Here's the mail I just received. I'm just posting this up so forum moderators can see what is circulating and assess whether this is genuine or not.

Kindle market research: Earn $75 for 30 minute interview
Hi Spirits

McKinsey & Company is conducting market research on digital readers. We are offering you $75 in cash for participating in a phone interview, to learn about your attitudes towards digital readers. If you are interested in participating, please respond to this message (or email us at eBook@Mckinsey.com). Please see the details below.

Thank you for your time and look forward talking to you.

Kind regards,

McKinsey eBook Research Team

************************************************** ******

McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm with 90 offices in 51 countries worldwide. We are the trusted advisor to the world’s leading businesses, governments, and institutions. We undertake original research and develop substantive points of view on critical economic issues facing businesses and governments around the world. To learn more about McKinsey & Company, please visit www.McKinsey.com

1. If you are selected for the phone interview, you will automatically qualify for the $75 cash reward upon completion of the survey. Phone interviews take up to 30 minutes. We will call you or you can call us at a mutually agreed upon time. You will be issued a $75 cash reward upon completion of the phone call.
2. Rewards will be issued either as a PayPal credit or as a VISA gift card. You have the choice between these two options. To learn more about VISA gift cards, please visit http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/p...gift_card.html.
3. McKinsey & Company will not sell or otherwise provide the personal information you shared through this research with third parties.
4. McKinsey & Company will use your information exclusively for the purposes related to the eBook research project.
5. McKinsey & Company will delete your personal information from our database and other storage media on June 30, 2008.

McKinsey is one of the biggest companies around for this sort of thing. Given that you can email to the domain I would think it legit.

That being said, I'd not give them much in the way of personal information.

It does seem to be legit. Ask me again tomorrow after ~1pm CST :)

Do let us know what the interview is like. I got one of those emails too (though I probably deleted it already).

I took the interview and got $75.

They certainly seemed legit enough. They asked most of the questions you'd expect: how'd I start e-reading, why'd I switch to my current device, what do/don't I like about my current device, what do/don't I like about the Kindle (they asked a lot of questions related to the Kindle), what are my reading habits, etc.

I asked them if they could tell me who they were representing, no surprise that they couldn't, nor could they tell me if the company was already in the e-reader game or not. I didn't expect anything else, but hey, I had to ask, right? :D

They seemed very interested in libprs500 and asked me about what features I would like in a ebook reader, for what price and what I thought the potential market for readers is.

At a guess, from some of the reactions I got to various comments, I'm thinking there's a new player looking at joining the game, possibly someone big. But that's at least 99.999% guessing. :nice:

I got one of those e-mails, too. I just now responded to the e-mail saying I'd be interested in taking the survey -- I guess I'll find out whether they still need participants.

I blocked em, I don't do surveys which require any personal info, like my phone #. Regardless if they say they won't give out my info

Giving out personal info always makes me nervous. I could use the money, but I'm too much of a pansy to take the plunge.

I just realized not all of you received the email. umm... Hope I didn't destroy their survey by giving access to their email to everyone and not the selected users. I'll edit out the email if McKinsey group wants me to.

I just replied and i did receive the message. So I do hope they pick me to do it. I don't mind giving out my info as they are a reputable company.

I did the survey & later received an email that the $75 Visa was being sent. As with Natch, their questions were more about my ereading likes/dislikes. They asked about the Kindle, both Sonys & the CyBook. There were three people on speakerphone with me. I suspect, but don't know for sure, that they recorded the conversation. Also talked about scanning and format conversions.

Didn't mind giving my phone number or address since they are both in public phone books, i.e. essentially in the public domain. In fact probably readily available on the Internet.

I was surprised at the seeming randomness of the the questioning. It definitely did not feel like a "form" survey. I would think they would find it difficult to correlate their findings from multiple interviewees.

To be fair, it would be best if these sorts of messages were not posted in such detail so others who were not part of the offer cannot get in and take th eplace of someone who should have been able to get in. Remember HOLIDAYGIFT? Too many thieving cheating crooks used it and took away the credit from people who should have gotten it. Yes, you are a crook when you steal $50.

