Refer to this post for why I got the $100. Turns out the research survey took only an hour and 15 minute (not 2.5 as they claimed). So counting in the time it took to drive there, about 50 minutes – that’s $100 for 2.12 hour of “work.” that’s $47 an hour. Not too shabby.

The market research from Synovate focused mostly on the upcoming 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. It’s quite a funky SUV. Not something I would consider though.

Besides the $100 cash, I got a drink and two snack bars (wohoo!). Overall the experience wasn’t too bad at all. I basically just walked around, looked at different SUVs, specifications, prices, pictures, and answer the questions they have with a portable computer tablet.

So if you ever get one of these market research invitation in the mail, you should definitely consider it, as long as the drive isn’t too far out of the way.

My experiences overall with reputable market research companies are pretty good. They wont try to sell you anything, and they respect your privacy and time. Here’s a good internet survey company that you might want to check out: SurveySavvy (I found out about them through howstuffworks.com). I’ve been a member since 7/2004 and have gotten $41 from them, not too bad for about an hour or so of answering questions about what i waste my money on :)