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The company that is making these supposed survey calls (exempt from "Do Not Call list restrictions) does not respond to requests to delete info from their call lists; recommend a complaint registration to the FCC at: http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm?sid=&id=d1e37
While I do not want to tell you how to input your complaint, I recommend the following:
Select:'Abandoned Calls' ('Silent Calls, ' 'Dead Air Calls' from a telemarketer) and 'War Dialing' received on your residential or business telephone
Fill out info and in the 'how did you obtain this info' block on the last page, this is how I did mine, if you want to copy it:
Even though these companies purport to be survey companies that are exempt from the DO NOT CALL list (which I am on), they need to have strictor controls. 1-calls only from 4-6pm to avoid interrupting dinner and young children sleeping. 2-immediately identify themselves, even if it goes to an answering machine/voice mail. 3-provide a means by the contact person, or by message, to remove the number from the contact list for all future calls.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Oh and to Bobmilo...
We are not the lowlife ###, I would think the person who can treat others in the way that you like to treat them is lowlife ###. And no being as rude as possible will not make me hate my job but it will make me hate the human race. And I am sure you can be sooo rude to someone on the phone but if it were ever face to face you wouldnt have boo to say.
Most of people opposing ABT SRBI are more disgusting low lives then anyone calling you from our company. Really you are going to get a bullhorn and hope you injure someone on the other end of the phone, you sir are truly disgusting, and not to mention that will also wake up your baby, and could injure him as well, and being a good person i would never want for that to happen. But really why are you people all so mean, yes you deal with an annoying phone call, use one of the many methods provided by other employees on here to get out of it. Dont yell at us or be mean, because you deal with one phone call but when i hang up the phone i have to call another person and they could yell at me too. And i am sorry we do call so late, but those are the hours available and then happens to also be the time that most people are also available ie not working. I have never been so rude to anyone ever in my life, in fact I use to get calls from telemarketers on the phone, yes people who want to sell me thing and i was never rude to them, I know its a thing called a job and they are just trying to get through their day same way we are, and i even told the lady to have a nice day and she sounded startled and said no one has ever told her to have a good day after she has called them. and also while working here even if you curse me out or are just plain nasty i will always tell you to have a nice day. What the fnck ever happened to human compassion, I respect the wishes of the people on the other line always, but rarely do i get any form of respect back. But you all come on here and complain, I am so happy that you are all so satisfied with your status in life and can not fathom the struggle of others and apparently dont even care. You all must work for the most trustworthy companies who have never done a person wrong for you all to be so damn high and mighty, and well if you dont guess what we have a survey for that too! So in conclusion we are people on the other end, making calls from 4 to 7 hours a day, its boring and tedious but its money in the pocket when the economy is down, just have a bit of compassion, FnCK just being a decent human being to the person on the other line.
Will not cease calling at all hours of the day
Company calls EVERYDAY even after we repeatedly request no calls. NO SURVEYS!
Yeah, I keep getting called by ABT SRBI. I've tried the tactic of telling the caller that I want to be placed on their 'do not call' list. I've told them that I will not, under any circumstances, take a survey with them, which should have generated a hard refusal. I'm now looking for legal remedies. They don't stop for any reason. They are a bunch of lowlife ### who don't take no for an answer. Be as rude as you like -- the only solution is to make sure that every one of them hates their jobs and quits, leaving them with no one to man the phones.
I can't get this company to stop calling especially late at night!
You people are a bunch of idiots. These calls that you get are to help your state build better health programs to help you. Without these surveys, they won't know what people need and what they don't need. Surveys are one of the affective way to find out these information. They don't know who you are and they respect your privacy, so if you don't want to answer a certain question, you don't have to. But if you refuse to participate, don't come and complain that nothing is being done to help better your community because that is your fault. Many people say, why have they not come up with a solution for this or for that, and the reason is because you don't help them. They can't just guess. And also, don't be so rude to the interviewer because they are only doing their job. They don't wake up every day and say " hey, i am going to call these people and bother them for the heck of it!", no, they are trying to feed their families just like all of you out there and others are trying to put themselves through college. They are doing what they have to do, so try to respect them.
