I’m in one of my frequent grumpy old man moods and the reason this time has to do with all the businesses that want me to give my opinion about a recent purchase or use of their service.
The situation has gotten out of hand.
For instance, after a recent visit to one of my doctors – yes, I’m in my 60s and have to go to many different physicians – I received an email on behalf of the doctor’s office asking me to take a “short survey” asking me my opinion of the visit. The visit went fine, so I did not feel compelled to take the survey.
The next day, I received another email from the doctor’s office – or more likely, marketing representative – imploring me to take the survey.
I ignored it, too. I received at least a couple more follow-up emails, which I also ignored.
Look, if I had a problem, I’d have told them about it. Anyone I know will tell you I’m not shy about expressing my opinions.
I also sometimes stop at fast food places for a burger or breakfast sandwich. Virtually every receipt you get from these joints contains a request for you to go to a website to take a survey about their products and services with some kind of enticement to participate, such as “Take this survey and we’ll give you a buy-one, get-one free deal” or something similar.
I don’t mind filling out these surveys on occasion. In fact, I’m happy if a receipt from my favorite hamburger restaurant chain has a survey offer on it because I love the chain’s food and am more than willing to tell them about it.
I can’t think of a time when I have not enjoyed the chain’s food and appreciated the attentive service from its employees.
On the other hand, another burger chain’s receipts sends you to a survey that only rewards you with bonus food if you give it a positive review.
What is the point of this?
If the company actually wants an honest assessment of its food and service, why ask for only positive reviews? The company has intentionally skewed the results from the outset, with people taking the survey just to get the extra piece of food for free. Naturally, they’ll hand out good marks no matter what they thought of their last visit.
I generally find the food tasty at this restaurant chain and would not mind throwing them a bone with a good review if warranted, but I am so offended by the ridiculous survey I have only taken it when I have felt the need to complain about bad service.
I don’t mean to dwell on only burger chains. As I scan my emails, I see a survey from a pizza chain my family recently patronized. Wasn’t it enough that we paid for our food and didn’t complain? Why are you badgering me about it?
I’ve also done a survey from a gasoline convenience store chain that asked specified questions, not allowing you to stray from these questions. The main reason I agreed to take the survey at all was so I could blast the company for the way it makes its coffee. I liked the old way they made their coffee and how it used to taste.
After they changed, I told the workers inside the stores my feelings, only to be met with stony silence. I wanted to vent in the online survey, but there was no provision for any comment outside of their multiple-choice questions.
I remember taking the survey of a different gasoline station convenience store in which it asked you to grade various aspects of its business on a 1-10 scale, 1 being the lowest mark and 10 the highest. I think I gave it mostly scores of 7.
At the end of the survey, it asked me to explain any instance where I did not give a 10. This made me scratch my head. I thought a 7 on a 1-10 scale was a pretty good score. Why should I have to explain my score?
Once in a blue moon, I actually want to compliment a business. I remember long ago a fast food restaurant opened in the shopping center where my newspaper had an office. They had printed surveys you had to take from the counter and fill out by hand. (It was that long ago.)
You got nothing for filling out the survey, but I wanted to let them know I appreciated their food and their service. I filled out a card and handed it back to an employee. I remember the lady saying, “Aw, he likes our chili!”
The thing is, even if you were willing to take all the surveys, could you keep up with everyone who wants your opinion? I would guess that you would waste hours of your time if you filled out every survey that comes your way.
I understand I am not compelled to take these surveys. Nevertheless, I feel inundated with them.
In a sort of related matter, I wonder who is tracking my selections on the Google video feed I get on my phone. Somebody must be doing it.
At times, I see videos displayed of things like bowlers picking up hard-to-get spares. While impressive, this is not one of my main interests.
Maybe I inadvertently touched the phone and summoned one of these videos once, but for stretches of time I now get bunches of these types of videos.
I generally swipe past these videos, but still they pop up.
Does someone out there think I am a bowling fanatic? I bowled now and then when I was younger, but I’ve probably done it once in the last five years. I don’t watch bowling on TV.
Somebody either got the wrong idea that I’m interested in bowling or thinks they can convince to head to the lanes more. Hey, if I want to bowl, I’ll bowl.
But if I bowl, I won’t fill out a survey about it.