It's not random.  We get a call EVERY DAY....at the SAME TIME.

here's  your  sign

If you leave the house and forget to turn off the TV, your satellite or cable provider might conclude that you watched hours of their programming when actually you watched none.  That is why a first person account of the information is useful.

OK, here are the facts.  This is NOT a non-profit company.  It is not really different from a telemarketer except their clients ask for "research" information.  They generate their lists based on consumer lists that we end up on when we make purchases or pay online or buy online or....do anything these days.  Welcome to the digital world.  None of the callers can remove you from the list.  You have to call 1-800-753-6043 to get your number removed.  HOWEVER, (here's the sticky bit) all that does is remove you from the current list.  There's no guarantee you won't be picked up by future lists.  I asked  to be removed from ALL lists current and future and was told that can't be done.  So I bought a digitone call blocker and blocked their number.  When I looked at the call blockers record at the end of the day, I had received 8 calls one day and averaged 21 calls per month AFTER I gave my name and phone number to the rep at the previously mentioned 1800 number.  Then I got a post card in the mail asking me to call them because they've been trying to reach me about my media preferences.  Really???  Why in the world do I have to put up with you if I don't give a flying fart in hell about you or your survey?  On the off chance that someone from scarborough research should read these messages, my message to you is "GO TO HELL."  

Unsolicited calls for "survey" are being made at late hours.
Operator named "Cory" is very aggressive...

How rude can you be, your the reason why people are so hard headed and the local media aren't doing to well because you don't want to take a second out of your day to do the survey, and how dare you tell someone they don't matter what if that was said to you or your kids so think before you speak!

I was contacted via mail by Scarborough Research (the dollar) I took the time to do their survey and they sent me  $25.00. About a month later they called me once wanting me to do another survey. I did and was paid again. I did a total of 3 surveys and was paid $55.00. The people I spoke with were always very nice. They haven't contacted me since I did the last survey in their "series".

My phone is not an invitation for you telemarketers to step into my home by phone or any other way. You are all a public nuisance!

please stop calling. then again and again? stop. i them to stop. so stop? asked again. wtf?

ok so here is the other side of the story to this, i have participated in the Scarborough Research survey, and it wasnt that hard at all, and i did it twice and guess what i got $ 5 the first time, the next one i got $10..and for returning a paper i got another$5...that already $20...idk about u all but free money..who wants to say no to that...like for real ppl if u dont wanna answer just say yes or no..and done with survey!! and guess what NO MORE CALLS EVER!!!! so instead of just hanging up do the god damn thing...that way they wont ever call again...and i did call the Better Business Bureu to ask about if they had a list, and they dont since they are not selling anything at all...that list does not apply to them...so good luck trying to say that over and over again, cuz they will keep calling....unless u call the 800 number to get ur # removed...and it does make sense that the person on the phone cannot take u off the list..can u imagine if they had ur info on their hands...that would be against the law!!

I keep getting late night calls until I call your 1-800 number to talk to someone and then plea to have my number excluded from your robo-dialing?!

Sounds like extortion.

If your company must be engaged in order for it to stop...how would your company feel about a DDOS engagement with an irate and enabled call recipient until your company cries "uncle"?

---> Employee feigned ignorance, "I won't say anything of the FCC because frankly I don't know about that.  <---

Then perhaps you should.  See "Seventh Circuit Holds TCPA Prohibits Automated Calls to Cell Phones without Consent from Current Subscriber" at http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/seventh-circ ... bits-aut-92979/ (which was a class action lawsuit) and also "TCPA problems in Illinois: two new rulings deal a harsh hand to the collection industry" at http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g ... 51-74a302a0fa21

Although the latter article makes it sound as though the case is only of interest to telemarkers and debt collectors, the law itself applies to ANYONE who calls, using an automatic dialer or a recorded voice a cell phone OR A PAGER OR ANY OTHER TELEPHONE FOR WHICH A FEE IS CHARGED FOR RECEIVING CALLS UNLESS THE CONSENT OF THE *CURRENT* OWNER OF THE TELEPHONE NUMBER BEING CALLED GIVES CONSENT.  Note that this law also applies to many other types of calls, as well, irrespective of the Do Not Call list:  "47 USC § 227 - Restrictions on use of telephone equipment", http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/227

So perhaps you ought to familiarize yourself with all the laws applicable to your line of work, not just the ones that you think support your preferred methods of operation.  Maybe you actually obey the law somehow, but what you have said up to this point certainly doesn't instill any confidence in me that you do.  And your use of random numbers to call people means that at least some of the calls will be made to emergency lines, which somehow seem more important to keep open for emergency calls than to use for 15 minutes to ask the opinion of a police dispatcher about the kind of music he likes to hear on the radio.