You can feed your family with a more respectable job. Calling people repeatedly and or at all hours of the day, despite not honoring the caller's request to not be contacted is annoying and also loses my attentiveness, business and trust; what you people are doing is a bullying tactic. You prey on people's sensibilities, simple as that. You want to feed your family? Well maybe you'll have an easier time doing that if you didn't do a job that literally changes nothing but adds to the disgusting epidemic of scam/annoying calls that nobody has time for. You have our information and that's already concerning, like what do you expect? Surely you can understand that, right? The responses that some of you gave here are not only reassuring that many of you do not care and are equally deceitful and rude, but also shows that instead of carrying a more professional tone to prove that you are really trying to help, shows that the people who receive your calls have a right to treat your company in such a manner. Also, many of you need to go back to school and take a writing course and business ethics course, then maybe you will/can be taken more seriously. I can just imagine how some of you converse over the phone (not intelligible, pushy, etc.). If you take some courses, maybe you can actually get a more respected job to feed your families more efficiently, that you claim to be working so hard for. Simply put, I just automatically block your number. Voting sucks enough, but that is kind of where you can help change things, but your company I'm sorry to say has little to no effect. I'm mean obviously if people are annoyed by what you are doing. Make sense?
You can feed your family with a more respectable job. Calling people repeatedly and or at all hours of the day, despite not honoring the caller's request to not be contacted is annoying and also loses my attentiveness, business and trust; what you people are doing is a bullying tactic. You prey on people's sensibilities, simple as that. You want to feed your family? Well maybe you'll have an easier time doing that if you didn't do a job that literally changes nothing but adds to the disgusting epidemic of scam/annoying calls that nobody has time for. You have our information and that's already concerning, like what do you expect? Surely you can understand that, right? The responses that some of you gave here are not only reassuring that many of you do not care and are equally deceitful and rude, but also shows that instead of carrying a more professional tone to prove that you are really trying to help, shows that the people who receive your calls have a right to treat your company in such a manner. Also, many of you need to go back to school and take a writing course and business ethics course, then maybe you will/can be taken more seriously. I can just imagine how some of you converse over the phone (not intelligible, pushy, etc.). If you take some courses, maybe you can actually get a more respected job to feed your families more efficiently, that you claim to be working so hard for. Simply put, I just automatically block your number. Voting sucks enough, but that is kinda where you can help change things, but your company I'm sorry to say has little to no effect. I'm mean obviously if people are annoyed by what you are doing. Make sense?
The information in this article is grossly INACCURATE! The person who wrote this article is misinformed and is clearly unaware of federal laws and regulations regarding call centers. I work for Abt SRBI and I have a vast understanding of the company's workings. Abt SRBI is a legitimate company, part of Abt Associates. First off, Research calls do NOT apply to the the National Do Not Call Registry's Do Not Call List (this information can be confirmed in the DNC user agreement) Abt SRBI works closely with the Do Not Call Registry and is FULLY sanctioned by it due to the fact that Abt SRBI is routinely confused with telemarketing companies. It is a phone research company NOT a telemarketing company. (Telemarketing companies make sales calls, Abt SRBI dose NOT make sales calls.) Also Abt SRBI is contracted directly by GOVERNMENT organizations such The CDC, and ALL 50 State's Departments of Public Health, as well as dozens of other government and private research organizations and could be calling to conduct as study for any one of them. Last but not least "building a case" is not the best way to stop us from calling. The best way to STOP CALLS is to tell the interview on the phone to "take your number off the list." The interviewer will then use what is known as "REFCON" also know as refusal conversion. If you are still not interested confirm that you would like your number removed from the list. I hope this clears up some confusion about the company and helps stop unwanted calls.
