Arbitron scam: anyone know the low down on this company or how it works?

Question

They are calling my house constantly. The telemarketers get rude when I don't want to listen.

Answer 1

Been on it for 2 years and it just ended :(.  Had 5 of us on the system. No problems really but I know some of the family members are glad they don't have to hear me asking, "got your meter?" any longer. Over 2 years we got a total of a couple thousand bucks.  Only 3 of us for 1st 9 months, then 5 of us after that until end.

 

Answer 2

 I read on other reports  that counterfit money is being sent to the testers . I do not call that a honest transation . To call someone to remind them to wear the meter constantly I called it harraestment . By law it is violation to send cash through the United State Post office system . I receive a dollor bill that look and feel like printer paper. I am going o take this dollar bill to my credit union to see if it is a counterfit bill .  If it is I am repoting "Arbitron to the FTC . I read a couple of letters saying they receive counterfit bills from " Arbitron. The reason why I turn them down is because I do not listen to Raideo hardly at all. I only watch the Local and national news and Today Show on NBC .

Answer 3

 I got a call from "Arbitron "  I wasn"t interested in doing it. The only time I listen to the radio is in my Car. I do not watch t-v that much . I think it is a gimick to get your mailing address and personal information .  Yes they pay you. Having them hold you hostage to your meter and constantly calling you in  a form of harassment. It may be easy money but it is like having a pet that you could not leave alone for a certain long time. You will be tide down to a meter that is hardly worth the money they send you. I am doing a research on them to see if it is scam .

Answer 4

Why are you bitching, they are not forcing you to wear it. I have 5 members and we get about $400.00/$500.00 per month on average. Stop complaining and give it up and shut up whether you keep it or not. So, what if they are making  a bundle of money, had you thougth of that idea first you would have made lots of money that's the idea moron in every business, growth and wealth

Answer 5

 My wife and I get $20 a month (plus a few extra bonuses) just to have this on us.  All it does is monitor what you're radio and tv you're listening and watching.  No tracking, no recording, no conspiracy.

Answer 6

omg the man that came to my hoiuse said we would get $100 per meter we did the first month then it dropped to $2.50 a week and then he said $100 per meter for 90 days and now I found out its 50.00 .... they are very untruthful in their presentation

Answer 7

s**t p**s f**k c**t c**k sucker mother f****r t**s f**t t**d & t**t

Answer 8

I just started wearing the meter a month ago. I've found they are very insistant in me and my roomate always wearing the meter. However, I can understand why they would get a little tiffed when someone doesn't wear their meter. First of all they asked you if you would and you must have said yes, otherwise you wouldn't have had it. So when they ask you a question like that they expect an honest answer. Advertising agencies pay them huge bucks to know *accurately* what people in America are watching or listening to. If people don't always wear their meters then your data they sell is pretty much worthless. In addition, for every one person or household who finds it to daunting to have the little meter hanging on them there are probably another 50 households who would love to have it. Seriously, if it is a hassle for you to follow through on the deal then give it up to someone who wants it more.

Answer 9

I wear my meter as long as I am up and about and I love getting the little checks in the mail. At sixty three years old and on a fixed income, I am not doing badly ( I have a PT job) getting an extra $15 or $20 in the mail is always welcome. I live in an apartment and I can use the money for laundry, or send for a pizza! It is COOL and I do not get harrassed by the company.

Answer 10

Listen to the response by "Guest19259424", who is from Arbitron... "Radio stations LIVE AND DIE by the ratings we produce".

Sounds a little 'Gestapo' to me!

Answer 11

They are legit and it is an easy way to make a few extra bucks. We participated in the ratings survey for over 2 years.  I think the pay is based on how much they need your demographic. Me and my husband received $25 - $30 per month and our daughter who is 23 received $75 - $80 per month.  On our "anniversary" we each received an extra $100. It is easy to clip it on in the morning and slip it into the charger at night. I never had a problem with keeping the green light on as I think simply breathing is enough movement to keep the monitor active. We only received phone calls when one of us forgot to wear the meter and once when the collector stopped responding to their calls. It took me less than a minute to reboot the collector per their instructions and all was good. I'd still be doing it if our time in the program hadn't expired. I looked at it as free money.

Answer 12

why would anyone wear something that traces anything they do.  Why not wear an ankle bracelet like a criminal?  Duh!

Answer 13

I was in the ratings for a year, and my husband and I each got checks averaging $50 every month. We got a little more than average, though, because we were a special demographic (we don't have a land line--just cell phones). We didn't really get calls too often--occasionally if one of us forgot a few days in a row, or if both of us forgot in one day, they want to make sure the equipment is working properly. You only have to wear the meter an average of 9 hours a day to get the bonus money for that week, so it really isn't that hard. The representatives I spoke with were never rude to me, and they worked with me when I had a problem with one of my checks (nothing to do with Arbitron, everything to do with my bank and the way I deposited the check). Also, I never had a problem with the meter not registering that I was wearing it--but my back gets sore easily, so I might shift positions more often than the average person. There's also a website you can track your points on, and keep an eye out for discrepancies.

