Thanks for stopping by to check out my American Consumer Panels review. One of the most frequent questions I get about making money on the internet is related to doing surveys and testing products online. A lot of people enjoy them, and even make a little money… but it’s not much.
In this American Consumer Panels review I'll go over the ins and outs, what to expect, and of course… what many people are wondering; Is American Consumer Panels a scam?
I'll also go over some alternative ways you may enjoy making money.
Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not a member or an affiliate for American Consumer Panels. This review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not to apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info
What is American Consumer Panels?
American Consumer Panels claims to be a company with a network of home-based product testers, and that you can make money by giving products a thorough run-through.
Is it legit though?
I’m going to save you some time here. No… it’s not legit.
American Consumer Panels is a bait and switch fraud. They masquerade as a legitimate product testing site, and the switch… they redirect to you sign-up with a bunch of online survey companies and collect a referral fee for sending you there.
Here's the thing…
… in most cases all you need is a little extra to survive the month, and earning it online is a great solution. But companies like this take advantage of it
What's worse is needing money.
Health issues may be getting in the way… family who needs your help, or maybe there's no jobs. It's stressful, and worrying only makes it worse. I get it, I've been there too…
A little Peace of mind is all you want and companies like American Consumer Panels are no help. A real online income is what you need in order to get what you want.
Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here
As far as earning some quick cash like American Consumer Panels promises, you'd be better with legit survey sites like Survey Junkie, as well as Inbox Dollars who also pays you to search the web, play games, visit websites and watch videos.
Is American Consumer Panels A Scam?
People know it's possible to make money online, but it's still one of those mystical places populated in part, by fraudsters.. You wouldn't be the first person to believe it's a scam.
The short answer here is yes… American Consumer Panels is a scam. The longer version is that they’re straight up lying to you, but ultimately… you end up on some legit sites.
There are a lot of great make-money alternatives on the internet, but it's true… there's also a lot of garbage.. Dangerous scams that just swindle you before slipping away into the dark, and there are also real companies that tinker with the truth by choosing the path of deceptive marketing…
Even the use of (energizer) pink-bunnies that never get tired, talking tigers, and cut-from-stone hard bodies in TV ads are a debatable use of mild deception..
Does that qualify them as a scam because the “implied” benefits of the products don’t match the truth?
American Consumer Panels definitely lands much closer to “SCAM” on the scale of deception, but for the sake of understanding, let’s look at what’s going on here and whether you can still earn some money online.
How Does It Work?
The way American Consumer Panel’s is supposed to work, is for users to get paid for testing products.
When you sign up, you do so with the expectation that they will contact you. However, during registration you will be asked to set up your profile, and that’s where they hand you off (via their referral link) to legit survey sites that have nothing to do with American Consumer Panels.
When you sign up with those sites (MySurvey.com and VIP Voice) the people behind American Consumer Panels earn a referral fee and you’ll never hear from them again (except for spam offers to your email).
If you’ve read some of the American Consumer Panels reviews, you may have noticed people complaining that they’ve signed up but no one has contacted them to test products. That’s because there are no products to test.
Uncovering the Fraud
I have a checklist that I use when doing online reviews and right away I knew something wasn’t right about American Consumer Panels.
The first is that there are no contact names, no CEO or principle operators listed and no Better Business Bureau file (NOT to be mistaken for the BBB registrations of National Consumer Panels or American Consumer Opinion, which are both different companies)..
Those are red flags, but they don’t necessarily mean something is a scam.
Next on my checklist is to look at their social media communities.
When I went to their Facebook page the last post was from 2016… so no activity in the last two years, and all the comments were from people who had applied but never received a response.
I’ve reviewed hundreds of make-money-online and work-at-home companies, and even the bad ones (as long as they’re legit) usually get some positive reviews.
High-Society Offices
Legit companies that deal with physical products usually have a physical address. American Consumer Panels is apparently located in Suite 8500 of One World Trade Center.
So let’s put this together…
All the American Consumer Panels reviews are from people who signed up but were never contacted (to actually test products).
That means American Consumer Panels is only making money by referring people to online survey sites… (one which pays a dollar-fifty per referral, and the other a sweepstakes entry).
How many World Trade Center companies are working for a buck-fifty and a sweepstakes entry?