Uhh... just say no to voice. Say yes to text. Free..., free..., free at last! :-) On a serious note, I did pick up the phone this time. In my case, SRBI was being contracted by PPIC for a political survey. Frankly speaking, who actually enjoys answering a cold call survey to answer questions about gay marriage, gender identity, immigration, death penalty, health (Obama) care, abortion, AFDC and other government entitlements. OK, I suppose there are a few "Mavens" out there who can't resist. For my part, I asked for the short list and that's what I got. OK, inertial gravity just bumped up to 2Gs. Apart from the general Yuck factor, I couldn't establish any assurance of anonymity with the SRBI caller. OK, we're at 6Gs now. I asked some fairly pointed questions about privacy, which resulted in a lot of dead air. The long and the short of it is that I would have had to wade through the legalese of PPIC's and SRBI's privacy statements. Urgg... we just disintegrated on reentry. It is so incredibly simple to do a reverse look up these days. A random dialer to assure anonymity is last century's technology. Based on the latest IRS scandal, which targeted conservative groups who applied for 403c status, some would feel reticent, both liberal or conservative, in publicizing their political views. The secret ballot in this country insures there can be no retribution if you don't agree with the majority. IMHO, we don't need more opinion polls by SRBI, hiried by PPIC or other think tanks. We need better voter turnout. I'd take that call any day of the week. My 2c.
SRBI is annoying for sure, but they do important and legitimate research. They only call once if you do the survey. All you people complaining are the same people who will quote research in every argument you are in. If you use research you should pay in.
SRBI is annoying, but it is valid research. If you would just do the survey, they would stop calling.
Okay guys -- I'm going to give you the figurative keys to the kingdom. I work there; I don't necessarily like it, but it's a job. We've all done something we've hated doing because we needed to pay the bills. This is basically a primer about what's going on and how it works.
The majority of the people calling you are college students in need of work that goes around their school schedule, nine-to-fivers who need supplemental income, or people who are older who need a little more income but can't do physical work. They are tired, just like you, and they are not given much choice except to follow a script for what amounts to very little pay. Some people are, admittedly, better at handling irate respondents and pressure than others. I can't tell you why those people are kept, as I'm just a lowly peon with the company, and I don't make those decisions. We're specifically told not to be rude, but we are given a script to try to persuade you to take the survey if you try to refuse and we are monitored -- if we don't do it, we get in trouble, and a poor ratio of people who agree to people who refuse can lead to us not working.
If someone has called you before, 9 times out of 10 the next person to call you is not the same person, and they don't really have any information about you. We get one line of shorthand comments to decode before you pick up the phone, and often they are not well-written and contain no information or worse, INACCURATE information. The number is different depending on where you are sitting in the center and which center you're in, so we're not necessarily trying to be underhanded by using a different number -- you're just getting a different person in a different section!
Every survey is different. While we may put you into the system as a Do Not Call Back for one survey, if another survey is ordered in your area, you won't be in the Do Not Call Back category for the new survey -- so you'll get another call, because the numbers are randomized (the client gives you the area code and prefix, for example 123-456, and the last four numbers are randomly generated by the computer, giving us 123-456-XXXX).
The Do Not Call List doesn't tend to apply to us because we get contracted by government agencies, such as your state's Department of Health or the CDC; they can circumvent this list which is, admittedly, inconvenient ... but the surveys they push through are generally designed to gather information to improve public health programs in your area, so if you do have the time to take it, it really does do good.
We generally keep calling back until we get either a completed survey or what's classified as a "hard refusal, " in which you say something to the effect of "do not call me back." The caveats to that are when you do that, we get in trouble, and people have a tendency to classify them as something else to AVOID getting in trouble. THE BEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO is to tell the person you are speaking to that you have a long-term illness and don't feel well enough/are not supposed to be on the phone for long stretches of time the first time they call for a given survey. This doesn't count against the person making the call, and if it's input appropriately (which SHOULD BE DONE, but I have no control over people who aren't me ...) they will not call you back for that survey -- your number will be taken out of the sample and you'll be left alone for the duration of that survey. It's not the most honest of tactics, but it will work if people are doing what they should be doing.
