scubasean once bubbled...
Pretty cheesy though to ask me for a favor (reviewing the accomplishment of some standards in my course) and not to pay for the mail service needed to get the reply back to them....
They must be pinching pennies....Of couse, since I am also, and since they are a commercial entity, they lost out.
I think it is interesting that you feel that PADI is "asking you to do them a favor". While it IS beneficial to PADi to have input from participants, the purpose is beneficial to ALL divers and dive students as this is an attempt to gain information about the quality of services being provided.
Was there an email option? Did you provide your email address when you filled out the paperwork for AOW? Were you asked to? Would you have preferred to have been sent a survey via email?
Just curious,as I am interested in your opinion.
I am a PADI instructor. I hand out my own evaluation feedback cards to my students at the end of my classes and ask that they be filled out. Often people say, "I'll take it with me and mail or email it to you". I find that in most cases, if they do not do it "then and now", it gets forgotten.
I have always been under the impression that the purpose of these surveys was to get feedback as to what aspects of training people did and did not enjoy. To determine people's general impressions of PADI. Also to oversee what practices are being used in their affiliated dive operators.
My personal experience in business leads me to believe that persons who are less than satisfied with goods/services provided are eager to voice their opinions, wheras people who are content, or even overly appreciative, rarely go out of their way to praise good service. Random surveys (assuming people participate) help motivate responses.
I owned and operated a small chimney sweeping business in VT for 14 years. I (and my employees) always left a " how did we do?" survey card with each customer (much like the ones you find on restaurant tables). My general impression was that people appreciated the fact that we were attempting to solicit fedback, in order to gain knoledge of our stong (and weak) points.
I also observed that: even with pre-stampted cards, only about 20% actually took the time to fill it out and mail it back in. The result was wasted money. Money that I could spend more effectively in a positive manor. I then began handing out cards WITHOUT pre-paid postage. The result, about the same 20% response.
One question. If your survey card had been postage paid, would you have acted differently?
Forgive me if this analogy seems inappropriate. I am trying not to respond with a bias opinion.
As divers, are we not a collective group? Are we not concerned with quality control of our intrest and industry? Much like our nation ( in my and your case USA). We are asked to vote. Voting cost us time. Yet we are willing to participate, as we believe that our contribution will make a difference. I find it troublesome to hear comments like" I didn't vote, why bother, the system sucks anyway".
Now don't get me wrong here. I am not comparing PADI to our government. But don't other agencies besides PADI solicit responses? Is the intention not beneficial to all of us?
Bottom line, My interest in your opinion is with the best of intensions, to continue practices that are appreciated, and build on those which indicate a need for improvement.
I believe that people who feel strongly (good or bad) will most likely spend the 35 cents to let me know, at least I hope so. The ones who are "in the middle", with the risk of sounding apathetic, don't offer as much constructive input, and are therefore not as important to the survey.
Well, gotta run. I just got a survey card from my cable company. I think I'll let em know what I think of "Shark Week".
Andrew