As it turns out, 8500 One World Trade Center is occupied by a company called ServCorp which rents virtual offices spaces, receptionist services and… a prestigious address.
In other words… at best, American Consumer Panels is run by an individual or group of people from their homes and are renting an address.
I’d give them the benefit of the doubt and say they’re also paying for a receptionist to answer their phone calls, but I didn’t get through to anyone when I tried calling, and from the reviews I’ve read, no one else has either.
Press Releases
Another step on my checklist is to look at official press releases. A press release is usually an indication that there’s something real here… so I was surprised that American Consumer Panels actually linked to an official press release.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe they are legit.
To make a long story short… it turns out that they are using a site called APNewswire where you can buy and submit your own press release for forty bucks… and then, hope that a legit online publication posts it to fulfill their content quota.
American Consumer Panels Reviews
I try to be objective, so I usually run through my checklist of items (above) before reading the American Consumer Panels reviews. Quite often, someone who is upset is not giving an unbiased review… and I'd like to have some facts in hand before I'm influenced by their frustration.
So what do the reviews say?
Aside from the very rare positive review (which… in my opinion, is not real) the vast majority (90+%) are making the same claim, that American Consumer Panels is a scam.
So That’s It For The American Consumer Panels Product Tester Scam…
Well, not exactly…
As I said earlier, although American Consumer Panels is a scam, they are referring you to some legit survey and reward sites like Survey Junkie. Another legit site is Inbox Dollars where you can also make a few extra bucks.
Doing Online Surveys
I’ll be upfront here… I’m not a fan of doing online surveys.
First, although signing up is a quick and relatively painless process, the profile setup is in my view an intrusive process of personal questions, and when you consider the fears people are having today with online privacy, it's a real concern.
However… if answering some personal questions doesn't bother you, this may not be an issue. And I can't judge, because for many it's not, and many are earning money doing surveys with companies like Survey Junkie and Inbox Dollars. So who am I to say they shouldn't, right? 😀
The other reason I'm not a fan though, is because the advantage to making money online is that the web gives you leverage. It allows you to produce something once and get paid over and over for it.
Generating income with online surveys provides zero leverage. For all your efforts, you only make money once.
I don't know what your financial goals are, but I have a thing for doing something once and earning a passive income… a strategy I've written about in this article.
Thanks… But No Thanks???
Third, and some would argue this is the most significant concern with online surveys, is the question of eligibility.
Let me explain…
If you completed a survey for infant toys (as an example)… but your answers implied that you actually knew very little about infant toys, you’d likely see a message stating that you don’t qualify for that particular survey (but this is AFTER you've answered their questions… and wasted your time).
And of course, those who don't qualify, don't get paid… whether you've completed the survey or not..
This is often the biggest reason that survey sites get accused of being a fraud.
It's bad enough that the pay is low, but to waste your hours doing surveys and get the boot before getting paid is not what most people have in mind.
You can limit this from happening though… the survey questions are typically put together in a way to be “self-screening”, meaning their purpose is not only to collect the obvious information, but to also screen out people who don't fit that demographic or are trying to game the system by clicking randomly to get through the survey quickly. It might be unfair… but it's a necessary and accepted practice among online survey websites.
Next Steps…
American Consumer Panels is not a legit product testing site. They may have been at one time, or maybe it was their intent… but currently it seems they are only redirecting you to paid survey sites.
You're far better to go directly to the legit ones like surveyjunkie.com and inboxdollars.com.
It's frustrating. Especially if you're struggling to make ends meet.
If that's the case, then the amount of money you have coming isn't enough… and the cost of living is not getting any cheaper.
A second income from home is what you want, and the good news is American Consumer Panels is NOT your only option. There are real ways to get what you want.
Now, I'm going to give you a free step by step beginner's guide to making money online and you can get it by Clicking Here
Make Money with An Online Business
Yes… even if you've never made a cent online and no computer skills, you can start an online business with a simple step-by-step formula. If you have a passion for something… cars, coffee, cartoons or anything in between, you can build an online business around it.
Using a simple and effective strategy to create leverage, you can create something once and have it pay you many times over. It's the same strategy I use and have written about here.
