Harassment by the Census Bureau
I am sure many of you are having the same problems I am with the US Census Bureau. I am annoyed, frustrated and quite frankly frightened. By frightened, I mean I am feeling harassed, bullied, and stalked – it is downright creepy. Since I am the one home all day, I am getting the brunt of it.
We, like good U.S. Citizens, filled out the US Census form the minute we received it, and promptly mailed it back. Several weeks ago, we started to get telephone calls – the caller I.D. said “US Census Bureau”. Needless to say, we did not answer it. We filled out our form and returned it, they have all the information they need. I started looking around online and found that many others are being harassed by the US Census Bureau as well, via phone calls and/or visits to their home.
I cannot tell you the number of times they have called my house. They have called early in the morning, in the afternoon (while I am trying to take a much needed nap), at dinner time, or in the evening while I am trying to enjoy time with my family. This is a complete invasion of our privacy, and I am fed up.
I posted about this on Facebook and here are the reactions I got from friends:
We have people walking around the neighborhood. How many times do I need to tell them that nobody lives in the foreclosed house next door?
We sent in the form – took the first call and then stopped taking the calls (your right – thank goodness for caller ID). Now we have people visiting us at the house! How many times do we need to be counted??
We filled ours out… but they sent some guys to our house… pfft.. your tax dollars at work!
Filled the form and mailed right away. They followed-up with 2 letters and 1 visit while we were gone, they have not yet returned. No phone calls however.
Where does it end? How long will the census takers stalk me? If I had to guess, I would say they have called my house at least twenty times. After what I read online about what others are experiencing, I have no intention of answering the phone. Apparently they say they just want to confirm two questions or so, but then they start asking a bunch of other questions and they keep you on the phone for a long time. No way.
I hope they do not plan on coming to my door. I will not answer. My fear is that one of my teenagers will answer the door. Or what if they come by my house when I am out front gardening? That is bothersome. This is my house and I should feel safe here in and about my home. Hmmm…I believe there are amendments to that affect. Yep, there are.
Have you endured this type of harassment from the US Census Bureau? How are you handling it?
UPDATE: I just found more information on the Census Bureau harassing folks at Wise Geek (http://www.wisegeek.com/do-i-have-to-respond-to-the-acs.htm). If you were one of the unfortunate ones who received the ACS form, you will definitely find this interesting. How on earth can they ask for social security numbers, what time you leave for work, etc.
About Jennifer-admin
I filled my form out too and haven’t had any issues with calls or visits from anyone. I did have one person come and knock on my door but it was about a house across from me. She asked me if it was a vacant house (there are alot of them here) and when I said yes that the man had died last year and next of kin could not be found, she wrote that down and said that was all she needed. She did ask me if she could get my phone # to put on the form so if someone wanted to call and double check that she had actually talked to me they could. I gave her my phone number and that was that. Hasn’t been a problem yet and that was probably 3 weeks ago or more.
Here’s my beef … LOL ready?
We only answered our nationality {which I don’t even think is required, it’s just for funding allocation purposes} and even then we stated we were Americans. Should be enough, right? And how many people lived here. They came knocking a few weeks later and I only answered those same questions again. I could tell she was annoyed, but what was she going to do?
There’s also been light shed on just how honest the census department in regards to how many actual hours these workers are working vs. how much tax payers are paying them in the end. It’s a huge waste of friggin money and a waste of our time.
Agree, agree and agree! Why bother with the forms if they are going to have people call and come to the house…THAT is a huge waste of taxpayer money. It seems to me the forms should eliminate the need for so many census workers. They even came to your house a second time? What were they hoping to accomplish? UGH I don’t get it!
Well, they don’t call me because I’m Canadian. But I get plenty of debt collectors calling when I get behind! At least for Census they will stop calling if you answer their questions..
Maybe you could get a restraining order, that way if it keeps up you can send the Government to jail LOL. They have been coming over here too but I don’t answer the door or answer the phone. I don’t know why they are spending so much money on this, there must be some other great (by great I mean its going to cost us money) plan.
We haven’t had any problems with phone calls or people knocking on our door.
I appreciate the efforts, I guess I wish that it was kind of how it happened in past though. I use Census records to trace family history and it’s absolutely thrilling to find my relatives to see how old they were, their job, where they were born, nationality and where they lived. I feel connected with them. Although I know that modern technology will continue to grow and it won’t be nearly as difficult to trace family someday I hope that my peeps look and find me in the Census. But then again, who knows.
I wonder if there is a somewhere where you can send complaints or even suggestions. I have a friend working for them in our town, I’ll ask.
Please do ask Sky – I would appreciate it. I can see them coming if they haven’t received a form back from somebody – but I have also heard that they will say they never received it, just to talk to people more. Thanks Sky!
I have had issues as well. I mailed mine in but someone kept stopping by. My daughter is an adult, but I tell her not to answer the door when alone. It isn’t safe. Well, they came everyday for WEEKS. Annoyong her. Finally, my son was home one day and answered and we THOUGHT it was all done. Until my neighbor tells me THEY WERE HARRASING THEM because of us!
They came every day? That is ridiculous! Then to go to your neighbors house because you didn’t answer the door. I don’t get it! They have your form, what more do they need??
