Sago Reviews 225

First when people sign up and do these studies some do it to help out far as their personal income far as bills etc
Some do it cause they want to share their thoughts and ideas
Now when they do and complete the study
They expect to get paid in a timely fashion
When they dont it cause problems

Now your company doesn't see the bigger problem coming cause if u did, you would have fix it or switch like to Tremendous site which is more accurate
You cant pay 150 or more quick but some people are going to sue this company and going to win and get more then u will have no way but to pay but its going to be way more then a merely incentive SO I WOULDN'T DO OR HAVE ANY MORE STUDIES UNTIL YOUR PAYMENT SYSTEM WORKS WITHOUT ANY MORE PROBLEMS

I completed a laundry detergent survey in December 2023. It took two weeks to get an email telling me how to claim my compensation. It has now been over a month and I have yet to receive my Visa gift card. I did get an email saying the processing department is experiencing "delays" and it may take an additional 20 days to process a $150.00 card!

Update 02/01/24
Today, I received an email from Sago (Focus Group), the same email I was sent a month ago, saying they are experiencing delays in processing payments. The email also says it may take up to 20 additional days to process my payment. I completed the study in December 2023.

Like others, I thought they were great when called Schlesinger, then Focus Group. Back then, never had problems receiving timely payments in the form of gift cards or prepaid Visas. Now weeks go by before payments received as you have to go through multiple steps to get your money instead of one email with a link to a page to choose rewards. Despite Sago claiming to be "processing" my rewards (payment) from Dec 2023 and allowing for holidays, nothing was happening. Crap support claims will get back to you in 2 days then nothing for weeks. Meanwhile they're still bombarding me daily with multiple surveys and focus groups to apply for. I started replying to each: Where is my money from mid December? Finally I get this BS response:

Kasha (SAGO),
Jan 12, 2024, 3:50 PM EST
Hello Alexa,
Thank you for contacting us!

Regrettably, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are currently facing significant delays in the incentive processing workflow and we appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging time.

Despite our best efforts, there is a possibility that we may not be able to meet our standard commitment of processing your redeemed points within the usual 10 business days. [It'd been nearly a month late when I got this email!]

Please rest assured that our team is working tirelessly to address the issues causing these delays. We understand the importance of timely incentive fulfillment and the impact it has on your overall experience. We want to assure you that resolving this matter is our top priority.

We are implementing additional resources and streamlining our processes to expedite the redemption processing as much as possible. Our dedicated team is committed to minimizing any further delays and ensuring that your redemptions are processed accurately and efficiently.

We understand the frustration that these delays may cause, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.
Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and we appreciate your continued support and understanding. We will keep you updated on the progress and sincerely hope to return to our standard processing times soon.

I have reached out to our incentives team and requested for it to be processed as soon as possible. I will be in contact once done.

Thank you for your patience and continued trust.

Thanks,
Kasha Vanbeneden

Sago Panel Services Team
Focus Group | Focus Group Health | Schlesinger Wallet

We Respect Your Privacy. Sago is an accredited market research company that adheres to data protection law and market research codes of conduct.
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I lost it! Told them "how dare you assume my patience and understanding while holding onto my reward money!" I threatened to contact BBB, attorney general re fraud, social media etc. And all of a sudden I'm paid later that day!!! Not interested in their excuses or lame apologies which are flat out INEXCUSABLE. It's too bad I won't participate in surveys with these scumbags anymore as it's nice to have extra funds now and then. But there are many other such places that are completely trustworthy. So definitely run, run, run away from Sago!!!

If I could give -4,487,311stars, I WOULD! When they were Schleschinger, it was a great company. It's been EIGHT weeks since I've completed my survey & not received payment. I've left countless messages, to no avail. I received an email regarding an upcoming survey, to which I responded, "Where is my money? This company is full of crap. You all are nothing more than a bunch of scammers." Only THEN did I receive a response, advising me how to redeem some damned points for a gift card. WTH?! I've already done the job, and now I have to do MORE work to retrieve pay that I've already earned??? Reed Cundiff is the CEO, should anyone care to reach out to him.

Like others, I received a point incentive for a focus group. I requested 2 virtual cards which should be an almost immediate transaction. I emailed customer service and was told that it could take up to 10 business days to process. Well....about 3 weeks later still no gift cards. I did the project for a $225 payout and CANNOT access my incentive. RIDICULOUS! I sent numerous additional emails and have gotten NO response. Please stay away from this company.

***Update: I tried reaching out to the Recruiter who screened me for the study, but no response from her either. I finally called 2 different SAGO locations and each time a rep emailed the payout team in order for me to get assistance. I received all payouts by late January and promptly closed out my account. I don't have the time or energy to chase down my incentives.***

I've had a rollercoaster of experiences with Sago, formerly known as the Schlesinger Group and then Focus Group. While my initial interactions were positive, recent events have left me with reservations.

My association with Sago began when they were the Schlesinger Group. The process was seamless, and I appreciated being paid promptly, even with the card it was, either on the spot or within a few hours or days after completing a survey. It created a sense of trust and reliability.

However, when the company transitioned to Focus Group and eventually became Sago, I became hesitant due to changes in their operations. Despite my initial reservations, I was persuaded by my doctor to participate in a study. The study was okay; I encountered no significant issues during the process.

