# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/121 "2012-10-19T02:45:01Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Anytime they call? > > Generally if there’s a weird looking number on my caller ID, I don’t answer it. Pretty simple. > > I just see no reason to be hateful to someone if it can be easily avoided, especially over petty shit like this. My God, it’s a PHONE CALL for fuck’s sake. Well, not answering is what a lot of the people in the thread are in fact doing, but you seem to have labeled everyone in the thread an asshole. Last presidential election season, when I lived in Ohio, it wasn’t enough not to answer the phone, because the phone essentially didn’t stop ringing from August through early November. At what point do the calls IN become hateful? ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/122 "2012-10-19T02:46:16Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Companies pay people to answer surveys. I cashed out over $200 in Amazon gift certificates last month from VOLUNTARY surveys I did over the course of three months in the privacy of my own home at my pace when I felt like it. > > That’s what ethical companies and ethical people do. Paid surveys sometimes generate different results than unpaid surveys, even from the same participants. Most companies will do some paid focus groups in addition to their surveys. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/123 "2012-10-19T02:49:34Z")
**Flyer** : Please post your home and cell phone numbers in this thread. Many of us would like to “survey” you. ---
**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 19, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/124 "2012-10-19T02:55:02Z")
> [@LavenderBlue](#): > > Since you’re being paid the fabulous sum of nearly nine bucks an hour don’t you think the people you call/annoy/harrass should also be paid? Why do you think they should give you their time for free? The people that we call are given a free, easy opportunity to make their opinions heard. There are a great many people who evidently aren’t as greedy as you are, because they’re happy to share their opinions. ---
**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 19, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/125 "2012-10-19T02:58:05Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Oh, please! I am one of the few people in this thread who is willing to cut you even half a break. You work off scripts. Your productivity is judged by how many people you call each day and how many surveys you complete. You aboslutely know how long the survey is supposed to take – if only because you know how long it’s taken with other people. You don’t WANT to tell me, because you know I’ll hang up if I think it’s too long. > > But IF for some reason you genuinely don’t know because I’m the first person you ever actually had to give this survey to, or if I’m the\* nth\* caller and I get a hundred extra bonus questions, that’s okay, I understand. Just like I hope you’ll understand when I say “I’m not interested” and hang up before you have a chance to say anything else to me. Most of the time, yes, I know how long a survey is SUPPOSED to take; I do not know, however, how long it WILL take. Usually the target time is pretty accurate, but once in a while it’s way off. ---
**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 19, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/126 "2012-10-19T03:00:56Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Your job is being paid to annoy people, with no recourse for them to stop you from annoying them, on the equipment and service that your marks pay for, during hours when your marks are trying to relax and have some down-time. It’s not “merely because of the type of job that person has.” It’s because people truly hate what you do to them. Wrong. My job is collecting information. And incidentally, the percentage of rude or hateful people that I “meet” on the job is far, far lower than the percentage of such people here on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/127 "2012-10-19T03:04:45Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > See, here’s the problem with that. Many people who would LIKE to take a particular survey are the types who won’t even listen to you long enough to even know whether or not the survey is about something they actually care about. THAT’S why they keep calling, because so many people won’t even listen for that short amount of time. Gee, I wonder how people learned to identify certain types of calls as ones to be hung up on immediately, and why they lost the patience to give them the benefit of the doubt… :rolleyes: :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > I get it, you don’t want your time wasted. However, companies need to have ways to get people’s opinions. I hear there’s this thing called “the invisible hand of the marketplace” that sends clear signals. There’s also the visible hand of **stevemb** , which I am using at this very moment to send another sort of signal in the general direction of phone spammers. ---
**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 19, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/128 "2012-10-19T03:12:10Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > I just want to point out that I have no problem with the OP’s job, or surveyors, telemarketers, or even debt collectors in and of themselves. It’s the attitude, hypocrisy and outright aloofness that irritates to no end. I recognize that somebody has to do these jobs, but they can be a whole lot more polite about it. > > You don’t start an “ask the…” thread complaining about everyone like the OP did. It’s not in good form. > > I think it would be fair to say that if the same thread had been created, but the OP wasn’t so damn antagonistic and unremorseful/unashamed and hypocritical, it probably would have been a perfectly fine MPSIMS thread. But with the attitude and responses Flyer was displaying, it seems obvious that this thread really belongs in the pit, so I fully support the decision. Thanks Lynn! > > It wasn’t just an “Ask the…” thread, it was more of a tirade of why she hates people she has to call at work, with a “feel free to ask questions!!!” tagged on the end. I did NOT complain about everyone! Go back and re-read my OP. As a matter of fact, I said, “Most people are reasonably polite.” I’m not