[LINK] telemarketers, aaarrgh

[Robin Whittle]

Stephen Loosley wrote:

> Guess one shouldn't shoot the messenger, but coincidentally I too was
> awoken by telephone tho by a 'survey taker' wanting to know amongst
> other things the approximate value of my house.. and my annual salary!
> 
> Later this afternoon I got another, this time an Asian lady who 
> sounded as if she was calling long distance who also wanted to know 
> my salary and opinions regarding various investment options. She did 
> sound disappointed when she learned that I would not consider 
> investing in off-shore real estate.

These would certainly be SUGgers - Selling Under the Guise of market
research.   If you are keen, get their details and report them to the
AMRO (not MRSA as I wrote earlier - that is the professional
organisation).  AMRO is the organsation of market research companies:

  http://www.amro.com.au/  

I did report such a call some years ago and the person I reached was
keen to get the details.  Maybe they are swamped now, but it would
probably help the cause if you reported SUGgers - assuming you think
that market researchers are a possible or general benefit to society,
unlike telemarketers and SUGgers.


> Finally another one rang this evening, and wanted one to do a 15-20 
> minute  IT survey regarding recent consumer purchases, but backed off 
> when they were told after some speedy thinking that I was involved in 
> a marketing role.

This sounds more like genuine market research.


> I guess one shouldn't shoot the messenger .. 

No, shoot the first two!

SUGgers are a triply pernicious type of telemarketer.  Not only are they
telemarketing, but they are pretending to us that they are not, and they
are causing irreperable damage to the ability of market research to
continue by burning people out and reducing their capacity to trust
anyone who seems to be doing a survey.

If we could shoot the first two of these messengers with the impunity
with which they invade our homes and our minds, they and their kind
wouldn't live to make many more phone calls.

 - Robin