What is SurveySavvy?


What is SurveySavvy?

SurveySavvy is an online market research service owned by Luth Research, LLC. While Luth Research has a fair reputation, SurveySavvy does not. Trying to make money by completing surveys is like trying to eat soup with a fork. It can be done, but there are better ways to make money online.

Name of Product: SurveySavvy (aka Survey Savvy)
Website: SurveySavvy.com
Price: Free to join.
Owner: Luth Research LLC, Roseanne Luth, President
Opinion: Not Recommended

Click to DISCOVER a Proven Path to Financial Independence!

What is SurveySavvy?

SurveySavvy is a legitimate survey website owned by Luth Research. However, I do not recommend it. I’ll tell you why, but first, it’s important to understand how Survey Savvy works and why it does what it does.

Through SurveySavvy, Luth Research can connect people with companies looking for market feedback and opinions about all sorts of things that may impact those companies. For example, a new mother might be asked to test the prototype of a disposable diaper. Or a restaurant chain might conduct a survey to determine how to improve their menu.

Is Survey Savvy a Scam?

SurveySavvy was created to serve the client companies of Luth Research, not so you can make money. Paying you to complete a survey is just a necessary evil for SurveySavvy. Like any business, Survey Savvy is motivated to minimize expenses and maximize profits. In other words, they don’t want to pay you. And, as I’ll show you in a moment, they may not.

What is SurveySavvy?
Luth Research Offices Downtown San Diego

SurveySavvy and Luth Research live and die by how useful the information they gather is to the companies they serve. To get the most valuable information, Survey Savvy uses several filtering methods to be sure only the most qualified people are invited to participate.

SurveySavvy may also claim you don’t qualify for a survey after they have gotten the information they want. By merely claiming you don’t qualify, SurveySavvy can avoid paying you.

When you join SurveySavvy, you must complete a member profile. SurveySavvy uses the information in your member profile to determine your fit for a particular survey.

If SurveySavvy deems you qualified for a survey, they invite you to participate. However, before SurveySavvy invites you to complete a survey, they will conduct an in-depth screening process to be sure you are a good fit for that survey. This in-depth screening may also be a way for SurveySavvy to gather information without paying for it.

Once SurveySavvy determines you’re the kind of person they are looking for, you will be presented with the survey. After the completing the survey, you will be compensated with a credit to your account.

SurveySavvy states that they cannot guarantee how many surveys a member will receive as this is determined by the member’s profile and the needs of Luff Research client companies. Furthermore, there isn’t an average either, because there are too many variables in choosing who is qualified to complete a survey.

Click to DISCOVER a Proven Path to Financial Independence!

Beware of SavvyConnect!

One of the creepier things SurveySavvy does is monitor market behavior through their desktop and mobile app SavvyConnect. SavvyConnect is a software application that SurveySavvy members can choose to install on their computer and mobile devices. It records their online activity. This information is very valuable to Luff Research client companies and SurveySavvy has an incentive program to encourage members to enroll in the SavvyConnect.

What is SurveySavvy?

According to SurveySavvy, SavvyConnect stops transmitting when the user is in “Private Browsing” or “Incognito Mode.” Unfortunately, I’m not convinced there is any way to be sure. Based on some of SurveySavvy’s less than honest behavior, I don’t trust them. Tracking people’s online activity is extremely valuable information and once the software is installed, you have no way of knowing what it is doing or when it is doing it.

Members are not required to use SavvyConnect and can still complete surveys without it.

A troubling issue related to SavvyConnect is how SurveySavvy aggressively promotes it. Then, once installed, claims it isn’t working. There is no way of knowing if this is true, or if they are simply creating a pretense for not paying their members.

Here is a complaint about SavvyConnect. The writer warns, ‘Beware of SavvyConnect!’

“I participated in the Savvy Connect program and was highly disappointed. It was a horrible three months. The app drained my phone battery. If I went to bed with a fully charged phone not on the charger, I would wake up with a completely dead phone. It made my laptop and ipad very slow, often freezing up. I feel like this was a sneaky way to get the info they wanted without ever having to pay, since they can now claim I did not fulfill the requirements. I have since heard his same complaint from others. Not worth it.” Karen (Source: SurveyPolice.com)

SurveySavvy Portrait Surveys.