So, yes -- most of us know that this is inconvenient. But most of us also have little other choice right now but to work here. There are people who work here who don't do what they're supposed to do, just like there are everywhere else, and I really am sorry that you've been pestered so much. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of what's going on, and you can use that little trick to get out of it. Hopefully the person calling you will classify it the right way and you will only hear from us rarely.
So I'm getting calls multiple times a day... even though I'm on the Do Not call list. My favorite are ones that come every single day at 8:30 pm... when my 18 month old is asleep. I don't mind if you call me once, I'll politely tell you no thank you and remind you that I'm on the do not call list. But when you call me 15 times over the course of three days, and then try to deny to me that you did (even though I have caller ID that logs the times of the call), well, then maybe I'm not so nice at that point.
Do any of you all actually know what the DNC Registry is? Hmm, well lets take a look shall we?
"The National Do Not Call Registry is intended to give U.S. consumers an opportunity to limit the telemarketing calls they receive."
Now...Lets take a look at the definition of telemarketing!
Telemarketing: A method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent face to face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call.
Abt SRBI conducts surveys, they DO NOT sell anything! So for those of you who are ignorant enough to report them to the DNC Registry you are not accomplishing anything! So for the few minutes you could have taken to participate in a survey, (one for which if you participate, you will not be called again) you are taking that time, and wasting it by reporting it to a registry who can not help you at all!
Congrats on your brilliance guys, I think it deserves a round of applause!
you sound not unlike a sociopath. it's a quick survey and you may be helping someone keep a job. Not your problem right?
The biggest problem with phone surveys is not the fact that we "harass" people, but that fact that the same people ### about there being no jobs in this country are the ones who hang up the phone or even worse, treat someone like they are a second rate citizen for performing important research. I am never calling to sell, but people are stingy with their time and it can mean someone getting their hours cut. You cannot tell the FCC on us because we are a legitimate company. I have more of a chance getting an FCC complaint in about canvassing Jehovah witnesses that you would at trying to take down a harmless research company.
If ABT SRBI is a legit survey firm, why would they want input from me? I"m so fed up with their harassing calls, I wouldn't give them the time of day. For that matter, why would they want input from anyone they have to harass and bully. I've read a lot of inane b.s. about how my number was picked at random, etc. How did their computer manage to randomly pick both my landline and cell numbers. If the computer does not get any answer on one number, it calls the other. Random, I don't think so. If I block one of SRBI's numbers, they use a different one. Right now, I have four different SRBI numbers blocked but I'm sure they have more they will use. I do report each offending call to the FTC on the grounds that I've asked these idiots repeatedly to stop harassing
me. Their attitude is that I will eventually wear down and answer their survey. Not going to happen! They may claim to be exempt from the DNC restrictions but no company is
exempt from the laws governing harassment by telephone and these people richly deserve to be called to account by the Florida attorney general. I advise everyone who is being harassed by ABT SRBI to complain to their own state's attorney general and to report every call to the DNC registry if they have requested SRBI to stop callling.
just took an opinion poll. The caller was civil, identified herself very clearly, responded to questions I had about the firm and the questions neutrally and helpfully, and the poll itself was very well-designed (I've taken an interest in these things) and very unlike the usual crap push poll robo-calls I hate so much.
I am on a no-call list, so I was skeptical, but this was a good experience.
At abt SRBI we DO NOT HAVE A "DO NOT CALL LIST". All of the numbers are generated RANDOMLY by a computer. Unless the call is labled as a HARD REFUSAL aka. you "Curse at them", or a number 22 aka. a "Business", then they will continue to call. JUST SAY THAT YOU ARE A BUSINESS! Then the calls WILL STOP!
