ComplaintsforNORC

• Initial Complaint

  10/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had had 2 people come to my house and just now a phone call I keep telling them to leave me alone I dont want to take part in their survey. They say my house was chosen yet it would only let me do the survey not anyone else in my house . She said she can make a note but that they wont stop contacting me . They are very aggressive and scary . The first guy said I hurt his feeling , he is just an old fat guy he would try to trick me . I have video but cant figure out how to share it from my security camera .

  

  Business response

  11/08/2022

  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  
  I had had 2 people come to my house and just now a phone call I keep telling them to leave me alone I dont want to take part in their survey. They say my house was chosen yet it would only let me do the survey not anyone else in my house . She said she can make a note but that they wont stop contacting me .They are very aggressive and scary . The first guy said I hurt his feeling , he is just an old fat guy he would try to trick me . I have video but cant figure out how to share it from my security camera .
  

  Business Response
  

  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)3, not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions,nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research. We have been conducting research in the public interest since **** and we are always trying to improve our operations so thank you for reaching out to us.
  
  We have reviewed the complaint submitted. We were able to identify the survey the complainant had been contacted about. We would like to confirm that this is a legitimate, federally funded survey and is ultimately conducted for the betterment of society. All data-gathering procedures are consistent with the scientific literature on survey research and best practices in social science data collection.
  
  Trained NORC interviewers made in person contact with the household on two separate occasions. In the first visit, a household member indicated doubt regarding the survey and the interviewer left print materials to provide additional information about the survey. On the second visit, the interviewer spoke with a different household member that indicated that somebody else in the household did not want to participate, but also told NORC staff that they would contact us by phone regarding the survey. The third and final contact with the household was by phone, where a household member indicated that they were not interested in participating in the survey. The complaint with the Better Business Bureau was made three days later, though no additional contact had been made with the household. Each of these contacts with the household was made with more than a month between contacts as to not unduly bother household members.
  
  The household address in the referenced survey was scientifically selected and cannot be replaced. However, participation is and has always been voluntary. To that end, NORC has already placed a block on this address and will not contact them again about their participation in this survey.
  
  We do appreciate that the complainant did express their concerns with NORC staff and contacted the Better Business Bureau with the intention of assuring that her requests were escalated. We hope that we have adequately addressed all the concerns expressed by the complainant.

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Yesterday morning I had a lady beat on my door. I had to ask a few times who she was, and she was not forthcoming. She started off slightly menacing, saying she is with "NORC" but refused to tell me who or what that was. She said "we sent you a letter about a month ago and you never responded so I am here to follow up". She made it sound frightening at first, like one of those spam calls threatening to send someone to your home for some fake legal issue. I told her she better get straight to the point. She said they are conducting "economic research" and I am one of **** households chosen in the USA. At that point, I told her very firmly to LEAVE, and DO NOT COME BACK. She tried to argue for a minute until I gave her my nasty look and started walking back into the house. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but thought better of it and left. So whoever this group is, since they sent me a random letter which I don't recall, and I didn't respond (this is a FREE COUNTRY, is it not?), they decide to STALK ME IN MY OWN HOME AND HARASS ME?? I don't think so. I called the city and they do NOT have a permit, which is required to knock on doors in this town, and so knocking on my door is ILLEGAL without that permit. I spoke with law enforcement about this. At this point, I want NO FURTHER CONTACT from this psychotic group of people, and if they ever contact me, call me, write me, email me, or especially come to my house again, criminal charges will be pressed immediately. IF THEY EVER SEND SOMEONE TO HARASS AND STALK ME IN MY OWN HOME AGAIN, I WILL FILE CRIMINAL TRESPASS CHARGES, AND POLICE HAVE ASSURED ME THAT THEY WILL LEAVE IN HANDCUFFS. I will pursue criminal charges to the fullest extent, as well as the city holding them criminally responsible for door knocking without permits. DO NOT EVER COME TO MY HOME AGAIN. The end.