The problem arose when it came to payment for my latest study. It has been almost four weeks, and I have yet to receive compensation. This delay has left a sour taste in my mouth and has made me question whether Sago is the right platform for me.

While I understand that processing times can vary, the lack of communication or updates on the payment status has been frustrating. It's disheartening to experience such a significant delay, especially after the swift payments I received in the past.

As a result, I am now hesitant to participate in further studies with Sago. The lack of timely compensation has eroded my trust in the platform. I hope they address these issues to ensure a smoother experience for participants in the future.

Not sure how to follow up on my original post on this platform, didnt get paid until I filed a complaint with the BBB. Funny, I got paid the next morning.

Promised each participant less than 1/3 of the original amount since nobody could login
That was over a month ago. NO PAYMENT. THEY. SAY THEIR E WALLET DEPT IS HAVING TROUBLE. Bull

Awful. Have had a measly $30 Amazon gift card showing processing since Dec 7th. It is now Jan 3rd.
I have sent numerous emails with no response.
Beware.

I agree with others on there payment methods, but one thing I can say. I have gotten paid for all of my surveys. Although there payment method sucks, and used to be much better, when they paid you either that day or within a week. Strange that they would go backwards in there payment methods, now takes about a month

SAGO what are you thinking, Get your act together! First as Schlesinger Group things went well with this company, then they changed to Focus Group, then very quickly afterwards became SAGO. Each time the company changed things became more disorganized. You used to get paid either on the spot, or within hours after finishing a survey. Now it takes weeks if not months. Something is up with them. In this day and age where banking and transferring of funds can be done in an instant there is no need for it to take this long. They keep constantly changing their delivery dates of funds so that no one knows what the standard practice is. Is
it 3-5 days or 4-6 weeks that's a big difference. No one there answers phones and their work ticket system is a joke. I get the sense they are headed for bankruptcy or going under. I am hesitant to do anymore studies as I have not been paid for my current study as it is still processing, and it's been almost 4 weeks. SAGO, get your act together and join us in the modern age of banking and technology. You would think that a company that is based in research could figure out that their reputation is trending downwards very quickly!

Did some research for this company and failed to got paid aviod

This is Focusgroup.com This is the best of the best. They have focus groups, but also surveys and they are generally very interesting surveys. Entertaining informative and fun. They pay an incentive for completion in the form of points which can then be traded for e-gift cards or physical gift cards. They expect 100% honesty and focus. The integrity of this company is transparent.
I've been a participant for years and I am not going anywhere soon.

I agree with these low ratings. This used to be so fun when it was Focus group global. Now being Sago, it's not very fun. My daughter and I have been waiting since July for our incentive and it's now November. We have called, left messages, emails. They send long ticket number emails saying they will get back to you and don't. The new wallet thing is not good. This female name Megan is horrible. She forgets your conversation you had with her. You keep getting the run around if you have to deal with them. The old way of getting a Visa card in your hand the day you do the study needs to come back. Because your getting a whole bunch of angry customers.

Like all the reviews before me (translate the German ones), payment not received as expected. Study participation Confirmation Letter said "incentive" would be received in 6-10 days "via FocusGroup Wallet"then some fine print below it said "allow 2-3 weeks for processing and delivery of payment". When payment didn't arrive, emailed them with a tracker on it and watched them open and ignore multiple status requests. When I called them, voicemail had been programmed to tell people allow 4-6 weeks. The Confirmation Letter refers to payment as "honorarium"which Texas courts (In re Estate of Smith, 955 S.W.2d 916 (Tex. App.-Fort Worth 1997) have said is a payment. And in the case In re Estate of Johnson, 37 S.W.3d 558 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2001), an incentive can also be in the form of payment. However, Points or Rewards posted to a virtual wallet are not payment just as an IOU is not payment.

While waiting for payment, I participated in another study which credited the Wallet within 3 hours and converted to a digital VISA within days. So it the delay is purposeful and avoidable since the FocusGroup Wallet is theirs and not a third party out of their control. And because there appears to be a pattern and their FAQ and voicemail confirm this is their business practice, it appears to be a fineable violation of Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. I hate that I have to file complaints with the Attorney General office but if I do, I'll be recommending a full audit of their payment system and promises to pay that were not kept. I'm also guessing that the German reviews here were for services abroad which implies possible international wire fraud so maybe the FTC and Interpol should be checking them out too....

Did some work for Sago. The process was good in terms of initial communication and the focus group session went well. However after the focus group, they came up with a bunch of reasons for not paying me.

As a physician I have been a member of Focus Group Health for years. Never had a problem with them. On May 22, 2023, I participated in two surveys one for $15 and one for $95. Then on August 14, I was notified that both the payment for $15 and for $95 was placed in my wallet on their website, and that I was to choose what type of gift certificate I would like for each of these payments. I went to the website as usual, and found that only the $15 payment was available. I emailed a copy of the same email that was sent to me by Focus Group Health informing me that the $95 payment was in my wallet, which was not true. I was issued a six digit "ticket" regarding the incident as well as an email saying they would contact me shortly. Which has never occurred despite me sending them the same information three other times and them issuing me three more six digit ticket numbers! There is a phone number however there is just a recording that says that no one can come to the phone no matter when you call. So I am out $95 and I don't even know if anyone at Focus Group Health even knows that there is a problem or are they just ignoring everyone that calls or emails them?