Child Safety Survey: Just tell them that you have NO children! DO NOT HANG UP! If you hang up or say that you do not have enough time, then they WILL call back in 3-5 days. If you say that you are NOT INTERESTED, then they WILL call back as well! it is called coding calls as an UNSPECIFIED CALLBACK! AKA. Code 7.
I just got this call, too. It is 8:35 PM and that ### woke up my 2 year old and when I told her ignorance that she copped an attitude..."I din know you had a kid" and I did NOT spell didn't wrong, her useless slang was also inapropriate. I bet she also "din" know my name. It is HIGHLY inapropriate to call ANYONE at 8:35 at night. I thoought there were laws about that. I DO, however, have the solution...air horns. I KNOW from teenage experience at a call center that when this happens a number CAN and WILL be TERMINATED from the "system". It is a safety precaution because it WILL blow out an eardrum and DESTROY some systems. I am telling you, when a caller gets a bloody ear, they remember that number and put out the warning NOT to call it. I am on my way in the morning to go get me one cuz when I moved it accidentally got left behind. Now that theese calls have started back up again (after a really nice 35 day vacation and a changed number) I will be pimpin hearing aids one unwanted call at a time! Have a nice sign language class you SRBI ###! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I almost want to post my phone number just so I can personally thin out the herd...
I also once worked for S.R.B.I. and have good memories of the time that I was
gainfully employed there. I loved the staff, and the job was interesting and never tedious. We were paid a decent wage, and never had to do anything questionable, it was a good company and a good place to work. Btw, I was at
the LongBranch facility, and I often look back and wish I were still there.
W.T.P.
I have a college degree and work at an srbi call center because this is the best paying low level job here. I take pride in my professiona manner and I find it frustrating that people don't understand that these are not malicious calls. The only reason SRBI still does ESPN surveys is because they were grandfathered in from the company who used to work in this space. SRBI predominantly sticks to government and university studies. As for the dialing, we don't have a call list but once a number has been randomly dialed it is kept in the system. For any kind of research study to be valid, you have to have a random sample. This ensures your findings can be generalized about for the larger population. If people had a basic understanding of statistics this would mean more to them. Then again, as much as I appreciate what we do it's frustrating to be villianized by respondents just for making an honest dollar. I wish that there was an easier way for respondents to opt out but when we say their opnions are valuable it's because they really are. SRBI gets paid by research institutions to produce data. The CDC, gov agencies both federal and state as well as universities don't have the manpower and resources to do important survey research. SRBI on the other hand is equipped to make thousands of calls to potential respondents on their behalf. We aren't emotional masochists and I wish I didn't have to call people who hate me and yell at me but I have to obey company protocol if I want to keep my income. I think a lot of these complainers don't realize their own social and economic privilige. I am proud of the work I do for SRBI and I treat every single respondent with respect. Very few of them do the same for me and try to understand what I'm trying to do. I regret that our protocol requires us to commit this so called "harassment" as I'm sire it seems like that to some of you, but it really just boils down to the fundamentals of statistical survey research. Once your number has been randomly generated, *it cannot be replaced.* The irony is that my degree in political science actually provides a substantial background in social science research but this isn't exactly what I thought my postgraduate life would be like. SRBI research associates who are rude and unprofessional drive me nuts and I work had to do my best to be patient and understanding with what my job requires me to do. If someone calls you to do an ESPN survey I almost don't blame you for getting angry but please please remember that the person on the other line has no control of policies and procedures. If you get called for a health study keep in mind it's for the CDC and most of what we know about health behavior data we get from the BRFSS study, a 26 year old ongoing study conducted in all 50 states. SRBI employees are basically the grunt workers of American survey research. Speaking of American, at least these jobs haven't been outsourced! Seriously, If I coded things incorrectly and said "do not cal back" for everyone who hung up on me I'd lose my job and my ability to procure food. Reading these comments make me really sad and make an already difficult job even harder.
here is some food for thought for those of you complaining about the calls. First we call for the cdc brfss survey. Look it up google brfss and you will learn something. Second complaining to the fcc will not work. First we are not selling anything so the do not call list does not affect us. Also google fcc and abt srbi together and you will see we have done surveys for the fcc so obviously they dont think we are a bad company. If you see our number simply answer as a business when asked if you are a business say yes you are out of our computer simple one call solution. Have a good day.
