# Ask the person who calls people--telephone surveys **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 17, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056 "2012-10-17T20:07:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/21 "2012-10-18T02:52:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Ask the person who calls people–telephone surveys Are you even as little ashamed of what you’re doing? Do you realize it’s an invasion of peoples time and privacy? Are you concerned only that your getting paid regardless of the frustration you cause other people? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/22 "2012-10-18T02:56:13Z")
Actually, **Flyer** DID suggest a useful magic incantation – if only all telemarketing companies would honor it. Forget all the nitpicky wording rules about “Take me off your calling list” or “Add me to your do-not-call list” or whatever, which they’ll ignore if you so much as put some accent on the wrong syllable. Just tell them you’ve just had a death in the family and you aren’t prepared to do any telephone business for the next dozen years or so. Tell them you’re sitting shiva. Especially if they ask for a specific person, tell them that person is dead, or in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/23 "2012-10-18T02:57:00Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > There was one particularly famous thread over in the Pit (where ALL threads about telemarketers, by natural law, belong). (Yes, that generally includes phone surveyors too.) Anybody know which one I’m talking about, with a link to it? I believe you’re talking about the classic from **Cervaise** , [The Telemarketer Speaks. I Respond.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=974729) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/24 "2012-10-18T02:57:34Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Based on personal experience and a small amount of cursory research, it seems that most survey companies act the same way. Not interested in doing the survey? Too bad–do it anyway or be bugged until that particular project ends. Why would you waste your time doing that? Can’t you take a hint? Do you have unlimited funds and/or just like to harass people (and calling repeatedly is the very definition of it). Wouldn’t your time be spent more productively finding other [del]suckers[/del] people? > [@](#): > > At my company, at least, it doesn’t matter whether you answer or not. We’ll simply keep calling until the project ends. We have the ability to see how many times we’ve called a particular number, and I’ve seen cases where the answering machine has picked up 5 or 6 times. Why would you waste your time doing that? Can’t you take a hint? Do you have unlimited funds and/or just like to harass people (and calling repeatedly is the very definition of it). Wouldn’t your time be spent more productively finding other [del]suckers[/del] people? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/25 "2012-10-18T03:02:42Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I believe you’re talking about the classic from **Cervaise** , [The Telemarketer Speaks. I Respond.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=974729) That’s a classic, all right. Whatever happened to **Cervaise**? He/she/it hasn’t logged on since 2009. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/26 "2012-10-18T03:05:50Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I believe you’re talking about the classic from **Cervaise** , [The Telemarketer Speaks. I Respond.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=974729) Bingo, **Ferret Herder**! That, and for the necessary background, the earlier thread cited in that OP. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/27 "2012-10-18T03:20:34Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > :dubious: Does the act of completing the survey result in “establishing a business relationship” with the company requesting the data? Because people might be getting you off their backs only to royally fuck themselves over by ensuring that Whatever Company can ignore the DNC and call them all the time. > > And since I work in medical research, I have to know - what do you do with the data if someone tells you that they’ve been lying in the survey? 😃 If somebody told me that their answers were lies, I would pass the buck to my supervisor. 😃 > [@Senegoid](#): > > Did I read this right? Do my eyes deceive me? Did you mean to say that _your company calls cell phones?_ Isn’t there, um, some rule about doing that? These two quotes perfectly illustrate the portion in my OP where I talked about misconceptions. We are not selling anything, so there’s no “business relationship” to establish. A lot of people hear or read something; for example, they may learn that debt collectors are supposed to call only during certain hours. And then they either simply assume that that also applies to opinion surveys, or else they don’t bother to make a distinction at all. And I realize that a lot of you don’t make a distinction–_ **but the law does** _. > [@](#): > > Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most **telemarketers** are barred from calling consumers’ cell phones without their consent. (emphasis added) > **[National Do Not Call Registry FAQs](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/national-do-not-call-registry-faqs)** > > Advice to help you stop unwanted calls, and information about the National Do Not Call Registry. > [@](#): > > #30 > If the call is really for the sole purpose of conducting a survey, it is not covered. Only telemarketing calls are covered — **that is, calls that solicit sales of goods or services**. Callers purporting to take a survey, but also offering to sell goods or services, must comply with the National Do Not Call Registry. (emphasis added) > **[National Do Not Call Registry FAQs](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/national-do-not-call-registry-faqs)** > > Advice to help you stop unwanted calls, and information about the National Do Not Call Registry. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/28 "2012-10-18T03:22:01Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > I believe you’re talking about the classic from **Cervaise** , [The Telemarketer Speaks. I Respond.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=974729) AND, upon re-reading that OP, I even note that **Cervaise** directly called **Claudia VonL** the c-word FOUR times! And even got praised for it by **Lynn Bodoni** , moderator emeritus. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/29 "2012-10-18T03:23:05Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > I wish I had a landline so I could get a call from a sleazy survey company like this. I’d agree to answer the questions on a scale from 1-100 and give answers like “purple” until they hung up in frustration. We would simply toss your number back into the rotation, just on the off chance that somebody else would have better luck with you. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/30 "2012-10-18T03:25:42Z")
\ I’m just gonna move this thread into the Pit, because that’s where it belongs, and that’s where it’s headed anyway. Yeah, I don’t do this sort of thing often, but this is EXACTLY why we made the Pit.\ ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/31 "2012-10-18T03:27:55Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > And how is redialing the same number again and again NOT harassment? > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I believe **Flyer** is in Colorado. Colorado’s [harassment law](http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/laws/colorado.shtml) says that “repeated communications at inconvenient hours that invade the privacy of another and interfere in the use and enjoyment of another’s home or private residence or other private property” are harassment. > > If I’ve told you not to call me, doesn’t that mean I’ve defined all hours as inconvenient? And if you’re calling my phone, then by definition I don’t have full use or enjoyment of it at that time. (I have doubts that a court would see it that way, unfortunately.) > [@zoid](#): > > Are you even as little ashamed of what you’re doing? > > Do you realize it’s an invasion of peoples time and privacy? > > Are you concerned only that your getting paid regardless of the frustration you cause other people? Why in the world would I be ashamed? Research is important. (And yes, I’m serious.) About “harassment”–#1, people choose to have a phone in their house/on their person. #2, they choose to answer it. It’s “harassment” that they voluntarily consent to. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/32 "2012-10-18T03:29:46Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > This is MPSIMS so I can’t say half the things I want to say to you. And the other half, well, actually, I can’t say any of the things I want to say to you. Hey **drewtwo99** look! It’s in the Pit now! Now you can say half the things you want to say! Bring it on! Let fly! ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/33 "2012-10-18T03:30:45Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > \ I’m just gonna move this thread into the Pit, because that’s where it belongs, and that’s where it’s headed anyway. Yeah, I don’t do this sort of thing often, but this is EXACTLY why we made the Pit.\ YES! Now I can speak my mind. In fact,[I’ll just link to my post from the minirants page](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15601516&postcount=322). Flyer, I await your response with bated breath. > [@Flyer](#): > > Why in the world would I be ashamed? Research is important. (And yes, I’m serious.) > > About “harassment”–#1, people choose to have a phone in their house/on their person. #2, they choose to answer it. It’s “harassment” that they voluntarily consent to. Oh! Kind of like how if a woman wears a short skirt, she’s just consenting to be sexually harassed? Or if I answer my door and a burglar attacks me, I was asking for it! I gotcha! Fucking loser. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/34 "2012-10-18T03:33:18Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Why in the world would I be ashamed? Research is important. (And yes, I’m serious.) > > **About “harassment”–#1, people choose to have a phone in their house/on their person. #2, they choose to answer it. It’s “harassment” that they voluntarily consent to.** You bit! You took the bait! You’ve channeled **Claudia vonL**! We just had FOUR posts referring to the OP by **Cervaise** , and you’ve walked right in and stepped in it! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/35 "2012-10-18T03:36:48Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > AND, upon re-reading that OP, I even note that **Cervaise** directly called **Claudia VonL** the c-word FOUR times! And even got praised for it by **Lynn Bodoni** , moderator emeritus. Ahh, the brink of the turn of the century. Those were heady days, my friends, and the internet was a rootin’-tootin’ free-for-all, such as the world had not seen since the days of _Deadwood_, and may never see again. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/36 "2012-10-18T03:37:30Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Another thing, when I ask you “how long will this take” I would like an honest answer like “we have 10 questions” or “our goal is to complete the survey in four minutes.” That’s an interesting point. There are times (most times, actually) when I couldn’t tell you the number of questions to save my life. Sometimes the survey software will have literally one question per screen. Sometimes there are 6 or 7 questions (or sub-questions) per screen. And some surveys don’t even number the questions–they name them! For instance, the question “Are you registered to vote?” might be named “Voter.” Plus, some people answer each question in rapid-fire order, whereas other people pause to think 10-20 seconds for each and every question. So I might know how long I want the survey to take, but I don’t know how long it will actually take. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/37 "2012-10-18T03:39:58Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > That’s an interesting point. There are times (most times, actually) when I couldn’t tell you the number of questions to save my life. Sometimes the survey software will have literally one question per screen. Sometimes there are 6 or 7 questions (or sub-questions) per screen. And some surveys don’t even number the questions–they name them! For instance, the question “Are you registered to vote?” might be named “Voter.” > > Plus, some people answer each question in rapid-fire order, whereas other people pause to think 10-20 seconds for each and every question. So I might know how long I want the survey to take, but I don’t know how long it will actually take. Also, the responses we might give might not match up with your scripted response requirements, thus causing even further delays! Delightful! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/38 "2012-10-18T03:42:27Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > About “harassment”–#1, people choose to have a phone in their house/on their person. #2, they choose to answer it. It’s “harassment” that they voluntarily consent to. Whoa, the _deja vu_ is thick upon the ground today. From the cited thread, post #1: > [@Cervaise](#): > > [**Claudia VonL**]\> You do have a phone wich implies you WANT to be called. > > [**Cervaise**] I have a butthole, too, but that doesn’t imply I want a running jigsaw inserted into it. Oh, but hey, you’ve got a VCR, so clearly that implies you want me to come into your house and put on a German Scheisse video while your mother is visiting. You’ve got a drawer full of silverware, too, so that implies you want someone to saw on the webbing between your fingers with red-hot butter knives while someone else scoops out your eyeballs with your grapefruit spoons. Right? _dialog attribution by me – **kd99** _ ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/39 "2012-10-18T03:45:11Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > AND, upon re-reading that OP, I even note that **Cervaise** directly called **Claudia VonL** the c-word FOUR times! And even got praised for it by **Lynn Bodoni** , moderator emeritus. Ah, but things were different back then! Good times! > [@Flyer](#): > > About “harassment”–#1, people choose to have a phone in their house/on their person. #2, they choose to answer it. It’s “harassment” that they voluntarily consent to. No, they don’t. I did not get a telephone line in order to be bothered by assholes like you (this is the Pit, so I can call it like it is). > [@Flyer](#): > > We would simply toss your number back into the rotation, just on the off chance that somebody else would have better luck with you. So after being instructed not to call, you keep calling. How is this not offensive? > [@Flyer](#): > > These two quotes perfectly illustrate the portion in my OP where I talked about misconceptions. We are not selling anything, so there’s no “business relationship” to establish. So because you are not selling anything, I’m supposed to accept your intrusion? At my cost? > [@](#): > > A lot of people hear or read something; for example, they may learn that debt collectors are supposed to call only during certain hours. And then they either simply assume that that also applies to opinion surveys, or else they don’t bother to make a distinction at all. And I realize that a lot of you don’t make a distinction–_ **but the law does** _.] But **we don’t.** No call means NO CALL. It doesn’t mean no call EXCEPT for worthy causes like pleadings from candidates or charities, it means NO FUCKING CALLS. At that is why you will waste your time and money calling me, because you will never, ever get an answer. And if you trick me into picking up the phone for a survey, I can guarantee my responses will make no sense at all and waste your time even more. And this is why surveys are meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/40 "2012-10-18T03:49:24Z")
GOD you’re a piece of shit **Flyer**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056.md?page=3)