Oh Jay. Are you the owner of ACP and this is a clever way to drive clicks on over to your additional “program”? That’s some Inception-quality manipulation.
Lol… No, I am not the owner of American Consumer Panels. I had to read through my review to see if there was some wording in there that would suggest I endorse it, but I think my opinion is clear (and it’s only an opinion… I always recommend doing further research so you have information from multiple sources). But no, I don’t own ACP, nor am I affiliate with them in any way.
My bad the company that contacted me about “watching videos and rating the production for $30 an hour” was Online Consumer Panels America. I don’t know but I’d guess they just rebranded. LoL
I came here looking for info on ACP bc now they have a new scam ! They sent me an email and they claim they pay $30 an hr for people to watch videos and grade the production value or something. The have a hyperlink I was supposed to click on to do my app but I didn’t trust it. Fuckers ! Everyone on the internets got an angle they are working !
Cynthia March 22nd 2022 3:54am. I’m thankful for your time you took looking into this so called company because I have been so excited about when I could work for this company I just got my computer so I could join but you saved me from a lot disappointment down the road, though I just feel a little now reading your article.Thanks again for your insight and time you took to find the truth 🙂
Thank you for the heads up. Looking to add a little side hustle but do not want to waist my time. You have a new follower, thanks again.
I want to know is the american consumer panel is a scam.
Tell me how do I become a product tester. I have already
Signed up for several surveys.can you help me.thank you
thanks for the information. what do I do with the money they already paid me. $2000?
Hi Jay,
Thanks for the information on American Consumer Panels. No big surprise. The Internet is a free for all for theft and bait and switch.
I followed your link to the free information. However, before clicking the let’s get started link I continued down the page. I noted feedback from users, noticing all were premium members. I wondered if that’s where the road divides? Where you will learn the basics of affiliate marketing, but without purchasing a premium membership you have reached the end of the line, which nearly guarantees you’re part of the 98% you mentioned who are not successful. . I didn’t click that link so I don’t know what the cost of premium membership would be.
Prior to reaching the bottom of that page you list several freebies from you. One being a free web page. But not until I scroll further down do I see that the hosting appeared to be $50/month. Is that correct?! Isn’t that like giving someone a car without an engine? You can sit in it but it doesn’t get you anywhere.
Jay, are you just a sweeter talking, bait and switch kinda guy? Looking forward to your reply.
Hi Cheryl, a lot of great questions. The free website is hosted and you do not have to pay for that. The premium membership (which also includes hosting among other things), is for those who purchase their own domain (rather than using a subdomain).
As far as where the road divides so to speak, you’re definitely going to get a lot more with the premium membership. Whether you make money or not though has less to do with the premium membership vs the free membership than it does how much time and effort you put in, how willing you are to learn as well as your mindset and approach.
The free membership provides a significant amount of training, you can communicate directly with me as well as the community and ask any question you like (there are no secrets being hidden) and you have resources as well like content creation tools. Whether you upgrade or not just depends on your situation and goals. Upgrading is not for everyone.
Like anything, whether you’re learning a new skill, starting a traditional (off)line business, or trying to reach a particular goal… the free path will always require more resourcefulness and creativity. The same thing online. There are tools and resources you can pay for that simplify the process and provide a much more direct roadmap, but there are also plenty of free resources (and relatively cheap ones) available as well, they’re just not packaged together and the learning curve can be a little steeper.
But the basic foundation and getting started so you at least know and understand what resources you’re even looking for and the skills you need to learn should be available to everyone for free in my opinion, not packaged up as some secret you have to pay for.
Anyway, I appreciate your questions and hopefully I was able to provide some insight 🙂
Well, don’t I feel “had”. Unfortunately, I went through the whole thing only to find your post just after having done so. Hope nothing bad comes from it. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to post your review????
Hi Cheryl, glad you found it helpful. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience as well 🙂
Jay,
Thank you for the info; I believe reading your post has been the most valuable time I’ve spent online this week, possibly this year! Recently, I have attempted to find lucrative work I can do at home since my health has changed my life and bank balance! In so weary from the online job search sites which has bounced me around so much I don’t know what’s actually true anymore. I will continue to access your blog to help weed out the bull and hopefully find a way to pay my bills! I truly appreciate you and your research!!
