Is American Consumer Panels a Scam – YES Here is My Proof
You want to make money at home but are asking, is American Consumer Panels a scam? YES they are and here is my insider knowledge proof. In this review I will first tell you who they “claim” to be and then why I know this is total BS and that you are getting scammed.
Who are American Consumer Panels?
According to their website they are a consulting firm that specializes in product testing and development using In-Home Usage Testing. However ACP is not a legitimate company. They use a lot of deceptive tactics to seem real, which I will reveal in this scam review.
Everyone both young to old would love to make money from the comfort of their home. Even though there are many credible ways to earn a living working at home, there are just as many that are scams. I expose these scams and offer legitimate opportunities on this website.
In regards to American Consumer Panels (ACP), those of you reading this may have been attracted to the idea of testing name brand products at home and getting paid to do so. Sounds like a great way to earn some steady income, right?
On their website the company claims that you will be able to test various products and get paid between $25 to $45 per hour and will test for at least 15 hours per week. On the low end that will pay you $375 a week and on the high end it will be $675 per week.
Can you really make money as a product tester?
Yes you can but only with legitimate companies like Pinecone Research, JJ Friends & Neighbors and American Consumer Opinion (ACO). Did you notice that last legit company sounds almost like American Consumer Panels?
There have been some that claim that ACP has a great BBB rating when in fact it is really ACO with the high rating. The image above shows American Consumer Panels BBB Rating. If you see any positive reviews online they are most likely fake.
I am sorry to dash your dreams of being a product tester. That will not happen being a member of this company. I did not have to dig too far in my research to see how fraudulent ACP really is. But to be 100% sure, I joined just to see what would happen.
Even though my scam radar was humming before joining, it really started buzzing louder after I first registered with ACP. I was directed to sign up with two survey sites so my profile and demographics could be established. Real companies do not send you to another site.
Why did I choose to do this review?
I do not do as many scam reviews as some other websites. I prefer to try that which I review, so I have factual insider knowledge. There are a couple of reviews I have done where I was not a member, but knew a friend or family member who was. This is not the case with ACP.
I have read too many complaints from people who had been scammed by various too good to be true offers online. Many times I see these people getting ripped off, like in below image, when I know that what they are seeking can be found elsewhere online and for far less money.
Now even though American Consumer Panels does not ask you for money to get started or to work with them, everything else about them is misleading. I always tell people to read the fine print, any kind of policies or disclosures. But I realize that reading these can put people to sleep.
I am a former product tester and know how that process REALLY works. When I read that ACP was looking for people to do product testing for cash, I knew something didn’t seem right. Why would companies send you their “expensive” already on the market products to test?
In-Home Usage Testers (iHUT) do not test everything
The majority of products that iHUT members are allowed to test are consumable goods like cleaning products, food & drinks, household goods, cosmetics, and pet food. These products are far less expensive and companies have no issues with letting you keep them.
However when a company has expensive products to test, you go to their location. I know for a fact they will not send out an Xbox One game system for someone to test at home. I spent 20 years as a product test manager in the video game industry and we NEVER use outside testing.
What assurances do these manufacturers have that you will not just keep their products without testing it? Do you really think Sony is going to send you a 48” Bravia Smart TV to test, as is shown in the Gallery, see below image, on the ACP website?
ALL product and testing of tech items are done within the companies that make them by their own employed testers. The only time a consumer gets to test a tech product is after signing an NDA and then coming to a controlled facility where you cannot take the product home.
Red Flags that prove American Consumer Panels is a scam
This company would have you believe that you can just join them for free and they will send you all of these cool products for you to test at home. Well that is not really truthful at all. All you have to do is read their FAQ Page to see some revealing truth.
The first three questions are for clients wanting to have products tested. This was probably included first to make them sound like a real company. But the very first answer to the questions for possible testers I found to be misleading. I will quote it below and give you my response.
Q:
“Is this a legitimate company?”