Also @ abt-srbiworker, you sound like a newbie, just remember you level 1's are the first to get the boot at x-mas time, and all they will say is "Happy Holidays" but if you do fairly well (at least 5 complete's a night) they will just cut your hours until you get 6 hours per week! no joke, it's always a very un-happy holiday for srbi employees who don't have a 2nd and 3rd part-time jobs, if you look around you'll notice only the zombies seem to come to work not miserable around x-mas time, and that's only if they aren't sick. and by zombies I mean the ppl you see who do nothing but work and sleep they got 2 - 3 jobs to carry them through and take maybe 1 day off a week. and if your in the Florida call center, beware of the mold and mildew in the building it will make you very sick, the company will report it's pish-posh but then you got to wonder why people walk around with surgeons masks on and allergy pills and inhalers.
@FED-UP! (I posted this on another complaint too) am a former Abt SRBI employee, I was fired due to the fact they didn't want t give me daytime hours. but anyway the problem your having is because the do not call list applies only to telemarketing (solicitation), they aren't trying to sell you anything, it's generally survey research usually for government owned clients relating to your health or government reviews. The reason they cant put you on the DNC list is because there isn't one for survey research, and don't tell them your not interested either, they will only code it as a cbu (call back unspecified), especially if they ask you if your busy and you say yes. you got 6 ways to get them to stop
1. tell them you don't want to be called again
2. tell them your terminally ill (gets the employee to not lose hours as they treat us like slaves and work is scarce)
3. say your a kid (17 or so works) and this is your personal line and your parents have their own
4. say you are not a resident of where you live(usually they are calling for a specific region or city)
5. say they reached a cell phone or
6. say this is your business line.
But remember if you hang up on them before the end of their intro, they code it as a hang-up and will call you back in 90 min. because the computer picks numbers at random so they have no control over who they call, or when the number pops up. the employees here get no commision just 8 bucks an hour to be treated miserably, as we worked in a moldy building, had our "down time" tracked, (they timed our bathroom trips and limitd them) we get no leave time or sick time (i worked up to the day i gave birth, i tried to work that day too because i was scared i'd be "let go" or fired) . And to top it all off SRBI employees are just as miserable conducting surveys as you are getting the call to take them, we get nothing but hounded if our co-op is bad and sent home after only 2 hrs of working if we can't produce enough completed surveys for them. Also fyi, if you get the calls every 15 min. it's because your phone made a busy signal on the other end and the computer labels it as "busy" until it reaches you so it keeps calling, until it reaches a household and a comment code is written/taken
meant to also pot this: I am a former Abt SRBI employee, I was fired due to the fact they didn't want t give me daytime hours. but anyway the problem your having is because the do not call list applies only to telemarketing (solicitation), they aren't trying to sell you anything, it's generally survey research usually for government owned clients relating to your health or government reviews. The reason they cant put you on the DNC list is because there isn't one for survey research, and don't tell them your not interested either, they will only code it as a cbu (call back unspecified), especially if they ask you if your busy and you say yes. you got 6 ways to get them to stop 1. tell them you don't want to be called again 2. tell them your terminally ill (gets the employee to not lose hours as they treat us like slaves and work is scarce) 3. say your a kid (17 or so works) and this is your personal line and your parents have their own 4. say you are not a resident of where you live(usually they are calling for a specific region or city) 5. say they reached a cell phone or 6. say this is your business line. But remember if you hang up on them before the end of their intro, they code it as a hang-up and will call you back in 90 min. because the computer picks numbers at random so they have no control over who they call, or when the number pops up. the employees here get no commision just 8 bucks an hour to be treated miserably, as we worked in a moldy building, had our "down time" tracked, (they timed our bathroom trips and limitd them) we get no leave time or sick time (i worked up to the day i gave birth, i tried to work that day too because i was scared i'd be "let go" or fired) . And to top it all off SRBI employees are just as miserable conducting surveys as you are getting the call to take them, we get nothing but hounded if our co-op is bad and sent home after only 2 hrs of working if we can't produce enough completed surveys for them.
