Elliot Benson offers a fun and unique way to earn extra cash through paid market research opportunities. By signing up, they'll occasionally email you short surveys to find prospective parties for their mock juries or research opportunities. Parking is typically fairly easy to find for studies held at their office in downtown Sacramento. They always provide compensation promptly and there's typically a drawing for those who arrive early for the opportunity to earn extra money. I've done a number of studies with them over the years and always look forward to participating. I've enjoyed all of them but the mock juries are always particularly interesting to me. read more

First project I was accepted into, they called and canceled, citing something wrong on the client's side. Today, I am on the schedule for 10 minutes from now but my email says I was supposed to get a confirmation call 3 days before AND 1 day before. I received NEITHER. I did, however, receive a voicemail from THE SAME PROJECT MANAGER LADY inviting me to the same study in 4 days, almost as though they have no clue I'm already scheduled. I'm guessing nobody will be showing up to my house in 10 minutes except the partner i was supposed to be working with, who drove 30 minutes to get here to participate, who I'll them have to send home. How incredibly rude. I am BEYOND not happy with elliot benson research and how they run things with their participants. read more

I have participated in studies with Elliott Benson Research via Zoom since I live in Florida. They are very professional and accurate with the information they give. I like how they are detailed in their e-mails with all the information participants need to know. The couple studies I have participated with them were interesting and relevant to my life. In reality, the two hours that the study took flew by each time. I was surprised it was over so "quick" but it was actually the full two hours. The moderators were great. One was very funny and was very personable. I felt my opinion was valued and taken seriously. Payment was prompt which is always helpful. I definitely recommend Elliott Benson to those who like to have an impact in the products and services we all use. They have studies on a wide variety of topics. read more

Overall, I had a pretty positive experience with my first in person study. It was well paid and we got our earlier than expected. They also provided continental breakfast and a subway lunch. I will say to be careful about where you park because there was a homeless guy throwing rocks in the street that damaged my windshield. I'd park in the garage they recommend instead. They are on a strict schedule when it comes to timing of the study process and similar to a juror. They call in more people than they need, but you still get released with a partial payment. read more

I just participated in a 90 minute focus group in the Sacramento office and it was very well organized, enjoyable and well-compensated for my time. They even paid for my garage parking while I was there. I would definitely sign up to participate in the future. read more

this research firm is real. I got an invite from Facebook to enroll in a study. I was skeptical at first but everything was legit. people called from California numbers and set the appointment and gave the location through the phone. everything to the incentives all came through and was real. read more

It would be a perfect 5 if not for the one grumpy receptionist with the wee beady eyes that needs to cool her jets. This is a legit company. A key detail that some past reviewers overlooked is that research studies have very specific parameters and qualifying for even one can take some time and patience. This includes age, occupation, and how you answer every single question. Anyone who had a research and development related major in college would know this. I signed up in spring and have only done one or two so far. If you're interested in signing up, go to elliottbenson.com, click the Join Our Panel link and fill out the application. Quick and painless. Surveys will be sent to you, then if you fit you will be called. The calls are another type of screening, so you might not qualify but it doesn't hurt to try. If you are selected you will receive another callback, then a confirmation email. Answer your dang phone and answer your dang email after reading every single darn word. If you do all these things, then you won't be the embarrassing tantrum lady in the hallway that no one likes. These are legitimate paid studies. Don't forget to pick up yo refreshments! Don't forget to double check & count your incentive before you leave! read more

Elliott Benson - Nice waiting area couch. Very cushy for the tushy. - Marketing Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I love doing jobs for this research company. The only key is you have to qualify for the studies that they are doing. But once you qualify for a study, it's a wonderful experience. They call you and ask you thorough screening questions, and then you'll receive an email confirmation, which gives you details about the study. The first time I went in, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was escorted into a waiting room, where there were tons of snacks and drinks. They also provided dinner (Costco turkey rollers, salad, etc) during our 2-hour session. It's a nice office building, clean bathrooms, and plenty of street parking. They have several rooms where they hold different studies. They also have some studies which are done online only, and they will mail you a check. If you are on site, then you are finished participating in the study, they usually compensate you with cash or "incentive." I've had all positive experiences with this company, except for this one day where this one female who answered the phone was a little rude. But maybe she had been inundated with calls for that study, and had to weed out some individuals. Or maybe she was having a bad day. I'd imagine the phone screener job is a tough one. It seems like the top companies use Elliott Benson for market research, so I think they're pretty legit. You can also "like" their page on Facebook and sign up to be on their database, so they can contact you when they have new studies that you might qualify for. I've also seen them advertise occasionally on Craigslist when they need more participants. A great company and I look forward to doing more studies with them in the future. read more