A:
“American Consumer Panels is a verified member of FTC Guardian, which means we comply with the Federal Trade Commission truth in advertising and we honor our Privacy Policy Assurance. You can check the FTC Guardian badge in the footer area on our website.”
MY RESPONSE:
No direct connection with the Federal Trade Commission. In the image below from the FTC Guardian website they say their products and services “are not associated, affiliated, endorsed or sponsored by the FTC, nor have they been reviewed, tested or certified by the FTC.”
Then as an added emphasis the ACP website also warns it’s potential testers to “Beware of websites that review other companies and tag them as Scam or Avoid.” Hmm! Could they be talking about websites like mine that expose scams and offer legit solutions?
More Red Flags – Real Names and Address are different
If you look at the ACP Privacy Policy you will see that they are owned and operated by a company called Innovation Consulting LLC. At the bottom of the policy it has a contact information address that is different than the contact information for ACP, see below.
Innovation Consulting LLC
1910 Thomas Ave.
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Email: support@american-consumer-panels.com
Telephone: (917) 677-2043
However if you look at the contact information on the Contact Us page of the American Consumer Panels website, the email address and the telephone number are the same but the street address has changed to the Servcorp suite at…
One World Trade Center
285 Fulton St.
Suite 8500
New York, NY 10007
What does ACP and Servcorp have in common?
First let me explain who is Servcorp and what services do they provide. Servcorp is a multinational company that provides shared and virtual office space and services in five different New York locations, plus 18 others across the U.S., and in 23 countries.
They cater to small and medium-sized businesses that need limited office space or a virtual office with a legitimate address. Judging by the lack of information available about American Consumer Panels, it is obvious they are using the address as a virtual office.
Even if ACP were a legit company with one or a few employees, they would be listed as Tenants of New One World Trade Center and they are NOT. You can view a current list of tenants here, and notice on floor 85 (Suite 8500), you will see the name Servcorp and 11 other companies.
So far the Red Flags are waving at you and screaming to AVOID the American Consumer Panels scam. The contact information for Innovation Consulting LLC and the ACP company they own and operate are totally different, plus FTC Guardian is not part of the FTC.
If that is not enough proof, here is another Red Flag
You have no verifiable legitimate address, no direct compliance with the Federal Trade Commission, and now NO names of any owners or employees. If a company will not even give you a name of the owner(s), then what are they trying to hide?
Just out of curiosity I even checked out the parent company of ACP, Innovation Consulting LLC, and found the same thing. NO solid information as to who they are. Their Wyoming address is a brick and mortar store front with the name Incorp on the window. I Google mapped it.
Yeah, I know. I am taking this investigation a bit too far here. But hey, I was curious to see how big of a scam this really is. What I did find is that Incorp is a legit company like Servcorp, and they too provide services to small to medium sized companies.
What this all boils down to is that American Consumer Panels is a scam. If you are looking to earn money from home in a legitimate way, I offer many different ideas on this website. My #1 Recommendation is where I started for free and now earn thousands per month.
Why is American Consumer Panels scamming you?
Obviously to make money from your actions. How are they doing this? After you join American Consumer Panels you are directed to join two different survey sites MySurvey and Vindale Research. Why? According to the ACP website it is to gather your demographics information.
This should be another Red Flag because legit product testing sites do not need you to go on another website to gain your information. That just does not make any sense to begin with. American Consumer Panels is doing this so they can get paid a referral commission for sending you to these sites.
Many of the legit product and marketing research is done by surveys, but not the type that spam your inbox for participating. These REAL surveys for demographics happen on the originating product and market research website, so all information can be easily obtained.
Always be skeptical about going off to another website, and in this case two different websites, when beginning with a money making opportunity on another website. This is basically known as Click Bait. Get you hooked and then say that you need to go here to continue registering.
Here are a couple of better legit alternatives to ACP
There are several better alternatives for earning money online from the comfort of your home than getting caught up in this product testing scam. Both of the opportunities below are also free to join but unlike ACP they have been successfully in business for over 10 years.
