'Boring Money'

[Simpo Two]

I've just been asked to express interest in joining a digital review panel by Fidelity...

Fidelity said:

We are always looking at how we can optimise your experience with Fidelity. To do this, it is important to know what our customers think about the products they use and how they feel about the service we offer them.

That’s why we’re inviting you to give us feedback by becoming a member of the Digital Review Panel and help us improve Fidelity’s products, services, and customer experience. Your perspective could really make a difference.

Our brand-new Digital Review Panel will include a variety of longer and shorter tasks, all of which you can complete online, in your own time, from the comfort of your own home.

You’ll be invited to take part in up to four tasks, each taking up to a couple of hours, and four quick online polls - and you’ll be paid for each task. We might ask you to give your opinion on investment or product related documents like statements and information packs, or digital services like our website or app.

To register an interest in joining our Digital Review Panel, all you have to do is complete a quick questionnaire. The questionnaire is hosted by our research partner Quaslzy and they will get in touch next month to provide an update on the digital panel recruitment.

As I have spare time and am not averse to earning a few quid I went through the application procedure. All OK until I got to the last two points here:



So what exactly is going on here? Has anyone heard of Boring Money or had any dealings with them?

https://www.boringmoney.co.uk/

[bigandclever]

Simpo Two said:

So what exactly is going on here?

You're trading your time and personal data for a few quid, and Boring Money are going to be selling that data to various financial product providers; like any other market research / consumer panel.

[jeff m]

We found we couldn't hack your personal data, so we are trying this approach

My wife did a couple of paid surveys, I think she got $60 for the first and maybe$20 for the. Maybe 20 pages.
Hers was a food one.

I personally would not entertain one from my financial institution.

[brightmotiv]

Don't be alarmed. Boring Money have a media arm and run an accredited market research company. They operate within the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Your data should remain confidential and they should get your informed consent for each project.

[Gixer968CS]

I know Boring Money and their Founder Holly McKay in a professional capacity. They're pretty legit, a research and consultancy service that mainly has asset managers (such as Fidelity) as it's customers. They do not have their own "product" so they'd use your details for in the research they do for their clients etc. Boring Money does have it's own website and Holly kinda emulates Martin Lewis in many ways so they may also ping you with news stories and maybe the odd promotion but they are not product pushers at all, they are a professional services firm.

However, you don't need to tick those two boxes in order to complete the survey!

[Simpo Two]

Gixer968CS said:

I know Boring Money and their Founder Holly McKay in a professional capacity. They're pretty legit, a research and consultancy service that mainly has asset managers (such as Fidelity) as it's customers. They do not have their own "product" so they'd use your details for in the research they do for their clients etc. Boring Money does have it's own website and Holly kinda emulates Martin Lewis in many ways so they may also ping you with news stories and maybe the odd promotion but they are not product pushers at all, they are a professional services firm.

However, you don't need to tick those two boxes in order to complete the survey!

Thanks - though you have to tick all boxes to progress to the dosh stage, which is frankly my only interest in the matter...! And that's not quantified.

It would be nicer if Fidelity could just do genuine research with their customers, not sneak in various other connections once they've got you started - and then you wonder what the actual motive is and you go from feeling a bit useful and valued to just a pawn in somebody else's game.

[timbo999]

Simpo Two said:

Thanks - though you have to tick all boxes to progress to the dosh stage, which is frankly my only interest in the matter...! And that's not quantified.

Not entirely true - it tells you at the bottom the range of payments they make for surveys and the prizes in prize draws etc.

Having completed the questionaire to see if I qualify to join the panel, I'm not aware of any particularly secret data that I have had to submit to them. A lot of obvious multi-choice questions. What is it that you are so worried about disclosing?

[Simpo Two]

timbo999 said:

Having completed the questionaire to see if I qualify to join the panel, I'm not aware of any particularly secret data that I have had to submit to them. A lot of obvious multi-choice questions. What is it that you are so worried about disclosing?

Well, the income from my South American drugs cartel of course.

No seriously, it's just the principle of the thing. Sold as a special offer but then you realise you're just helping somebody else make money further up the line.

So how does it start? Does Boring Money go to Fidelity and say 'Here's some money, can you ask your customers lots of questions then send the answers to us'? Or does Fidelity ring up Boring Money and say 'Hey, we can get a load of customer data for you, what's it worth?' And 'research partner Quaslzy' will be getting a slice too.

[Sheepshanks]

Simpo Two said:

So how does it start? Does Boring Money go to Fidelity and say 'Here's some money, can you ask your customers lots of questions then send the answers to us'? Or does Fidelity ring up Boring Money and say 'Hey, we can get a load of customer data for you, what's it worth?' And 'research partner Quaslzy' will be getting a slice too.

I get Holly's weekly blog (although I never read it).

Based on what's here: https://www.boringmoney.co.uk/how-we-make-money/ I would imagine Boring Money are running this as a project for Fidelity.

[Simpo Two]

Sheepshanks said:

Based on what's here: https://www.boringmoney.co.uk/how-we-make-money/ I would imagine Boring Money are running this as a project for Fidelity.

Thanks very much - I don't think I'll spend two hours of my time making money for someone else. Ah'm oot!

[Sheepshanks]

Simpo Two said:

Thanks very much - I don't think I'll spend two hours of my time making money for someone else. Ah'm oot!

It's not very clear what the relationship is - you'd expect Fidelity to explain it, rather than springing it on you during the sign-on process.

Maybe ask them?


Unless you own your own business, any work you do is making money for someone else.

[agent006]

Sheepshanks said:

Unless you own your own business, any work you do is making money for someone else.

And this discussion of not wanting to earn money for others is making money for CarGurus UK Ltd.