Elliott Benson - Waiting area - Marketing Near Me - Sacramento, California

I was contacted via phone (voicemail) by someone from Elliott Benson, asking if I was interested in participating in a focus group for SMUD. Scam, right? So before I called them back, I looked them up on Yelp to see if they were legit. Elite Yelper Jenny P wrote the latest review and vouched for their legitness (Thanks, Jenny!). I was asked a few pre-screening questions to see if I qualified, mostly individual demographics, nothing too personal as far as I'm concerned (ethnicity/ income bracket/ age /etc.). The person I gave the info to must have qualified me, but he still handed the phone to a supervisor (?) and she basically confirmed all of my answers. The place was easy enough to find but it's only metered street (til 6pm) or public city garage parking available. If you park in the garage which is 2 short blocks away, Elliot Benson will give you a $5 parking voucher. They offered an "early bird" check-in incentive drawing, so I got there about a half hour early, and ended up paying $1.50 more for parking. They had us check-in upstairs and fill out another form, while waiting in a smaller conference room filled with other participants. Snacks were provided. Bottled water, soda, cookies, and crackers. I think that was mainly for another group that was all kids. The staff later brought out a big bowl of salad and those sandwich rolls from Costco. My group was led back downstairs to a big conference room that was outfitted with a 2-way mirrored wall. I was not expecting that! The moderator explained right at the start that there were SMUD representatives on the other side of the mirrored wall that would be observing. Our moderator was very personable and professional, and I felt comfortable sitting with a table of strangers discussing SMUD rates and graphs. We ended exactly at the stated time and were then given an envelope with the promised cash after signing out. It was a good experience and was an easy way to make some fast cash. No complaints. read more

Biggest waste of time. They add you to a study to always call you last minute and cancel. Wasting time on screeners and filing out the questionnaire to be given the run around. read more

They emailed me about participating in a research study, which sounded interesting, so I replied. I did the screening call, it was actually pretty fun. I was told I might be in the study, and they scheduled a time for me to do the 90-minute call. However, they never followed up at all, then they didn't call at the appointed time, after I'd made that 90 minutes available to them. I call that very disrespectful of my time. They could've at least told me in advance that they weren't likely to call. But they didn't say a word. Unprofessional, and really disappointing. read more

Found them to be unorganized and unprofessional. They really did not understand what they were asking and and were way out of their league. It was sad when I knew what they were asking and why and they did not understand their own questions. read more

I'm sorry, but several of the people who posted are idiots. I'd like to address a couple of points: 1. They HAVE to ask you a bunch of questions up front because their clients are interested in feedback from people in a certain demographic. For example, a company that's marketing a new line of maternity clothing wouldn't be very interested in the opinions of men on maternity clothing, now would they? Their clients expect them to do their due diligence to ensure that the market research is coming from people who fit the demographic they're looking for. That's what they get paid to do. The only way they can do that is to screen you and determine if you fit the demographic. 2. In the past 5 years or so, I've completed easily 6 or 7 focus groups and have gotten paid varying amounts from $50 up to $275. They have never stiffed me on my payment. ever. 3. In almost every case where I've done a survey, I missed their original call and had to call back. They have ALWAYS left me the name of the person I need to call back and the project name. You do have to have this information when you call back, otherwise they won't know which project you were called for. This company is legit. I don't and never have worked for them. This is a real review from someone who has made a nice extra bit of pocket change from these guys over the years. read more

Participated in a taste test for about 20min tasted some food, filled out a short survey and was paid $30 in cash, very easy. You have to be registered in their database to participate and qualify. Easy money! read more

Elliott Benson - Market research company - Marketing Near Me - Sacramento, California

