i'm a market researcher

[the crispy badger]

Originally posted by Wookie@Aug 27 2005, 03:06 PM
I find it pathetic that the best excuse a marketer can come up with for annyoing me is the time difference

I find it pathetic that marketers put people who are in their own house in a position in which they feel they must lie to a person who is pestering them

I find it pathetic that time after time I asked to have people stop calling me yet often it keeps up, the same people, firm, co..

all you need to say is "sorry man i'm not interested"..at least be polite about it instead of slamming the phone down..I often wonder how people would like it if I came to THEIR job and screamed at them

[the crispy badger]

Originally posted by InTheSlot@Aug 27 2005, 10:44 PM
When they call me, I say "You know I'm a little busy right now and can't talk, but if you give me your home phone number I'll call you later and we can discuss this."


They usually reply with "uh, what?" to which I say "What? You're gonna call me but I can't call you? Just gimme your number and we'll talk later."


They either hang up there or say something like "We're not allowed to give our home phone numbers", and then that's the point where I hang up.#

I'll usually at that point say .."sorry i've heard that one before" and hang up on THEM

[Bobblehead]

A couple of years ago I was called to do a survey. I said, "No thanks" and hung up. I called back immediately to be asked why. "Why, because I don't want to." I said and hung up again. A couple of minutes later I was called back AGAIN, this time it was a supervisor who wanted to know why I didn't want to do it. I said to take me off their list, they said they didn't have a list, I said I don't care, just stop calling me.

I said to myself I wasn't going to do any more surveys. But I did. One more.

The survey was about radio stations. I wasn't doing anything important, was interested in music, so I figured "What the heck". I was told it would take 5-10 minutes.. It took 20. Then I was called back the next night because the person had missed a couple questions. Then I called back the next night because another question was missed.

Once was fine, until I was mislead about the time requirement. The the call backs were icing on the cake. I will no longer do surveys. Ever. Period.

[Sittler]

Originally posted by the crispy badger@Aug 29 2005, 10:40 AM
I often wonder how people would like it if I came to THEIR job and screamed at them

You said it all right there... the point is we don't come into your place of employment. You however, "invade" ours via the phone. Big difference.

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by the crispy badger@Aug 27 2005, 10:52 AM
I've thought about doing this for awhile..what are you thoughts and questions about being rung up at 6:00pm and being pestered with questions?

We have caller ID and generally don't answer the phone unless we recognize the number. Certainly not toll-free numbers.

One toll-free number called about 10 times a day for more than a week.

That's what we think of the 10 to 15 calls a day we get at all hours that are univited or have no relevance to us. Ignore, ignore, ignore.

You're the scourge of mankind, although I think its true that about 2/3rds of humanity has never made a telephone call in their lives.

Say, do you guys ever sit around a kid about that Seinfeld episode where he asks the telemarketer for his home phone number so he can call at suppertime?

And do people try to pull that on you?

Cowperson

[Patek23]

I hate you guys (not literally), I pick up and than hang-up, I used to get 20-30 calls a week now it's limited to 2-3, Sometimes I fall sucker if the number is (403) because it's local and I'm not sure if it's charity.

[Eagle Eye]

Well I had no problem with market researchers until about a 2 months ago. I get called and answer a few questions (took about 5 minutes). Well a month later I get a call saying thank you for doing the survey (I didn't even remember what it was about) and they said that they wanted to 'send' me a gift to say thanks. What they meant by send was a guy will show up at your house in 30 minutes and try and sell you a $2500 vaccum (which wasn't what the questions were about) and then give me 2 steak knives. Now I know most marketers wouldn't pull shinguard like that, but you really wonder why they have a bad name.

I will never answer questions for market research again because of that.

[moon]

I have no problem with market researchers and really telemarketers for that matter. Don't really see what the big deal is with getting phone calls. Although the one story of calling back a few times seems to be a little much.

I enjoy answering survey questions, but would say that my opinions probably are not inline with the general publics and thus don't really think I am helping all that much.

If the worst part of my life is that people call my house I think I am doing okay. If they call at dinner, meh, no worse than any other time of day for me.

[Mr. Ski]

I'm OK with true market research, and I've done a few in the past couple of years.

Telemarketers on the other hand bug me to no end. My usual tactic is to quietly set the phone down and let them keep talking.

I'll go make a snack, feed the dog, tidy up the kitchen, etc. while they bable away on the line.

It'll sometime take them four or five minutes before they realize nobody's there anymore. Guilty pleasure for sure, and I'm not 100% if it's specifically because of this, but I'm getting less and less calls. Too bad...

