Focus Pointe Global

For on-​line surveys, I have needed to fill out long questionnaires, providing a lot of information as well as time. They have to be gathering all that information for free and using it somehow. I apply for surveys all the time and do not need to give my life history to the other companies. Also, I have never been called for a survey.

I took one in person survey last month in downtown Chicago. The site at 645 N. Michigan has pleasant staff, very courteous. The moderators or market research specialists are quite good at setting people at ease. They know their stuff. The staff accommodated my disabilty and dietary needs without incident. It was as it should be throughout the nation.

They called me 4 times in one day I call them back and twice I get put on hold and eventually a busy signal arises as if someone just hung up the phone. When I finally talk to a person on my 3^rd attempt calling, I am asked for a study # which the voicemail I was left did not include. I hear a loud and aggravated sigh at the other end as if this is a painstaking task to actually have to do your job. After I tell her my name she tells me they did not have any record of calling me in the past 3 days. I tell her I have it on my call log as of this morning and also the nature of the study and the date. She then tells me well Noone wrote anything down so there’s nothing I can do… I call a different number and the same woman answers, immediately saying «hello katie we still have no studies for you.» Don’t call me multiple times in a day, then when I try to partake tell me I’m a crazy person and that you can’t do anything because Noone wrote anything down? Absolutely ridiculous.

I feel scammed! And they keep tossing me around with the «thAts not my department» and sending me somewhere else that says the same thing. 4 months later, I am still trying to get the money I earned by spending several hours preparing for and participating in s focus group… One that I am very sure that they got paid a LOT of money for. But I get scammed out of the several hundred dollars that they were supposed to pay me. They «pay» you with a gift card instead of a check… Weird. But they insisted it was just like any other visa gift card and an be used anywhere. But you cannot get cash from it or deposit it. Just buy stuff. Ok. Fine. I will use it for at Christmas for Christmas gifts. BUT even though the info on the card says otherwise … They wiped off the ENTIRE amount from the card a few months later!!! All of it. They will not reissue the card or a check. They do not care about what the info on the card says about the balance (after a few months, the balance is supposed to reduce by 2 dollars per month until the balance is zero. But no. They wiped off the entire several hundred dollars). They laughed at me for not using it right away. They said they don’t care that Federal law makes it illegal for a gift card to expire in less than five years, much loess a few months. Then I get bounced to yet another department or company who takes forever to take my call and then doesn’t call me back when they say they will look into it.
What a scam! After trying to deal with them for many months… I am writing this review. I am contacting the BBB. And I am filing complaint with the department of labor. I
I am almost 50 and have occasionally done work with different market research companies or focus groups in over the years… maybe 6 or 7 times. I have alwAys been paid for my time with a check right away. This disappearing money bogus gift card stuff is just a crock. And like I said, I know for sure they got paid very very well by their client to deliver my opinions. It is wrong of them to scam me out of paying me.

Participant beware! I have in writing I would be paid $ 250 for an in– home study which I completed and did not get paid. I too was shuffled to someone named Dennis who has not returned my phone call while two other people at Focus Point Global claimed it takes 6 – 8 weeks for payment. They called me 4 times never mentioning or writing in the confirmation email I would not get paid at study conclusion! What research company does that!

The recruiting was great, the facilities are pretty good (especially for a major downtown) but the service by the staff wasn’t all that great like I had experienced in their Atlanta office. They did the minimum but stopped short of provided excellent customer service. I would suggest that you don’t order the «Famous Chicago Deep Dish» pizza. I can only think of one other time that I’ve had pizza that gross and no Little Caesar’s is not one of them — they are actually better. Tiny fruit tray for the group and the research rooms were freezing. I really like Focus Pointe Global and would still consider this location for your research projects but I would also say if Chicago is not a must area I would recommend the Atlanta FPG office for any research needs.

Not a big fan of the employees at this company. Two men I talked to sounded confused. One man confirmed the wrong dates for the focus group. Then a woman called telling me that I missed the group meeting. I told her I was misinformed of the dates she said too bad hopefully it doesn’t happen again bye. I was really excited about the product being reviewed but o well.

I went here to do a study on Fast Food… $ 125 for 2 hours of sampling food seemed like an awesome idea! When I got there they called everyone’s name but mine, and I was told they had overbooked, and they were going to pay me and send me home! Not bad for 15 minutes of sitting there, even though I was excited to do my first focus group!
The facility is very nice, and clean, and the staff was very pleasant!
I’m looking forward to trying again!

I just completed a second focus study group for them and another pleasant experience. Did one on candles years ago and another on beverages. It’s always a cool Mad Men-​like experience being on the other side of a one way mirror expressing your opinions. The facility is well organized and runs like a well oiled machine. The moderators for the smaller focus groups always know their stuff and get you to talk about lots of opinions. Easy access on Michigan Ave and they allow for parking rate of $ 12 at 50 Ohio St.

Who can say no? I sure can! THEY DO NOT PAY.
I participated in a GRUELING phone/​internet study about surgical experiences. After mistake on mistake on mistake, we finally got confirmation that I as a caregiver, and the surgical patient I was caring for would receive $ 325 each. What they didn’t tell us, in any of our dozens of conversations, was that they would not pay until 6 – 8 weeks after the study closes. Not after we participated, but after the study closes. That takes us to two and a half months after we did a terrible amount of work! They have been tossing me around for a couple weeks now, and I just got this as the answer. I asked to speak with a manager about all the miscommunication, and they sent me to Dennis’ voicemail, who won’t return a phone call. Shoddy company, beware!

Who can say no to getting paid $ 80 for your opinion? I certainly can’t. I have been registered with this agency for a few years now and I am always happy when they call upon me for my thoughts. You are discouraged from participating in these events on a frequent basis. They recommend spacing your interviews 6 months apart so you don’t become too opinionated. Otherwise I would be willing to do a focus group, probably everyday. The location is convenient, the staff is nice, and they provide a little snack area. Most of the interviews take place early to late afternoon. The length of your session and payment may vary, but it is always a handsome reward and a cool experience.