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View Full Version : Can this be why ramps aren't maintained?



bidkev
13-10-2006, 11:08 AM
Another waste of Tax Payers money! >:(

Answered a brief phone questionnaire last week from Socialdata Australia on behalf of Brisbane City Council regarding Qld Transport. At the end of the conversation the guy asked if I'd like more info in respect of them working out a timetable for my deckie to get to work on the public transport system and that he could post it to us. I explained that she was a shift worker and that we'd already looked into it, but he could offer us advice if he wanted to.

This morning, left on my doorstep was a good quality backpack with the timetable enclosed. Not only was there a timetable but scores of other pamphlets, a water bottle, a radioshack pedometer, pencils and pens, and a tube of sunscreen as a reward for answering their simple couple of minute questionnaire.

Now as nice as it is to be appreciated, I wonder just how many of these packs have been bunged out at tax/ratepayers expense and is it the council or Qld transport footing the bill? The backpack is stamped with Dep't of Environment, Brisbane Council and Qld Transport so I guess it may be funded by all 3 but ultimately it is funded by you and me.

The mind boggles at such senseless waste when ramps and other facilities are in such a poor state.

If someone rings you asking you to answer a few questions about Public Transport and if you want to get on the gravy train for some of your rates/taxes back via a nice little backpack, then oblige them.......OTOH, if you consider this "marketing exercise" of public transport a complete waste of money, then you could voice your displeasure.

kev

The Miss Universe pageant is fixed. All the winners are from Earth

JasonT
13-10-2006, 11:50 AM
I agree Kev - a bloody waste!
Having worked as a commonwealth employee for 10 years (not now though :-) ), i think the average taxpayer would be aghast at the sheer amount of waste. For example, at one stage we changed the software used for keeping track of items requiring regular maintenance. This resulted in a massive increase in the amount of paper we went through, printer cartridges etc. The new system also required data to be entered into multiple screens, meaning that what in the past took you five minutes to enter now may take 20! I'm not kidding!
Granted the system can provide greater reporting features, but is it worth it??
Also, in my line of work I have had to dispose of various items - usually with a hammer.
It brings a tear to my eye to be smashing a monitor for example that could be written off and donated to a charity of some sort.
Rules are rules and I didn't have a choice, but I would LOVE to have the taxpayers get together and audit the govt! I dream of the day the average taxpayer works out what's really going on! (and decides to fix it!)
Jason

Poodroo
13-10-2006, 12:52 PM
When my phone rings and it is one of those types of calls I cut them short and tell them I am not in the least bit interested. I am so sick of being pestered by telemarketers. My phone is there for my convenience not theirs.

Poodroo

charleville
13-10-2006, 04:20 PM
When my phone rings and it is one of those types of calls I cut them short and tell them I am not in the least bit interested. I am so sick of being pestered by telemarketers. My phone is there for my convenience not theirs.

I am sympathetic to this comment but I think that there is a discernible and worthwhile difference between telemarketers per se and proper market researchers.

That is, a proper market researcher will advise that he/she is operating within the rules of the Australian Market Research Society and therfeore the data being collected will be anonymously retained and not used directly to sell you anything. If they don't make this sort of comment up front then they are just doing some sales "blueprinting" or qualifying so that someone later will call you and try to sell you something based on the info that you had previously given.

Properly collected markety research serves the pubic well in informing governments and businesses on the needs and wants of the public. Usually, the payment of a courtesy "fee" or similar gift is only given when the respondent actually attends a focus group at a specific location. Typically, that gift will be of the order of $50 - although I did attend a computer aided market research thing for Ansett once just befiore they went broke and they gave me a free return trip to Sydney which my son enjoyed very much. (Except that it cost Ansett effectively nothing, this was a dumb gift really because I was selected for the research because I normally do at least one interstate trip every week in my job. That is, the last thing that I wanted was yet another bloody aeroplane trip. >:( ;D )

I agree with Kev though that the gift that he received was a bit over the top for a phone interview and has the potential to cause annoyance as per Kev's post.

