Re: Wanna know about someone in the UK?

[Drsolly <drsollyp () drsolly com>]

On Wed, 12 Apr 2006, David Lodge wrote:

> On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 09:00:39 +0200, xyberpix <xyberpix () xyberpix com> wrote:
> > I can't say to be honest, but it just seems really wrong and troubing.
> > I can't quite put my finger on it though :(
>
> It's only the edited electoral role and the normal BT phone book - this is  
> available at any public library. (For the non-UK readers, the government  
> *finally* allow you to opt out of having your name and address publically  
> published on the electoral register, why you'd ever want to be sent loads  
> of junk I can never understand!)
>
> I'm not there so I'm happy :-) (only on the unedited register and  
> ex-directory, another thing I can't understand is why peopl want to be  
> cold called by putting their details in the phone book.)
 
You can opt out of being cold-called, by putting yourself on the 
"Telephone preference list". But that only stops sales calls. Market 
research calls are still allowed. Isn't that cute?

So, I got a cold-call from a (genuine) market research agency, one of the 
big ones. And it was them that explained to me that they didn't have to 
abide by the TPL. So I explained to them that, even if they didn't have to 
abide by it, wouldn't it be nice if they did. Actually, I worked my way 
though most of their senior management, insisting on explaining this to 
each and every one of them, very politely, but quite firmly.

So they explained to me that if they did that, it would bias the 
randomness of their survey.

So I explained to them, that if I don't want to answer their survey, then 
I bloody well wouldn't, and surely that would be just as much of a bias as 
if they hadn't phoned me in the first place? Well, yes.

So then I explained that actually, it's worse than that, because if
someone like them pisses off someone like me by calling me after I've
clearly indicated that I don't want to be cold-called, then an awkward
bastard like me is quite capable of giving very wrong answers in an effort
to *deliberately* mess up their results. And they asked, why would anyone
do that? So I explained that it would be a good way to deter them from
phoning people on the TPL even though they don't have a legal obligation
not to call them, so we have to find some alternative way of making it in
their interest not to call us.

So, I've created the "Market research telephone cold-call buggeration 
association". To be a member, all you have to do, is bugger up any 
telephone survey that cold-calls you (i.e., don't just put the phone down 
on them, give them wrong answers).

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