• Why do you need to retain my number? Why not simply get rid of it?

So that we can speak with a statistically representative cross-section of individuals, we use a method called ‘random-digit-dialling’ (RDD). This means the phone number is generated at random by combining a list of area codes with numbers until we have phone numbers we can call. We have no control over the types of devices or individuals we reach in this way. Storing your phone number means that if by chance the random-digit generation suggests your number again, we’ll know to exclude you every single time to prevent any further calls.

• Is this how you got my number?

Not all of our projects are run by using random-digit-dialling technology. Our clients sometimes provide us with lists of phone numbers from their own database of customers, for example. If this is the case, we would identify the sponsor of the research on the phone. We may also look for phone numbers on publicly-available databases via a process called desk research if your profile matches the one we think is compatible with our research – think of the Yellow Pages, for example.

• I have more questions or a complaint I would like to make about this call.

If there is anything else you would like to know or if you are unhappy about the call (either the call itself or how our agent handled themselves), you are more than welcome to contact us at [email protected], the same address you can use to ask us to exclude your phone number from any further research. If you want us to get back to you, please make sure to include an e-mail address and telephone number so we can best assist you.

We will always aim to action your requests within 2-3 working days. If you are not sure if the call was from us, check your call history: it should have come from 020 7091 1419 or 0044 20 7091 1419 (if you reside in an English-speaking country outside of the UK, such as Ireland or South Africa for example).

• I am on a ‘do not contact’ list like the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), why can you contact me? There is a legal requirement for you to exclude me.

The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is designed to protect consumers from cold calls in collaboration with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Our calls are only for you to take part in genuine market research projects and are never intended to market, sell, or promote goods or services to you, and as such are not covered by the TPS.

Find out more by visiting the TPS website. Part of the reason behind this is to ensure that TPS registration does not bias the findings of public and private market research efforts in a way that would impact products and policies relevant to you. Although we are not legally required to filter our calls against phones numbers registered on the TPS lists, you can request for us to exclude your number from future research by following the instructions higher on this page.

• I have concerns about the security of the information I have shared.

Our commitment to the security of your details and any information you choose to share with us is of utmost importance. Our legal, regulatory and ethical obligations to you as data subjects and your concern for privacy drive our processes and how we work as a business. This is reflected in our membership of the Market Research Society and adherence to its Code of Conduct. We also work in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Our interviewers will always make sure you have all the information you need to give your informed consent to participate in our research surveys, including your right to withhold any information you are not comfortable sharing or interrupting the interview at any time. If you want to find out more about our work and your rights, please consult our privacy notice. You will never receive unsolicited sales calls as a result of agreeing to take part in our research surveys.