I'm on the do-not-call list, and when I get a call that slips through one of the loopholes, I usually cut it right off. We do not accept phone solicitations. That's a stock phrase at my end. We do not accept computer-dialed calls at this number. That's what I say when I answer and there's a lag in the response time. But I am sometimes willing to respond to a survey. After last night, however, I think I'm going to add a new stock phrase: We don't do surveys.
I agreed to do a survey, even though I didn't recognize the name of the organization or ask any questions about it. I answered a few questions: how likely am I to vote, my opinion of George Bush, my opinion of Jim Doyle, my opinion of Mark Green (Doyle's Republican challenger in the Wisconsin governor's race). On the latter two questions, I wanted an answer right in the middle, but I couldn't get any closer to the middle than "slightly favorable" or "slightly unfavorable." I said I needed a middle choice. The next question was something like: "Do you think Jim Doyle fights for the middle class?" Now, I think that's a bogus question. Instead of saying, I'm not taking this survey, I once again say I need a choice in the middle. At that point, my questioner says "Thank you for your participation" and rejects me!
On reflection, I assume it was a Doyle campaign operation, seeking to identify voters to prompt to vote on election day. I think it's a fraud to purport to be a survey when that is not your real purpose, and rejecting me before I got it together to reject them irks me so much, I feel like holding it against Doyle. [NOTE: Based on the comments, I believe the call was tied to the Green campaign, so I feel like holding it against Green.]
I don't like to ruin things for the legitimate surveys out there, but I feel ripped off. Should I refuse all surveys in the future or just resolve to be aggressive at that outset and interrogate the telephoner about the nature of the survey? That's a lot of trouble. A phone call disturbs me at home. Why should I permit it to make further inroads into my serenity by dragging me into the role of suspicious interrogator?
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I don't remember the name, but I think it had more than two words.
Thats pretty funny. Why dont you hire an attorney?
fraud- lol
Seriously though, I would think your home time is more important to you than answering phone calls from someone you dont know.
Call`arg I.D., new invention.
Do have a friend who`s an attorney who likes to answer crank calls just to argue.
"Should I resolve never to answer a telephone survey again?"
Yes !
Mickey: Not every word that is also a legal term is always a legal term when it's used -- even by a lawprof.
There is absolutely nothing more annoying than a recorded message from a Candidate playing when you pick up the phone. "Hi! I'm Kathleen Falk....!" They should be banned banned banned.
I worked at UWSC in college (with John, for a time, actually), and now work for a very large research organization, where part of my job is designing and implementing surveys. That phone call was a push poll, and not what I do. I suggest you interrogate the interviewer. The question you need to ask, specifically, and this goes for everyone, is "Who is paying for this?" If it's not an organization you've heard of, or can easily verify by a bit of Googling, don't do it.
Gerry: You brought up Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates. I believe that's what it was.
my opinion of Jim Doyle....
I first read that as "my opinion of Doyle" and thought "They're doing opinion surveys about blog commenters now?!" Then I re-read it and saw that they weren't asking about this guy after all. Whew, that's a relief. I'd hate to think that blog commenting would become pollster driven....
Should I refuse all surveys in the future or just resolve to be aggressive at that outset and interrogate the telephoner about the nature of the survey?
My counsel is to refuse the surveys. Given the selection effects with which phone surveys are rife, I think "legitimate phone survey" is an oxymoron.
I have reached the point where I don't pick up the phone if the caller ID isn't someone I know.
A couple of summers ago, my niece got a summer job as a telemarketer. Her parents were profoundly embarrassed. Not as embarrassed, perhaps, as if she had announced that she was going into the sex service industry; but embarrassed nonetheless. I really felt for them.
"If that is so, it is likely that the call was from Green (or a group sympathetic to him). Do you feel like holding it against Green?"
So, seriously, folks, do you think I'm more likely to vote for Green than for Doyle?
It's hard for me to imagine that anyone could support Doyle after his shenanigans with the state elections board.