i work for them and we dont give a [censor] if you take the survey or not.! we still get paid for sitting on the phone. wether you listen hang up or ramble. Money Money Money Money!
WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO DO IS STOP COMPLAINING ALTOGETHER AND FIND A REAL SOLUTION TO STOPPING THIS COMPANY FROM RELENTLESSLY CALLING DAY AFTER DAY. COMPLAINING WILL DO NOTHING TO STOP THE CALLS. ]
IF SOMEONE KNOWS OF A WAY TO TRULY GET THE CALLS TO STOP, OR KNOWS SOMEONE WHO DOES, THAT PERSON NEEDS TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE REST OF US.
Abt SRBI does not sell anything so the DO NO CALL LIST does not apply, the FCC will also tell you not to put in bogus complaints. I work there and get this ignorance all the time, usually you are being called to do a survey on major issues around the country or a survey about your health for your local health department to better evaluate the healthcare in your state or county.
You all who are scared of phones calls are a bunch of pussies, you listen to what they say, tell them you are not interested and request to be on the "do not contact list" and tell them you have a nice day.
Why on earth should I give up my valuable time for free so a company can get paid?
While I don't plan on doing anything crazy or time consuming to make them stop, I figure enough, "No, thank you's" should eventually get the job done. If not, there is contact information on the site for a bunch of people I could call if it came to that.
All of you need to get a life. If you don't want telemarketers calling you, you can always disconnect your phone...
I think a fun thing to do with calls like this is to talk to the person as long as you can without actually answering the survey. Ask them about their company. What its for. Ask them where they live, everything about themselves. Ask them more about their company. When they ask a question, ask questions about the question.
Lead them on and see how long you can keep them on the phone before the hang up. Be very polite and nice while you are doint this. Its very fun.
Personally I don't take surveys over the phone. I couldn't care less about what you want. So, when you call and I say don't bother me, leave me the heck alone. This crap about someone else answering at the same number is bs since there are many single people out there and just who do you think will answer the second time, or third time or the tenth time. If someone says no, no means no. My 4 yr old knows that! I guess you think we are all just sitting at home hoping a solicitor will call or someone like you. If I'm busy, don't push it. Your arguing with me isn't a tactic that promotes cooperation.
... and we threw out our TV in favor of more intelligent programming that can never be found over the airwaves. Why the heck are they calling US of all ppl, using an illegal home invasion ploy, when we could care less about the bilge they arrange to fly over the airwaves.
'employees not trained to be rude' is such a BS cop out from a criminal minded sleazebag. You invade our privacy and our right to PEACEFUL ENJOYUMENT OF OUR LIVES, IN THE PRIVACY OF OUR HOMES, you get treated the same as some Jehovah's witnesses trespoassing - we call th e police, or we shoo them off at the end of a gun (lgela BYW) if need be. We can't do that over the phone, so we scream "LEAVE US ALONE, YOU TELEPHONE HOME INVASION PIGS"... and then they feel that they can call us anything they want. It's like a rapist who thinks he has a right to rape just because he suddenly has caught a victim who didn't have sense to run away. Boy they hide behind that telephone because they know if in person, they'd be shot on sight, no questions asked.
BTW that was not neutral of me, or others in this household, it is totally in agreement with the complaint. You should see what's on the other harassment boards about this compiggery.