BTW, I have learnt a new trick with the Indian Telemarketers. We have caller ID on our phone and any time that we get an overseas call centre calling us, the phone displays "Private Overseas". When I see that I just answer the phone, "How are things in India today?" That invariably catches them by surprise and they instantly ascertain that it is not worth the effort continuing the conversation so the conversation usually goes like " Pardon? er ..." and then they hang up. All of which means that I have been the courteous one and they have been the discourteous ones in hanging up on me. ;D

Dirtysanchez
13-10-2006, 04:28 PM
Hmm, interesting... my colleague told me yesterday about this, he lives at Bracken Ridge too Kev, and has been 'rewarded' with the back pack and BS within, trouble is, he has a car, as does his wife, they drive to work, drop the kids to school and NEVER use public transport.

IMO this is a waste, because the targetted market has been missed and the back pack is just a whimsical bonus for this bloke.. If it had enlightened them to the availability of transport for their kids getting to school or similar then its a job well done.

Thanks for the heads up, if they call me I will tell them to keep the pack and review my rates for the quarter :D

Russell

bidkev
13-10-2006, 04:40 PM
<snip>
BTW, I have learnt a new trick with the Indian Telemarketers. We have caller ID on our phone and any time that we get an overseas call centre calling us, the phone displays "Private Overseas". When I see that I just answer the phone, "How are things in India today?" That invariably catches them by surprise and they instantly ascertain that it is not worth the effort continuing the conversation so the conversation usually goes like " Pardon? er ..." and then they hang up. All of which means that I have been the courteous one and they have been the discourteous ones in hanging up on me. ;D



Yeah, lots of fun to be had Bruce. I had 4 (obviously Indian) calls one evening. Had to laugh, one introduced himself as "Tony" another one as "Joe" and another as "Kevin" ;D (I forget the 4th but it was a Western name) They were all stating, "Mr Dickinson, you have been awarded a free mobile phone". I interupt them politely to "please call me Gupta and could you speak up please" ;D I then apologise that I cannot take up their offer as my wife is divorcing me and that I will "soon be pennyless".............The silence is deafening ;D ;D

I know the poor buggers are only trying to earn a crust but when you're getting 'em at 9pm it fair pisses me off.

kev

The more I know the more I know I don't know.

Duyz72
13-10-2006, 05:32 PM
Funny you mention that, we (the wife) answered the same questionnaire and we actually use public transport a lot. Luckily having 3 bus routes pass by our way.

We have found the pack to be quite useful and I have used nearly everything in it (except for that pedometer lol)

stevedemon
13-10-2006, 05:38 PM
Hi kingtin
mate that is not the only reason the ramps are not maintained truth is they are to busy placeing tunnels in the city and another bridge unwanted only to place there names on the bloody things it is costing the rate-payer some 8 billion dollars a blow out of about 4 billion dollars on previous statements money could be better spent on by new buses fixing up of roads already in place in stead of putting people and business out of work and fixing the transport system all together

Cheers ;D ;D
Steve 8-) 8-)

Great_White
13-10-2006, 07:58 PM
How do I get a free back pack Kev #;D ;D ;D Only joking, I would rather seethe money go to a better use as well.

Wifey gets a lot of call and some take what seems hours to complete and nothing has ever ended up on the door step. So in one way I guess it's good to reward people who take the time to complete the survey.

But I hope it not funded by us the good old tax payers #:( :( :(

Peter

cactus_jack
15-10-2006, 09:00 PM
This morning, left on my doorstep was a good quality backpack with the timetable enclosed. Not only was there a timetable but scores of other pamphlets, a water bottle, a radioshack pedometer, pencils and pens, and a tube of sunscreen as a reward for answering their simple couple of minute questionnaire..

Kingtin

Are you sure you didn't just scare off some weedy pencilneck trying to deliver a timetable and keep his backpack? (there wasn't a couple a sandwiches in the bag as well was there?)

Just kidding I'm glad somebody got something worth while, the rest of us just get annoyed!!