Quitting a sham of a job.

Jul 25, 2005 19:07

Yes, I'm home from work early, and tomorrow, I will be quitting my job and will again be unemployed.

Why? Because it's an absolute SHAM.

Firstly, I was lied to before I was hired. The initial impression they gave me was that I would be conducting data entry with occasional phone calls. Then at my interview, I was told that I would be phoning people to conduct legitimate surveys and taking down data, and those who did the survey would receive a gift for their time. When I was hired, I discovered that none of this was true.

Secondly, the actual job is unethical and nothing short of a sham. Let me explain first what I do (or did): I phone people, ask them if they wish to do a two minute survey of working homeowners, and I tell them they will receive a free gift if they participate (and if questioned further, I am to tell them that the gifts are donated by a group of donors and selected on the basis of survey responses). If they want to participate - well, actually, our script tells us to just go on, but I let them back out because I'm too nice to be a telemarketer - I then ask if they or their partner are working homeowners and if they are under sixty. If the answer is no to either or both, I tell them the survey will be of no use to them and wish them a good evening; if the answer is yes to both, I then conduct a ten-question survey - question four is the critical question, though it is partly dependent on question two. In question four, if the person states their gross yearly household income is over $45k, I continue; if it is between $35-45k, I only continue if they told me they own their house outright and have no debts in question two; if it is below $35k, I do not continue under any circumstances (though it's typical procedure to pad out the survey by asking one or two of the later questions anyway before aborting). If I do abort, I thank them for their time and say that their free gift is a free financial assessment available online. If I don't, I then conduct the rest of the questionnaire, which culminates in me calculating the sum of money they will need for retirement, which is always an astronomical figure. I then offer them the free gift (the only gift available - the aforementioned online assessment is not actually considered a gift), which is a one hour financial assessment where a financial specialist comes to their house and analyses their position and future. The script essentially forces it upon them after a long spiel, but I tried a nicer tactic that bore no fruit.

I'm sure you are now seeing why it is a sham. The data collected as part of the 'survey' is completely irrelevant and useless, except in determining whether or not the person I'm talking to should receive the gift. It serves no statistical purpose; I have a laminated sheet that I highlight and once I am done, I simply wipe off their answers. Essentially, I am posing as a collector of statistics when in reality that is completely untrue. In fact, besides questions two, four, and six (six asks if they want to increase cashflow, pay less taxes, etc., and that information is forwarded to the financial specialist), the questions serve entirely no purpose besides simply trying to give an air of legitimacy to the call. The survey is nothing more than a front and a smokescreen, a subtle form of telemarketing where the product is not sold but rather given as a 'gift' - the only gift available, irrespective of the answers (contrary to company spiel). The goal of the survey is not to collect data, but to sell one particular product through deceptive and unethical means.

Besides the fact that the job is boring and tedious, I do not wish to work for a company that will acquire customers through deception and underhanded tactics, and I feel tricked that my task is not what I was originally told it was. Not even the great pay and hours can keep me there. I can't sell this product, I do not want to sell this product, I do not wish to work for this company, and ultimately, I do not wish to violate my conscience and ethics. I would report them to the ACCC but I'm sure they hide behind enough walls of legal red tape and jump through enough governmental loopholes that they cannot be prosecuted for any wrongdoing or breach of ethics. It's wrong that they can do this. It's very wrong.

ethics, work, deception

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