Survey Fatigue

Is it possible these days to be left alone and not be hounded by scam artists and those who want my opinion about everything?

The answer appears to be a resounding "NO!" I just got a call from "Susan with Credit Card Relief" offering to lower my credit card interest rate. Scammers are everywhere. "Susan" should know that I don't carry credit card debt, so I don't need any "relief." And I didn't fall for the robocalls from the IRS (yeah, right) informing me that I was about to be arrested for "intentional fraud."

Every time I order something online, I get a survey asking me to rate the product or the representative's service and responsiveness. Even medical professionals I visit (or more likely, the medical conglomerates for which they work) follow up surgeries or office visits with surveys.

Do these businesses actually do anything with the survey responses? Why have these requests for feedback proliferated so much over the past few years? Why should I waste my time completing surveys that do nothing to benefit me? Even cash register receipts at some stores contain a survey link asking about that day's "shopping experience." In return, some stores promise to enter me into a contest (along with hundreds of thousands of other customers) for a chance to win a $100 gift card. 

If I thought all these surveys would actually result in change or improvement or recognition for an employee, I might not object so strenuously. I see no benefit to spending my time on endless surveys. Apparently, many others do, too, as evidenced by the creation of the term 'survey fatigue.'

I absolutely refuse to provide demographic information such as age, marital status and income as part of a survey or to register a purchase with the manufacturer. Those details are little more than the company's attempt to better under the customer and to add to their e-mail and snail mail advertising lists, but they have nothing to do with my satisfaction -- or lack thereof -- with my "shopping experience."  I refuse to allow businesses, including my doctor's office, to collect information about me just because.

I bought a new car a few years ago, and at the end of the transaction, the salesman told me that he would get in trouble if I didn't give him a 5-star review. The same happened during a high-pressure meeting with another auto dealer person who pushed the need to have a special undercoating applied to the car, as well as a few other pricey but not necessary services. What kind of evaluation is it when the customer is coerced into giving a glowing review? 

I went to see my sleep doctor recently. The first thing her nurse wanted to do was get me on the scale. As usual, I refused. My visit was a follow-up to discuss ongoing sleep problems. It had nothing to do with my weight. I am not fat, and how much I weigh is irrelevant to my sleep issues. Take my pulse and blood pressure; check my temperature. That's fine. But I absolutely refuse to get on a scale at the doctor's office, especially when told to do so by an obese nurse. I did consent to being weighed before a recent surgery, because the dose of anesthetic depends on body weight. But that is the only reason I agreed.

If I have a particularly wonderful "shopping experience" or a really bad one, I will certainly notify the company (which more than likely won't bother to respond). Otherwise, I will continue to delete surveys', feedback requests or any other request for information that wastes my time.