Support

Last updated 28 October 2026

Email support@citizensopinionfoundation.com. A real person reads it and replies within one business day. Billing and refund requests are handled first.

To make it fast, include

• the email address you used at checkout;
• which product or charge you are asking about;
• what you expected to happen and what happened instead.

I want a refund

Every purchase has a 30-day money-back guarantee and you do not need to give a reason. Email us, or open a ticket with Explodely at https://help.explodely.com/support/tickets/new. Refunds go back to the original payment method and your bank normally takes 5 to 10 business days to post it. Each charge can be refunded separately. Full details on the Refund Policy page.

My welcome email never arrived

Check spam and promotions first, and search for “Citizens Opinion Panel”. If it is not there, email us from the address you used at checkout and we will resend your sign-in link. Adding our address to your contacts stops the next one going to spam.

Who actually pays me?

The company running the opportunity. Every panel, survey, focus group, interview and product test on your list is run by an outside company, and that company pays you directly, by whatever method it uses — bank transfer, PayPal, check, gift card. We never pay you and we never hold your money. We sell you the list and show you how to get on it.

Nothing on my list looks open where I live

Two things cause this almost every time. First, you have not told us your town or area yet — nothing local can be matched to you until you do. Second, the local ones were full; an opportunity closes as soon as the company running it has enough people, and new ones open later. The national panels on your list are open to everyone wherever you live, so start there, then email us with your town and we will point you at what suits your area.

A panel turned down my application

That happens, and it is not a sign you did anything wrong. Every company picks the people it needs for a particular study, so being turned down for one usually means they already had enough people like you. Apply to the next ones on the list; the people who earn the most are on several panels, not one. If a lot of applications are coming back refused, email us and we will look at how your profile is written, because that is usually what is going on.

What is my charge on my statement?

Payments are processed by Explodely, the payment gateway, so charges appear under Explodely, not under Citizens Opinion Panel. Membership is a one-time $19 charge. Each optional upgrade is a separate one-time charge. Nothing renews and there is no subscription to cancel.

I was charged for something I did not want

Email us with the address you used at checkout and tell us which charge. Both upgrades are optional and every charge is covered by the 30-day guarantee, so we can refund it.

I bought Done-For-You Setup — when is it done?

Inside 48 hours. Our team fills in and submits your applications to the panels on your list and sets up your payout details with each company, then emails you a list of what was submitted. After that it is up to each company to accept you and to write to you directly, which some do in a day and some take a couple of weeks. If it has been longer than 48 hours and you have heard nothing from us, write to us and we will chase it.

I bought The Private Board — where is it?

It is in the same place as your main list, as a second list, and it is there as soon as your order goes through. The opportunities on it are not publicly advertised, so please do not republish them — that is the one thing that would get them taken away from everybody.

Can I say what I actually think?

Yes. That is the entire point. Nobody on the list pays you to hold a particular opinion, and there are no wrong answers — what they are buying is what you honestly think. What companies do not pay for is answers clicked through without reading, submitted by software, or given by somebody other than you.

What we cannot help with

We cannot promise any company accepts you, cannot promise you will earn anything, cannot tell you what you will earn, and cannot give legal, tax or financial advice — see the Earnings Disclaimer. We cannot log in to another company’s system on your behalf, chase a payment they owe you, or overturn their decision about an application. We also cannot help with anything to do with voting, registration, benefits or public programs, because we have nothing to do with them.

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