sure why some people have decided that I’m female–although I suppose I really haven’t given much indication one way or the other. I’m male. > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I disagree with your assessment of it. Yes, there were more than your fair share of peeves listed, but it didn’t read like a tirade to me. Cold calling is a tough job, even when it’s something legitimate like political polling. I’d expect any discussion of it to include some peeves. > > Now, I was coming into this from the ATMB thread, so I was sort of expecting a “come at me bro” attitude that guaranteed a move to the Pit, but I didn’t get that vibe from the OP. Even so, it turned personal pretty quick. Thank you. Finally somebody actually read for comprehension. The whole reason why I decided to post in the first place was in the spirit of “fighting ignorance.” I know that a lot of people have never worked in a job like that, and I thought that perhaps–just PERHAPS–somebody might be curious. And so I set out to fight ignorance. I tried to clear up misconceptions about the Do Not Call list; I tried to clear up misconceptions about how to get such companies to stop calling people. Out of 11 paragraphs, only 3 could be construed as complaining. And I must say, I was very surprised at the shabby, vitriolic response that my well-intentioned efforts met with. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/129 "2012-10-19T03:21:36Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The people that we call are given a free, easy opportunity to make their opinions heard. There are a great many people who evidently aren’t as greedy as you are, because they’re happy to share their opinions. You and your rotten company make money from your actions. You then have the nerve to whine that people who also want to be paid for their time are greedy? You hypocritical putz. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/130 "2012-10-19T03:22:29Z")
(posting after reading [del]most[/del] some of the OP) Oh, so THIS is the kind of asshole telemarketer you guys associate me with. No wonder you hate me! 😉 There’s a difference between what I do and the raw body counts of the survey people. F’rinstance, I only want to talk to you if you want to talk to me so I try to flush the rest out of the call list as fast and painlessly as I can. Blows my contact conversion numbers to Hell, but I have happier customers and fewer sales that break down at the payment stage. Now all I need is a method for gently cutting off the women my age who talk my ear off but aren’t going to buy anything. I’ve always been deadly attractive to women my present age and older, but when I was 18 it was no fun being attractive to women pushing 60. ETA: And I’m limited to calling people who are already customers while political surveyors can run roughshod over the whole phone book. Puts a whole different complexion on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/131 "2012-10-19T03:26:00Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > Gee, I wonder how people learned to identify certain types of calls as ones to be hung up on immediately, and why they lost the patience to give them the benefit of the doubt… :rolleyes: :rolleyes: > I hear there’s this thing called “the invisible hand of the marketplace” that sends clear signals. There’s also the visible hand of **stevemb** , which I am using at this very moment to send another sort of signal in the general direction of phone spammers. I’m not saying people don’t have good _reason_ from past experience to hang up. Long, poorly-designed surveys, especially on subjects you don’t care about, are extremely annoying. I’ve taken a few, and I’ve had to administer a few, as a surveyor. They suck. Don’t start about the invisible hand of the marketplace, though. Surveys are freely-entered-into, there’s no coercion. That’s about as free as it gets. Surely any concept of a “free marketplace” would include the ability to survey people. Please stop trying to have your cake and eat it too. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/132 "2012-10-19T03:50:21Z")
> [@al27052](#): > > See, here’s the problem with that. Many people who would LIKE to take a particular survey are the types who won’t even listen to you long enough to even know whether or not the survey is about something they actually care about. THAT’S why they keep calling, because so many people won’t even listen for that short amount of time. > [@al27052](#): > > Don’t start about the invisible hand of the marketplace, though. Surveys are freely-entered-into, there’s no coercion. That’s about as free as it gets. Surely any concept of a “free marketplace” would include the ability to survey people. Please stop trying to have your cake and eat it too. Wow, that sure was a fast pivot from “telepests are perfectly justified in refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer” to “telepests are a purely voluntary intrusion upon your time”. Ever think about going into politics? ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/133 "2012-10-19T04:40:45Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > The people that we call are given a free, easy opportunity to make their opinions heard. As has been pointed out, it’s not free if you’re someone who’s paying by the minute for your cellphone. And if I have to pay money in order to have my opinions heard, then I’d like it to be on MY terms and MY time, not when somebody else calls me while I’ve got dinner on the stove. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/134 "2012-10-19T05:16:53Z")
Flyer, I apologize for mischaracterizing your post by saying you had a problem with everyone. Clearly you didn’t say that. I also apologize for referring to you as she/her. If you ever happen to call me as a surveyor, I will be polite to you, and might even take your survey! I just think you were being extremely rude and arrogant on a few points, and it pissed me off. ---
