PinchMe.com is the online home of the PinchMe Box, a box full of free samples that they will provide to you in exchange for your providing the feedback and information their partner companies need.
This company is giving their members an opportunity to participate in important market research. Most market research opportunities just send people surveys and ask them questions about their general habits and preferences when it comes to products.
PinchMe instead sends their members free samples of products and then asks that they provide information and opinions about the specific products they received, so companies can get the most specific feedback possible.
How Does It Work?
First, it is important to understand that while most market research companies that operate online compensate their participants with either money or rewards. PinchMe compensates its members with the free samples they provide – there is no other compensation.
However, this company also doesn’t send their customers any old random products. They do ask their customers to take a survey providing information about themselves and their preferences, and when it is time to request a sample, customers actually get to choose the samples they want to try themselves.
After your products arrive, however, it is important that customers fulfill their end of the bargain by taking the time to go the website and fill out the associated PinchMe Survey so that they are getting the feedback they need.
PinchMe.com Is Legit, But…
Prospective members who begin looking online for reviews of this company are likely to find a lot of vocal, unhappy people, and it seems that this is due to a single reason: PinchMe simply doesn’t send a lot of boxes.
There are members of their website who report that they have been a PinchMe.com member for a long time, have repeatedly requested boxes, have met all of the requirements for the box they requested, and then a box simply never comes.
Some of these unhappy members claim that this company only sends boxes to people who have a strong social media presence with lots of followers, but this hasn’t been verified at this time.
It seems that at the very least PinchMe.com has a lot of members who are interested in receiving free samples but they simply don’t have a lot of free samples to give. New customers are welcome to sign up for this service and throw their hat in the ring, but it’s better that people know the concerns about their service upfront.
Would you like to add your review for
You fill out surveys to earn points and can spend those points on products/samples.
The problem is this:
When you click on a survey, they have you answer some questions to see if you're the target audience they are looking for to answer their survey. Many times, you don't qualify, but even if you do, the next (and most annoying) issue comes up.
If you manage to start a survey, you can be anywhere in it (I've been 97% complete) after 15 minutes of answering questions, and if you answer a question with an answer they don't like or want, they say you didn't qualify and you get NO points for it.
Basically, the preliminary questions are pointless because they can end your survey once they have all the information they want and you get no reward for it.
They get millions of free survey answers without rewarding the survey takers by cutting you off after 10 to 20 minutes of wasting your time! I've had PinchMe for 2 years and am on it monthly. I've only gotten 2000 points total.
It is not a good use of your time, as the scam lies within their habit of waiting until you're basically done giving them their research answers, then they say you didn't fit their target audience. I feel if you pass the preliminary questions, they should no longer be allowed to back out and must reward you for the time you spent.