Hi Stacey, thanks for reaching out and commenting. I know it’s frustrating trying to find something real out there. Even we have to do a lot of research trying to figure out what’s legit and what’s not, and I’m often surprised by what I find.
For example, I recently attended a live seminar from a very well-known success coach and business leader. This is a person who is a New York Times bestselling author and has traveled the world speaking to millions of people. I would never have questioned whether this person was legit or not… and yet, his seminar turned out to be two different speakers each with a product to sell. One a stock trading program and another for flipping real estate.
Each talk was a well-orchestrated sales pitch no different than a get-rich-quick scheme seminar or MLM pep rally… and I watched several hundred people who thought they were going to a free seminar spend hundreds (even thousands) of dollars on these programs. Buried in the fine print you could find the actual name of the marketing company that put this seminar on so doing what I do anyway, I dug around and did some research when I got home and discovered that what they were selling that day was not a complete course or program, it was just another elaborate sales pitch pretending to be a serious 3-day workshop.
People who had attended these before reported a lot of lifestyle building on the first day. On the second day they were asked to pull their credit reports and disclose their financial situations (the reason they were told is to determine which investors they’d get to work with in this “opportunity”). And on day 3 which was when they were supposed to get one-on-one time with their personal coach… the only people who got that time were those with good credit and access to money who’s “coach” spent the entire time selling them the next level of the program which was between $20,000 and $30,000 (depending on the workshops people sharing their experience had attended).
It didn’t matter that they had already spent thousands of dollars (many coming from out of town for this workshop, paying for food, travel and accomodations), if they didn’t buy into the next level they went home with some basic information they couldn’t do anything with.
Anyway… my point is that it’s important to do your research even when the so-called “guru” is a best selling author and has spoken on a stage to millions of people around the world. You just never know. And it was tough to learn this because this particular guru is a friend and has appeared on stage with another well-known success coach I’ve been following for 25-30 years.
Thanks again for reaching out and I appreciate your kind words 🙂
I wish you’d say the name out right of this supposed “Guru”! These kinds of people are the reason it’s so hard to trust anyone. It’s so damn frustrating. I’ve searched high and low for a genuinely legit online money making opportunity but I just keep coming across scammers! I guess you have your reasons why you don’t just outright share the name of this huckster, but it would help so many decent folk from being taking advantage of.
Thanks Jay, I actually read everything u said and what others said about what you have said. I did not go with that survey co. But I did spend $ for friend and I to do a 3 day seminar bout buying and flipping homes. Yes was about how much credit card $ I could get together in the end. Was it Than Merril u were talking about? I can mention names!
Hi El, no it was someone different. This person is associated with and has a program with the top self-development guru on the planet (I’ll leave that one also for guessing but it should narrow it down, lol), which is sad actually because I’ve been a follower since the ’90s and do/did have a lot of respect for this person. I’ve been waiting and watching for someone to call him out (not the big guru but the guy he’s associated with) but I think there may be a powerful legal team behind this person who scrubs the web of any criticisms.
Thanks your blog is really very helpful, you saved me from online scams. I have seen many blogs which are just talking nonsense and misleading people’s . Hopefully this is missing here
I have a question. I’ve been seeing selling on Amazon will greatly increase your money situation. Is this to a scam. It seemed legit but I’m to afraid to fill anything out.
To sell on Amazon, you must create a seller’s account. The only way to do this is directly on Amazon’s website. The website is https://sell.amazon.com/
Don’t be fooled by anyone claiming to be a representative of Amazon. It doesn’t matter if you want to work for Amazon or sell products as a third-party seller on Amazon’s website, all contact is made to and from Amazon directly. If you are ever unsure about someone claiming to be affiliated (or directly working for) Amazon, contact Amazon directly and they will verify if it is legitimate.
Amazon’s seller FAQ’s:
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/help/external/G2?language=en_US
Hope this helps!
Hi Jay. I feel the time I have spent reading your review and indepth explainations are very helpful, insightful and has helped me to not spend my time unproductively not just with this survey company but alot of others. I will look into your free step by step guide for help to supplement my income. Who knows start my own new rewarding business on line as you seem to have done. Thx!
