Complaint Review: American Institute Of Consumer Studies

 I was on my way out the door when I was approached by a lady with the American Institute Of Consumer Studies standing on my front porch. I told her I was needing to leave and she proceeded to tell me that she wasn't selling anything and if I would take a quick survey she would give me $45 for my time and then I could be on my way. I figured it couldn't be too bad to make $45 for a few minutes of survey questions but boy was I wrong. She started asking questions and then more questions. She handed me a stack of approximately 250 cards with magazine titles and asked me to place these cards in different stacks according to IF, WHEN, and HOW OFTEN I had read them. She questioned my internet habits, tv habits,

After about 45 minutes into the survey she could tell I was getting a little uneasy and said we were almost through and she would give me my money and I could be on my way. She proceeded to ask about my Income, my home value, how many autos I had, my political affiliation, etc. after another 45 minutes she said "let me pay you because I know you need to go". She then handed me a $5 bill and a book with 116 pages and told me to fill out the entire book and she would be back in a couple days to pick it up and at that point give me the remaining $40. I'm thinking now that this lady just held me up 1 1/2 hours on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and only gave me $5 when she had promised $45.

Anyways. I later looked into the 116 page book, I estimated it would take approximately 8 to 10 hours to fill out. This is no small book and the print is small. They want to know everything you buy and I mean EVERYTHING from toothpaste to bagels to coconuts to condoms, where you buy them, what brands, and how much you spend on them and if you purchased them with cash, credit card, or debit card. Can you imagine trying to remember how many cans of tuna you purchased last year, whether you paid cash or used a card, where you bought all of them and what were all of the brands? Now imagine that same question with EVERYTHING you purchased. Everything in a grocery store, discount store, department store is listed in this book. Same thing with autos, insurance, satellite or cable, phone, cell service, etc. They even want to know how much life insurance you have and if it is term or whole life and with what company as well as how much gas you use and what brand of wiper blades, oil, filters you bought last year. You have to complete all 116 pages or they will not give you the extra $40 they had promised you in the beginning.

Needless to say they will not get this book back from me. My biggest complaint is that she had every opportunity to tell me at the start that I would only be getting $5 for her quick 1 1/2 hour survey and then $40 more if I filled out the book instead of leading me on that I would walk away with $45 after her questions. I will never again let myself be mislead into another deceptive survey. I imagine that the real info this company is seeking was gotten by her questions and that this book is their way of getting out of paying the $45 since probably no one unless very desperate for money would ever go to the trouble of filling it out and on the other hand, no one would spend 1 1/2 hours answering personal questions for $5 either. So all and all, my thought is they promise you $45 for the info they can sell, get that info and give you only $5 for it. If they can prove otherwise then I am open to listen.