I found a survey research company that will NEVER disqualify you from taking a survey or getting paid. They are called Paid Viewpoint. They will pay you 5 to 10 cents for every generic survey and up to $3.00 for product surveys, which are available mainly everyday.
Another opportunity that will earn you even more money and has the potential to replace your 9 to 5 job is doing affiliate marketing with Amazon and hundreds of other well-known companies. Just recommend products and get paid. Learn how for free at Wealthy Affiliate.
I joined Wealthy Affiliate (WA) in 2013 and by 2015 I quit my job and became my own boss. I took a passion of mine and with the easy training from WA, I became an affiliate of Amazon and others, and built myself a profitable internet business. You can do this too if you want.
Do not waste your time with the American Consumer Panels scam
I know ACP sounds like a great way to make money in your spare time working at home, Even if this was a legit opportunity there is no guarantee that you would get much work. This is even mentioned on the ACP website because your demographics may not match what is needed.
If you want to make some easy quick money that is just enough for some extra spending cash, try the Paid Viewpoint I mentioned above. If you would like something a lot more robust and that will be a more fun and rewarding way to earn a living, consider joining me Wealthy Affiliate.
As a member of WA you will have everything you need to turn your hobby, interests or passion into a profitable website business. The online training is geared towards the total beginner with all programming functions automated. The best part is that you can join for free!
If you need more ideas on how to make money online in a legitimate way, check out the other information I have on this website, including reviews of other questionable opportunities so you do not get scammed. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
I am a newby to all of this. When an opportunity sounds too good to be true, that’s it in a Covid. I am a Senior with Parkinson disease so this type of work would be suitable for me.
I will check out your recommendations and thank you for sharing truth about ACP.
Be Well
Jill Zabicki
You are welcome Jill. I am happy to have shared this information with you.
This fake company tricks you into thinking you’re applying for a job and then sends you to two different survey sites.
Yes. The American Consumer Panels scam pretends to be a real company when it is really a complete fraud.
Delighted I came across this American consumer panels review and it would save me from wasting my time with this platform. I initially thought they were legit not until I decided to research about them and all that I could get from them is just a negative review. Thanks for opening my eyes to this scam and truly, I find it bizarre to gave to register at other sites just for them to gather my data. Besides, I thought they would give out products to test out to me not knowing its all a lie. Thanks for this and also there are too much contradicting statements surrounding them.
You are welcome Roland. I really like exposing companies or individuals who are only looking to make money by ripping people off and in worse cases, stealing lots of money from them. I think it is important for websites like mine to warn people like you looking for legitimate money making opportunities, of the scams out there.
Some people may see a prestigious address, like in the case of ACP, and think that they must be a legit business. Then there will be others that will see the word “American” in the name and believe that it must be a reputable company. But I know better and will always help people to see the truth about these scams.
Thanks for this clerification about America consumer panel. It is only people with blind eyes that will see all this red flags and still decided to dip their head into it. Although, when people hear about product testing, they want to try it out knowing fully well that they won’t pay for the products and they are going to be paid for it. Hearing about the exorbitant claims from ACP is hilarious. This review will be a problem solver for people looking for a way to get clarification about America consumer panel
Yes. The lure of product testing and then being able to keep the product you test, is a big draw for people. I think this was one reason why these scammers chose this form of a job to get people to sign up to their bogus program just so they could get a commission for each person that signed up to do a survey. The fact that ACP went out of their way to sound legit, makes them a scam to be avoided.
This review was a big eye opener for me! I have always thought that product testing would be a great thing to do from home but I never got involved with it.
The idea of getting an Xbox game console or Sony TV sent through the mail sounds like a great thing, but in reality with a company like American Consumer Panels, it just wipes all those thoughts and excitement away.
I’m happy that you showed me the listing on the BBB, and how much dis-credit there is with this company scam. Thank you for not only sharing with us your review about this scam but also giving us other legitimate testing companies and opportunities that are better.