At the risk of sounding self-promoting, I wrote a post on my blog about my experiences with Arbitron, at http://www.eclecticmamma.com/2010/dec/06/arbitron-ratings-fun-not-scam/ If you have the chance to do it, and you don't mind one extra thing to carry on your person, I would highly recommend it!

Answer 14

<p>They are not a scam. They are an organization that do media testing in certain areas. When they pick an area, they will call certain individuals to see if they would like to be part of it. You can make up to $35 a month just for wearing one of their meters. We did it and had no problems. Check it out. Also you cannot just join, you have to be picked, but once you are, anyone residing in your house can join.

Answer 15

They are not a scam. They are an organization that do media testing in certain areas. When they pick an area, they will call certain individuals to see if they would like to be part of it. You can make up to $35 a month just for wearing one of their meters. We did it and had no problems. Check it out.

Answer 16

ive been wantin my own meter can someone please tell me how to get one ?!

Answer 17

I was excited to get the meter. I do not feel like a low-wage employee, any more than when I vote for President do I feel like I am working for him.

I want my opinion to count. I represent thousands of fifty-year-old men in my city. If the eqiupment is not sending the data correctly, my opinion does not get registered, and I have wasted their time.

The money they send is nice, but it isn't why I am doing it.

Answer 18

I have never received a phone call from anyone at Arbitron.  I have completed several surveys and diaries and have always received my payments promptly.

Answer 19

We are sending our meters back this week. After 6 months of carrying our meters, we collected a total of $75. About $15 per month for all three of us. I don't know how the person in a previous post collected "a couple of hundred dollars per month", but our checks were usually in the $5 to $15 range.

The points add up quickly if you wear the meter 16 hours per day, but if you miss a few hours, lay your meter down and forget it, or forget to wear it one day, all of your payment goes "poof".

As another writer pointed out, you better like human interaction, because you certainly get that with the Arbitron reps. The phone is guaranteed to ring the next day if you forgot to wear your meter, forgot to drop it in the charger, or your charger doesn't send a signal for one of the myriad of reasons. I received at least 4 phone calls per week from our 3 meters.

And don't think they are always pleasant. In the beginning, the reps you talk to are over-polite, helpful, and will even spring to send you a $25 gift card if you have technical difficulties with your equipment. But, as was our case, the rep who had the job of reminding us of all the little problems wasn't so helpful. She was rude and abrupt. "I am telling you I need you to walk over and check Sarah's charger right now". "I am calling to tell you that last thursday Garrett did a good job wearing his meter, but he didn't wear it much on the weekend. Will you assure me that he will wear it more this week?"
I am done with them. It is a waste of my time to be treated like a low-wage employee by a company that sells my data for millions of dollars in annual revenue.

Take Care.

Answer 20

I don't know the low down but I do know this...

Arbitron sends you the meter a base and another device that looks like a modem.  As you wear the meter you collect points. If you collect a certain amount of points you could/will get bonuses. Somehow the meter can detect when radio stations are played, and when a channel is being changed on your television. They use this information to give out their ratings. As you collect more information, your collection more points.

Thats is all I know.

Answer 21

We've been wearing meters at our house for about a year and we're fine with it.  Heck, it adds a couple hundred bucks to the pot every month, and it's no trouble.  And sure they'll want their equipment back when they're through testing this area, but so what?  It's no good to anyone else, anyway, and they pay to have it picked up.

Answer 22

Yes beware they give you a meter to wear call you every weekend and tell you how important to waer your meter. If you forget to put the meter in the colletor one night the phone is ringing. After there done with your area they want there meters back and see you later. Plus it's a write off to them the small amount of a check they send you you want you to wear a meter from the time youur up to you go to bed. Another thing sit in the chair and watch TV or if the meter isn't moved in every ten minutes the green light goes out and your not getting any points. I would never do it again for the peanuts you get and than your done please return our equipment.

Answer 23

It's a fine company, actually.  (Easy to check out if know how to use search.)  Listen, if you owned a little radio station yourself, wouldn't you want to know who tunes in?  If you did know, you could get advertisers to buy ads from you.   So let's say only teens listen, you'd see if you can get a store that sells teen music to take out ads on your radio station.  They would love to -- but first they need to know if teens really do listen.  So that's all Abritron is.  It's ordinary market research. It helps discover who listens, not by your name but by groups.  All companies that make products for sale do market research.  (The "product" may be air time or whatever.) This is normal American business.  They are not telemarketers.  They are offering you some money to take part.  That's all.

Answer 24

it not a scam and it is true the redio stations live only with your help a lot of ppl know about nelson for tv ratings and arb. does the same just for radio

Answer 25

I agreed to do their survey and agreed to a follow up telephone call to see if I got their diary.  Every since then I have received at least two telephone calls a day - even on Sunday.  Last night I told the girl not to call my house again - I will follow up with a letter stating the same.  I was doing this company a favor and I do consider all the telephone calls a harassment.  I did receive 5 dollars but am keeping this for all the harassment.

Answer 26

we aren't telemarketers and we aren't scamming anyone. Call your radio stations you listen to and even their secretaries would know who Arbitron is. Radio stations live and die by the ratings we produce.