This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Word Your Survey Well
Apr
14
2010
I was just minding my own business on the web, checking my credit card statement, when along popped a survey plea. Normally I just decline offers to participate in surveys, but tonight I felt generous.
Okay, maybe not generous. There is a glaring omission to the website that I wish they would fix, so I volunteered for the survey in the hopes that there would be a question about said glaring omission.
And I was not disappointed.
But there were lots of other questions too. I answered them to the best of my abilities. Those of you who know me know that one of my better abilities is the ability to take things literally. It comes in handy in the engineering profession, but it tends to annoy ordinary civilians.
I did not want to skew their survey results, but I am obligated, nay compelled, to answer the question as written. It’s a two part question, so be sure to read 19.2 and then 19.2.1 and then go back and read 19.2 before reading my answer to 19.2.1 (you can ignore 20).
(click on the image for the full-size version, which is only slightly larger)
As usual, the credit card company name has been obscured in order to protect the innocent.
The question asked if I would recommend viewing my statement online to other people. But I don’t want other people to see my statement, so of course I wouldn’t recommend it.
I think they meant to ask “How likely are you to recommend [credit card company]’s online statement feature to a friend or colleague?” or “How likely are you to recommend the online viewing of statements at [credit card company] to a friend or colleague?”
In case you are wondering: yes, I did leave that text there and submit the form. What you see is how I actually answered the survey. I don’t know if the survey people will appreciate it, but I had fun typing it.
Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults.
Psalm 19:12
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 11:58 pm and has been carefully placed in the Life category.
April 15th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I know a couple of guys that work for ForeSee Results (it’s an Ann Arbor company). I might pass this along.
April 15th, 2010 at 10:44 am
But…sharing is caring.
April 15th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Okay then – I don’t care to have other people see my credit card statement.
April 16th, 2010 at 12:00 am
If I answered the survey according to the re-worded questions that I proposed, the answer still would have been 1. It’s not something I am going to recommend because I see it as a commodity – every credit card company provides statements. And when the commodity is free (no one has to pay to see statements online), why would I recommend one statement-viewing service over another?
I might recommend one credit card company over another, or I might prefer one company’s website over another. But statement viewing? It’s not a factor.
April 16th, 2010 at 7:51 am
I told your story last night to a ForeSee guy; he got a chuckle out of it.
April 21st, 2010 at 8:39 am
I would have done the same thing. Plus, could you imagine working with a bank or financial institution that DOESN’T give you access to your account online?