Product testing can be a fun way to earn a little bit of money from home and keep the products you test. However getting paid the amount of money American Consumer Panels is claiming and the types of products themselves are false.
The products generally used for in-home testers are consumable products like soap, cleaning products, personal care products, food and drink. Not expensive consumer electronics or appliances. But the ACP website goes out of their way to seem legit when they are easily proven a scam.
Thanks on sharing about American Consumer Panels. This is one of the GPT scams looking for other victims around the Internet. Scams like these upset me because they take advantage of people’s trust and desire to earn a legitimate income from home.
Fortunately there are real earning opportunities that can be done from home. And yes, Wealthy Affiliate is the best affiliate marketing platform you can find out there that will give you those real at home earning opportunities.
You are welcome Ford. I also hate it when I find scams that are taking advantage of the innocent and trusting people who are just looking to make money in a legitimate way.
Even though American Consumer Panels is a scam, at the very least they are not taking people’s money who decide to join, but they are dashing the hopes of these people who need an easier source of income.
Thanks for sharing this detailed review on ACP. This reminds me of some deceptive data entry and email processing program I joined some years back. What I got was totally different than what they wrote in their sales letter.
It is very shameful that some people can stoop so low as to defraud others of their hard earned money.
Keep up the good work of exposing these scams.
Thank you Neksummi. I will always continue to expose these websites whether they scam people out of money or outright lie to them promising them one thing and then giving them something totally different, even f it was free to join.
You mention an email processing program. Most of those are fake because when you think about it, companies have their own staff that process emails. Why would they pay someone working from home that they do not know to do the work for them?
Thanks for writing this review of American Consumer Panels and showing the truth behind the whole thing. Based on your evidence, it’s easy to see that it is a scam. Whenever I see a redirect from the original site to another one, I get suspicious as well. Why would they send me to another site? And then, I realize that they do it to make a commission and that the website like ACP is a bridge site made by an affiliate.
You are welcome Ivan and you are correct. The American Consumer Panels website is nothing more than an elaborate bridge site funneling people to other websites so the person behind ACP can make a commission. There are some really sleazy people in this world only concerned with making quick money at the expense of others. This is why I had to expose them.
Robert! A lot of really good information here. I wouldn’t trust a company that hides in the shadows and appears legit!
Sometimes I do product testing at home. I get free product, but never free product AND hourly payment. I get to keep the product and that’s it.
I have never heard of ACP whatsoever. Glad I didn’t fall for their tactics. I too, check out the company and who they are affiliated with!
Thank you for such a thorough review and thank you for warning people of these scam artist.
Again, this was an informative review and if I see someone trying to join up for it, I will refer them to your review!
All my best,
Donna
Thank you Donna for your comment. I too have done product testing at home and I was never offered an hourly wage. I was able to keep the product and the product was something simple like a consumer goods item, but never any kind of expensive product like a video game system.
These people or person behind American Consumer Panels is misleading people and scamming them by getting them to believe that they will be testing hardware products like TVs, coffee makers, vacuums, baby strollers, and the like. When unsuspecting see that they jump at the chance.
Even though American Consumer Panels is a scam it is not as bad as some others I have exposed on this website like the one President Donald Trump was associated with and got paid millions to promote called ACN. You can read that here in my ACN Scam Review.
The reason I say that this scam is not as bad as others I have reviewed is because people are not scammed out of any money. They are being scammed because they think they will test great products, get paid hourly, keep the products, but yet they get nothing but spam emails.
On the flip-side, the owner of American Consumer Panels gets a commission for every person that joins ACP and signs up to these two survey sites. And like most survey sites you rarely get paid and you always get lots of spam emails about other surveys.
This is a great informative and telling article about the American Consumer Panels scam. You have done many people looking for a way to work at home, a needed service by revealing the truth about this company and why it is a scam.
Thank you Stasia. I am happy you liked the information I provided here in my review of ACP. The reason I do these reviews is mainly to help people realize that what they are being told will benefit the person promoting the opportunity and not themselves. In this case with ACP, people do not get what they are told they will get.