After our central heating had been installed, we received a survey form through the post to fill in and state whether we had been happy with the work carried out. I dutifully completed it and sent it off, after receiving a couple of prompts from the manager of the central heating company, who had remained rather agitated until I informed him that the survey had been posted.
Last Thursday I took my granddaughters to the cinema, after booking tickets online. I sat with them through a film which I thought would never end, and then we spent a pleasant afternoon shopping. The next day I received an email from the cinema asking me to fill out a survey of our experience, which had been duly attached for my ‘convenience’.
Today Sam and I took five minutes out to have a green tea in the Bury St Edmunds branch of a chain of shops in the market square. On the wall was a polite notice asking us to go online and fill out a survey form to tell of our experiences at their establishment. When I visited the toilets I somehow expected to see pre-printed loo paper asking me to complete another survey after I had washed my hands.
What is it with these bloody survey forms? Every time I publish a paperback or change any details of my book, a compulsory survey form pops up. I HAVE HAD IT WITH SURVEY FORMS! It seems that whenever you book or buy anything online then you know the obligatory survey form is going to rear its ugly head within a few hours.
I expect that many people are like myself and are sick of the sight of surveys. This has encouraged the powers that be to offer us fantastic rewards for the privilege of receiving our forms. So far I have been offered the chance to win £1000, a Caribbean holiday, a new car, and a year’s worth of cinema visits at a reduced price, but I remain unconvinced that these prizes actually do exist. Have you ever known anybody who has won such a reward for filling in an online survey? As far as I’m concerned it’s all a ruse to gather our names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses. Armed with this information Big Brother can then bombard us with junk mail and more survey forms for the rest of our natural lives!
Woebegone but Hopeful said:
The reason why you don’t win them, is that my elder daughter has an uncanny knack lots of the smaller prizes, and no doubt one person winning so much is upsetting a cosmic balance which deals with prize-winning.
(Well it’s my theory…..)
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Stevie Turner said:
Good for her! At least somebody is winning something!
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Snowbird of Paradise said:
I used to fill them in until they started coming at me thick and fast. Now I only respond to exceptional service.
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Stevie Turner said:
It seems they’re compulsory now with every purchase and with every establishment visited. With the exception of the central heaating survey, I now ignore them all.
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jenanita01 said:
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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Stevie Turner said:
Thanks for the re-blog!
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jenanita01 said:
I know what you mean, keep expecting to get one from Tesco!
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The Opening Sentence said:
I fill them in if the service has been particularly good, but you’re right; they are a way of harvesting email addresses. Even the loose change machine in Sainsbury’s thinks I’m gonna stand there and give it my email address now!
And I don’t know anyone who has ever won one of the incentive prizes either.
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Clive said:
I won a £10 Amazon voucher once, does that count? Not a good long term finance plan though 😂
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Stevie Turner said:
Wow! I never thought anybody actually ever won anything!
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Clive said:
It can happen! Keep the faith 😊
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