And one of the court decisions referred to above would seem to rule out your ability to call cell phones and even many VoIP lines in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, at least.  Don't you think your surveys might be biased and largely useless for that reason alone?

Trust me Dawn, nothing bugs me more than when I dial a person's home and it turns out they were sleeping.  I hate being "that guy" who wakes up an entire household asking them to participate in a survey.  I always apologize profusely, and ask when would be the best time for us to call back so we aren't disturbing anyone.  This is one of the downsides of my job, knowing that I am seriously inconveniencing certain people through my actions, but then my next call to another household in your area might reach a person who is more than willing to go through the survey.  It's impossible to know the personal schedules of the people we call, and we get enough results from the 9-10pm timeframe to justify continuing to call at those later hours.  The best thing to do in this case would be to request a callback for a time that you know you'd be available to sit for 15 minutes and knock out the survey so we can count your household and move on.
You can go through the BBB and have them talk to us for you, you could call our 1-800 number and request us to block your number, but the process of doing that is much longer than it takes to simply share your opinions on your local media.  We are not a scam, we are a legitimate business that studies consumer habits on the local scale, and in order to keep our results unbiased, we strive to get results from as many different lifestyles as we can.  Because of that, we tend to not have many fans.  It's not our intention to seem like we are harassing you or your loved ones, we are just trying to include your vote.

A. Nonie Mouse (I see what you did there),

Of course there are complaints against our company.  We call people and interrupt their everyday lives to try to get 15 minutes of their time for a survey.  The reason why you may consider us "one of the more reviled survey companies in America" is because we call a lot of numbers, talk to a lot of people...more than most other survey companies, because we do not have a "preferred demo" as you put it.  We work to include all demographics, and since we still try to get surveys from the people who initially turn us down, there's bound to be dissenting voices.  Show me a survey company who has zero complaints, and I'll show you a survey company that is selectively dialing preferred demos and getting biased (in other words "useless") results.

With my second post, I was using a general example.  Local media companies look at our data, and see who's getting more business.  If Media Company A is getting more mention in the survey results than Media Company B, then Company B may decide to adjust their services in order to get more business.  However, if Company B is actually in good standing within their community, and the problem is just getting survey results from their customers (maybe the general demographic gets paid $300/hr on average and don't think a 15 minute survey is worth their time), then there's no way for Company B to know this - they change anyway, and may be met with unfavorable results.  It's our job to try to make sure those who like Company B are being included just as much as those who like Company A.

A lot of what I'm seeing here is a resounding "what's in it for me?" mentality.  What's in it for you...basically, having your vote counted toward which local media companies are successful, and which ones aren't.  We sometimes do throw cash gifts your way as a show of good faith - tell me how many other companies do that, especially considering the shifting economy of the past decade.
But ultimately, your opinions help keep local businesses alive and competitive, instead of saying nothing and letting Walmart move into town to put the corner store out of business.  Or, if you prefer Walmart, then we still want to know - if our survey shows that more people prefer the services offered by the bigger institutions then it's more likely that they will succeed.  We're not trying to direct traffic, we're just observing it and telling the companies what we see.

I won't say anything of the FCC because frankly I don't know about that.  What I do know, however, is that many people will misinterpret certain regulations to make their point, as is often the case with the DNC list.

The above two comments by "Employee" are exactly what makes the company he mentions in the second post (the one I am answering in which he responds to himself) one of the more reviled survey companies in America.  To confirm my assertion, just do a Google search for "scarborough research complaints".  You will come up not only with a huge number of complaints about their calling practices, but also articles in media magazines like this, reporting that they are now calling cell phone only (CPO) households for their surveys:

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/135820/#axzz2ST8ZzPSz

(Scroll down the page to read the comment by Lilweeny Cohan -- this appears to be representative of what other people complaining on other web sites say about them.)

Employee also says, "These surveys normally take around 15 minutes."  Well, Employee, I often work late at night at home, and my work gets billed out at around $300 per hour.  So it is awfully presumptuous of you to expect me to donate that amount of time to your own ***profit making*** enterprise, and to expect me to cover the cost of those 15 minutes on my cell phone for you.  Then again, if you want to pay me my full undiscounted rate plus actual costs, we could think about reaching an agreement.  Otherwise, there are many other people and organizations more worthy for me to provide my services to gratis.

