. but they pay better than OO so i'm basically losing 20 cents on a $2 survey that OO would only pay me $1.50 to do.. i still gain with VO oddly enough.. is it right? no.. but until i find better i just do them in that frame of mind knowing my time is being paid more than if I was sitting on OO waiting to get a survey that doesn't cut me. It's a good time to multitask.. when you're in a survey you know you're going to finish and are coming in short on time.. it's then that i go through the OO router trying to get one from them.. by the time i get one, it's time for me to complete the VO survey.. then i go on to the OO survey i spent 10 minutes trying to enter.

There's a method to survey madness :P

but you get really good at managing your personal time in doing this.. sometimes I have three tabs open at once.. OO, VO, GTM.. which basically allows me to be 'earning' at all times in at least one of them for the time I commit to doing surveys.

We all look and do things different but I wont allow a company to charge me to get access to what is owed to me.Especially when they change the game plans in a the middle of a play.If we let them get away with it then we are telling all the survey companies that we think it's fair for them to screw us.You can do what you like but I personally cant justify them getting away treating me this way.But you see I'm not with OO because I find them to be unethical too.If it means I make less so be it but I wont work for less then what I think is fair.

ditto my friend. its about principles.

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Just go a reply from VO:

Dear Valued Opinions member,

Yes, there has been a cost increase for the Amazon vouchers.

We have sent out a newsletter with this news to our panellist on April 1st, 2013.

Kind regards

Isabel

The Valued Opinions Team

I certainly don't remember any such in a newsletter. Do any of you remember receiving such a thing?[/qu

i didnt get the email until after i learned about it on here

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I want to urge all of you to express your displeasure at the recent changes by:

1. emailing Valued Opinions directly

and/or

2. posting comments on their social media sites like Facebook.

I am reiterating this suggestion because I just read the following in the comment section of MyView--a company I used to take surveys with, but no longer do because of the puny rewards, etc:

Hi All – we’ve been reading your comments. That’s the purpose of this forum – you write, we read. We talk about adding PayPal often – internally within the company but also on our FB and individually with some of our members. Unfortunately, we do not have a set date on when that will happen. When we add items to our reward center we want to make sure we can deliver on that item at a level that is satisfactory to our members. In order to do that in the case of PayPal, we need to get a number of things in place first. But we do hear you. We like PayPal also. If we can get PayPal going, we’ll happily announce it as a new option. Thank you for understanding.

Again--the above quote was from MyView, but the point is that occasionally these companies can be pressured into doing what the panelists want--or at least considering a policy change--assuming we panelists are vocal about it. They can't read minds.

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Huntress --

^^^Absolutely! I totally agree.

As I mentioned in one of my above posts, that is what I (and many other angry customers) did with Photobucket and it worked (and they have a huge customer base). If it can work with Photobucket, it can work with other sites too! I know Photobucket is not a survey panel, but it's the same idea -- except in their case, many of us are actually paying to use Photobucket (unlike Valued Opinions) and they removed a bunch of the features for which we were paying when they switched to their stupid new site. They left the "Comments" sections open on their Support pages/threads for a while, and of course their Facebook page was also a good place to vent. We were persistent. We kept at them and at them and at them to reinstate the features they took from us, and they asked us repeatedly to explain why we needed certain features and we told them over and over. Once Photobucket saw how outraged everyone was, they even sent out extra questionnaires to ask us which features we wanted to see on the site. Finally, it worked. There are still some things we don't like about the new site but at least they heard and paid attention to the complaints.

One of the Photobucket guys who put himself in the lion's den by stepping into the Support pages to interact with us actually told us that Photobucket based their new site and the features (or lack thereof) on surveys they had done in the past...only to later realize that the data they collected from those surveys was "skewed" and therefore not totally accurate. It seemed as if they didn't even know that a huge segment of their customer base was using certain features until we started voicing our frustration!! So it was specifically due to the dissatisfied customers speaking up about the new site that we saw change (in our favor). If we had kept silent, those changes would not have been made (because Photobucket was clueless and out of touch).

If Valued Opinions doesn't really know exactly how many people are displeased with their policies and fees, they will never do anything to change them.

Of course, the key is to not be abusive, profane or overly hostile in any feedback or complaints to any company. Be firm; be persistent but not obnoxious; be specific and detailed about exactly what you don't like and why; tell the company exactly how the change is affecting you; offer up ideas/suggestions of compromise to show that you are not totally inflexible, etc. (Unfortunately, some of the angry Photobucket customers got a little too nasty and the Support threads eventually closed for comments, while some of the more harsh comments "disappeared" from their Facebook page...but at least we managed to get our point across and begin to see some changes made before our lines of communication were closed off!)

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the problem with VO is they don't respond.. they just ignore the questions on the FB page and continue to go about posting their meaningless new questions for us to answer on things not related to the site.. i guess it works because the complaints blend into the other posts of people who play along with their postings.

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the problem with VO is they don't respond.. they just ignore the questions on the FB page and continue to go about posting their meaningless new questions for us to answer on things not related to the site.. i guess it works because the complaints blend into the other posts of people who play along with their postings.

Exactly! It usually takes a Month and a half for a simple e-mail reply, which is absurd! I don't have time to call their so-called 800 Number that's listed as well (Tues.-Friday only). Once I get the rest of my Pending Credits credited, I'm gone. No need to waste time complaining to them, since I HAVE BEEN complaining for almost two years, about other matters with them. :evil:

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the problem with VO is they don't respond.. they just ignore the questions on the BF page and continue to go about posting their meaningless new questions for us to answer on things not related to the site.. i guess it works because the complaints blend into the other posts of people who play along with their postings.

Just because they don't respond doesn't mean they don't read the direct emails or posts on FB. If enough people post and email it will reach critical mass and they can't ignore us.

btw--totally off-topic, but I am a member of Botox Brilliant Distinctions loyalty rewards and was just notified the points accumulated will have a lower redemption value (20% lower) so naturally I phoned the hotline to register my displeasure immediately. (they don't have a FB page or an email contact that I could find, just a toll-free number). But I'm passing this along for 2 reasons:

1. to take note of the fact that the economy must still be pretty shaky because it seems everyone is trying to reduce expenses, even at the risk of alienating customers, members, etc.

and

2. to underscore the importance of not just sitting there and taking it. At the very least--if you are upset with a policy change--for Heaven's Sake--let the company know!!!! They can't read minds. If you don't voice your concerns and disappointment--trust me I know this for a fact--they will say 'well no one else complained, everyone but you seems to approve of our decision...' They may not say it exactly like that, but that is how they think.

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