To have the best chance of being invited to complete surveys, a member must keep their profile updated. SurveySavvy adds to the basic member profile with optional portrait surveys.

Portrait surveys are more in-depth questions that focus on subjects such as member interests, life circumstances, family, lifestyle, personal behavior, favorite products, and personal & family income.

Survey Savvy’s intention is to have a more accurate understanding of you on file so they can better qualify you for more surveys. Or at least, that’s what they claim. At this point, I’d like to remind you that you will be trading personal information for just a few dollars at best. Is it worth it?

How SurveySavvy Pays You.

Once a member has accumulated more than a dollar (US), she can request payment by using the “Request Payment” tool in the member account area. Payment is made by check and sent through the mail.

What is SurveySavvy?

SurveySavvy will occasionally reward members with entry into contests. In other words, you are entered to win cash or prizes instead of being paid.

Just to be clear, usually when you complete a survey you will earn credits which are redeemable for cash, but sometimes you won’t. Instead, you will be compensated with a chance to win cash or a prize.

Contests are how SurveySavvy avoids paying everyone for completing a survey. Instead, they budget a certain amount of money for a specific survey and that pot of money becomes the prize. When this is the case, only the contest winner gets paid. Everyone else gets nothing.

This is why contests are such a good deal for SurveySavvy: Instead of paying a thousand people $3 a piece to complete a survey, they promise them a chance to win $500. $500 is less than $3000. SurveySavvy wins!

SurveySavvy Referrals.

SurveySavvy also compensates its members for referrals and makes it easy for members to share links on the internet and to send private invitations.

What is SurveySavvy?

The referral system goes two tiers deep, so not only do you get compensated for completing surveys, but you also get compensated when someone you referred completes a survey.

And, you get compensated when someone your referral referred completes a survey.

At best you will earn only pocket change, and while it might add up, it won’t support any sort of lifestyle beyond living in a cardboard box.

SurveySavvy and the BBB.

At the bottom of the SurveySavvy homepage, you will see the Better Business Bureau seal of accreditation. If you click on it, you will be taken to the BBB page for Luth Research. Luth Research has an A+ rating with the BBB.

However, Luth Research is NOT SurveySavvy.

If you do an independent search for the BBB rating for SurveySavvy, you will find something very different. The BBB gives SurveySavvy a big fat “F.”

What is SurveySavvy?

There is only one complaint, but apparently, it is enough to warrant an “F” rating.

Here is a screen capture of that complaint.

What is SurveySavvy?

SurveySavvy Terms and Conditions.

The link to the Terms and Conditions is at the bottom of the SurveySavvy Homepage. It’s worth a read if you are considering getting involved with SurveySavvy.

I wasn’t able to link directly to the SurveySavvy Terms and Conditions page, but I did make a screen capture of an important detail I found there.

One of the first things that struck me as I read the Terms and Conditions is how difficult it is to read. It appears to me to be intentionally designed to be difficult to read. What are they hiding?

Visit the site and compare the Terms and Conditions with another page on SurveySavvy, the How it Works page.

At the top of the homepage, you will find an inviting link that says How it Works. This link leads to a page that is easy to read.

When I compare the How it Works page with the Terms and Conditions page, I think of that bit of wisdom I heard long ago, “The big print giveth and the small print taketh away.”

So, read the How it Works page for an overview of the SurveySavvy program, but read the Terms and Conditions to learn how it really works.

SurveySavvy Complaints.

There are many complaints online about SurveySavvy. Most of the complaints are about not getting enough surveys, not getting paid, getting tricked into giving away personal information for free, problems with the SavvyConnect app and about how SurveySavvy is a waste of time. Here are a few.

