For quite a while now, it’s been very quiet on the telemarketing front at our home. It looks like that period may be coming to an end.
I realize that someone calling to do a survey is exempt from the ‘Do Not Call’ regulations, but that does not mean I want to talk to those people any more than I want to talk to a telemarketer. They both interrupt whatever it is I happen to be doing, and are asking for my time to benefit their organization while offering me nothing in return.
Last evening when the phone rang at 6:45 the called ID displayed the tell-tale ‘Out of Area.’ Since I was actually expecting a call from a company, I thought that it might have been the call I was waiting for and I picked up.
The fellow on the other end sounded rather odd. Robotic. In fact, for a moment, I actually wondered if it was one of those automated calls, since the guy was so monotone. He first wanted to assure me that he was not calling to sell me something.
He then went on to tell me he was from ‘Opinion Dynamics’ and they were doing a survey for a major television network. At that point he asked if I was ‘one of the heads of the household.’
I told him that I was, and without giving him a chance to respond, I asked him if I was going to be paid for taking part in the survey.
Click.
Yep, the ignorant idiot hung up on me. Which is actually the outcome I had hoped for since it results in less of my time being wasted.
I’ve complained about this in the past, but would like to bring it up again. How is it that these survey companies expect people to waste their time on the phone answering questions which will help some huge corporation increase their profits, and not offer participants a dime?
Was the moron who called my home last night doing it for free? That’s highly doubtful. It’s likely that he collects a paycheck from ‘Opinion Dynamics.’ Sure there might be calls that go out from volunteers who may be working for organizations like Greenpeace or whatever, but last’s evening’s call was certainly not one of those.
I wish more people would start telling these survey companies that they would like some form of compensation for their time. Why should we be expected to work for free? I wouldn’t apply for a job that advertised the fact that they were not willing to pay me, and I bet you wouldn’t either.
I’m not talking about charity work here. The guy that called me last evening said he was gathering information for a major television network. Now why would I want to work for one of those corporations for free?
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