Hi Diego, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. I agree, survey companies aren’t the most productive use of time but they can be a good first step for many who haven’t made money online before. Hope you enjoy the guide 🙂
Jay
are you reviewing American Consumer Opinions?
Hi Cathey, I haven’t reviewed American Consumer Opinions yet but I’ll add it to the list 🙂
Thanks for taking your time to read and comment,
Jay
Thanks for your all-encompassing research. I started to fill out the form and thought I needed to do my due diligence. I used to do surveys for which I got points. I converted those points to frequent flyer miles and to subscriptions to People Magazine. But for some reason I didn’t have that warm and fuzzy feeling about this one.
Good to know. I guess it’s fair to say referral fees for Swagbucks and Survey Junkie are also consistent in this article?
Assuming because it is mentioned 3 times in the beginning, middle, and end with hyperlinks to the sites.
Great strategy while also giving useful info. That’s the right way to do it!
Hi Diane, thanks for stopping by and sharing 🙂 It took me years to learn (and it was a fellow blogger who pointed this out to me) that the vast majority of people skim your articles, they don’t read them top to bottom. Of course, it’s not our goal to be repetitive but in most cases you could repeat yourself several times and it would go unnoticed, lol. Even when most of your article is read, it’s often in a non-linear way so we do our best to write for multiple audiences 🙂
Thanks again for reading and for your insight,
Jay
What a bunch of ass holes !
Jay – thank you so much for the time and energy you put into researching this “company” and, for saving me from taking the steps to sign up with them. It really is a shame, as Susan mentioned in her post, that these guys are being picked up as advertisers in companies like AARP. The elderly (not all people who are AARP members are elderly) are the most vulnerable with regard to scams like ACP, and fake calls from the IRS, etc., demanding voluminous amounts of personal info and even worse…their money. I really appreciate your unbiased research and opinion.
Hi Meggie, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment 🙂 It’s much appreciated.
Jay
I also have NOTHING good to say about American Consumer Panel!!
My wife got SUCKERED into their online job ad since she is disabled and was looking for some extra income for us that she could do from home. She filled out everything and was required by them for her to submit a copy of her driver’s license and other information. She has no priors of anything and nothing else to stop her from being accepted for the work ACP makes “CLAIM(S)” to provide in their online ads!
As of three years ago, numerous emails to them, and re-applying; she STILL has not heard ANYTHING back from them (nor have they responded to her request for them to dispose of her personal information they required her to send)!
Even the FTC should be ashamed in giving this company good marks on their site for this abusive business that preys on the less fortunate!!
Thank you for this blog. You helped my decision a lot. I’ve been a part of things like this (surveys) and I don’t want to do that again!
Hi Tracey, glad my post was helpful. There are some decent ones out there, and by decent I mean you can make a few bucks. I haven’t yet found one that pays a significant amount yet. I appreciate your comment and feedback,
Jay
Thank you for the heads up.
Thanks for the insight. It is just frustrating that they’re posting this job on AARP to senior citizens who trust AARP! AARP has plenty of articles about scams so why AARP post these jobs from American Consumer Panels is beyond me!
Hi Susan, thank you for your comment and you make a good point. I know very little about AARP and their vetting process, but my guess is that it’s just too expensive and time consuming to thoroughly research and monitor potentially thousands of vendors, job providers etc. which is why they post articles about scams. To give their members a heads up about scams, as well as the tools and knowledge to avoid them. I’ve written an article here about avoiding scams as well for the same reason. It’s impossible to keep up with all of them so the best strategy is just knowing how to spot them.
Thanks again for your comment for reading 🙂
Thank you for this article. I suspected this after applying but you confirmed it! They never contacted me for a job even though I felt I was very qualified. Then I kept seeing them advertising for people in my area.
Hi Debbie, glad my review was helpful. And also, thanks for your insight, it’ll be helpful for others.
Jay
Thank you for saving my time..
Hi Ahmed, happy to help… 🙂 If you’re looking for something legit you can check out my list with a [couple hundred work from home jobs] or read about the [formula I use (and lessons I’ve learned) to earn income online].
Thank you for the article! You definitely saved me much time and spams. I thought it was too good to be true.
Hi Lisa, thanks for reading and glad my article was helpful 🙂
Jay