  

  Business response

  07/08/2022

  Complaint 17502992
  Thank you for passing along this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions,nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research.
  Complaint ********************* Issues
  
  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  
  Yesterday morning I had a lady beat on my door. I had to ask a few times who she was, and she was not forthcoming. She started off slightly menacing, saying she is with "NORC" but refused to tell me who or what that was. She said "we sent you a letter about a month ago and you never responded so I am here to follow up". She made it sound frightening at first, like one of those spam calls threatening to send someone to your home for some fake legal issue. I told her she better get straight to the point. She said they are conducting "economic research" and I am one of **** households chosen in the USA. At that point, I told her very firmly to LEAVE, and DO NOT COME BACK. She tried to argue for a minute until I gave her my nasty look and started walking back into the house. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but thought better of it and left. So whoever this group is,since they sent me a random letter which I don't recall, and I didn't respond (this is a FREE COUNTRY, is it not?), they decide to STALK ME IN MY OWN HOME AND HARASS ME?? I don't think so. I called the city and they do NOT have a permit, which is required to knock on doors in this town, and so knocking on my door is ILLEGAL without that permit. I spoke with law enforcement about this.At this point, I want NO FURTHER CONTACT from this psychotic group of people, and if they ever contact me, call me, write me, email me, or especially come to my house again, criminal charges will be pressed immediately. IF THEY EVER SEND SOMEONE TO HARASS AND STALK ME IN MY OWN HOME AGAIN, I WILL FILE CRIMINAL TRESPASS CHARGES, AND POLICE HAVE ASSURED ME THAT THEY WILL LEAVE IN HANDCUFFS.I will pursue criminal charges to the fullest extent, as well as the city holding them criminally responsible for door knocking without permits. DO NOT EVER COME TO MY HOME AGAIN. The end.

  
  Desired Settlement:
  No further contact by the business

  
  Action Steps taken:
  NORC closed his case record on Thursday, June 30. There will be no future contact

  Customer response

  07/11/2022

   
  Complaint: 17502992
  
  I am rejecting this response because: There should have never been an initial contact. They could at least explain themselves and apologize for stalking and harassing me in my home on private property and confirm whether this person is associated with them. This lack of explanation or apology shows exactly who and what they are and their absolute lack of morals, ethics and decency.  I am contacting law enforcement and will move forward with filing a criminal trespass against anyone associated with this organization so that if they EVER contact me or come near my home or place of business in the future, they will be arrested and charged criminally right on the spot.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  07/22/2022

  Our mission is to provide high quality data to inform public policy.  Our research is based on samples that are selected scientifically to ensure we represent the country as a whole.  We attempt to give everyone in our sample an opportunity to be heard by participating in our research.  After we mail an initial letter it is our standard to visit our sample members to ensure they received our letter and to answer any questions about our research.  We sometimes learn that the household discarded the letter without opening it and once learning about our research the household decides to participate. We are sorry you were upset by our visit.  We closed your record immediately after receiving your complaint from the Better Business Bureau

  Customer response

  07/27/2022

   
  Complaint: 17502992
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Stalking unsuspecting people unsolicited and unwelcome at their private home is completely unacceptable.  It is frightening, creepy and should be illegal.  Im fact, in this city, it IS ILLEGAL because you are required to have a permit.  You broke the law.  As such, Im simply going to call law enforcement and let them handle this and will be pressing actual charges since you deny wrongdoing and decided to physically harass me.  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Amerispeak is a survey firm that pays panelists for responding to their surveys. I recently filled out a survey and have not been paid for it, despite repeatedly asking for payment and resolution.

  

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  Thank you for passing along this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research.
  
  
  Complaint Involves:
  Billing or Collection Issues
  
  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  Amerispeak is a survey firm that pays panelists for responding to their surveys. I recently filled out a survey and have not been paid for it, despite repeatedly asking for payment and resolution.
  
  
  Desired Settlement:
  ***** AmeriPoints Incentive for completing the survey.
  
  Action Steps taken:
  NORC has reviewed the complaint and worked toward the desired outcome. Listed below is our record of contact with the complainant and action steps taken:
  
  The complainant, who is a member of the AmeriSpeak Panel, emailed the AmeriSpeak Support Inbox on 4/28/2022 regarding missing awards (in the form of AmeriPoints) for a survey completed on 4/26/2022 for the Cell Enumeration Pilot 3 2022 Survey. A Support Agent sent a reply stating that the issue was being investigated on 4/28/22.
  