**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 19, 2012, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/135 "2012-10-19T05:23:22Z")
Just to give people a concrete example of what my work actually does–here are three PDF links about a Marist poll in Wisconsin. Press release: > **[Complete%20October%2018,%202012%20Wisconsin%20NBC%20News\_WSJ\_Marist%20Poll%20Release.pdf](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/Complete%20October%2018,%202012%20Wisconsin%20NBC%20News_WSJ_Marist%20Poll%20Release.pdf)** > > 40.85 KB A condensed version of much of the same information: > **[NBC%20News\_WSJ\_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Nature%20of%20the%20Sample.pdf](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/NBC%20News_WSJ_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Nature%20of%20the%20Sample.pdf)** > > 23.89 KB An explanation of how the survey was conducted: > **[NBC%20News\_WSJ\_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Methodology.pdf](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/NBC%20News_WSJ_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Methodology.pdf)** > > 12.11 KB I don’t remember whether I actually worked on this particular survey, but I have worked on other Marist projects. So when you read those links, and look at the depth of detail, remember– **THAT** is what I do. And I make no apologies whatsoever for my work. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/136 "2012-10-19T05:40:08Z")
> [@Lanzy](#): > > Persistance in that “we” did not use the right wording to tell surveyors to stop calling is a pretty dickish thing to do. After all it is impossible to understand it any way other than to do what ever it takes to stop calling us. Why does anyone want to call people back that have no interest in being called? Because it is a company rule? Any company that acts like this is extremly lame and slightly retarded. It’s not a “dickish” thing to do. It’s a sleazy way to find a loophole so they can keep on harassing people, and then claim that people didn’t tell them they couldn’t. Back in the day, IIRC, telling people “take me off of your list” actually technically gave them the right to call you back, because the people on the “list” were the ones they COULDN’T call. > [@Muffin](#): > > Political polling is legit? Legit as in legal, yes, but it is still an unwanted intrustion that provides no benefit for the person being intruded upon. I couldn’t give a flying fig if a political party does not know who I will vote for, or if a political party does not have the opportunity to waste my time on my telephone trying to sell me its song. > > Bottom line: keep off my lawn, and keep off my telephone. If a person does not respect that, then they get no respect in return. I got a political poll today that was finally not a robocall. It felt soooo good to say, “I’m going to vote for whoever isn’t calling me 24 hours a day!” _click_ (I only wish I had been able to slam the phone down, rather than just press the disconnect button. I miss that.) ---
**Author:** ![duchessofdork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@duchessofdork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duchessofdork)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/137 "2012-10-19T06:36:30Z")
Sooooo… are there any situations in which you are instructed to end the call/not call back? ---
**Author:** ![akennett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@akennett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akennett)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/138 "2012-10-19T10:46:14Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > And I make no apologies whatsoever for my work. YEah, we know that. Scumbag pieces of shit rarely do make apologies. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/139 "2012-10-19T11:35:38Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > And incidentally, the percentage of rude or hateful people that I “meet” on the job is far, far lower than the percentage of such people here on this board. My voicemail is very polite. I think if you were to “meet” everyone you call, rather than their Voicemail/answering machine, you’d get way more “fuck yous”. Fuck you. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056/140 "2012-10-19T11:50:24Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Just to give people a concrete example of what my work actually does–here are three PDF links about a Marist poll in Wisconsin. > > Press release: > [http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/Complete%20October%2018,%202012%20Wisconsin%20NBC%20News\_WSJ\_Marist%20Poll%20Release.pdf](http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/Complete%20October%2018,%202012%20Wisconsin%20NBC%20News_WSJ_Marist%20Poll%20Release.pdf) > > A condensed version of much of the same information: > [http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/NBC%20News\_WSJ\_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Nature%20of%20the%20Sample.pdf](http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/NBC%20News_WSJ_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Nature%20of%20the%20Sample.pdf) > > An explanation of how the survey was conducted: > [http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/NBC%20News\_WSJ\_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Methodology.pdf](http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/WIPolls/WI121015/General%20Election%202012/NBC%20News_WSJ_Marist%20Poll%20Wisconsin%20Methodology.pdf) > > I don’t remember whether I actually worked on this particular survey, but I have worked on other Marist projects. So when you read those links, and look at the depth of detail, remember– **THAT** is what I do. And I make no apologies whatsoever for my work. But the value of your data is suspect. You have made it clear that you don’t care if people wish to respond, you will hound them until they do. At that time, they won’t be interested in contributing, they will be interested in getting rid of you. The quality of the data cannot be trusted if you have bullied people into giving answers. Based your information (OK, I had already concluded this, since I had to get a device to screen out pollsters) I now have no faith at all in polls. As far as I can tell, your company cares more about the volume of data than the accuracy of the data. Such methodologies are useless. As far as being rude: The first time a polling company called me I was courteous. The second time I was courteous but more firm. After that I demanded to be left alone. The rudeness is in using a device I pay for, for your purposes and then not taking a courteous ‘no’ for an answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-person-who-calls-people-telephone-surveys/638056.md?page=8)