Q & A Research

Excellent group, fascinating event. The people on staff were patient, interesting and clever. I had a really interesting time at my Q&A event.

Will call you asking you to participate but will not tell you who is running the focus group or what it is about. They will then have you go through a series of questions over the phone for about 10 minutes. After the questions are over with, they will tell you you are not eligible. Don’t waste your time. Very frustrating and made me feel that they are trying to get specific people to participate rather than being non-​biased with their research.

Love this place!

I love sharing my opinion and I’m comfortable speaking in groups or in one-​on-​one settings, so focus groups are really fun and enjoyable for me. I’ve done a few with different companies over the last 10 years. Q and A has a Walnut Creek location and it’s literally three blocks from my office. That might make them my favorite of all the companies.
I was really excited to schedule a 4:30 meeting here last week, since I knew it wouldn’t really cut into my work day. I still had to leave at 4 to make it on time. The two girls working the front desk were super nice. I told them so, and we talked a lot while I waited.
I tried to use the single-​serve coffee maker to make some hot water for tea, but I couldn’t figure it out and had to ask them to help. They happily obliged and I had hot lemon tea shortly after. Cookies and fruit are also available while you wait.
The one-​on-​one scheduled before me was running behind and soon I was told that they’d be cancelling my session. I was paid and sent home. Doesn’t get much better than that. Hopefully I can come back soon and get to stay (though, I won’t complain about getting to leave either!)

Review is based in 2013.
My particular focus group was talking about future advertisements for a laser hair removal product. I got paid $ 100 by check in the end! Great staff! Nice place! But why not the full 5 stars? I’m only able to participate once a year because I just don’t fit the demographics with all their other focus groups. Plus they require at least a 6 month waiting period before you can participate again which just wastes time. So if I were you, I’d still keep busy with either a full time job or try to keep busy getting paid at other focus groups/​market research companies.

The people who work here are very nice. Maybe too nice. OK, in general, employees in servicey jobs can’t be too nice, but the women who work here – and all of them were women the three days of my taste test – might be too nice. The gender division was very clear, and that’s not surprising; we all fulfilled a particular demographic (I assume men in their mid-​thirties to mid-​forties). And yet. And yet.
So I got paid $ 150 to – well, I can’t really tell you what I got paid $ 150 for. I signed an NDA, and while I’ve signed many of these over my lifetime and generally don’t take them very seriously, I hope to continue to participate in Q & A Research’s projects, so I’m not shooting myself in the foot. No, definitely not.
Oh, oh, and it’s in one of those really sad but hopeful but just sad office buildings built in the early ‘80s! It’s awesome.
It would get five stars except that its sign on Ygnacio Valley Road is way too easy to miss. That might not seem like a big deal, but it’s huge. See, when you’re participating in a thing like this, you need to be on time. And Walnut Creek has some of the absolute worst rush-​hour traffic I’ve ever seen, and I’m from Southern California. So if you miss the entrance to the parking lot, you’re screwed. It will take you at least – at least! – fifteen minutes to get around the block. Don’t try to make a U-​turn. Just make a right at the next street and then keep making rights. Better yet, don’t schedule your appointment for six p.m. like I did.
Thanks, Q & A Research, for the $ 150. And thanks, ladies, for being so nice. In so many ways.

Pros: Nice people. Nice large area to sit & relax in the lobby. They have magazines to read while waiting too. The Q&A Focus Groups are worth your time, especially when I came from Alameda. They make you feel comfortable during the focus groups. When I went there the first time, they were really nice to give me a bottle of water, because I got lost & walked all over the place trying to find the building. (It was my fault, actually the BART directions) LOL
Cons: While waiting in the lobby, I can hear the workers gossiping behind the desk. That’s not professional, especially while there are people in the lobby. In the lobby, I only saw one outlet to charge my phone. Luckily, no one was sitting there, so I was able to charge it. Its just that, its a really nice size lobby, but only one outlet. This place is still worth going to though.

I’ve conducted research here and the staff was awesome. They were helpful and really went out of their way to make sure that our study went smoothly. The project was complicated and they help smooth out the rough edges.
Otherwise, this is a standard testing facility. The staff is what makes the place stand out.

Easy way to contribute to market research and make a few bucks while doing it. The staff is friendly and the building is easy to find.

I participated in a focus group put on by Q and A. Very friendly staff, good snacks and comfortable meeting rooms. Overall a great experience… plus i got paid in cash! Highly recommend participating in their groups. Also great for companies looking to obtain public opinions.

I have had two great experiences with Q&A as a member of their focus groups. The staff was extremely organized– they called three times to make sure I remembered to be there. Everyone was friendly, professional and accommodating. The pay is great– I got $ 100 once and $ 75 once! I highly recommend it for anyone who has extra time and an opinion! I just signed up on their website, really simple. And as a small business owner, I hope to go to them one day to conduct a research study of my own!

«Q & A Research, Inc. is a full-​service marketing research firm, offering a vast array of both quantitative and qualitative services to clients in the execution of local, national, and international studies. We have set ourselves apart by delivering quality research, high-​level analysis, fast turnaround and exceptional service at competitive prices.»
Nice facility. I did a focus group on a major clothing company’s holiday ad campaign. The taxfree cash «compensation» was good.