“Survey Savvy is starting to ask for way too much information before disqualifying one from a survey. In effect they are getting the information they can use without paying us for it.” Kathryn (Source: SurveyPolice.com)

“I redeemed some points and requested a check and when after the allotted time check I expected never came, I made an inquiry and was told money I requested basically did not exist. I then noticed I was no longer receiving any surveys to take. I unsubscribed and good riddance.” Cheri (Source: Reviewopedia.com )

“I ended a long term relationship with Survey Savvy because I had trouble getting paid. I tried to ask them for help and received only generic answers that didn’t help at all. I was faithful to complete what they asked of me only to find out that for at least a year, I wasn’t even in their program and they kept sending me materials to send in to complete the program all that time. I even completed some of the materials I was sent this month. And I’m not in the program? I finally stopped today after speaking with them on the phone. I feel like a fool for trusting them and if I had the money, I would hire an attorney to look into the fact that they are promising payment and then not paying you.” Madskit (Source:ComplaintsBoard.com)

“I’ve been waiting for 12 weeks for my payout. I contacted them today, will see what they have to say. Most of the time they ask you a million questions and take up your time and then tell you that you don’t qualify! I don’t intend on taking any more of their surveys its a waste of time.” Val (Source: Reviewopedia.com)

The Last Word on SurveySavvy.

Most online survey companies are total scams. Most survey companies are marketing companies that gather your personal information under the illusion of a survey and then sells your personal information to any company that will buy it. These same companies will usually also trick you into buying products and services, claiming you have to buy the product or service before you can evaluate it.

SurveySavvy is different. SurveySavvy is a survey company. However, I still do not trust it and I certainly do not recommend it. SurveySavvy has built in too many ways to avoid paying you. It appears that their big push is to get as many people as possible using the SavvyConnect app and maybe using underhanded methods to avoid paying for this invasion of privacy. At best, SurveySavvy does not pay enough, and in some cases, it doesn’t pay at all.

Here is what you can expect to happen when you join SurveySavvy: They will extract as much information out of you as possible while paying you as little as possible.

Completing surveys is a lousy way to make money. For the time spent filling out surveys, giving away your personal information, getting tracked online by dubious software, risking rejection, hoping for the best and getting paid pennies, you could be building a real online business that pays a full-time income.

Click to DISCOVER a Proven Path to Financial Independence!

A Better Option for You.

Surveys are a lousy way to try to make money. You’ll never make more than chump change and you’ll spend a large chunk of your time to get it.

If you want to make enough money to change your life forever, I recommend affiliate marketing. If you are capable of writing an email and surfing the internet, you are capable of earning  six figures as an affiliate marketer. All you need is the proper training. That’s why I recommend the FREE starter level of the Online Entrepreneur Certification Course.

Also, I’m available to coach you for FREE too. When you signup for the FREE Online Entrepreneur Certification Course, you’ll have direct email access to me. To Learn More, Click Here. 

 If you found this article helpful or have experience with surveysavvy, please leave a comment below.

19 thoughts on “What is SurveySavvy?

  1. I have been a member for 5+ years, and have taken many surveys with survey savvy and get $5.00 every month for computer, laptop, and my phone each. When I am ready to cash in.,the Luther company sends a check. Gary, you , I will check your BBB, and see what your rating. Good fortune.

  2. Survey Savy by luth research is a scamm. Dont Belive them. They wont pay. They will use any and every excuse to never pay you the 50$ fee they promised you to do the survey. They make up reasons after you do as agreed to do & take the survey. The California attorney general needs to shut these scammers down hard.

    1. Hi, Yash!

      I’m glad you found my post on SurveySavvy helpful and thankful you did not fall for it.

      All the best,
      Gary

  3. Well, another survey site that’s mainly the waste of time. If I would have a work where I must wait for something I could use survey sites at the same time to make money from the two streams but that’s unlikely :D. There are just better ways to make money than online surveys. Even though SurveySavvy, Clixsense and some other sites are not scams it doesn’t make them any better than $2/hour… 😉

    1. Hi, Roope!

      Thanks for commenting. I agree, even if a survey site is not a scam, it’s a waste of time at best.

      There is no quick and easy way to make money online. If there is, we certainly won’t hear about it. If someone wants to make money online, they have to offer value to the marketplace. In other words, they need to create an online business and think like a business person and avoid so-called opportunities.

      If you’re interested in a legitimate way to earn money online, This short video is a good place to start.

