Consumer Questionnaires - why I answer them

I always answer questionnaires so I can have my say about products.

But I not longer answer giant questionnaires which take twenty minutes to fill. Too time consuming. In the old days if it was a long questionnaire run by somebody doing market research on the doorstep or stopping you in a shopping mall you would get something small and free such as a pen.

Once we were stopped at Heathrow. My son, then aged under ten years old, was asked by a lady interviewer, 'Are you travelling on business or pleasure?' The poor little lad was opening and shutting his mouth trying to decide. Eventually, with some intervention from me, he and I agreed that his father was on business but the boy was on pleasure.

Especially not if they are designed obviously to gather detailed information about me and my lifestyle and buying habits, everything from my age and income to which books and white goods and insurance I already own or buy, and then I presume inundate me with leaflets on everything from insurance to books.)

I just completed a survey on a new brand of coffee. They want to know how likely I am to try it. They missed out several things:

Would I get a reduced price the first time they launched it in a venue? Does it come decaffeinated? Does it have a free little biscuit with it? Does it come in special branded cups or elegant cups?

If it's a premium price, would they offer a bottomless cup (endless refills at breakfast time, as done in some hotels, restaurants and pubs).

Survey Design
I wish I'd told them in the tell us why you like this ad /don't like this box early on in the survey. I've previously put comments in an early box only to find another box for general comments at the end. The box for comments should be headed 'this box is your only place where you can make comments' or 'please answer only this question - room for general comments at the end'.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.