Jon, I think that you might be over-reacting just a little with this one. It's not a money-off offer like 'Holidaygift'. It's an invitation to take part in a survey.
The organisers are free to decline to interview anyone who doesn't meet their criteria, or when they have enough participants. (e.g. I doubt whether they'd be interested in me because I'm not in the USA.) So there's no element of deception. Rather it's an offer to interview suitable participants who will be compensated for their time. They aren't obliged to give $75 to all comers. In fact I don't see how one could 'steal' $75 from them.

Besides, I've seen an ad from McKinsey advertising the survey on the forum, so clearly they're not interested in keeping it a secret. :wink2:

I just took the survey

I need to encourage the timid ones who did not take the survey but received the email to go right ahead. The people at McKinsey are friendly & professional. You'd like it. Plus you're an important part of the survey too because they'd have enough extrovert as it is to respond to their calls. In terms of security, they really wouldn't put so much effort into asking you questions if they just want your contact.

if they want to post a survey for me to fill out anonymously I'd be glad to, for free even

The only personal info they asked for was a phone number to call me at, and an address to send the "reward."

They also offered to give me a number to call them, and if you accept the PayPal option, all you have to give them is the e-mail associated with that. :shrug:

The only personal info they asked for was a phone number to call me at, and an address to send the "reward."

They also offered to give me a number to call them, and if you accept the PayPal option, all you have to give them is the e-mail associated with that. :shrug:

Has anyone else chosen the PayPal reward option and had the funds sent to their PayPal account?

I'm beginning to wonder if this was on the up & up. I have yet to get my $75 deposited.

I can live without the dough, but if it's not legit it makes me wonder who would go to the trouble to get names and phone numbers from this forums members.

Color me paranoid, but have we been duped?:smack:

Has anyone else chosen the PayPal reward option and had the funds sent to their PayPal account?

I'm beginning to wonder if this was on the up & up. I have yet to get my $75 deposited.

I can live without the dough, but if it's not legit it makes me wonder who would go to the trouble to get names and phone numbers from this forums members.

Color me paranoid, but have we been duped?:smack:

I chose the Visa Gift Card option and received the card last Friday.

I chose the Visa Gift Card option and received the card last Friday.

I guess they are 'not a crook'.
Thanks!:rohard:

I chose the Visa Gift Card option and received the card last Friday.Same here. :shrug:

Now I guess I'm glad I decided I didn't want to figure out how to accept PayPal payments right now. :wink:

I did the interview on Thurs 3/13 and chose the PayPal option. Unfortunately, I've yet to receive the payment in my account.

I sent an e-mail on Friday asking when I should expect it, but haven't received any response.

Like Kingston, I can live without the money, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I got the PayPal payment the same day as my interview.

I got the PayPal payment the same day as my interview.

I'm glad to hear that, kovidgoyal.

Maybe it's just an administrative glitch...

Update:

I received a response to my e-mail, and the payment is now in my paypal account. Probably a little more dramatic than it needed to be, but the transaction is now done. :)

Update:

I received a response to my e-mail, and the payment is now in my paypal account. Probably a little more dramatic than it needed to be, but the transaction is now done. :)


I did the interview on a Thursday and got the PayPal payment the following Tuesday. Actually I got $71.02 as PayPal took the rest as a processing fee.

Got mine, took a few days but things happen.

I did the interview on a Thursday and got the PayPal payment the following Tuesday. Actually I got $71.02 as PayPal took the rest as a processing fee.

Same here, Kingston. :)

Wow. That's a pretty big bite. I had no idea it was so large.

Glad I selected the Visa card.

Wow. That's a pretty big bite. I had no idea it was so large.

I think if you have a premium account or verfiied or whatever, they don't charge quite as much. I have a basic account, so...

The cut was $2.50 for me, I have a Premier account.

Still a big bite. :shrug:

I think if you have a premium account or verfiied or whatever, they don't charge quite as much. I have a basic account, so...

I had to become premier (verified account) to do larger transaction on ebay. So they took $2.5 off of me. If you ever do continuous transaction, then I highly recommend verifying your account.

Still a big bite. :shrug:

I'm not surprised if they're earning millions / day considering they also earn a portion with exchange rates. Last time the real time exchange rate between CAD:USD was at 1:1, and they took ~2.5 cent for every dollar I purchase 1USD. They charged me as a buyer, and they also charged the seller for the transaction.