  On 5/31/2022, the complainant sent an email to the Support Inbox stating that the issue had not been addressed and requesting further follow-up.
  
  A response was sent by the Panel Support Team on 6/07/2022 about the need for further investigation as well as to note that the investigation was still in process, the complainant reached out to follow-up on 6/17/22 and then filed with the Better Business complaint on 06/28/2022.
  
  While there was an initial escalation on the call, there was a missed escalation which prevented our team to award in a timely fashion. The AmeriSpeak Support Team is taking steps to prevent similar oversights from occurring in the future.
  
  On 6/30/2022, the complainant was awarded ***** AmeriPoints and an additional ***** discretionary points. The AmeriSpeak Support Team left the panelist a voice mail at 11:00AM on 6/30/22 CST to confirm that points were received.

  Customer response

  07/06/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  A few months ago I received an email from a business called NORC based in Chicago. The email stated that I would receive a letter in a few days explaining their company and that it would contain a small monetary gift. A week or two later I got a letter from them with a ten dollar **** enclosed and explaining that they do some type of government research, Since I was not interested in doing a survey, i threw the letter away and forgot about it. A few weeks later i got another letter with five dollars in it and saying they would contact me soon. Then the phone calls began. I don't answer my phone if I don't recognize the number so they began leaving voice mails and stating that they would call me later. I never responded to the voice mails and have no desire to participate in any surveys, so I would like to have them stop calling. I read some complaints on the BBB website which seems to indicate that NORC tells some people that they can't opt out of this program, but i have no interest in participating, so please get them to stop calling. Sincerely, Billl *******

  

  Business response

  05/31/2022

  Thank you for passing along this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)(3)not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research.
  

  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  A few months ago I received an email from a business called NORC based in Chicago. The email stated that I would receive a letter in a few days explaining their company and that it would contain a small monetary gift. A week or two later I got a letter from them with a ten dollar **** enclosed and explaining that they do some type of government research, Since I was not interested in doing a survey, i threw the letter away and forgot about it. A few weeks later i got another letter with five dollars in it and saying they would contact me soon. Then the phone calls began. I don't answer my phone if I don't recognize the number so they began leaving voice mails and stating that they would call me later. I never responded to the voice mails and have no desire to participate in any surveys,so I would like to have them stop calling. I read some complaints on the BBB website which seems to indicate that NORC tells some people that they can't opt out of this program, but i have no interest in participating, so please get them to stop calling.
  

  Desired Settlement:
  No further contact by the business
  

  Action Steps taken:
  As the complaint indicates, NORC was unaware of his decision to not participate in our research and that he did not want any contact from us, therefore, we continued to try to reach him. We closed his case record on Thursday, May 26, and there will be no future contact.

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I participated in a 45 minute zoom survey with through NORC at the University of Chicago on 2-15-22. I was advised that I would receive a ****** point reward added to my Amerispeak account within 2 weeks of completing the survey. After 3 weeks went by with no rewards points added to my account, I reached out to ************************* at NORC to let her know. She advised me she would look into it and also advised me to reach out to Amerispeak to let them know. I reached out to Amerispeak and they .said they would "escalate" the problem and get back to me. They called me back a couple of times within early March, but couldn't explain where my points were. I called Amerispeak again on 4-18-22 and let the customer service rep know that I still have not received the points I earned. The representative told me he was going to "escalate" the problem and somebody would call me back within 2 days. Nobody called me back. I called again on 4-21-22 and was advised again by a customer service representative that somebody would call me back that day and that she would personally call me back that evening to confirm that somebody had followed up with me. Nobody called me back.

  

  Business response

  04/27/2022

  Thank you for passing along this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research.
  
  
  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  
  I participated in a 45-minute zoom survey with through NORC at the University of Chicago on 2-15-22. I was advised that I would receive a ******-point reward added to my Amerispeak account within 2 weeks of completing the survey. After 3 weeks went by with no rewards points added to my account, I reached out to ************************* at NORC to let her know.She advised me she would look into it and also advised me to reach out to Amerispeak to let them know. I reached out to Amerispeak and they said they would "escalate" the problem and get back to me. They called me back a couple of times within early March but couldn't explain where my points were.I called Amerispeak again on 4-18-22 and let the customer service rep know that I still have not received the points I earned. The representative told me he was going to "escalate" the problem and somebody would call me back within 2 days. Nobody called me back. I called again on 4-21-22 and was advised again by a customer service representative that somebody would call me back that day and that she would personally call me back that evening to confirm that somebody had followed up with me. Nobody called me back.
  
