PINECONE.... sigh

[hpilgrim1]

Mark me down as a person who really dislikes the new changes to their site. Instead of having my $3 post to Paypal automatically within 2 or 3 days, I have to go to the website and go through several pages before I can "order" my incentive.

And today, that wouldn't even work...!

When I tried to convert my "points" to cash, I was unable to check out... ! I got a message that "this user is unable to check out at this time" and to contact an administrator, using a link provided... well, the "link" sent me to a PAGE NOT FOUND message.

What a productionj! I emailed them, I hope they respond. Stinking points, I hate them....

[avemaria]

i forgot about this so i just went to cash out and am having the same problem.. it won't let me cash out.. i would write in but i'll just wait for your answer about it. (I tried to cash out for 600, or $6)

[Sherry67]

i forgot about this so i just went to cash out and am having the same problem.. it won't let me cash out.. i would write in but i'll just wait for your answer about it. (I tried to cash out for 600, or $6)

The more people that contact Pinecone about it, the better. Whoever it is in your house that actually has the account should write in if the same problem is happening.

Fortunately I cashed out last Friday (and received payment today) so the problem on the site must have started after that -- but I would certainly write in or submit a form if I had the same technical issue too!

[hpilgrim1]

I got a form letter back, all about their "wonderful" new features....

So sad to see this site change---

I am going to try again... sigh

[Sherry67]

Their wonderful new features and wonderful new point system don't do you a bit of good if you can't get the points to cash out! You have to be able to actually get your cash, not just stare in awe and admiration of their wonderful new features.

Did you submit one of their online forms in their Contact Us section on the Pinecone website, or did you send a direct email to Karen Scott (or whomever reads the email) from your email? The last time I tried to send a direct email it bounced back to me as undeliverable (which was new), but the form in the contact page went through.

Also, is there a Live Chat person on the Rewards page to help you?

I agree - I hate the new points system. Too many extra, unnecessary pages and steps and follow-up emails to go through to get cash, and if I take a survey on a Thursday I won't get my cash until at least Monday, if not later than that.

[theskyhunter]

i did my first cashout today and....I HATE IT!!!!!! GRRRRR!

[Huntress]

Did anyone notice there are Pinecone surveys being posted on Opinion Outpost--for far fewer rewards? For example, I just got a Pinecone survey with a reward of 5 Opinion Outpost points attached to it--so a value of 50 cents vs. the standard $3 Pinecone reward per survey.

I've noticed a few of these Pinecone studies being given via OOsince I joined OO a few weeks ago. TBH, I'm glad I get screened out of most of them because I'd rather click thru the Pinecone email invitation for a much larger reward.

Everything that is going on with these survey companies--from Pinecone changing how we get paid and now using OO to get respondents, to Valued Opinions now charging a cashout fee, to Surveyspot eliminating points, then re-installing them but paying practically nothing--well, it all makes me wonder how certain the future of any of them are and if we are going to be listed as just another creditor if the businesses fold. That's one of the reasons I normally don't order magazine subscriptions--I paid in advance but then when the companies folded, I had no recourse, no magazines and no refund. I think the best policy is to cash out as soon as you can before anything else changes.

[avemaria]

i made a topic on that a little while ago

Pinecone surveys through other panels

the bad thing is they're half the pay and you have a chance of disqualifying.. they give a huge list of things and if you don't hit what they want, they cut you.. unlike Pinecone directly.. I emailed Pinecone on my other email not associated with them (to avoid retaliation if it should come) and she didn't answer my question.. but merely said she can't find my account through this email.. it shouldn't have mattered.. i only asked why we're getting their surveys through OO for half the price.. i thought they valued their quality panel.. if so then they shouldn't be whoring their surveys through another company.. give them to your panel you know the demographics on.. i don't get it.

