I recently had the windscreen of the MX5 replaced. The car is insured by The New Zealand AA. It was all dealt with quickly and efficiently by the AA and the local branch of the repairer who came to The Cottage and did it whist I was out. However when I wanted to know how long it would be before I could drive the car the staff at the national number I dialled for the company told me that I couldn't drive it for 24 hours or, in effect, it wouldn't be warranted if it leaked. W h a t? I knew that if it had been done at the repairer's I could have collected it later in the day. So I rang the local people (having eventually found the local number). It had been done several hours previously so I could drive it now. You cannot put it through a pressure washer for 24 hours.
The AA sent me a survey to find out if I was happy with them and the repairer. It won't take more than 10 minutes. 10 Minutes! Then the repairer sent me a survey asking me similar questions. However it was all black and white: was I on a scale from 1 to 10 where.... You know the sort of thing. I was delighted with the local service but if I answered less than happily it would be the local people who got the stick. The number crunchers can't crunch comments.
Today I got a survey from Flying Flowers whom I often use to send flowers in the UK. I recently ordered particular flowers for someone. FF tried to telephone my UK home number to tell me that they were substituting something else 'because the flowers I'd ordered were not available for the area they were to be sent to' so they had made a (completely different) substitution. W h a t? I emailed and said that I was not really happy and asking for an explanation. I've had no reply. Obviously they don't need my business. This time the survey allows for comments: I wonder if I'll ever get a response to what I will say about their service. As for the flowers the whole point for most users of Flying Flowers is that they are sending them to someone else so they will probably never see the flowers and if you send someone flowers are they going to tell you that your efforts resulted in bad flowers? Perhaps. But I bet the majority wouldn't.
I have just totted up that this is about the seventh survey I have had in the last week to 10 days. I ignored all the others. I'm developing yet another dislike.
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On a scale of one to ten, how much pain have you endured over these surveys, GB? Sounds like a ten, to me.
ReplyDeleteWell on the Survey Pain Scale they were pretty high up, Frances.
DeleteFunny that ~ I just received a survey via email that brought me to this blog to rate it.
ReplyDeleteCarol you are just soooo funny.
Deletevan mij hoeft dat ook niet meer.
ReplyDeleteBas I hope I do not have any more.
DeleteWell, flowers are flowers whatever sort. They were lovely, they are still as fresh as when they first arrived and the thought was much appreciated. Thank you my friend. x
ReplyDeleteWell I take your point Pat and I'm glad you liked them but freesias are so much more colourful and scented in the dull days of winter.
DeleteIf surveys are well thought out AND the results mean something will be done about anything that is less than brilliant, then I am all for them. But most of the time, they are like the ones you describe; not really fitting whatever service or product it was you purchased, and "they" don't seem to be doing anything about the comments given, either.
ReplyDeleteSo, I do take surveys if they are short, or about a subject that matters to me, such as the state of my home town's train station. Our local paper and the city council have teamed up and provided an internet survey for everyone who wishes to participate. It is done in two rounds; the first round was a few months ago, and the results were published and commented upon in the paper. Round 2 is based on the results of Round 1. So I do hope that some things will change for the better at the station.
As usual I agree with you absolutely Meike. Surveys for the public (or even my!) benefit are usually to be welcomed. Commercial surveys for the benefit of the companies (usually done anonymously so that even if I pointed out the fault I'd get no feedback) just take up one's time.
DeleteThe key term you use is "number cruncher." They look for a trend that benefits their own goals to make more money rather than the consumer. There are always too many surveys,
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail right on the head Red.
DeleteAlthough I did hear once that the companies do actually take notice of these things and assume that for every complaint (compliment) ten people didn't bother to respond. So your response of a 1 or a 2 on the service scale might make someone sit up and take notice. You just never know -- you might be a huge catalyst for change -- for the better, GB! xoxo
ReplyDeleteCarol one lives in hope but not expectation.
DeleteSeems to me that the surveys are like spawned creatures from the netherworld....they're everywhere.
ReplyDeleteThe phone surveys I hardly take part in, but short web-based surveys and feedback input I try to make an extra effort to do my part.
One evening recently around dinnertime, the phone rang and it was a rep from the leading phone company conducting a survey, while at the same time trying to interest me in some of their other products...my only answer to him was "Sorry, it's my dinnertime! Gotta run."
Well Virginia I'm not sure that I'd know a spawned creature from the netherworld if I fell over it but I certainly see and get plenty of surveys or, as you say, sales people masquerading as survey people. Phone calls get no replies from me. It's the one area where I am quite ruthless and just put the phone down.
DeleteI hate surveys!
ReplyDeleteOh dear Liz. My Dad always taught me never to hate things. I don't like them a very lot though.
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