  Desired Settlement:
  Other (requires explanation)
  I would like the ****** points awarded to my account that I earned.
  
  Action Steps taken:
  NORC has reviewed the complaint and worked toward the desired outcome. Listed below is our record of contact with the complainant and action steps taken:
  
  The complainant, who is a member of the AmeriSpeak Panel, reached out to the AmeriSpeak Support Hotline on 3/2/2022 regarding missing awards (in the form of AmeriPoints) for a follow-up interview completed on 2/15/2022 for the January Omnibus Survey. During this call, the complainant stated that the person conducting the interview reported that the complainant would be awarded points within two weeks. The Support Agent informed the complainant that this issue would be passed on to the Support Supervisor for investigation.
  
  On that same day, our Panelist Support Team followed up with the complainant to inform the complainant that the AmeriPoints would not be awarded until all interviews had been completed and participation was verified. We apologized to the complainant for the inconvenience and confusion on the timing of the AmeriPoints award.
  
  On 4/21/2022, the complainant made three calls to the AmeriSpeak Support Hotline to inquire about the status of the reward. The Support Agents did not have this information at that time and promised a follow-up contact. The Support Agent escalated the issue right away to the Supervisor, who in turn escalated to the Panel Administrators. This escalation is needed since although rewards have been awarded to other participants of the Follow-Up Survey, this particular complainant was not part of the list.
  
  The Panel Support Team followed up with the complainant on 4/22/2022 about the need for further investigation. The complainant lodged their BBB complaint on 04/22/2022.
  
  The Panel Administrators reached out to the Research Manager of the Omnibus Project to investigate on 4/25. The investigation uncovered a missing participant file, which included the complainant. Upon receiving this information, the Panel Administrators initiated the AmeriPoints award process. The rewards, for ****** AmeriPoints (equivalent to $40), was awarded on 4/27. This has also been confirmed with the complainant via a phone call on the same day.

  Customer response

  04/29/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have recieved 290 dollars of virtual credit cards which are useless. Tried to redeem these in different denominations 2-100,1-50,1-25,2-10 dollars . None of the numbers work for redeeming. After trying to call numerous times on the 11 and 13th of march 2022 . I get disconnected and left numerous emails and messages.They need to reiisue my points or make these right. Never had issue with actual cards. These points are a result of doing numerous time consuming surveys with the promise of said compensation. They need to resolve and improve answering complaints.

  

  Business response

  03/25/2022

  Thank you for passing along this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations,educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research.
  
  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  I have recieved 290 dollars of virtual credit cards which are useless. Tried to redeem these in different denominations 2-100,1-50,1-25,2-10 dollars . None of the numbers work for redeeming. After trying to call numerous times on the 11 and 13th of march 2022 . I get disconnected and left numerous emails and messages.They need to reiisue my points or make these right. Never had issue with actual cards. These points are a result of doing numerous time consuming surveys with the promise of said compensation. They need to resolve and improve answering complaints.
  
  Action Steps taken:
  We have reviewed the complaint and worked toward the desired outcome. Listed below is our record of contact with the complainant:
  
  The panelist called our AmeriSpeak Support Hotline 10 times on 3/14/2022. During the first 9 of these contacts the call was dropped before they were able to speak with a Support Agent.
  
  Mon Mar 14 15:11:45 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 15:21:41 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 15:33:41 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 15:35:12 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 15:36:29 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 15:55:14 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 15:57:42 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 16:04:03 CDT 2022
  Mon Mar 14 17:18:59 CDT 2022
  
  The panelist spoke to a Support Agent on their 10th attempt, which was on Mon Mar 14 19:41:23 CDT 2022. The panelist was reaching out to the AmeriSpeak Support Team about the feedback the panelist received when attempting a purchase using the Virtual Mastercard Reward Card distributed by AmeriSpeak for rewards of completing surveys. The panelist reported not being able to complete the purchase when using the card. However, this failure is expected under the terms of usage: the panelist was trying to make a purchase that exceeded the balance of the reward card. In this situation, user may be able to pay the difference with a different card, if the merchant the user transacting with allow split payment ability online. If the merchant does not allow this functionality, the purchase will be denied completely. In most cases, this restriction only happens for online purchases.
  