Stay away! Very unprofessional and rude bunch, and their calls are obnoxious. Do not answer their telephone survey-- they promise to pay you for your time, but after a 15 minute phone call, they promise to call back with the assigned focus group place and time, but the call-back never came! To add insult to injury, they called me a SECOND time, and I said "Unless you pay me for the time wasted on your previous phone call, you can count me out..." and I hung up on them. Avoid Avoid Avoid......... read more

Metered parking or there's nearby parking garages that you can get a coupon/voucher for from the receptionist. I received a call to be apart of a focus group and I've never done such a thing so I'm open to it. They called, asked a bunch of questions and when it was decided that I qualified, they gave me options of times to come in. And it was a little much to have to confirm via email and via phone leading up to the date. Once would be enough but I get it. They wanted an arrival of 15 minutes early to register. I went in, there was a sign to check in with the receptionist on the second floor. I checked in, went into a waiting room to fill out paperwork and they had bottled water and cans of soda available as well as cracker-type snacks. Not an impressive assortment. When time came, the group went downstairs into another room. It had one of those two-way mirrors and we were asked if being recorded was okay. It was about 90-minutes long (as scheduled) with a break in the middle. Afterward, we were directed back to the second floor to see the receptionist, sign your name, and receive an envelope with some cash money. It was a good experience. I learned a few things from other people participating and it was time that I probably would have been wasting elsewhere anyway. You can join Elliott Benson's database if you want to be contacted for future focus groups that you may qualify for by going to their website and entering your info. read more

Contacted me to see if I wanted to participate in a survey. After they asked me what brand of product I used, they told me I didn't qualify for that particular study. Since then, I've received another FOUR phone calls asking if I'd like to participate in the exact same study they said I didn't qualify for. This shows an extremely unprofessional management of their database of potential survey respondents. The icing on the cake was the manager apologizing, then suggesting I add their phone number into my phone so I could screen their calls and simply not pick up. Yeah.. I don't think so. If additional calls are received for the same study, I will be filing a formal FCC complaint. read more

They contacted me to participate in a research geared to my line of work. I agreed. We scheduled date and time, due to COVID it was going to be held through a zoom meeting, however no one contacted me saying they had changed the time or that it was canceled I waited 20 minutes. I emailed them and they apologized for the incident and they stated they would reschedule and I would be compensated for the first and the second appointments. Same situation happened, I email and called as I was interested in participating in the research and the compensation was a nice extra. ( did not receive any). I changed my schedule to accommodate this and it's just disappointing. read more

I have been doing study groups for elliott benson since before I joined the military in 2006, they have always been professional, friendly and have always paid as promised. My favorite was when I was given a free cell phone to use for a year and it picked up local media signals to see what radio station I listened to or channel I watched. Anyways if you receive a call from them and you have the time and qualifications for that specific study I highly recommend it. read more

Elliott Benson - Waiting for this to start - Marketing Near Me - Sacramento, California

Great place to engage in a study or focus group and make some extra cash. There staff is friendly, the environment is very positive, and my experience was fun and positive. read more

Super creepy... they just called me. Didn't explain how or where they got my information. But I saw that they were an actual company, so I began to answer their questions. Then they asked me for the name and company of my employer... with all due respect, that has NOTHING to do with a survey. If you're trying to avoid, for example, people who work for Target, you ask questions to see even if they are in the industry then if they still answer yes to qualifiers, then you ask if they work at Target. You don't say "What is the name of your Employer" as the first question after age. Very off putting, rude and made me feel like they were trying to steal my identity. You should NEVER give out the name of your employer over the phone to anyone. It is one of the easiest ways for them to steal your identity. read more

Elliot Benson is wonderful! I had such a wonderful experience with them in a study.