Finally, after what you've said about "a bunch of old people who don't listen to the local rock station," let's just stipulate that because I don't fall into your preferred demographic, If I did take your survey, I would lie through my teeth (which DON'T get soaked in Poli-Grip every night).  I would say that I am 68 years old and listen exclusively to hardcore gangsta rap artists like Slim Thug, Poison, and Yo Gotti, or say that I was 26 years old and preferred atonal modern music like Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Bela Bartok.

Why?  Because whatever I say, because I am not in Madison Avenue's preferred demo, you are going to use it to decide what NOT to put on the radio.  We're on to you.

By the way, I hope you are making all the calls that you are "coding into your system" manually, Employee.  Because, according to the FCC, it is unlawful for ANY person to make ANY call (other than a call made for emergency purposes or made without express prior consent) using any automatic telephone dialing system or any artificial or prerecorded voice message to any telephone number assigned to a paging service, mobile telephone service, OR ANY SERVICE FOR WHICH THE CALLED PARTY IS CHARGED FOR THE CALL.  This prohibition applies REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE NUMBER IS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL DO-NOT-CALL LIST.

Note that you do not have to have a cell phone to be charged for incoming calls -- even VoIP services that charge as little as one cent per minute for incoming calls appear to qualify.  And there are getting to be a lot more of those around.

Another thing I wanted to mention - the Scarborough survey is used to shape the services you get in your community.  If all we get are a bunch of surveys in your area from old people who don't listen to the local rock station, then guess what's eventually going to happen?  The rock station will see that, according to our report, they are not getting the level of listening they need to continue as they are.  So, they will change to try to get more listeners.  The local rock station will convert their format to mellow jazz, and the old people will absolutely love it.  We're kind of a big deal in that way.  Our report influences what you receive on the local scale.  So, if you like your rock station, please let us know so we can let them know they can hold off on the Kenny G a while longer.

How to Deal with Telephone Surveys:  A Guide

So, you're receiving calls at all odd hours from a bunch of strangers asking to take a telephone survey?  Fantastic!  Here is your chance as a red-blooded American to do your civic duty by showing your support for your local media!  You should feel honored that a random dialer punched up the numbers that happened to correspond to your home!  It must be fate!  These surveys normally take around 15 minutes, however the length may vary depending on how detailed you want your answers to be.  So if you can spare that small segment of time to help your community, then do it - it might turn into a nice little conversation with a friendly stranger that you wouldn't otherwise have!
If you cannot spare the 15 minutes, we all understand life can be busy sometimes.  You could be heading to bed (sometimes we call between 9-10pm - no later - because people are winding down from their day and might be more likely to have the time to spare), you could be eating dinner, you could be running errands or any other of the myriad valid reasons to not be able to take a phone survey.  Just let us know, and we'll gladly set up a time to work around your busy day.  We all realize that we are interrupting your life to ask about your local media preferences, so we strive to be as accommodating as possible.
There are times when you simply do not wish to participate in the survey - the ability to say "no" is a basic human right, and we fully understand when we hear it.  However, this is our livelihood, we have mouths to feed, bills to pay, and our employment is performance-driven.  The more surveys we complete, the more productive, and thus valuable, we are as employees, and the more secure our job is.  So, if we hear "no", sometimes we try to find out if there are any misconceptions as to what we do that we can overcome so we can record your opinions and not have to bother you again.  If you simply do not wish to take a survey, there are ways to keep yourself from being called again, and I will get into those later.
First though, I would like to address why we cannot just accept "No means no".  As a research company, we need to ensure that we are getting a diverse sample of opinions from as many different people as possible.  This includes people who do not want to take the survey.  If we simply hung up and blocked every number from being called again just because someone said "no", then the only demographics we are covering are those who are more likely to participate willingly, like the elderly and low-income households.  Their opinions are important, of course, but are most effective when combined with opposing demographics.  This is how market research works.  So, if we hear "no", then we need to see what we can do to try to turn it into a yes - the only thing we're trying to get you to buy is the idea that we are doing this to help your community.  That is the entire foundation of our business model.  We are not selling your information, the only time we have your personal information is when you provide it to us (or in the case of an address, it may be listed in a public source such as a phone book or any other public record).  We do not care what race you are, what your income level is, what your age is, or anything like that.  We only care that we are able to get the opinions that fit your demographic (which is partially determined by the above factors, which is why we may ask for them).  It's a crazy world out there, and some of us are terrified of letting too much personal information out there.  We understand that, and that is why we treat any information we get from you with the utmost respect and care.