  However, it seems that the panelist was still having questions/not clear about the terms and conditions, as evidenced by the complaint lodged to the BBB, although no contact was attempted with AmeriSpeak.
  
  Resolution steps being taken:
  Following the complaint, on Thu Mar 17 15:44:14 CDT 2022,the AmeriSpeak Support Team reached out to the panelist to further explain the terms and conditions for the Virtual Mastercards Reward Card. At the close of the call the panelist now understands the terms of usage and had no further questions. The panelist was also pleased that his call was returned the day after the BBB complaint was submitted.
  
  As such, we believe the issue as reported by the complainant to the Better Business Bureau has been resolved since:
  The complainant has been advised on the usage of their Virtual Mastercard Rewards and the detailed terms conditions for usage of their issued reward; and
  The complainant has been given the contact information for the Virtual Reward Center (the vendor AmeriSpeak partnered with to issue rewards) for any further issues with merchants.

• Initial Complaint

  03/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  NORC sent me a postcard in early February offering to give me a $10 gift card in return for participating in a survey for the ***************** Study. I completed the survey on February 9 and I was supposed to receive a $10 Amazon gift card one week later. I did not receive the gift card, so I contacted NORC via email at ********************************* on February 23. I received a response from someone named ******* on February 26 apologizing for the inconvenience and asking me to check my junk mail folder. ******* indicated that she was following up with their vendor to confirm the incentive was sent. I checked my junk mail but there was no gift card there. On March 3, I had still not received the gift card and I contacted ******* again to update her. As of today (March 10), more than one month has passed since I completed the survey and I still have not received the gift card. I am suspecting that NORC is running some sort of scam here.

  

  Business response

  03/18/2022

  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)3, not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research. We have been conducting research in the public interest since **** and we are always trying to improve our operations so thank you for reaching out to us.
  
  This complaint was submitted by an individual who had been contacted for participation in a survey involving research on food insecurity. NORC is committed to making sure that all research participants feel respected and treated fairly. There were some technical difficulties in delivering this participants electronic survey participation incentive. However, NORC has received confirmation of a successful transaction of the incentive payment associated with participation in this data collection.

  Customer response

  03/21/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I finally received the gift card on March 18. For the record, NORC sent it to me one full month later than originally promised, and only after I involved the Better Business Bureau. I am grateful to the Better Business Bureau for helping resolve this matter. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've been taking surveys for NORC since I was a teen and I am now 38. I never signed up to take the survey in the first place so I'm not sure how they chose me. I asked someone a couple of years ago about not wanting to continue taking it and I was told it wasn't possible. I don't like not being able to opt out of something that I never asked to do and I would like to know if someone could help me get out. They are nice people but I feel that this is harassment and I definitely don't have the time to take long surveys like that.

  

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)3,not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research. We have been conducting research in the public interest since **** and we are always trying to improve our operations so thank you for reaching out to us.
  
  We have reviewed the complaint submitted. We were able to identify the survey the complainant had been contacted about. We would like to confirm that this is a legitimate, federally-funded survey and is ultimately conducted for the betterment of society. All data-gathering procedures are consistent with the scientific literature on survey research and were publicly disclosed in the Federal Register in order to secure federal permission to conduct data collection.
  
  The complainant expressed concern that NORC staff contacted her for her regular interview but that she was enrolled in the study many years ago and is no longer interested; she indicated she does not have time for a long survey. The complainant has requested that NORC no longer contact her about her participation in this survey.  The complainant previously had an appointment scheduled but did not answer her phone at the time of the scheduled interview.  A few days later, she filed her BBB complaint.
  
  Respondents in the referenced survey were scientifically selected and cannot be replaced.  However, participation is and has always been voluntary. Towards that end, NORC will place a permanent block on her case  and will never contact her again about her participation.
  