Look at the alternative -- someone who, if my daughter is raped -- wants her to carry that child to term. Someone who wants to shut the door on the economic development that could accompany some kinds of basic research. Someone who is all for stifling free speech.
The Republicans really dropped the ball here -- a moderate would've stood a good chance, but as usual, some right-wing fringer got the nomination. And again, we're stuck deciding between do-nothing Kohl and Mr. Anonymous for the Senate Seat. The Democrats can't seem to nominate anyone decent for President, and Republicans in WI, at least, can't nominate anyone that a centrist can stomach.
Great post, though I'd like to see more thoughts on why you participated in the "survey", or whatever it was, just to understand your mindset. The primary reason I'm so suspicious of polls is because I can't conceive of a circumstance under which I would answer questions about politics for a cold caller.
Word verification: Yekum
I not going to say what it is, this being a family blog and all, but if you're curious: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yekum.html
So, seriously, folks, do you think I'm more likely to vote for Green than for Doyle?
Actually, that's a fair question, IMO. The safety and national security issues that have pulled you towards President Bush are virtually non-existant on the State level. Likewise, you've admitted on the blog that you're to the left of Green on his social conservative issues.
Is that enough to overcome Governor Doyle's pimping out state contracts and perpetual gaming contracts for campaign donations (allegedly), and "balancing" the State budget by creating future deficits? (I haven't even mentioned the Elections board yet.)
If I had to guess, I'd say Green....but I'm not putting money on it.
My first line in the sand was to hang on up on the kinds of push polling Jim C describes, after making a nasty comment about the practice. Now, since I use a cell phone exclusively, I just don't answer unidentified numbers, and skip the whole mess.
I used to answer their first question, then place the phone down and walk away - let them figure it out Fen, what a great tactic.
when I get a call that slips through one of the loopholes, I usually cut it right off.
On my landline, my response is to pretend I don't speak English. It is a laugh. On my cel, I can't really do that, since an unknown caller might be from work or something, but I get very few unwanted calls on my cel. Usually it's an innocent mistaken number. Or someone speaking Spanish.
I had some service done at the local Toyota dealer and was told that I might receive a written satisfaction survey from Toyota. If I gave the dealer "excellent" ratings across the board, the dealer told me, they'd give me a free oil change!
As a former marketer, I was both repulsed and impressed. It's a really a great deal for the dealer and the customer. If you really felt the service was "very good" you're not going to mark "excellent" in order to get a free oil change? And the dealer gets to boast about their great customer satisfaction ratings.
The only people who lose out are 1) the folks who might rely on those ratings to choose a service station and 2) the marketing people at Toyota who think their surveys mean something.
To paraphrase Twain: "There's lies, damned lies, and marketing surveys."
"Surveys" are the new solicitation call, and there are a lot of surveys out there. If you stick with the survey (keep answering the questions) you find many of the questions getting more and more pointed. "If you were to buy a condominium today, what amenities would you want and how much would you be willing to pay for the condominium?" "Would you be willing to trade in your car if the numbers were right?" (whatever that means). Many of these surveys are sponsored by companies who want to market to you, but are steering clear of the no-call lists. The right answer to all of these calls is "I am on the federal and state no-call lists, and you are violating those lists with this telephone call." Most surveys immediately hang up if you use these words. And one of the problems with answering even one survey is that you are establishing "a relationship" with the source of the call, which gives them the right to call you again or having one of their "trading partners" call you again, because that will not be in violation of the no-call lists (companies with which you have "a relationship" are excluded). So, just say NO.
Personally, I always lie on phone surveys. If they're going to bother me at home I might as well do what I can to make their lives worse.
Wow, thanks, Gerry. If this works, I should put this in a front page post to help other bloggers, but I would need you to put into words what to do. I mean, I've been following the problem, but I'd have a hard time explaining to people who were just starting to pay attention to it.
Yikes, Gerry, that sent the page back to Sept. 11, 2004! I can't imagine why.
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