I participated in a study about electric vehicles and they were excellent communicators, both via phone and email. The study involved a brief questionnaire followed by four days' of daily journaling, which qualified me for the second phase of the study, a two-hour discussions group led by a feisty and knowledgeable facilitator. The pay was more than decent and I got to meet and learn from both the facilitator and the six other electric vehicle owners. I would seriously consider participating in further research with them. read more

They made everything remote so if you participate your payment is on a prepaid visa that will not allow you to get cash in any way and also charges you for certain transactions. A total rip off. read more

I was nervous to attend, because it seemed too good to be true. I was thrilled at how well it was facilitated. Very friendly staff. The staff established respect amongst participants and encouraged participation. At the end, I received the incentive I was promised. I'm recommending to everyone I know. I really loved the experience. read more

I have participated in a few different focus groups and my young child has gotten to participate in a group as well. They have always been very courteous and professional with me. Once they signed too many people up for a focus group so I was sent home, however they paid me the same amount for my time that they had promised to pay if I participated so I really can't complain. They pay you at the time of the group so you don't have to wait for a "check in the mail".. I will continue to do the focus groups that interest me with them! read more

Avoid this research company if you value your time. Elliott Benson canceled my session after multiple confirmations only to blame it on "client." Zero respect for participants time. There are a multitude of other recruiting companies that do not treat participants this way. read more

After promising $250 for a 90 minute in-person study they asked 15 minutes worth of personal questions regarding PayPal and other financial information to see if I was "eligible" for the in-person paid "study". By the end of the call it became clear that they had no intention of actually meeting with me or paying for anything. They had already acquired all of the information they wanted during the initial "screening". Kinda felt like phonerape. They should be reported for dishonest business practices. read more

A fun way to make extra money. You wont qualify for every study but that is expected. Alot of people miss out on legit pay for opinions because theyre not familiar with this company. More for the rest of us then :). Ive recommended this company to plenty friends and theyve all made cash for giving opinions. I will keep giving my opinion read more

I have had a few more calls from Elliott Benson and they have become increasingly unprofessional and unorganized it seems. The right hand doesn't talk to the left hand so no one can ever answer my questions in a timely manner. They call you to recruit you for a project but they don't leave their name, so when you call back no one except the project manager knows the details about the project you're calling about. I've been put on hold for lengthy periods of time, hung up on 3 times this week alone, and finally I spent an hour on the phone getting screened for an upcoming project only to have my information "lost" and they needed to redo it. Plus they originally told me the project was $200 but now it's only $100. Forget it, I told them. Way too much of a hassle and they need to learn how to run a professional, organized office. God what a headache. read more

Pays cash just to go in and give your feedback. I have done a taste test as well as a focus group for dog owners. The staff is very friendly and they cover your parking. Great deal for students like myself!!!! read more

Scam!They call you first saying everything is great and always a couple days before, then cut you out and they keep the money.

No complaints at all. Prior to a work related conference I was booked to attend, I was asked to participate in a survey relating to my field of work. I took a brief survey on the phone. A week or so later a supervisor called me and a few days before the conference I was told where to meet their panelists. Unfortunately I was about 20 minutes late for the survey due to my attendance at other activities going on at the conference. However, they still surveyed me and gave me the promised incentive. They were very professional and sweet. read more

Elliott Benson is both professional and pays well. working with their personnel was a pleasant experience, whereas the market research group personnel located on 13th and Q st acted like I was inconveniencing her, and I should consider myself lucky to be there. I will be glad to join future focus groups for Elliott Benson. read more

Extremely fun and interesting! Everyone should register to participate in the surveys and if you're lucky you may get selected to be part of a focus group and dial session. I had a great time engaging in the study, and guess what? At the end of 3 hours I walked out with a $100 in cash! Whoo Hoo! Sign me up! read more

These people are THE WORST!!! The screeners for focus groups are ridiculously long. Often you are put on hold for extended periods of time and after spending considerable time on the phone they always seem to find a reason to disqualify you. Don't waste your time. They don't like criticism and seem to have no problem dismissing you as "irate" if you dare point out how unreasonable the screening process is. Never again. I'd give them zero stars if I could. read more

Participated in an interesting study regarding my field of business. They were very friendly and professional and paid cash as soon as the study was over. I look forward to participating in the future! read more

Horrible company. I continued to get phone calls regarding surveys and was told I qualify. However each time they said that I received no further information regarding those surveys and despite saying I was originally qualified and would be used they changed their mind. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. read more

This is a great marketing research company. I did an individual study for them in San Francisco, CA. It was an interesting experience. They did a great job preparing me for the interview by sending me a confirmation email with all the details of the study. read more

Loved this easy money. Very professional people. would love to do a study more often. plus they feed you!! hoooraa