  We do appreciate that the complainant did express her concerns with NORC staff,and also contacted the Better Business Bureau with the intention of assuring that her requests were escalated. We hope that we have adequately addressed all of the concerns expressed by the complainant.

• Initial Complaint

  01/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I received a letter in the mail about 2 weeks ago for an outdoor survey being conducted by NORC and it stated that for my time I would be compensated $10 in a egift card so I went to "outdoorsurvey.norc.org" and entered my code on the letter and at the end of the survey it said I would receive my $10 egift card in my email within 10 days. It has been passed 10 days and I have yet to be compensated for my time to take the survey. I tried to reach out to the email NORC provided for Support only to receive a email saying that my email address was blocked from sending email to them. I am trying to reach out through the BBB to receive my payment as I cannot reach NORC through traditional means.

  

  Business response

  02/05/2022

  Thank you for sharing this complaint with us. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations,and businesses to conduct objective social science research.
  
  Customers Statement of the Problem:
  I received a letter in the mail about 2 weeks ago for an outdoor survey being conducted by NORC and it stated that for my time I would be compensated $10 in an egift card so I went to "outdoorsurvey.norc.org" and entered my code on the letter and at the end of the survey it said I would receive my $10 egift card in my email within 10 days. It has been passed 10 days and I have yet to be compensated for my time to take the survey. I tried to reach out to the email NORC provided for Support only to receive an email saying that my email address was blocked from sending email to them. I am trying to reach out through the BBB to receive my payment as I cannot reach NORC through traditional means.
  Desired Settlement: 
  My gift card

  
  Action Steps taken:
  NORC has reviewed the complaint and the desired settlement. NORC has identified the complainant as a participant in a research study that was administered by NORC at the University of Chicago in 2022. This complaint pertains to not having received a gift card as incentive for participating in the study.

  
  Our records show that the complainant completed the survey on January 18th of 2022. We reviewed our inbound email and were unable to locate contacts from the complainant, but it is possible that the complainants emails may have been filtered out due to an automated system or that the complainant used a different email address besides the one included in the complaint. Nevertheless, we sincerely apologize for the delay in receipt of the gift card and appreciate that the complainant attempted to contact us about the issue.

  
  Prior to receiving the complaint, NORC had already identified an unexpected system error that prevented electronic gift card payment requests from being successfully submitted to our incentive vendor. The issue disrupted the delivery of an email including a gift card code and redemption instructions to the email address provided at the time of the interview. NORC was in the process of remedying this error with our incentive vendor and working to reissue e-gift cards to the affected respondents. Upon receiving the complaint on 01/28/2022,NORC confirmed that the complainants gift was delayed due to the technical error,and we reissued a payment request to our incentive vendor on that day. The complainants reissued gift card was processed on 01/28. We confirmed on 2/1/2022 that the respondent has redeemed his or her gift card. We will follow up with the complainant via e-mail on 2/2/2022 to respond to their complaint and confirm delivery of the e-gift card.

  Customer response

  02/07/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* Del *****

• Initial Complaint

  01/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  0

  

  Business response

  03/15/2022

  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this complaint. NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent 501(c)3, not-for-profit research organization that collaborates with government agencies, foundations, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to conduct objective social science research. We have been conducting research in the public interest since **** and we are always trying to improve our operations so thank you for reaching out to us.
  
  This complaint was submitted by an individual who had been contacted for participation in a survey involving public health. NORC is committed to making sure that all research participants feel respected and treated fairly. We have mailed the individual the incentive payment associated with participation in this data collection.

  Customer response

  04/26/2022

   
  Complaint: 16436952
  
  I am rejecting this response because: see attached
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business response

  05/13/2022

  We re-sent the $10 gift card (Physical MasterCard) on March 17th and once again on May 9th to the address provided in the survey and in the respondents BBB complaint. As a reminder the physical cards take between 3-5 weeks to be mailed. We investigated whether the gift card has been activated and it has not but, unfortunately, we do not have any other contact information for the respondent, that can be used to follow up directly with her and see where the issue may be. We are also investigating if we can ***** a gift card to the respondent to ensure that it is delivered. 
  
  

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