[peach6]

i made a topic on that a little while ago

Pinecone surveys through other panels

It seems like most of the survey companies are doing that now you just have to decide whether to do the survey or wait to see if you get the same survey from someone that pays better for the same survey.I will usually do the survey because I may not see it again like I said in another topic have had 3 household question surveys from Pinecone and no paying surveys in 5weeks.

[SeriousSurveyer]

None of the Pinecone surveys I've gotten through OO I've gotten through Pinecone itself. Then again most of the OO Pinecone surveys I DQ so that's probably why.

[Sherry67]

hpilgrim1 -

Can you follow up on your original post and subsequent post about the form letter, and let us know what is happening? Which mode of emailing did you use? There is the Contact link on the actual Rewards site. There is a Customer Service link on the Rewards site. There is the Contact Us form on the actual Pinecone home page. And then there is sending a direct email to email message to Pinecone. Which one did you do?

I ask because today was my first attempt at cashing out since you posted about the technical troubles, and I had the same trouble. I was not able to cash out and encountered the same messages and hurdles that you did. In fact, by tomorrow I should have an additional 300 points to cash out.

Have you been able to cash out yet, since you posted this 3 days ago? Please update! Other than you and avemaria, I don't see anyone else speaking about this cashing out issue. I would think that a lot more people would be complaining about it if they couldn't get their money. I wonder if Pinecone essentially "ran out" of cash to pay out.

[SeriousSurveyer]

Other than you and avemaria, I don't see anyone else speaking about this cashing out issue. I would think that a lot more people would be complaining about it if they couldn't get their money. I wonder if Pinecone essentially "ran out" of cash to pay out.

I've had payment issues too:

1. I cashed out last week for a survey I took and didn't get payment for it until today.

2. I took a survey on Monday that I haven't received the points for. The survey was hosted outside of the Pinecone site so I wonder if that's what's holding things.

I received another survey today, which I completed, but before I did I sent an email to the scott@pinecone address about not receiving the points from the survey earlier in the week. If it were any other company I wouldn't have bothered taking another survey if they hadn't paid me for the previous two but I trust Pinecone will come through, so I'm not worried about it.

[Sherry67]

Other than you and avemaria, I don't see anyone else speaking about this cashing out issue. I would think that a lot more people would be complaining about it if they couldn't get their money. I wonder if Pinecone essentially "ran out" of cash to pay out.

I've had payment issues too:

1. I cashed out last week for a survey I took and didn't get payment for it until today.

2. I took a survey on Monday that I haven't received the points for. The survey was hosted outside of the Pinecone site so I wonder if that's what's holding things.

I received another survey today, which I completed, but before I did I sent an email to the scott@pinecone address about not receiving the points from the survey earlier in the week. If it were any other company I wouldn't have bothered taking another survey if they hadn't paid me for the previous two but I trust Pinecone will come through, so I'm not worried about it.

Did your email bounce back to you, or did you go through the Contact link on the Pinecone site?

You've definitely had payment issues, and Pinecone seems to be askew, but it sounds like you have not had the specific technical checkout issues that were mentioned by hpilgrim1 in the very first post of this thread (which avemaria also had) from Monday. That's what happened to me today - the "this user is unable to check out at this time" message on the Rewards site, after I went through the entire checkout process. And then I got the same error message when I clicked Contact from the Rewards site that hpilgim1 got.

I've never encountered that particular glitch before today, but knowing that at least 2 other people did early this week, I am trying to find out the status of their payments. I am trying to figure out whether they were finally able to cash out and get past that bug on the site, and which methods of contact they used.

hpilgrim1 or avemaria -- Please update! Have you been able to cash out despite those weird technical issues?

[hpilgrim1]

Hi all--

After I couldn't even contact an administrator, I emailed Karen Scott directly. Then I got a form letter, then a couple of days after that, I received an email that asked me to try again. I did try again, and this time it worked....

Glad to get the money, but sad that it has become such a hassle....

[peach6]

I cashed out yesterday went through okay got the email today but way to many steps for 6.00