Allison
05-17-2005, 07:41 PM
So, I get a call from one of those survey people. Now, normally, I don't care to answer 50 million questions about which soap, laundry detergent, or deodorant I prefer. But this one sounded fun. They wanted to send me a videotape of a television sitcom pilot, and then call me back after I'd watched it to get my opinions.
Cool beans, I thought. It's about time they (those people) asked the opinion of someone as witty and clever as myself. If they'd only asked sooner ...
Anyway, I said, Sure! Send me the tape!
So, it comes. And I sit down to read the instructions. There were two sealed booklets, and a single-page questionaire about the sitcom. The instructions said I was to open Prize Booklet A before viewing the tape, and Prize Booklet B after viewing the tape. I opened them both. They were very similiar.
Each booklet had product groupings from which I was supposed to choose my favorite soap, laundry detergent, or deodorant. I pondered, Hmmm ... I suppose I'm to believe that this is so they'll know what sort of "prize" to send me from the "Prize Booklet." Oh well, maybe it's a combined marketing thing. I'll still get to give my opinion on this new and exciting sitcom.
So, I sit down to watch the tape, which, by the way, also has special instructions. It's a "special" tape that self-erases, so I shouldn't rewind or fast-forward. Hmmm ... okay.
So, it begins. Cue some cheesy "Full House" music and an equally cheesy "Full House" cast with equally cheesy "Full House" dialogue. This looks very dated. And then, commercials! Aha! That's why I'm not supposed to fast-forward! Losers. I fast-forward.
It was awful. And the longer it went on, the more I knew I had been had. I suspected some consumer market research group had purchased a very old sitcom pilot to lure people into answering their stupid surveys about soap, laundry detergent, and deodorant -- and I was right. The bastards. Dads, the pilot they sent me, was made in 1997, starring C. Thomas Howell.
But, I got the last laugh. When they called tonight, I said, No, I'm not answering your survey, because you are very bad, mean, poopy-pants people. So there. :p
Cool beans, I thought. It's about time they (those people) asked the opinion of someone as witty and clever as myself. If they'd only asked sooner ...
Anyway, I said, Sure! Send me the tape!
So, it comes. And I sit down to read the instructions. There were two sealed booklets, and a single-page questionaire about the sitcom. The instructions said I was to open Prize Booklet A before viewing the tape, and Prize Booklet B after viewing the tape. I opened them both. They were very similiar.
Each booklet had product groupings from which I was supposed to choose my favorite soap, laundry detergent, or deodorant. I pondered, Hmmm ... I suppose I'm to believe that this is so they'll know what sort of "prize" to send me from the "Prize Booklet." Oh well, maybe it's a combined marketing thing. I'll still get to give my opinion on this new and exciting sitcom.
So, I sit down to watch the tape, which, by the way, also has special instructions. It's a "special" tape that self-erases, so I shouldn't rewind or fast-forward. Hmmm ... okay.
So, it begins. Cue some cheesy "Full House" music and an equally cheesy "Full House" cast with equally cheesy "Full House" dialogue. This looks very dated. And then, commercials! Aha! That's why I'm not supposed to fast-forward! Losers. I fast-forward.
It was awful. And the longer it went on, the more I knew I had been had. I suspected some consumer market research group had purchased a very old sitcom pilot to lure people into answering their stupid surveys about soap, laundry detergent, and deodorant -- and I was right. The bastards. Dads, the pilot they sent me, was made in 1997, starring C. Thomas Howell.
But, I got the last laugh. When they called tonight, I said, No, I'm not answering your survey, because you are very bad, mean, poopy-pants people. So there. :p