SpeakAsiaOnline - Scam or Legit ?
By gksmartkid
@gksmartkid (142)
India
May 20, 2011 7:41am CST
I'm from India and I've seen a lot of ads about this website called speakasiaonline.com which claims to pay it's members to take online surveys. Numerous reports have emerged that say that this website is a scam and does not pay at all. They charge Rs. 11000 upfront and I heard that it's gonna increase to Rs. 15000. Those who have paid money to this website recruit their friends and family who in turn pay the website. So, is it a scam or legitimate way to make money ? What's your take on it ?
6 responses
@venkataraman_vc (5293)
• Chennai, India
20 May 11
Well. Though I didn't like their business modal, it's still hard for me to believe it to be a scam. Because, the upfront fee they charge should be very much enough to run the business for quite a while, unless they become greedy.
However, I always had the doubt about how long will they sustain. I wouldn't have risked to participate. (Risking our money is different. But risking others' money is too dangerous as we may lose our value among our friends and family.)
About their legal background, they may be well within the legal purview. (Just a guess only. I don't have any other idea, but I thought such a business involving heavy fund flow, no one might dare to operate without legal papers.)
I'm hearing lot of things regarding SpeakAsia. That, they are barring the members who ask questions. And that, they are not approving the surveys of members who don't have any referrals. Not very good, if true.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
20 May 11
Basically, what you are saying, then, is that they are a scam and a Ponzi scheme.
@gksmartkid (142)
• India
20 May 11
Because of the History of the company and the like a broad scam to me. Checked loads of websites and met some people online who've registered with the company. All of them say that it is a scam!
@venkataraman_vc (5293)
• Chennai, India
21 May 11
All things I've heard about SpeakAsia are only online. That's why I couldn't judge speakasia to be scam. (Thankfully, neither me nor any of my friends are in SpeakAsia.)
I will call a program "scam", only if it cheats people who believe. If people already have any doubt or if people just fall just because of their greed, the company alone cannot be blamed. Moreover, speakasia operates in Binary MLM style. So, normally there should be lot of questions that members had to get cleared before participating.
I don't know why, but the very first instance I heard of SpeakAsia, I decided not to participate. (May be because they charge too much and they "guarantee" two surveys every week. I knew, no company can guarantee the survey.)
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
20 May 11
See what others have said here: http://search.mylot.com/search.aspx?t=discussions&r=full-text&k=SpeakAsiaOnline
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
20 May 11
Golden Rule #1: NEVER pay someone to give you work. If a job is worth doing and you can do it, you will be offered it free.
Any reputable survey company is paid by the companies who need surveys and uses a proportion of that to pay the users. If a survey company requires a payment from a user as "membership", then it is unlikely to be being honest and up front.
1) It is likely that the payments is makes don't come from the surveys but from the people who it hopes will join up.
2) The survey results are likely to be of less value to the companies because it is NOT sending the surveys to a 'representative selection' of the population but only to those who can afford to pay the "membership fee".
@gksmartkid (142)
• India
20 May 11
Well said. That's what I tell people on forums and message boards.
@tecchigurl (672)
• Philippines
21 May 11
I think it's only a scam. I am not aware of the site, but aftr reading the content of your discussion, I think it is a scam. Why pay money to the site? They should pay you because you'll be the one providing service to them, right? I'm don't know much about surveys, but I really have a feeling that it is a scam. 
@gksmartkid (142)
• India
21 May 11
Exactly what I was thinking ! I guess the few cents I make thru mylot itself is satisfactory. It gives me the feeling that I'm helping a community grow! Happy mylotting :)
@RajaKrsnan (39)
• India
20 May 11
Speak Asia Online seems to be working like a ponzi scheme, or so I feel. Is it necessary that we pay a fee and then recruit to get surveys and then get paid at the end of the month? Even money laundering business can operate this way, so it is natural many take this way. Do genuine survey's organizers charge to give you surveys? or is it necessary to charge a fee from the panelists to get the right opinions?
anyway lets wait for a while and see how it all goes from here onwards.
@swatimca10 (215)
• India
21 May 11
i am also believing that speak asia is real till i seen the story about speak asia in start plus, and aaj tak , now i dont believe speak asia.believing now is difficult.