      All the best,

      Gary

  4. Hi there, Gary

    As with all money-making programs out there, let alone paid surveys, there doesn’t seem to be a legitimate online program to make money. There is still an online survey that you can do that’s been out for over 10 years if memory serves me right called Survey Scout. It had favorable reviews for the first few years after its debut. However, as time went on, those reviews went sour as there people were complaining about having little to any opportunities for completing any surveys. I was wondering if you’ve heard of anything about Survey Scout. If so, can would you say that it relates to Survey Savvy?

    Overall, good review about Survey Savvy, and keep up the good work.

    Armand

    1. Hi, Armand!

      Thanks for stopping by. I’m not familiar with Survey Scout and so I won’t comment on it. It is on my list to investigate, so I will probably post an article on it later.

      Most survey sites, even the more legitimate ones, don’t much. Anyone wanting to make money online would do much better building an online business that creates value for their visitors. Building a real business takes time, but the rewards are more than worth it.

      Here’s where I learned to build an online business and it’s worked well for me.

      1. I tried wealthy affiliate. The training was free. the object to recruit other members and they will recruit, similar to a pyramid but less and the benefits would be mostly equal to each person.

  5. Hi there Gary,

    Survey Savvy, oh, my goodness..yet another survey site! there seems to be millions of them. I am flabbergasted as these survey sites have been going on since I was at university and that is going back to 1998! They just never seem to die down! yet nobody ever seems to make any real money from surveys.

    1. Hi, Derek!

      I didn’t realize survey sites have been around so long, but I’m not surprised. They must really be a money-maker for someone. Unfortunately, the people who actually fill out the surveys get little or nothing for their efforts. You would think that eventually the word would get out on the internet that surveys are a waste of time.

      What I find so hard to understand is there are massive amounts of complaints online for nearly all the survey websites I’ve researched and apparently the survey companies don’t care that their reputation is poop. It must mean they are still getting enough sign-ups to be profitable.

      I wish people would realize that the only way to make a full-time income on the internet is to learn a few new skills and build a legitimate online business. They can learn how at Wealthy Affiliate.

      All the best,

      Gary

  6. To be honest with you there is only one survey site you should be using online if you are looking to earn money this way – Clixsense. Everything in one place and no missed payments in nearly ten years. I get it that new survey sites want to start up by why don’t they just copy the successful model that’s already out there? It boggles me to be honest!

    1. Hi, Chris!

      Thanks for mentioning Clixsense. I’ll look into it. Even if it’s legit, I can’t imagine it pays much.

      I’ve discovered in the Terms of Service with nearly all of the survey websites I’ve investigated they are actually structured to avoid paying people, although they promise that they do.

      When in doubt, read the Terms of Service.

      All the best,

      Gary

  7. Thank you for the insight about surveysavvy. I’ve been considering filling out surveys to supplement my primary income online. However, I like your analogy using a fork to eat soup. I don’t want to throw good time after bad filling out these surveys if it’s really not worth my while. I’ve since explored other areas of your site and it seems that you have much better ways to make a buck online. Thanks for the info!

    1. Hi, Bimmerguy!

      The pay for completing surveys, even from the few legitimate survey websites, is so pathetic I recommend people spend that time doing something they enjoy. Enjoyment is valuable too.

      If someone is looking to earn money online, they really need to learn a few new skills and build a legitimate online business. Wealthy Affiliate is the best place I know of to learn these skills.

      All the best,

      Gary

  8. What a great and thorough review. Thank you for going in to the detail that you did. Many reviews just skim over the basics.

    While it may be a legit company, you have made some important arguments as to why I don’t think I will be participating. A BBB ‘F’ rating is horrific. Not to mention the complaints. I also would not want to download anything that is as invasive and what SurveySavvy sounds like.

    Thank you so much for the thoroughness. Your review truly is valuable.

    1. Hi, Brandy!

      Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m pleased you enjoyed my article about SurveySavvy.

      Unfortunately, SurveySavvy is typical of the online survey websites. It really isn’t possible to make a meaningful amount of money with surveys. It’s a losing game that might actually cost money, destroy your privacy and fill your inbox with spam.

      There are better and more realistic ways to earn money online. I write about my favorite way to make money with the internet in my article How to Really Make Money Online and Never Get Scammed.

      All the best,

      Gary

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Content