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You Can’t Ask Me That!

Dear corporations, please stop asking me to rate you on your service

Continuing her series tackling socially unacceptable questions, Christine Manby rails against the mounting tide of texts and emails that ask, ‘how are we doing?’

Monday 14 January 2019 20:38 GMT
Comments

Is there anything more annoying than an unsolicited request for feedback?

These days, feedback fever infects just about every aspect of life. It’s not just at work that we’re expected to get and give appraisals anymore. From Amazon to Zizzi, from the doctor to your bank, it seems that everyone wants to ask you how they’re doing and often at the most inopportune moment.

Remember how, once upon a time, you could go to a restaurant, get your food and rely upon being left to eat it in peace? Now, the waiting staff want to know what you think of your vegan burger before you’ve even had time to put it on Instagram. Or worse, they pounce just as you’ve taken your first mouthful to ask, “Is everything OK?”, knowing that you’re not going to risk spitting Quorn crumbs on your date to do anything more complicated than nod.

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