[flmsfan2004]

I worked as a telephone researcher for a whole 2 days. I couldn't handle it. Calling people all day is awful (at least I thought it was).
Every since that experience I am more than happy to answer researchers questions when they call my house. It is a shame that more people don't agree to participate. Next time you watch the news or read the newspaper, pay attention to how many stories are based off some newly released research study done by companies such as Ipsos-Reid you may be surprised.

[Faid1]

DONT YOU JUST HATE TELEMARKETERS?????

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally posted by Faid1@Aug 29 2005, 02:21 PM
DONT YOU JUST HATE TELEMARKETERS?????

Faid1, do you ever wake up in the morning and go "Fackin hell, I'm a ###### bag!"

[Faid1]

No, actually I hate telemarketers and I get about 3 calls a day from them and hang up every time.

[RougeUnderoos]

I don't mind the surveys either but like someone else said, it's a real passoff if it takes 3 times longer than they said it would.

Some of the questions, geez, they are so longwinded and goofy. "Of the three Calgary Real Estate Magazines you picked up in the last 1 -3 months, on a scale of 1 -5, how would you rate the quality of the editorial content. One for great, 2 for satisfactory, 3 for unsatisfactory, 4 for very unsatisfactory, 5 for poor".

By the time they get to the end of that spiel I don't know what the hell they want so they get a pretty much random answer.

[FireFly]

How would that apply to the survey I did for the City of Calgary who wanted to know what would help the downtown core, and whether or not they should have signs on 17th Ave calling it the Red Mile? It might make Bronco more popular, but something tells me he'd win the next election anyways.... Not all surveys are like that, but the ones where you have to recall 52 different tv or radio ads, I forget them all anyways. I do surveys for shinguards and giggles and because I think I have something important to say about whatever it is they're researching.

[MarchHare]

do you realize what market research is?..it's doing surveys..NOT hawking credit cards or giving money to charity or any of that crap..we do a service by asking people what products and services they enjoy..can you see the difference?

If your company wants my opinions for market research, they can pay me to participate in a focus group. I see no difference between a market researcher and a telemarketer; they both disturb the privacy of my home.

[CaramonLS]

I do not have call ID at my apartment, so usually I pick up the phone, wait about 3-4 seconds after I say hello.

If there is a reasonable delay, I hang up on them (because it means their computer or whatever is rerouting the call).

I actually had 1 guy I hung up on after doing that CALL ME BACK and leave a message on my answering machine saying "Its very rude to hang up on people".

[FireFly]

Originally posted by fotze+Aug 29 2005, 03:51 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (fotze @ Aug 29 2005, 03:51 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-FireFly@Aug 29 2005, 03:16 PM
How would that apply to the survey I did for the City of Calgary who wanted to know what would help the downtown core, and whether or not they should have signs on 17th Ave calling it the Red Mile? It might make Bronco more popular, but something tells me he'd win the next election anyways.... Not all surveys are like that, but the ones where you have to recall 52 different tv or radio ads, I forget them all anyways. I do surveys for shinguards and giggles and because I think I have something important to say about whatever it is they're researching.

I've never had those so they would sort of be alright. I am talking about the product surveys only. [/b][/quote]
But you never know if you hang up on them all....

[Savvy27]

Originally posted by MrMastodonFarm+Aug 29 2005, 08:24 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (MrMastodonFarm @ Aug 29 2005, 08:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Faid1@Aug 29 2005, 02:21 PM
DONT YOU JUST HATE TELEMARKETERS?????

Faid1, do you ever wake up in the morning and go "Fackin hell, I'm a ###### bag!" [/b][/quote]
Speaking from experience?

Anyways, I try not to be rude to any of the telemarketers, market research analysts, charity workers, etc. In fact the only thing that really bothers me about them is when they are trying to explain that they are not trying to sell me anything and it takes them about 45 seconds to get through their explanation. By that time I've already decided that its taking too long and I wish them luck with their next call.

[Ryan Coke]

I usually give them one polite "No thanks, I'm not interested/busy/whatever", but then if they keep pushing they are asking for whatever abuse they get. If they are decent and say thanks anyway and goodbye, then I never need to be rude or hang up on them--their choice.

I also try to just not answer those #'s I don't recognize, but it drives me when the same one keeps calling-- I've had the same # call 5 times in 2 days. I finally answer it, and get the "it is the CIBC calling", well if this was really important leave a message on the first call and I'll get back to you. Don't keep calling but refusing to leave messages.