There are some times when I dial a number that has already been dialed 12 times with no answer, and I think to myself "Why won't they just pick up?", or someone would hang up before I even get a chance to tell them who I am.  Or they will hang up before I can tell them how to get their number removed.  I get frustrated, because I know these people will just continue to be called, pushing them closer and closer to the brink of sanity like some of the other commenters here.  I get it.  You don't like being called by someone you have no prior business with.  You don't want to share your opinions.  You don't want to be bothered.  It's none of my business to know why, but I know that if I don't try to probe a little bit for the tiniest hint of what's keeping you from talking to me, then all that is going to happen is you're going to hang up, I'm going to code it in our system, and someone else will just try to call again tomorrow (sometimes sooner).  Obnoxious?  You bet!  I am not disagreeing.  But in this specific business, we have to be persistent.  We need to keep calling until someone picks up, we need to keep calling until we complete the survey, we need to keep calling until we get our job done.  Do I feel bad about it?  Not in the least, because for every person who is unreasonable or unreachable, there are plenty more who are willing to share common decency and handle the situation of "being asked questions over the phone" like a reasonable adult.

The most effective ways to get us to stop calling are as follows:
-Take the survey.  It's not that difficult.  We ask about what radio stations you listen to, what newspapers you read, what locally owned websites you visit, and what kind of television service you have.  Then we match the information to your demographic by asking some general questions about your background.  That's it.  How is this deserving of all the hate I see on this board?  It confounds me.
-Set a callback appointment, and try to commit to it.  I've seen it happen too many times where someone asks to be called back tomorrow at 5pm, then they don't answer, so they get thrown back into the random dial pool...wasting all sorts of time because now we're trying to reach that person when they are unavailable.
-If there is a valid reason why we need to stop calling the household, let us know and we will make it happen.  "I don't do surveys" and "Take me off your list" do not count - all you are doing there is letting us know that you fit the specific demographic that we need opinions from the most, so we will be even more persistent.

If all else fails, it has been noted that you can call 1-800-753-6043 and *ask for a supervisor* to get your number blocked from our dialing system.  I sincerely hope that after reading this guide, less of you opt for that final option.

Hopefully we'll speak soon!  ;)

I wonder why Directv doesn't just have their boxes send the viewing info back and put Nielson out of the business without bothering us with constant phone calls.

What I've said above is incorrect. My apologies. Please read my retraction here  http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-210-522-9215/8#p456729149711738046

My apologies, I DO look like a freaking idiot, thank you! I'm wrong. Surveys are exempt from having to maintain internal do-not-call lists but there's nothing to stop Scarborough from implementing a VOLUNTARY one -- it will prevent your victims from getting mad at repeat calls.
Folks, while surveys aren't required by law to maintain internal do-not-call lists, you are under *NO* obligation to answer surveys at all. If they refuse your request to be put on voluntary do-not-call lists that they can create if they so choose, blow their ears off with your favorite sound-maker of your choice -- whistles can be great fun. Or play a tune on your telephone keys. Or hand the caller to your baby. Or put them on hold.

A** Hole! give me your phone number so I can randomly call your everyday. Did it ever dawn on your dumb a** that people have a right to privacy? and that private numbers , mean "private"

hey Mister anonymous there... look at your link... it says TELEPHONE MARKETING...Scarborough does not market anything.....market research is not telemarketing...now don't you look like a freaking idiot

employee posted on 15 Mar 2009 "We can't take you off of a list that does not exist.  We dial random #'s". employee LIED by omission because Scarborough is required by law to keep Company-Specific Do-Not-Call Lists as described here http://www.fcc.gov/guides/unwanted-telephone-marketing-calls  Only tax-exempt non-profits are exempt and Scarborough does not qualify for this exemption so Scarborough must keep Company-Specific Do-Not-Call Lists and must put victims on them for 5 years when asked. "can't take you off of a list" is disingenuous. "We dial random #'s" is irrelevant because dialers are just software that can be programmed to not call numbers on a look-up list.

Another Employee posted on 5 Apr 2012 "the Do Not Call Registry specifically states that Market Research is specifically allowed by that registry. The way the law is written, we do not even have to give you an option to call in a remove your number, we could follow the letter of the law and make you write in to stop the calls." Another Employee LIED. The alleged letter of the law is A COMPLETE LIE. The law does not require victims to write in. The law allows verbal requests at the time victims are called. http://www.fcc.gov/guides/unwanted-telephone-marketing-calls states "When you receive telephone solicitation calls, clearly state that you want to be added to the caller?s do-not-call list." Scarborough must accept verbal requests from the victims to put them on their Company-Specific Do-Not-Call Lists and may not require victims to write in.

