Mar 22, 2007

surveys - ARGGHHHHH

I normally like participating in surveys, so this was unusual for me.

This lady calls up for a work related survey about equipment that we use. She says it will only take a couple of minutes. I agree to participate.

The questions she is asking me are all starting to run together. They all sound the same with just slight differences. I am trying to do somethign else at the same time, but can't seem to focus because her questions require too much concentration just to catch the subtle differences so as to answer properly.

After about 5 or 6 minutes I tell her that is it. I have had enough and cannot take it anymore. She is startled but says we are near the end, just a few more questions. She asks me to bear with her for another minute or so.

Two minutes later, after 4 more questions that all sounded the same, I tell her I have had enough. I cannot answer another question. I say goodbye.

She is startled and says, "What? What do you mean? we are almost done?"

I say I am sorry but all your questions are just about the same and it is taking way too long. I do not have the time.

She asks when she can call back to finish up.

I said not to call me again. If she has any more questions she should email them to me. I told her off for having so many questions and making it so difficult to answer and for taking so much of my time. She asks again if she can call back and I say no. I can't give her any more time. I hang up.

Recently I had another similar experience, but it was a digital survey.

We upgraded a product and afte rinstallation I agreed to participate in a survey. I get it by email and it takes me to a web page that had page after page pf questions. These, too, were very similar to each other and I had to really pay attention to answer properly.

I have done these before and sometimes a survey has a button that you can click to save the survey and get back to it later. This is very useful, especially when doing it at work. Sometimes I have to stop in the middle and being able to save it and get back to it later is useful.

This survey did not have such a feature. Just page after page of questions and I had to fill it all out in one sitting. After about 20 or so questions, I gave up and stopped.

A few days later I get an email from the company that I never completed the survey. I email them back that I could not give it the amount of time it needed. I suggested they shorten the survey in the future and that they add the feature to allow me to save it in the middle so I can get back to it later.

A few days later I get another email saying I still have not completed the survey. I ignored it, realizing it was just an automatic email and nobody actually reads the responses.

I am starting to lose patience with these guys. ARGHHHH

3 comments:

  1. Rafi, rafi, rafi. dont you understand? The modern doesn't exist for people like you. you are too smart, and too kind. You can only be kind and dumb, or smart and rude. There's no middle ground. These surveys are made either for the dumb, who are too dumb to do them, or the smart but rude, who are rude enough to say no from the beginning.
    By the way, look up the guy named Tom Mabe, i think you will really enjoy his work...

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  2. awwww, thanks whats. btw, the digital survey I mentioned was from the company you work for.

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  3. Surveys are so annoying I never have patience for them, so I understand.

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