What Telemarketer Research ? For WHO ?

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I got ANOTHER call today from a telemarketer claiming market research.

TELL ME YOUR CONCERNS
The call was from Mountain West Research Center (http://www.mwrcenter.com) wanting to ask me about national and local issues facing communities. As I probed for answers about who they were and who would get the results of the survey, the caller could not provided me with an answer on where my responses would end up. Why would anyone volunteer information that may go toward causes or political interests that they do not agree with. For example, lets say that I'm concerned about local businesses losing out to big corporations. Now anyone can bring up that topic to try to sway my opinion, regardless of their real intent. If I said pollution was my national concern, any corporation or political machine would know to how to gain my favor or dollars.

Are you a republican? How would you answer the survey if it was democrats calling?
Are you a democrat? How would you answer the survey if it was republicans calling?

I don't mind giving my opinions in the proper forum, but phone calling blind (which is annoying enough) and not telling me how my answers will be used. Its easy for both friends and enemies to use a person's opinion to sway or coerce them.

As an aside, I asked their company name, location, phone number... they told me they didn't have a phone number, that they were calling from the Internet (how ridiculous is that?).

YOU LIKE PET FOOD?
I had a different call recently (at 9:00 pm) researching my views on pet food products. They too weren't selling anything and felt the Do-Not-Call list didn't apply to them. I kept them on the line for a while asking about who was paying for and receiving the survey. As they said the survey results would be free, I asked them to send me the results. They then said it was not free, to which I asked who was paying for it. I had the guy talking in circles before he suggested I speak with his supervisor. The supervisor was rather unapologetic about calling anyone and about not revealing who was getting the survey. My point with these people was that it WAS a commercial phone call, and that they shouldn't be able to call me due to the Do-Not-Call List.

YOUR HOMEWORK
When they call YOU, be sure to get any identifying information so that you can look them up on the Internet, and blog about them. Get company name, address, phone number anything you can search on. Also insist that they tell you where your information is going, and who is paying for it. Good luck.