Scarborough has been lying in so many ways since 2009 and you don't understand why everyone is mad here? Among the inept, ignorance is bliss.

i dont understand why everyone is mad here..... ughhh last thing i knew is everyone liked easy money? we filled out there survey and kept getting more everytime we sent the survey back we'd get $20 $50 back ughhhh i dont see why no one try's it out simple surveys quick money sounds good to me! give people a chance geez! :l

Scarborough is breaking the law that requires all companies except tax-exempt non-profit organizations to maintain do-not-call lists as described here http://www.fcc.gov/guides/unwanted-telephone-marketing-calls  Scarborough is a for-profit, taxable company, do not qualify for the exemption and hence MUST maintain do-not-call lists, place numbers on it when requested and good for 5 years.

Folks, there are many shills on this thread and they've been spreading false information since 2009.

Surveys are exempt from the National DoNotCall Registry so surveys can call you even if you've registered on the Registry. However, surveys are required to maintain Company-Specific Do-Not-Call Lists as described here http://www.fcc.gov/guides/unwanted-telephone-marketing-calls and good for 5 years (it's about 1/3 of the way down that webpage). Only "tax-exempt non-profit organizations" are not required to keep do-not-call lists. For-profit survey companies do not qualify as "tax-exempt non-profit organizations" and hence must maintain do-not-call lists.

The shills claim they cannot put you on a do-not-call list because they use a random dialer -- this is TOTALLY IRRELEVANT. The shills are lying. Your survey taker can enter your number into their dialer (it's just software) as a number to NOT call with a click of the mouse. There is NO exemption for dialers, random or otherwise. Survey companies MUST maintain do-not-call lists regardless of how they dialed your number.

Ok for all the restless and pisses off people. let me give you some information .
I understand you guys are very upset but let me help you. if you keep hanging up on us the called has to code the call as weak refusal. by that the computer has to call back the next day. yes our households are generate by a computer program we do not dial a list we just click enter and the computer dials it. we just ask to questions to see if your house hold qualifies to do it. sometimes its not even you who is asked to do the survey. the length of the survey depends on your answers. the more you give the longer it is. If you really don't want to do it. LISTEN..L-I-S-T-E-N TO THE INTERVIEWER of course they will try to get you to do it but procedures then says to give you guys the 1800 number.. like any job every one has restrictions and aren't authorized to do much. we cannot take off your number.. because we are not telemarketers. we do not use list so we cannot delete anything. and for your security we cannot remove it.. when we dial we have no idea who we are calling and where. quit being lazy and rude and call the 1800 . thats the only ways the calls with stop. but by cussing and hanging up on us it isn't gonna do much,
we don't like to disturb people when its a bad time for us, but hey sometimes we dont know what time zone we are calling and i do apologize but all you have to do it tell them to call you another time and then call the 1800 thats all you have to do. telling us we are idiots and stupid isn't gonna make the calls stop.
but from what i can say is that next time viacom and direct tv remove your channels or any station you do not have the right to complain because you had your chance to give your opinion. CUZ AMERICA DOES RUN ON THE OPINIONS OF THE PUBLIC AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM.

How I got rid of this annoying company (as well as a few others that love to ring my phone.)  I got out a metal whistle that was used for coaching basketball by my beloved Grandfather, God rest his soul.  The whistle is hooked on a chain next to my phone.  Every time Scarborough Research pops up on my caller id I grab the whistle and blow it.  The sound is ear piercing and the "poor" solicitor recoils in horror from the blast.  It is really strange how my RANDOM number seems to have magically disappeared from their nonexistent list.  Grandpa would be so proud.......  ;)

If you don't like being cussed at change your business practices.

Mike Royne, such a very nice list.. Tom retired last year and Mark died of a heart attack almost that long ago... as for Deidre, I never met her so do not know. Byr please feel free to call the answering machines that never get checked at the offices you posted.
We are not obnoxious, your just too ignorant to read and too stupid to listen. I could tell you right here on this post how to stop the calls in less the 1 minute never get another call. But I am not going to. Because I don't offer to help people that are too self destructive to help themselves.

And there is no CALLING list,,, the numbers are randomized and plugged into area codes.. when a contact is made the number cycles through the database...it was originally generated at random. We do not have access to this database, it is not even onsite. the numbers are sent through to our computers to be dialed.

Now we try to help you, even get the calls to stop if you want that. But you really do not wnt the calls to stop.. you love to have someone you can scream at.... you want the calls to stop, then listen to the person a moment. They can get you an 800 number to stop the calls.

Now I read these boards regularly. Most or what i read is people just lying and making up things. So I am not going to bother educating anymore, just going to continue to read and laugh