I filled out my form, and haven’t heard from them since. I was worried they would come knocking on my door though due to stories I’ve heard from other people. And sadly, at least in the Denver area, there have been numerous reports of fake census workers coming to people’s doors, getting themselves invited in and then robbing the homeowners, and in one case a woman was even raped. So I’m not answering my door for anyone claiming to be a Census working, it’s not worth it. If they started calling me, I would probably answer and tell them to never call me again.
Now THAT is scary! There are so many risks in opening the door – sad but true. After hearing the story of the fake census workers, I know I definitely will not be opening my door. Thanks for sharing this info!
I live in VA and am being harassed. Like you, phone call after phone call! I’ve told them to not call me but they do anyway. I’ve told them that I won’t answer their questions over the phone. They call anyway! I answered their questions when they came to my house so they have the info.
Perhaps we should organize and complain to the FCC. We could alert the ACLU. They get involved in 4th amendment violations. If necessary, hire an attorney and start a class action civil suit against them. We, the people, should not have to live in fear of our government! Our 4th amendment is there to protect us from unreasonable searches by the government (that’s what this census has become to many of us), but we have to exercise our rights. If this is truly as wide spread as it seems, the governments abuse of power is outrages and we should not let our rights be trampled. There’s safety in numbers…
Thank you so much for commenting – ours are not isolated cases, obviously, and that is what is so frustrating. It IS harassment plain and simple (I love how in the article you linked how they call it “persistent”. In the article they claim that event if you sent in the form, there may be a discrepancy. Well, I think the next time they call I WILL answer and before they talk, I will ask what is the discrepancy they are calling about. I will clear up a discrepancy, but I am not answering all of the questions again. I kind of doubt there IS a discrepancy. The other thing I found fascinating in this article is that they are touting how they are under budget. I guess they are trying to use up all of the money in the budget (for census purposes), by harassing us? I am going to see what they have to say when they call again. That had better be it, and they had better not call again.
I had a thought – if there is a discrepancy, why don’t they sent it in writing, asking us to clarify? It seems to me that would be simpler and cheaper than hiring oodles of people to continually call and knock on doors.
Thank you so much for providing that link – it is VERY interesting!
Because they feel “in person” or “via phone” is by far more intimidating to you and you will have a harder time telling them to go fly a kite.
I mean you DONT even have to fill out the paperwork mjuch less answer your door or phone. They not only come by here and TRY to machine gun style interrogate me about neighbors but have also sent their supervisor out claiming its “imparative” that they speak to them or word it “EXTREMELY important”. They have asked me to verify their names, what hours they work,if they are home, what car they drive,how many people live there, if in fact anyone still does live there, etc etc etc until I said “Lady look here, have u got any where with me to date? I have cooperated with you yet? Answered even one of your questions? No, I have not!
Thats when the pip squeak “Supervisor” came out trying to muscle in.
Hilarious
” This is Brooklyn Sir, you might wanna get back in your car and drive off. “
Unreal! That they would try to find out information on your neighbors too – that is their “so-called” job…not yours!
i am getting call after call, first thought was fraud then scam, etc
now they make such a big deal asking questions and they ask only one living in home at address…say yes they they ask any younger childrem, any new borns once establish i am not a child nor am i new born, when i say waste my time and my money on same questions positions in different verbs etc is not my idea of fun………so then they say i refuse
i ask how much do you make
are you full time or part time
and she does not want to answer
then asks me to hold
then hold again
i freaking hung up and have before will again
screw this crap
what is it the admistration trying to show they are on the imagrattion issue
well i been here some 68 years and did it every other year some location without problem, don’t they have records???? can’t they look back”
what the nuck is this anyway?
going to disconnect my freaking phone get rid of the creaps
i need to spend my time getting one of those freaking jobs
i have no job
been stolen and sent overseas to the imigrent conntries
I was employed as an enumerator but quit when they told me I had to knock on as many doors as possible to get answers for certain address. You’re right, it is harassment. Even when I got the count of how many people were at an address, they weren’t satisfied. Stupid and wasteful.
Completely wasteful! What other information did they expect you to get? I just don’t understand. Certainly our tax dollar can be spent more efficiently…
That’s what they did to us. We filled out and mailed in the form answering everything including how many people live here, but they kept calling for days, asking how many people live here. Why did we fill out the form if they are going to call anyway and then act rude and act like we are lying.The Census Bureau really stinks this year!!!
We had a guy come into our yard, thankfully my hubby was home. He told the man to please leave because we did the form once and we weren’t going to do it again. The man got angry then went to the neighbors and told them WE were threatening HIM.
No…I’m not answering my door to someone I don’t know, and I’m not answering calls either….enough already!
Oh my…I love the way your husband handled him (I will do the same if they appear at my door, except I’m not going to answer). They have this thing about harassing the neighbors too, don’t they?? It doesn’t sound like your husband threatened him at all. Enough already is right!
I hope they go to my neighbor and tell them how this 5’1″ 120 lb woman threatened them…..!
My husband sent in the census form, which was filled out completely! Now their calling off the hook, pun inteneded! Made the mistake of calling back, hoping to end their calls. The person was rude and would not stop giving his speel about how I had to answer all of the questions according to this title and that title of the law. I hope someone comes to the door!
Fun times!
LOL! I know, I almost dare them to come to my door. I guess I shouldn’t say that, but ya know LOL. See, I thought about calling back when they called the first time, but something just didn’t feel right about it. So they were rude on the phone to boot? Ummm no.
You get em’ girl!
They came to my door too and I ignored them, Im uncomfortable with the questions they ask on there as well. Go away!