When ABT SRBI did not get a pick up, they used another number whocalled.us / [protected] and bothered us again on that one. Who on this planet likes being invaded by ash hats by phone during their busy day, on behalf of gluttonous corporate piggery who is tring to rip us off more. This isn't society, this is telephone war lords stomping my life, and one day, these "people" and their marketing goons will find out the hard way what we'd like to have happen to them.
@Annoyed with Stupid People
For one thing- the government is not that damn stupid to think, "Oh gee, nobody's answering the ABT SRBI surveys, they must be healthy! CANCEL ALL BENEFICIAL PROGRAMS!"
And if this company is relying on only a few numbers for surveys, then their research is absolutely horrible and it shouldn't be used. Yeah, so they're calling my house and let's say they're also calling a few of my neighbors. Well, no one here has a debilitating mental illness, so what? Is the government going to suddenly close down all mental health institutions? Of course they're not.
This time last year I was in college. Suppose ABT SRBI called me and a few other people in my college town. Would they cancel Medicare in that area because everyone they talked to was under 30? No.
So, your logic is flawed and therefore null. I suggest you learn more about our government and statistics before you go off making such ridiculous claims. It would also be nice if you weren't such a jerk to the other people who have been posting here.
@Advocate_SRBI
I'm sorry that you were apparently "forced" into such a job while you're in college. I understand being in a bad job. I worked in a dining court throughout the majority of my years at college; though it's interesting because I had a choice to work there. I know that times are rough, and they're hard for a college student, but I don't believe you are forced to work at such a place.
Anyway, you wanted to point out that you're just a lowly college student trying to make money with SRBI, but consider that I'm a college graduate and I'm trying to start my career. A lot of the jobs I apply for have to be done online. I'm on a dial-up service because no one can afford Satellite Connections and Wireless isn't available out here. So, whenever your company calls- they knock me offline. Do you know how many times I've had to restart an application because of this damn company?
You're trying to make money? I'm just trying to get a job.
I agree with Advocate. There are a few things I will add however.
1. Employees are trained not to be rude. They are also told before they even start employment that if they don't have an abundance of patience, then this job is not for them.
2. Advocate is right, they are monitored, and if that rude employee was monitored, then he was immediately fired. If that employee was not monitored, chances are that it is only a matter of time before he is caught being rude and fired.
If an interviewer is being rude to you, you should call the company and inform them of the incident, giving them as much information as possible and they will investigate the issue and take care of the offending employee.
I also agree with Calmdown, you people are just ridiculous. Especially you Kathryn. You seem like you make a living off of lawsuits. To you, I suggest you get a real job. And to you, Stopthecallsnow, there is not a single person on this planet that can honestly say they do not have 5 minutes to spare. Ok, so you got a crappy sports survey, I will give you that much, that does suck and doesn't benefit you.
However this company does more than sports surveys. They do a lot of health studies that do benefit you, so if anyone gets a call on behalf of the department of public health or the CDC, I suggest you take a few minutes out of your time.
The main reason being that, for the health studies, they only have so many phone numbers that they can call, and if your number is randomly generated for the health studies it cannot be replaced with another. Basically what that means is that if you refuse to participate, then your area of the state will not be properly represented. Imagine if everyone in your area refused to participate, then the government would look at that and say, "Well, it seems everyone in this area of the state are 100% healthy and have absolutely no problems whatsoever. Let's cut spending and cancel health programs in that area and spend it in areas that do need it."
You might be saying "What do I care if a few programs in my area get canceled?" Well, that's fine if you don't care about health programs such as free clinics for financially challenged individuals, or CPR training programs, or Child and Babysitting Safety programs, or first aid training programs. But if that's the case I hope you are not surprised if you start choking or cut yourself on something and no one can help you because they are not trained to and have no idea how to help. And Kathryn seems the type of person that would sue you for performing the Heimlich and cracking a rib, so if she starts choking its probably best to just leave her alone with her closed windpipe.