martyb
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I thought I saw a thread on this once, but did a quick search & didn't find anything. If it's a repeat, sorry about that. Is or has anybody else done the Arbitron ratings thing? Seems like I read the pay was pretty low for the hassle. I was contacted by them through the mail a little over a month ago, with a letter asking me to do a survey, and $2 cash in the envelope. I looked at the survey, which was very short, plus, the promise of $10 upon completion. I'd heard of Arbitron, so figured what the hell, did the survey & sent it back. I didn't hear anything for a few weeks, then I got another letter from Arbitron asking if I'd do one of their Diary surveys, where I write down the stations I listen to for a week. They said they'd pay me $10. Also, for every member of my family that was 21 or older, same deal. There was also $3 cash in the envelope. 2 days later I got an envelope with $5 cash thanking me for doing the first survey. I called the 1-800 number listed, talked with somebody and agreed. A few days ago, I got the first promised $10 cash in the mail. (Don't know why they sent $5 first & then $10). Today, I received the 3 survey diaries, each one had $3 cash tucked into it, with a promise of $10 each after a week of diary-keeping. Looks like a very few minutes a day for the $$. So far, they've paid me $20 cash, plus the $6 ($3 apiece) for my wife & son to do their survey, and will be paying us another $30 total after we mail in our diaries next Thurdsay. I'm thinking this is a pretty good gig! Of course, I realize it could end as quickly as it began. Anybody else getting paid by Arbitron? As long as it's not a hassle, & it's tax free, and I don't start getting tons of spam from it, I'm happy to do the surveys & collect the cash. I REALLY like that it's actual cash, crisp new $1 bills (except the $10 bill). No checks, vouchers, discount coupons etc. Real money. No paper trail! 
